Carlow OHaras Irish Red

Brewed by Carlow
Style: Irish Ale
Carlow, Ireland

Unlike the ratings that I’ve been glancing at, my bottle of Molings came without a head. Nice deep reddish-brown color, though. The smell is very sweet, almost caramel candy-like, with some roast barley undertones. A sticky drink, this has a sweet caramel taste with little else but some fruitiness to balance it out. To me, this drink is more interesting than it is good.

Superior example of one of my least favourites beer styles. Plummy colour verging on brown. Pours with a big 3cm creamy tan head that lingers nicely and leaves some lace. The unusual nose reminded me of Chai Masala and sent me running to the spice cupboard to confirm that the dominant aroma is cloves, with some nutmeg and spiced apple. Intriguing. A classic Irish medium-to-full creamy body that echoes a porter. A little fruit in the sweetish middle. Toasty malt notes dominate a dry bitter-chocolate finish. (Bottle)

A very dark amber almost brown color. The head was huge. Aroma is a sweet and malty honey. Hints of apples and some nutmeg. The taste was drier than I thought it would be. There are some dry red wine notes. Also hints of apples and cinnamon. A trace of spice. A light and fluffy mouthfeel. A decent beer.

Bottle. Clear chestnut colour, big white unstable head. Bitter cardboard flavour. Aftertaste is bitter and slightly sour. 5 3 5 3 10

Cask at GBBF08. Sweet roasted aroma. Hazy brown colour, small white head. The flavour is a little malty with some mold. Mild, but has more flavour than a bitter. 6 3 6 3 13

Tastes malty, Irishy. A very delectable beer. Thought I also tasted peat, but maybe I’m confusing my countries here. I could definitely drink this as a good session.

Why is it that the irish red is such a damn boring style. Surely it can’t take too much to add a little bit of flavour. This is sweet, with some influence from the crystal malt. It’s distinctly bitter yet displays little hop flavour. It’s pretty boring really.

Very dark read. Very large head. Some hop aroma. Flavor is sweet carmel as the description says. Think Newcastle with more body.

Found this beer in the bargain bin, some months ago and thought I’d give it a try. Glad I did, because now it is a regular favourite. Pours a deep reddish-brown, with a thin lasting, off-white head. Aroma is of sweet malt and roasted grain, low fruity esters and a hint of nuttiness. Palate is light, but with well-rounded flavours. The taste was sweet in the mouth, nutty and yeasty, balanced with a mild roasted bitterness in the back and finished with a dry grainy medium length swallow. A true to form Irish Red Ale. Lovely!!!