St Peter’s Ruby Red Ale
Although the packaging states that St Peter’s Ruby Red Ale is rated at 4.3% ABV, we couldn’t achieve that strength. The original gravity was only 1038, so with a final of 1009 ABV is 29 divided by 7.352 = 4.0 % ABV only!
10/7/2012
We opened this barrel in celebration of our daughter’s return to the UK after spending eight months in the Far East during her “gap year” following University. The Ruby Red Ale together with some excellent home made bread and fine cheeses helped provide a good homecoming meal. The beer was lively, sporting a good strong head. I wouldn’t say it is noticeably red as depicted on the box but it is certainly darker than the usual bitters we have been brewing throughout the year. A nice balance of hop and malt and some rich fruity flavours are evident. St. Peter’s Ruby Red immediately garnered compliments from everyone drinking.
St Peter’s Ruby Red Ale has emerged as a popular drink - we will certainly need to get another of these kits. It will be interesting to see if we can get this ale up to full strength on that occasion.
29/11/2013
Today I’ve started pouring pints from our second brew of St. Peter’s Ruby Red. Lee had been pressing for over a year for us to brew another one of these kits and eventually she got her way, and just in the run up to Christmas. Since our first Ruby Red we have gained considerable experience brewing various other kits, and that gives me a fresh take on this particular product. In my earlier review I described Ruby Red as having “a nice balance of hops and malt, with some rich fruity flavours”. Today I can add to that by saying the “fruitiness” I first detected is a slightly antiseptic liquorish flavour. This flavour is on the same spectrum as the (I found undrinkable) Milestone Olde Home Wrecker. I criticised Milestone’s brew for it’s liquorish overkill, and certainly this was proven by the extreme lack of interest for for Home Wrecker from any of my guests (sadly it was eventually disposed of). I confess I was slightly worried when I once again detected this liquorish flavour however as I said before, St. Peter’s have taken greater care to balance their brew.
I would be exaggerating if I said I achieved an alcohol rating above 4.0% ABV, it’s probably slightly under if anything. But don’t let the weaker strength put you off. St. Peter’s Ruby Red has distinctive character and delicious flavour without requiring the drinker to struggle to appreciate it. I look forward to enjoying many splendid evenings drinking Ruby Red over the coming weeks. Although our first brew of St.Peter’s Ruby Red was made during the spring and summer months, I have discovered on this occasion that Ruby Red is actually far better suited as a winter style ale.