Irish

Irish Ales are distinguished by their red color, malty accents, slightly sweet palate, and a very subtle hop impression. These are session Beers being wonderfully mild in terms of strength and if made properly, they are never assertively hopped. If Irish Stout is a bridge too far, chances are that Irish Red Ales will hit the spot.

Irish Red Ales became a favorite at brewpubs at nearly the birth of the brewpub. These attractive Red Ales would often lie in the middle of the Beer menu, stylistically speaking. Being in the middle is far from mediocre. What is more appealing than a brilliant reddish hue, a caramel laced toasted grain aromatic followed by a semi-lush but purely sessionable marriage of roasted malt, toffee, and faint wisps of hops?

In fact any loss of appreciation of the Irish Red Style can be traced to the extreme Beer craze, and dare I say fad, that prizes extremes over balance and excess over proportion.

Brewers around the globe are making the Irish Ale style. In their native home of Ireland, Smithwicks leads the charge in terms of volume and recognition while lovely examples from Murphy’s, O’Hara’s and others find their way to export markets. In the US the style is a brewpub favorite, as stated earlier, and many micro and regional brewers offer an Irish Red style in bottle although some make no reference at all to the style.

The Irish Red style can, and should, be enjoyed at any occasion or season.