The Spirit World

In the days leading up to St Paddy’s Day we shouldn’t forget the Irish Reds. Not to be confused with Red Ale or American Amber Ale—one of my favorite everyday beer styles—these American amber colored ales in general tend to be easy to drink, hoppy, and thirst quenching. The darker grains impart a roastiness to the finish that is very satisfying. This last week I’ve tried a number of Irish Red Ales to see if I could detect any difference between them and the American Reds.

What I’ve found is that the Irish Reds are less hoppy than their American cousins. They look essentially the same in the glass, but the flavor profile is quite different—beginning sweet and ending roasty and dry. I’ve tried four Irish Reds in the last couple of days and found that there is even a range of flavors in the beers labeled Irish Red.

The first Irish Red Ale I sampled was the Celtic Red brewed by DJ Swanson at the John Harvard’s Brewery in Lake Grove, New York. That Red was malty and rye with a subtle sweetness. Next I tried the Murphy’s Red brewed by Heineken Ireland in Cork. Turns out that this Irish Red is really a lager, but that doesn’t mean that the flavor is significantly out of style. My impression was that the Murphy’s Red had the driest finish of the Reds I sampled.

On the Tuesday before St Paddy’s Day I was able to sample the new Irish Red at Capitol City Brewing Company in Baltimore, Maryland. This Red had a distinctive attack. It started with an intense sweetness at the front of the mouth and then mellowed to a full roastiness as it traveled to the back of the mouth. The sweetness was complex—a combination of sweet-tarts, cranberries, and cherries.

So when you head to your local Irish Pub for St Paddy’s Day, don’t forget those Irish Red Ales. Have one of those first to quench your thirst, then move on to sip one of those luxuriously velvety Irish Stouts. In addition to Murphy’s Red, keep an eye out for Smithwick’s Irish Ale, Beamish Red Ale, and Caffrey’s Irish Ale—all commercially available examples of Irish Red Ale.