Hmm. Keep driving?

Here's a new Trader Joe's beer (at least new to me) that I picked up today. It is a dry hopped red ale that clocks in at 7.2 percent. I paid $7 for the six-pack which I think is cheap for craft beer these days. The label design of thus beer appeals to me, with the VW bus and hop cones and all. Dry-hopped is always good. That said, this ale is hopped with Tettnang, which is a unusual choice for dry-hopping an ale. Most U.S. brewers would use Mount Hood, which is a Tettnang-like American hop. There's just a brief burst of a spicy hop note in this beer. There is, however, a satisfactory hop flavor. The carbonation seems a bit off at first but I realize my glass is not clean. I transfer the beer to a clean glass and it foams up nicely with a lasting head. Poured into a tall pilsner glass, I notice the Tettnang hops a little more. All in all a pretty enjoyable red ale with good caramel malt sweetness balanced by enough spicy hops to keep it interesting. Be careful though, as this beer is quite quaffable for it's 7.1 percent alcohol by volume!