Review: Red Brick Laughing Skull Amber Ale

A while back I was at the Bulldog, browsing their beer list, when I came across something called a Laughing Skull Amber Ale.  It's a little unusual to find something on tap there that is new to me other than the occasional seasonal or Abita select, so an entirely new brewery was a pleasant surprise.  So, I quickly ordered one and then got on my phone to see what it was exactly that I was ordering.

 

It wasn't hard to find "Laughing Skull Amber Ale" in the BeerAdvocate directory and I noticed that it was from the Red Brick Brewing Company, formerly known as the Atlanta Brewing Company.    Apparently they always used to market their beers under the Red Brick name similarly to how the Boston Beer Company continues to market their beers under the Sam Adams name.  Unlike the Boston Beer Company, when the Atlanta Brewing Company made the move to more widespread distribution, they just adopted the more common name all around.  It makes sense to me in a world where branding is a big deal.

 

And, if they are on tap at the Bulldog, then there must be some places to get them in bottles as well.  I've seen a bottle of their Red Brick Double IPA around, so that's good news as far as availability. 

As for the beer, it's a clear amber color with a small white head. There was a faint amber malt smell but really not much on the nose. The taste was much more robust than the aroma, bursting with sweet and malty notes with a really good caramel flavor.

Good beer, not great but easy to take some down. Well carbonated and easy to drink.  I think this is a good beer to split with some friends in a pitcher as it's not likely to be TOO much for anyone, but it's got some good qualities to appease the beer nerds too.

 

My Rating: B

BeerAdvocate: B-

 

*Picture from the Red Brick Brewing Company website.