For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be sampling the Elector Imperial Red Ale produced by the New Albanian Brewing Company located in New Albany, Indiana.

I’ve only had one other beer from this brewery, the Hoptimus, so I’m still a little undecided on how I feel about the overall body of work that they produce.

From the website, newalbanian.com, we find this description.

Richly malty and excessively hopped, Elector was first brewed on Election Day, taking its name from the Electoral College. In like fashion, Elector’s unique character makes democracy pointless. It severs party affiliations, crosses the aisle, and commands you to drink early and vote often. That’s because whenever Elector is on the ballot, there’s only one real choice.

Let’s see how it is.

The brew comes in a 22 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 7.5%.

The beer poured a very hazy, copper to amber color with an “ok” sized, khaki colored head that was very creamy, smooth, soft and thick.  The retention time was very good and it left behind some very, very, very nice lacing.  The brew even poured thick and heavy.

The aroma suggested heavy doses of caramel and toffee malt.  It was very sweet smelling I must say.  Some earthy and herbal hops counterbalanced the sweetness somewhat.  Densely toasted breads and bread crusts intertwined with slight buttery hints and some fruitiness from the likes of apples and pears.  

The taste was eerily similar to the fragrance.  Sturdy and robust caramel and toffee malts fused with toasted biscuits and baked breads.  A solid earthy and herbal punch with a sufficient amount of bitterness.  Fruity apples and buttery jolts all add up to one very sweet flavor.  I didn’t detect any alcohol, which was a bit surprising considering the 7.5% ABV.

The mouthfeel was medium to full bodied.  It was dry, smooth, thick, chewy, creamy, oily and thick.  A very faint alcohol warmth was noticed and the palate was drenched quite well with flavor after each gulp.  A great feel with this beer. 

I’ll tell ya.  We have a very good beer here, but man is it sweet!!!  The caramel and toffee never subsided throughout the entire experience.  That could very well deter some from liking this.  It made for a fairly tough drink in that regard.  It was quite filling and heavy.  I would definitely recommend giving it a try though.  The hops do help as far as providing a slight antidote to the sweetness.  I don’t think that this would be a beer that I could have on a daily basis, but every now and then wouldn’t be bad.  I wouldn’t mind having another bottle, but preferably during another setting.  With that being said, give the New Albanian Elector a try and let me know your interpretation.  Not too mention what you think of that very cool looking label.  

Thanks for reading and commenting folks.  I appreciate it.     

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.8 out of 5

Grade:  B+