What beer are we drinking this week, too?

hynesie08

Yay, thought i was alone in my hatred of reds, although i thought the kinnegar maddyroe was incredible.

Lovely Bloke

Somehow the "Irish Red" style is a weak-hopped, malty, almost flavourless style of beer - probably because that's what Smithwick's is, Macardles, which is nicer than Smithwicks, is also the same, Kilkenny and Murphy's Red too - I believe that the craft brewers are going after this market with that style of beer - people who want to drink "craft beer", but who haven't "graduated" to the more hoppy styles yet (this is not a snobby point, I'm in the middle of a graduation myself ).

It's also an incredibly easy style to brew, so why not brew it. Simple grain bill, and minimum hop additions, I'd say the lads love coming in for "Red Day".

It's the same as "Golden Ales" that are produced, they are very clearly "starter" craft brews, get the lager lads, it's not too different, then once they are in the door of craft beer, the next step after golden ale is red ale imo, and it's a stepping stone from there. The various Red Ales available are actually more interesting to drink than the Golden Ales.

Then on to Pale Ales, IPAs and beyond.

And of course Irish craft brewers are going to produce Stouts, however you look at it, Ireland is associated with Stout, and anyway, done well, it's an amazing style.

Lovely Bloke

Oh, and what am I drinking tonight?

Well, a home brewed red ale, that got dark DME instead of medium, so it's a Black Red Ale.

Grand so it is.

BaZmO*

I love the Porterhouse's Red.

Lovely Bloke

BaZmO* wrote: »

I love the Porterhouse's Red.

and I used to love Messrs Rusty actually.

jsa112

Messer's Rusty brings back fond memories


White Hag's IPA is pretty darn good. Are their other beers worth getting ?

Ravelleman

Red ales aren't necessarily the most inspiring but I'll very happily drink an O'Hara's Red or a Rebel Red. Sometimes I forget how nice they are at times. The other day in Aldi I forced myself to go half and half on O'Shea's Red and Stout because of this.

As BaZmO* says, more exotic ones that lean heavily on hops can be very tasty indeed.

murphyebass

jsa112 wrote: »

Messer's Rusty brings back fond memories


White Hag's IPA is pretty darn good. Are their other beers worth getting ?

I'm on their Fleadh Ale tonight. Real nice stuff. 6.8% is perfect for it. Really flavoursome type of ipa

matrim

murphyebass wrote: »

I'm on their Fleadh Ale tonight. Real nice stuff. 6.8% is perfect for it. Really flavoursome type of ipa

Which is a great example of a Red Ale

banjopaul

Tried two lovely new (to me) beers this evening, both on draught. First was sierra nevada's red IPA, Flipside, which has great. Not a fan of red ales but this was more of a malty IPA, decent stuff. Second beer was Cocoa Psycho from Brewdog, a heavyweight at 10% abv. Definitely enjoyed it, but it's very heavy on the coffee, wouldn't want much more than the half pint.

Lovely Bloke

it's a stylistic discussion, which goes nowhere, but it's always good to philosophise.

Where does hoppy red ale become red ipa become amber? the label on the bottle? the name given by the brewers? the ingredients?

you can pretty much make a beer any colour and call it what you want really, I mean the name "Black IPA" (Black AND Pale? Really?) is a case in point. Why not just Dark Ale?

Golden Amber Red Brown Black, you can have hoppy versions of any of them coloured ale, or you can not add so many hops and just have a very good malt profile.

At the end of the day, beer is amazing.

nibble

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

you can pretty much make a beer any colour and call it what you want really, I mean the name "Black IPA" (Black AND Pale? Really?) is a case in point. Why not just Dark Ale?

Now that you mention Black IPA's (or however you want to describe them) have you tried any? In particular the one from Blacks of Kinsale.. Tried it there a few weeks ago, not entirely sure. First "Black IPA" I've tried, bit of a mismatch on the senses - smooth and black in colour like a stout but relatively hoppy.

murphyebass

matrim wrote: »

Which is a great example of a Red Ale

Well it didn't taste like any other red ale I've ever had. Definitely ipa in taste. Red ale in appearance. They call it an ale but on any review I've seen online they also mention ipa qualities.

Have you tried it?

drumswan

matrim wrote: »

Which is a great example of a Red Ale

I would have classed this as an American Amber. Which is a great style - see Amber Ella.

Grayditch

Had Beavertown's Black IPA last night. Up there with Black's of Kinsale's and Sierra Nevada's ones, for me. I've become fond of good black IPA's. I don't really think of them as the same as dark ales.

drumswan

Had the Steamboat American Amber Lager in The 108 last night, its excellent.

murphyebass

Grayditch wrote: »

Had Beavertown's Black IPA last night. Up there with Black's of Kinsale's and Sierra Nevada's ones, for me. I've become fond of good black IPA's. I don't really think of them as the same as dark ales.

Beavertown a rye ipa is also fantastic but overpriced imo.

Grayditch

murphyebass wrote: »

Beavertown a rye ipa is also fantastic but overpriced imo.

It's lovely. I pick up the odd Beavertown can, but the price would stop it being a regular thing, alright.

matrim

drumswan wrote: »

I would have classed this as an American Amber. Which is a great style - see Amber Ella.

IIRC they themselves were calling it a red ale at the craft beer festival. Now it's not your traditional red and does have a much more american "IPA" style with the hop profile, but it's all semantics. I'm sure someone will be along eventually to give the proper BJCP style reference for what is and what isn't a red ale but I much prefer Baldy's thinking

At the end of the day, beer is amazing.

RasTa

What's the difference between a Scotch Ale and an Irish red?

Or is there any..

drumswan

RasTa wrote: »

What's the difference between a Scotch Ale and an Irish red?

Or is there any..

Heres the Scottish and Irish styles. Theres nothing to say breweries actually follow or give regards to these of course.

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style09.php

Herb Powell

Tried a couple from White Gypsy, the Weissbier on draught, and Amber from a bottle.

No complaints about the weissbier, not the best weissbier I've had but far from the worst, really pleasant drinking.

The amber was great, really bitter and strong tasting, good strong hop smell off it too, and a weighty body.

Bebo stunnah

drumswan wrote: »

I would have classed this as an American Amber. Which is a great style - see Amber Ella.

That's exactly what the White Hag brewer described it as when I asked him about it at the Doolin festival.

Ipso

RasTa wrote: »

What's the difference between a Scotch Ale and an Irish red?

Or is there any..

Scotch Ales tend to have a butterscotch type sweetness, although I've noticed similar more subtle flavours in some Amber Ales.

Ravelleman

Ipso wrote: »

Scotch Ales tend to have a butterscotch type sweetness, although I've noticed similar more subtle flavours in some Amber Ales.

They're also associated with Scotchtoberfest.

Insect Overlord

Ravelleman wrote: »

They're also associated with Scotchtoberfest.

Ya used me, Skinner! Ya uuuused me!

Lovely Bloke

Picked up a Tesco Revisionist Rye Pale Ale for research purposes.

Going to have it later.

jsa112

White Gypsy's Emerald is pretty poor, shame. Definitely getting some oxidation like somebody else mentioned.

slayerking

Drinking a Porterhouse Wrasslers on draft. Not sure if this can be beat as a go to regular dry Irish Stout. One of the few beers that I feel the nitro pour works well with, fills it out and smooths out the bitterness. Amazing beer.

Ravelleman

I had a bottle of Sierra Nevada Flipside Red IPA last night in the Butchers Bar, what was once upstairs in the B&C. Whatever the style designation of red IPA meant, it was a very tasty beer indeed. Very floral hops and some nice caramel-y malt in there. I had an O'Hara's Red later on in the night and it was a much flabbier brew, in comparison. A great beer, Flipside.