Appearance:   “Red, I guess, but not fire engine red. It’s sort of an amber-red or russet potato red. The head is a good collection of tiny little beige bubbles.”

Aroma:   “There’s some citrus and pine that probably reflect the hops, but I get a lot of caramel from the malt, too.”

Taste:   “I think the balance between hops and malt is just about right. At 70 IBUs, it’s certainly hoppy enough, but the malt component goes a long way to make this beer multi-dimensional. It may not be a beer I’d want to drink all afternoon, but the taste of this first bottle encourages me to try a second one.”

Food Affinity:   “I’d pour it with food that has some personality. This would be great with some old-fashioned Swiss steak or maybe meat loaf with a mushroom gravy.”

     --Guest reviewer Otto Krebel works as a plastering contractor when he’s not enjoying and analyzing craft beers