Wind Valley Red Ale is a 5.5% amber ale from Wind Valley Brewery, based in Shizuoka, Japan. It’s part of their winter seasonal lineup though we have seen it in stores quite recently in June so it may have made the move to their all year series. Wind Valley Red Ale is brewed using water sourced from the Hakone Fuji area snow fields. In 2015, it won the gold medal for Asia’s Best Amber Ale in the World Beer Awards.
Been a while since we’ve had an amber on BT.
Wind Valley Red Ale Aroma and Taste
Wind Valley Red Ale poured out a hazy reddish colour with a large amount of slightly off-white head that quickly fell on itself, though it did leave a thin ring around the side of the glass. It had a distinct caramel aroma from the malts though if anything was coming from the hops, then it was drowned out by the malts. Some hints of cherries and berries came off but that I suspect that it was due to the bottle-conditioning of the beer rather than the malts.
It was dry from the first mouthful though the caramel and fruit flavours came rushing through to ensure that there was a distinct edge to Wind Valley Red Ale. The smoothness of the body wasn’t lost though through these flavours nor the slightly fizz on the tongue. It felt slightly light on the body though and as a result, quickly faded from the palate during the aftertaste.
Wind Valley Red Ale The Bottom Line
Wind Valley Red Ale isn’t going to set the world of ambers alight, but it is a decent amber beer.
Where to Buy Wind Valley Red Ale
Wind Valley Red Ale can be bought online at the following places:
