A Short Review of Beer: Barrio Rojo

Another two weeks passed, another trip to the gas station to fill up the growler. After surviving a root beer explosion, I was in need of some liquid cereal to keep the hubby out of mischief.

There was a surprisingly long line at the draft counter, but when our turn came, we selected the next tap up the line from last trip's selection, Barrio Blonde. This time, we got Barrio Rojo.

Another creation of the local Barrio Brewing Company, Rojo (Spanish for "red") bills itself as a Scottish-style ale with less hops and more malt in the brew. According to the brewery's website, "[w]e took our time to caramelize the brewing sugars to create a low bitterness, sweet beer with notes of caramel brown sugar and cinnamon." Intrigued by this description, I had to try some.

True to its name, the beer that came out of the growler was a deep red, almost brown color. It reminded me strongly of a stout. There was also a gorgeous head on the beer too, which I have to thank the attendant at the gas station for since she actually sealed the growler's cap with electrical tape just after she filled it up. I knew it was gonna be heady too as I was watching the foam pour out all over the counter as she filled the growler up.

I tried to get a picture of the color, but my flash is too bright to do it justice

My hubby's beer. A better shot of the color, but still not as good as in real life

As for the taste, I was pleased to note that it was not terribly bitter. It definitely had more body quality than the Blonde, but I would not call it sweet. It's malty, but not something sugary. In fact, I couldn't detect any of the brown sugar and cinnamon advertised in the description. The Goose Island Summertime Ale I'd had a few weeks back was sweeter than this brew. I wouldn't go so far as to call it false advertising, but I guess my tastebuds aren't primed for subtlety. Like most beers, it has an alcohol level of around 5%, so the buzz is very minimal.

My husband, on the other hand, was very pleased with the quality of the beer, going so far as to call the Blonde we had last time "pisswater". He even put away the Clamato he'd planned to add as a flavor enhancer. Despite it's stouty appearance, the mash for Rojo was not toasted and for that I am grateful.

Since we had ribs for dinner, I found that the beer actually worked nicely with the tangy BBQ sauce they'd been slathered in. The flavors complemented each other well. Down in the pork layer of the ribs, past the sauce, the beer cut down on the natural saltiness of pork. It's a good pork beer, I'll give the brewers credit for that.

Overall, I guess I'm pretty disappointed by Rojo. I was expecting something sweet, and it let me down.

As always, please enjoy all adult beverages responsibly.