Surgenor Red House

Brewed by Surgenor Brewing
Style: Irish Ale
Comox, Canada

Serve in English pint

GCBF 2010. Clear reddish amber, simple caramel malt aroma and flavour. Inoffensive, but there are many more exciting beers at the fest.

Draught Shelter Restaurant, Tofino Pours copper red with large off-white head. Light-bodied, somewhat watery. This is my second Irish Ale. This and the previous example were both disappointing. Is this a style issue?

Amber-red. No head. Very little aroma, maybe some caramel. Very caramel on the palate, but not much else. Mostly just bland.

Red-amber color with off-white head. Aroma is some caramel and vanilla, lightly woody and floral. Flavor is initially citrus and roasty malt, a little watery on the mid palate but finishes nicely with bitter hops. I am reasonably impressed with this as an initial release from Surgenor, hopefully it will convert a few light-lager-drinking stereotypes to Irish Ale ... but it’s a little weak in body, complexity and flavor for the ale-adept.

(Draught) Sampled at the brewery. A substantial head atop a reddish amber body. Light nose. I found this rather mild and was the lesser favourite of the original two. The malt is rather one dimensional and it didn’t hold a heavy Irish malt body and finish. I do like this but compared the the Czech Pils, this was less mind shattering - but than again I’m starting to think that I’ve been spoiled with the style-breaking BIG beers from Driftwood and Phillips.