Upland Ard Ri

Brewed by Upland Brewing Company
Style: Irish Ale
Bloomington, Indiana USA

Serve in English pint

Bottle, courtesy of arminjewell. Pours murky red-orange with a faint head and a lot of floating solids. Nose is citrus, resin, and a faint melon overtone. Taste -- well, I can taste hops, and yeast, and even some malt, but other than the color I’m hard pressed to call this a red Irish ale. I just don’t get enough maltiness; the hops just beat the hell out of everything else. More like a DIPA with slightly dark malt. Sad.

Pours a lacing beige head with a red body. Aromas of hops and caramel. Flavor is caramel, grass, and toffee. Finish has a toffee note, bitter slightly dry.

22 oz bottle poured into a goblet, with over 9% ABV. Aromas is very sweet and malty, reminds me of a barley wine on the nose. Beautiful redish copper color with a light tan head. Taste is very sweet up front, but the bitter kicks in shortly and makes a dry bitter Finish. Overall, tasty brew.

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a snifter, it settles as a reddish amber with a finely bubbled beige finger and a half head. The aroma includes roasted grains, resin, pine, herbs, barnyard, alcohol, and an underlying dankness. Unlike any other ale I’ve ever put my nose to, a taste reveals slight sweetness with sharp spicy notes and bracing bitterness. It coats the tongue with a medium body of light but sticky oilyness. The finish is long and bitter, making me wish I was washing down a meal with it. By far the best Upland brew I’ve put lips to, but I’ve not been fortunate enough to enjoy their sours.

Bottle poured in my Narke glass... The body is a dark but bright copper. The head is fantastic, a bright off white that forms a great cap, and outstanding lacing that hands a full half finger above the base... A simple aroma, mostly malty with a hint of spice. Whopper malt, and toffee. I’m intrigued to see where this goes... The taste is a rye bomb, just dominating and makes its undrinkable, especially on the finish. A nice sweet malt note on the front is nice, but then its all downhill. Was this aged in an old oak tree? I wouldn’t have again.

I had this beer a year ago before I began rating. I just bought the 2011 version - 22 oz bottle. Aroma was nice but not as strong as I recalled. Color was a nice deep reddish brown with some haziness and a thick head that clings to the side giving it very good lacing. The taste is not real complex but lives up to its style as an Irish Ale with caramel malts but more bitterness than other Irish Ales. The body is nice, medium to full, with above average carbonation. Overall, I still like this beer and the 9.3% abv is still well hidden and packs quite a punch after a 22 oz bottle.

Reviewed from notes. Pours a moderate red color with a bit of a white head and not too much lacing. The nose brings out some caramel, sugar, light citrus and pine hops, and a bit of fruits. The taste is a bit sweet without too much of a hoppy character. Some caramel, bread, and sweet cake underneath. Moderate body with a decent amount of bitterness. Drinks fairly well and is a pretty good offering from them. Serving type: on-tap Reviewed on: 10-24-2010

It is one of those sweet imperial reds that is undeveloped in the hop department and is very one-dimensionally sugary.