Black tie with a Red Stripe. No, not a dry cleaning challenge from an Italian wedding. Instead, it’s a Jamaican* lager and a fancy pants dinner. The secret to a successful event, two words. Open bar. So I’m at the bar and it’s the usual fare. Looks like I am the only one partaking in beer in the land of wine and rosé. Is this another act of rugged individualism? No, I just like beer. So at the open bar and check out the variety of brewskies and I see a Dragon Stout which doesn’t usually pop up in mixed company. And beside it, it’s iconic sister Red Stripe. I have had a Red Stripe somewhere, sometime, and somehow in the distant past but the memory of it eludes me. So as good a time as any for a brew and a review.
The bar tender pours me one and turns to mix the next drink as I drop a toonie in the tip glass. She turns around and thanks the guy beside me! She thanks him for my tip, and what does he do? He nods to graciously accept her thanks! What the hell is that all about? I mean do I look cheap?** Well I do now. So now I’m thirsty and cranky. Maybe this Red Stripe will set things right.
A nice pale golden pour, the head is still at the bar, as in minimal, as in gone. A mild lager and grain aroma. The taste is a bit of a disappointment, mild lager with a grainy body and flat aftertaste. A plain pint. Not the fantasy trip to a sandy Jamaican beach, just a slice of big brewer pale lager reality. An OK lager, but it would have been interesting to taste the original before the big brewers catered it to the mass consumption market. They claim to be “the world’s coolest beer”. Their lofty claim sounds like red tripe*** to me. Nothing cool about being mainstream middle of the road. The only way this would be the world’s coolest beer is if it is frozen.
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