Bottled smithwhicks

Uriel.

Hey does anyone know where you can get pint bottles of smithwhicks in pubs in Dublin city or Dublin county North. Same question for off licenses? Thanks.

BeerNut

Never seen it. Which is a shame: I think it's much better than bottled Macardle's.

SteeveeDee

The Thomas House on Thomas st. has them behind the bar and another pub,cant recall the name, on Francis Street also stocks 'em. Haven't seen them in any off licence though.

SteeveeDee

Also, ditto on the macardles..If your lookin for some bottled ales,head to Bowe's on fleet street,they have a nice selection,beer of the month at the moment is O' Hara's red bottled,very very tasty and at €4 is a freakin steal!!:eek:

SteeveeDee

Just an update on the bottled smithwicks.Was in Spar on Thomas street yesterday and seen they had a good quantity of pint bottles in the fridge,picked one up but haven't drank it yet.;)

rollout

This time last year myself and my house mate went on a big pint bottle of Smitwicks phase.

You can get them in Mulligans off Pearse St.

If you ask in an Off-licence they'd probably order them in for you. The Fairview Strand off-licence did for us last year several occasions.

Technocentral

had some in a can recently from a mate, was awful, could the bottle be much better?

Sergeant

Technocentral wrote: »

had some in a can recently from a mate, was awful, could the bottle be much better?

Yes. From a bottle it is quite a pleasant, easy-drinking Irish style red ale.

Bigcheeze

Sergeant wrote: »

Yes. From a bottle it is quite a pleasant, easy-drinking Irish style red ale.

Does it have any more taste? I find it pretty much tasteless on draught or can.

In fact, would the beer world be any worse off if the whole Irish red stlye disappeared forever ?

BeerNut

Bigcheeze wrote: »

would the beer world be any worse off if the whole Irish red stlye disappeared forever ?

Some breweries are propped up by it. It has been the consistent best seller for Messrs Maguire / White Gypsy for years. I like the way Carlow, for instance, have been expanding their range beyond the traditional black-red-yellow trinity, but removing the red would be a retrograde, anti-choice, step.

If you don't like it, don't drink it.

Bigcheeze

BeerNut wrote: »

If you don't like it, don't drink it.

I'm not calling for heads or starting a campaign. It's just an observation that it seems to excel in meh-ness

BeerNut

Bigcheeze wrote: »

It's just an observation

It was phrased as a question, though. To which the answer, IMO, is yes.

SteeveeDee

BeerNut wrote: »

Some breweries are propped up by it. It has been the consistent best seller for Messrs Maguire / White Gypsy for years. I like the way Carlow, for instance, have been expanding their range beyond the traditional black-red-yellow trinity, but removing the red would be a retrograde, anti-choice, step.

If you don't like it, don't drink it.

I agree,we don't need any beer retrograde in this country!I think it's great that in the past few years we've seen micro's,i guess for want of a better term, developing the "Irish Red" into a nice beer where as the macro guys have discarded it. ie. Beamish Red, Murphy's Red. Now, I would have gladly in the past had a few pints of Beamish red in the pub but now if I had the choice I would pick any of the micro's over it.If we rid ourselves of the Irish red,what red would I be drinking?

SteeveeDee

Bigcheeze wrote: »

I'm not calling for heads or starting a campaign. It's just an observation that it seems to excel in meh-ness

I don't think it does at all.The O'hara's bottled red is a lovely ale,on tap,even nicer,a lot of taste going on there.

The Aldi traditional Irish ale is also a wonderful bottled ale which I have a real hankering for,would love a pint of that in the pub!

Dungarvan's copper coast is really a wonderful ale, by any standards and I fairly recently had this on cask and loved it.

I could go on but my point is there's definitely no meh-ness with with these...;)

Bigcheeze

SteeveeDee wrote: »

If we rid ourselves of the Irish red,what red would I be drinking?

One with some flavour, more like an English bitter. They could still call it Irish. Characteristics of the beer seems to be low bitterness, zero hop or yeast flavour.

BeerNut

Bigcheeze wrote: »

One with some flavour, more like an English bitter.

Like Bass?

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Characteristics of the beer seems to be low bitterness, zero hop or yeast flavour.

There's a nice hop bite to draught O'Hara's Red, I think, and too much bitterness for my liking in Porterhouse Red, at least on draught. But it's a malt-driven style. Hop-driven styles are also available.

Bigcheeze

BeerNut wrote: »

Like Bass?

Well if I was on a desert island with only Smithwicks or Bass, I'd opt for the .........sea water.


Even Bass is slightly better than Smithwicks.

BeerNut wrote: »

There's a nice hop bite to draught O'Hara's Red

I must try it on draught.

BeerNut

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Well if I was on a desert island with only Smithwicks or Bass, I'd opt for the .........sea water.

My point was just that Bass is an English bitter. The problem is not one of Irish Red vs. English Bitter; it's Nice Beer vs. Dull Beer.

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Even Bass is slightly better than Smithwicks.

Have you tried this blind? I found them indistinguishable when I did.

SteeveeDee

BeerNut wrote: »

But it's a malt-driven style. Hop-driven styles are also available.

It is indeed a malt driven style and quite sweet.Meant to say this earlier but I have had a good few American Irish reds in the past and have enjoyed them also and some were much hoppier than others.

BeerNut

SteeveeDee wrote: »

I have had a good few American Irish reds in the past and have enjoyed them also and some were much hoppier than others.

Yeah, hops seems to be their usual approach Three Floyds Brian Boru is a magnificent beer, for instance, but much more akin to 5am Saint than any actual Irish red.

Under the usual US style guidelines, incidentally, Smithwick's does not fit the profile of Irish Red Ale :rolleyes:

Bigcheeze

BeerNut wrote: »

My point was just that Bass is an English bitter. The problem is not one of Irish Red vs. English Bitter; it's Nice Beer vs. Dull Beer.

I agree, even if it doesn't seem that way

BeerNut wrote: »

Have you tried this blind? I found them indistinguishable when I did.

No I haven't. It may have been a temperature thing that made me think the Bass had more flavour. I've had about 3 pints of draught Smithwicks in my life. The only times I've had Bass is when up north and it was the only non-Lager or Guinness option.

It would be fun to see a similar competition being done with draught Lager. It would be an eye-opener for participants. Apart from Budweiser, I think I'd struggle to tell them apart.

SteeveeDee

BeerNut wrote: »

Yeah, hops seems to be their usual approach Three Floyds Brian Boru is a magnificent beer, for instance, but much more akin to 5am Saint than any actual Irish red.

Under the usual US style guidelines, incidentally, Smithwick's does not fit the profile of Irish Red Ale :rolleyes:

I do remember that beer alright,very nice,as i recall quite hoppy too.Quite far removed from Irish "Irish Red".I have actually never tried 5am Saint but it's on my list!

Also,Very interesting that Smithwick's is not categorized under Irish Red Ale style considering it's probably Irelands official benchmark for the style,not in measure of quality but just in name i guess.

On another varying note but kind of related,I was in Northern Italy a few months ago,I go quite often and try whatever beers i can find.I have been tasting a few Italian doppio malto (double malt) beers and find them similarish to the Irish Red style albeit with more of an alcohol kick as they are normally around the 7% mark,but they have that sweetly caramel malt similarity.

Anyone have any insight to this?Am I just finding things that aren't there?

SteeveeDee

Bigcheeze wrote: »

It would be fun to see a similar competition being done with draught Lager. It would be an eye-opener for participants. Apart from Budweiser, I think I'd struggle to tell them apart.

I would say so.It would be good to get in some cans of the so called cheap lagers too.There would be chaos!Germania Pilsener 4.8% from dunnes at 99c brewed to rhineheitsgetbot standards vs. Budweiser at twice the price.
Shock and Awe!:eek:......well maybe...

BeerNut

SteeveeDee wrote: »

I have been tasting a few Italian doppio malto (double malt) beers and find them similarish to the Irish Red style albeit with more of an alcohol kick as they are normally around the 7% mark,but they have that sweetly caramel malt similarity.

Anyone have any insight to this?Am I just finding things that aren't there?

It's just dumbed-down beer, I think. Hops are expensive; cold conditioning is expensive: a sweet malty brew is possibly the cheapest cost-effective method.

SteeveeDee wrote: »

It would be good to get in some cans of the so called cheap lagers too.There would be chaos!Germania Pilsener 4.8% from dunnes at 99c brewed to rhineheitsgetbot standards vs. Budweiser at twice the price.
Shock and Awe!:eek:......well maybe...

We did that one, in the park, obviously.

SteeveeDee

Ah I see,a definite lack of hops for sure.Other than their normal lagers the doppio's are their only other offering I've come across to date.Although I did have one or two lovely ones indeed.

That picture in the park is a definite 80's/christian rock type shot if I've ever seen one!Interesting outcome on the test also..

Technocentral

Next time I see it in a bottle I'll buy one just for the craic, I remain to be convinced that it has any flavour.