Smithwicks Ale

The best Ale I’ve ever had. This is what started me drinking sweet sweet beer

on tap in Kilkenny: smooth, creamy, nice caramel flavor, the perfect ale to go with pub food

Light bread, medium body, VERY clean finish. Holds up well with almost any food. Smooth on the palate. Produces a good "buzz" when over consumed. Not at all heavy, as you might expect an Irish beer to be. Medium head, and color. a very nice balance of yeast, hops and grain. Previously, unavailable outside of the U.K. but thankfully, Guinness has taken over and made it available in the U.S. All in all, my favorite beer ever.

I fell in love with this beer the moment I sipped it in a bar that just got in on draft. A wonderfuly rich beer, even good bottled.

Smithick’s(the w is silent) is the definitive example of Irish Red Ale. Irish Red ales are brewed with specially kilned malts that give them a ruby red color, sweet malty aromas and flavors, soft fruity esters, and buttery notes as well. Smithwick’s Ale really is the bench mark, on which all other Irish Red Ales, are based. I’ve had some stellar Irish, Canadian, and American examples of Irish Red, but for me, the original Smithwick’s, has a special place in my beer drinking heart. Swithwick’s Ale pours to a beautiful, deep ruby red color with a thick white head that eventually fades and a moderate to soft amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is wonderful with lots of soft sweet malty aromas, paired with flowery hops, and light touches of plummy estery fruit. The palate is soft and buttery, with lots of good sweet malt flavors, biscuity malt, a touch of caramel, and undertones of ripe estery fruit that just glide over the palate. This beer finishes with more malt and fruit up front, then ends with just a slight bit of grassy hop bitterness, to balance the sweet and fruity flavors that linger. This beer might not be as legendary as Guinness, but I don’t know of too many Guinness drinkers, that are not fond of a pint or two of Smitwick’s Ale as well. I happen to love this beer, and I think anyone who appreciates a good Irish ale, would too. It is a wonderful beer to sit and relax with at a good Irish pub while listing to some traditional Irish music. This is a very food friendly beer, and would work well with a number of classic pub grub dishes, from fish and chips, to bangers and mash, to a nice juicy burger and fries. It can be found pouring on draught at a number of different Irish pubs and can be found in bottles in a number of American market as well. If you see it in your local Irish pub, by all means, try a pint of the original Irish Red Ale, Smithwick’s.