Chuck and I set off on a spur of the moment roadtrip after seeing an ad for the Redwood Lodge. It sounded very promising, advertising organic ingredients in the beer. I was also especially looking forward to a possible wild game dinner. Upon arriving, we were surprised to see that it was located in some sort of hotel/industrial park. The parking lot was packed, which looked promising. Inside, the décor was excellent. It was everything I expected. Lots of wood and the nice homey feel of a lodge in the great northwest. We checked in with the hostess and were given a vibrating pager, which we took over to the bar where you could see each of the holding tanks. I ordered the wheat and for some odd reason, it was served in a simple pint glass. This beer had a rusty color that wasn’t typical of this variety. The nose was strong, hinting at a rather high alcohol content. Taste was sweet, too sweet. It also had a heavy body and unpleasant sweet finish. After being seated, I found a number of tasty sounding appetizers and entrees but everything carried a solid gold pricetag. The appetizers were in the $10 range instead of the usual $5-7. Entrees were $12-30 with most being in the higher ranges. They did offer wood fired pizzas for $10-12 with some tantalizing selections. I ordered a pizza with shrimp and jalapeno’s with a spicy hot sauce. It wasn’t bad but the shrimp was not fresh, a major disappointment considering how much I paid. During dinner, I chose to try the Copper Mountain Marzen. This beer was much like the first. Too sweet, too thick, too much alcohol. Unless you are looking for a bit of gourmet cooking and have a thick wallet, I would avoid Redwood Lodge. I certainly would not recommend the beer.
We did this on a spur of the moment trip. The outside of the building was unimpressive and located in a large industrial park. Inside the atmosphere was excellent. It had a rustic Pacific Northwest feel to it with wood being the predominant material from beams to the floor. My first beer was the ESB while waiting for a table to open. My first sip was bearable although I noticed what was all I can describe as an "off" flavor. In fact, the "off" flavor tasted identical to a bad batch of wheat beer that I brewed about 6 months ago. Way too sweet, with too much alcohol and a strange off flavor. After ordering a Brown Ale, I realized that the "off" flavor is present in all their beers including the Marzen and Wheat that Joe got. All I can think of is that it may be the yeast strain that they are using. It has a very sweet and almost medicinal taste. I didn't finish more than three sips of the Brown before I called it quits on the beer. I can't remember the last time that I had a beer that I actually couldn't bear to drink. Of course, this is only my perception of the beer. Some people may enjoy this flavor in their beer. The food is pricey but the menu is eclectic featuring wood grilled meat, game, and seafood. I opted for the mesquite grilled salmon pizza, which was passable though not impressive. Overall, I would have to say that the place has great potential but the beer is not to my liking at all.