BREWER: Brewboard, Cambridgeshire, England

STYLE: Red IPA

ABV: 4.6%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

TWITTER: @BrewBoard

INSTAGRAM: brewboarduk

DATE OF POST: 27th February 2023

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Cardinal Dred, I assumed was named after maybe a Marvel character or an infamous criminal from years gone by… I didn’t know though so had to take to the Google to find out. It would seem that there is no Cardinal Dred to be found other than our beer we have here. Which for me makes it a very strange name for a brew indeed. Cardinal Red, yes. But Cardianal Dred? I mean I could be missing something fairly major here but I just do not get it. Something else I don’t get is the tin art. A Dr. Moreau-esque birdman/manbird with a long bow? Again, I could be missing the point here but I really don’t get it and have to say wasn’t particularly looking forward to testing the beer because of it. Silly I know, but Jymi can’t help the way he feels.

Can popped n’ poured, instantly I was put at ease as the aroma coming from this Red IPA is wonderful. Sweet, malty with hints of dark fruit, the nose just makes you want to get involved with this beer. And after the first sip I began to get pretty excited as it was delightful I have to say and backing up everything going on in the aroma. However as I progressed through the drink everything just began to fade and have way less impact. At no point did the beer begin to be bad but it did drop off at an alarming rate.

There is clearly something very good knocking around in the character of Cardinal Dred but it just hasn’t been clung onto by our brewer here. Maybe just maybe if it was 5.6% and not 4.6% the problem would be solved. But at the end of the day, what do I flippin’ know eh.

Jymi’s Rating: 62%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

From the outset, Cardinal Dred rubbed me up the wrong way.  Just a little bit.

And no, I am not talking about the packaging, which as with all Brewboard offerings is a little off piste.  

It’s the fizz.  It’s off the scale. Ok, you might say I poured CD in a bit of haste.  But, don’t I do that with all of my beers?  And for the record, the vast majority do not leave me with mostly head and just a little beer.

Perhaps, I just need to move on from this.  So I will.  Only for the sake of getting to the important bits…

…which I have to say are a little underwhelming.  

CD tastes of beer.  It’s quite nutty, but beer nonetheless.  And that’s what we might hope.  However, that’s about all I can say about it.  And when I say it tastes of beer, imagine stereotypical views of beer, you know, the sort your grandad might drink on a Sunday afternoon, and then you’ll be in the right ball park.  

Yes, I know this has a place.  I like a beer to taste like a beer.  But, when we are promised a red IPA, I do get my expectations raised a little higher than what’s described above.

If I were to sum up CD, it might read something like: Passable. Ok. Nothing special.

Sammy’s Rating: 68%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 65%

MOB review next weekend: DOUBLE DRAGON by FELINFOEL BREWERY

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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