Carlow OHaras Irish Red

(500 ml bottle, brought home from Helsingör, Denmark) Clear redbrown color, fluggy tan head. Rosated and a bit metallic scent. Thin mouthfeel. Metallic taste, malty and grainy aftertaste. Low bitterness.

Pours deep amber with a nice beige head. Tiny malty aroma. Rather different taste with a fairly strong bite in the aftertaste.

Outstanding Irish Ale. Very smooth and balanced. Not very sweet like some Irish Ale’s. Well rounded and very drinkable.

Large, foamy, off white head with a bit of lacing. Copper-reddish color. Aroma is earthy, malty, grass. Strange almost wine like burn and sweetness but leaves a light bitter aftertaste. Really not a whole lot of flavor here. Something is missing.

Bottle (as Molings) picked this up for 99p at the ’Dodgy Deli’ on the Cowley Road 20-09-06. Poursa reddy/brown colour with a lively thick head that went everywhere, very lively carbonated beer. The aroma was a bit sweetish, the taste was of toasted malt and some caramel it had a bit of an edge with bitterness but wasn’t a beer that I would rush out to but again.

Bottle (as Molings): Clear mahogany with a thick, rocky beige head. Interesting fruity, wet herb aroma with some sweet dark crystal undertones. Light coffee and roasty flavours and some powdery cocoa notes towards the end with some very short dired herb notes in the back palate. A pleasantly nice low level of carbonation ensured this went down nicely on a cold winter’s evening.

Sweet fruity aroma. Deep red. Fairly thick dense head which disappeared quickly. Lively carbonation. The aroma led me to think I would be drinking a sweeter beer than it turned out. Rather different taste with a fairly strong bite in the aftertaste. I thought it may be a maltier brew. If I enjoyed beer for the fragrance, this would be a real winner. Other than that, I consider this average.

Appearance: Pours a dark translucent amber/brown with a 2 finger off white head. It stayed nice and frothy throughout the entire duration of the beer. Fantastic lacing. Smell: It has the classic Red Ale element, what ever it is that makes that attribute so recognizable. It has an aroma of sweet roasted malts and a speckling of dryness. The hops are present but very hidden. Taste & Mouthfeel: Very sweet and malty! There is not a lot of depth, or complexity to the taste, but it is pleasant and easy to drink. There are hints of that classic ’red,’ that may be birch or cream soda. This is a very straightforward, inoffensive and balanced beer. The taste experience moves right into to mouthfeel, largely because the predominate characteristic is the creaminess. This beer is extremely smooth and creamy with a full body and lightweight. It has a nice dry finish. Very easy on the palate! Drinkability: This is not the most interesting beer but it is extremely easy to drink. It sits light in the stomach and begs for more. Definitely a sessionable beer for me. I wish I had gotten a case. If you like the style (this may not be the best in it but) you will probably enjoy this beer. Hope this is helpful. Cheers!