Lucid Duce

As I was tasting this beer I was trying to think of an interesting story for the blog.  Long story short, I couldn't come up with one.  I know that Lucid Brewing has a pretty cool slogan, “Clarity in Thinking Leads to Excellence in Drinking!”  I know that lucid dreams are pretty cool, but still nothing interesting relating to this beer or the brewery.  Then as I was halfway through my beer and went in for one last good sniff.  That’s when my interesting (maybe more funny) story happened.  I either wanted to get a really good sniff or I sadly misjudged the size of my schnoz...either way, the end result was Lucid Duce right up my nose.  So, here is my input on the Duce (ha!) from before my near drowning experience.

Beer:  Duce: The Imperial Red Ale, Oak Barrel Aged

Brewery:  Lucid Brewing

Beer Style:   Imperial Red Ale

Year:  2014

Alcohol:  8.00%

Look  This beer delivered a very nice dark, ruby red color.  Possibly one of the nicest shades of red I have seen in a red ale.  It also had some slight copper color tones to it.  The head was a large, classic off-white color which left great lacing.  The carbonation added to the red hue.

Smell  Duce is a very aromatic red ale.  First scent that I was able to pick up was a bread, toast like smell.  Next I found some malt and fruity sweetness.  A little bit of hops were present along with a perfect amount of oak.   

Taste  Duce tastes as it smells.  Malt was first flavor that hit my palate followed by a nice cherry sweetness.  There is a slight hop finish with a hint of vanilla and bourbon.  The beer finishes with a clean, oak flavor as the beer is aged in oak barrels.  Finish is very smooth; you wouldn’t know that Duce is 8% alcohol.        

Overall Rating

Price:  $$$ out of $$$

Rating:  3.5 out of 5

I did enjoy drinking this beer, even though I never think about buying red ales.  I don’t know why I shy away from them but Duce certainly changed my mind about them.  From now on, I’ll take a longer gander at them when looking for a beer to drink.  If you’re like me and think you’re not really into reds, Lucid Duce is a great place to start.  If you already love red ales, Lucid Duce won’t disappoint.