After dropping my son off for his evening football practice in La Verne, I decided to stop by North Pomona's Albertsons, located on Foothill & Garey. I Picked up some home necessities as usual. And as I always do, took a stroll by the beer section. Took a look, some decent brews displayed. Saw the great Stone Brews for $10 a 6-pack. Nah, look for a bargain, there must be one somewhere.
Wait? What's this? Red Trolley Ale? Hmm, I remember the Red Trolley in San Diego when I used to visit relatives as a kid. I looked closer, and San Diego it is! Right next to it, an IPA named Tower 10, by the same brewer Karl Strauss of San Diego, CA. To my dismay, on sale for $7.99 a 6-pack. Done, it is purchased and hauled off home for a taste of the ol' Skrip palate.
According to Karl Strauss, The Red Trolley Ale is "A bold red ale with a toffee maltiness and slightly sweet finish."
Opened the Red Trolley instantly after gnawing on some chicken wings. First impression, whoa, this is a bit heavy and sweet. I don't know about a slightly sweet finish, in fact its a bit past the medium of sweetness. It comes on very sweet at first. I don't know if this is one brew to drink quick. This is a slow drinking beer no doubt. It feels as if they tried to put too much flavor into this, in a cheap way. Not your backyard BBQ brew for sure. A bit too forced of a flavor. This baby gets a 3 out of 5.
The next day, I tried the Tower 10 IPA. Karl Strauss says this brew is "An American-style India Pale Ale with a citrus and pine hoppiness, followed by a dry balanced finish."
Hmm, okay this one tastes better. Indeed, it has that hoppiness and bite that most IPAs offer. It is a little bit thicker than the better IPAs. But the flavor isn't bad at all. Maybe the bitterness goes a bit overboard, oh so slightly. But if I had to choose between this and the Red Trolley, I'd take the IPA. This one gets a 3.5 out of 5.
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