Samuel Adams Irish Red

I took a couple nights off from my reviews, but now I'm back at it.

B / 3.7
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5
Bottle
Cold--to cool

Appearance: the ale has a very nice rose red amberish color which appropriately fits the name well. There was a 1 finger boney white medium to heavy density head which faded to a nice consistent layer, unfortunately there was little to no lacing on the glass. The red brew was very clear and showed little signs of carbonation. This brew looks good, and compared to the other Irish Ale that I've sampled (Smithwick's) it actually looked better in that the Smithwick's looked more like a watered down cola than a red, the color combination was very appealing to me.

Smell: There is a definite hop spiciness in this brew that runs over the softer lighter malts, I also frequently caught citrus notes closer to the orange variety, and as I continued to drink I found some caramel sweetness mixed in.

Taste: This is not as hoppy as the smell might have indicated instead there seems to be more malts than I expected at first, this however does not mean that the hops are absent for in fact they are quite prevalent, and they leave the typical lingering bitterness on the back of the tongue. This is a medium bodied brew with a level of complexity that is well balanced. The citrus tastes more like orange zest with the sweet caramel wrapped around it. As the brew warmed I noticed that the hoppiness and the bitterness began to lessen giving a more even balance to the brew that left it quite pleasant.

Mouthfeel: There is some light carbonation which would match what I expected from the appearance although the carbonation that is present helps with the mouth a creaminess that I wasn't necessarily expecting in a lighter ale, although there was no hint of any diacetyl and no buttery film, instead this ale leaves the mouth very dry. The Irish Red is not as smooth at the Smithwick's but it certainly isn't as crisp as a light beer.

Drinkability: As I've come to expect from Samuel Adam's this brew explores the various flavors of beer without going to the extremes that are found in some of the more exotic craft brews, this doesn't mean that Jim Koch is playing it safe but instead what he's presented here is a well balance brew that is approachable and drinkable by those who are looking for a break from the ordinary. For those who like a bit more bite in their brew I could see this being a moderate session brew and it would probably go well with a nice dinner or a Bar-B-Q, and with the light carbonation I wasn't left bloated at all.

I tried this brew about a month ago when I first started drinking beers and the hops were way above what I could handle, however I am really glad that I didn't pour this one out because I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor in this brew. I can only imagine that this new appreciation of the brew has come with drinking some other beers that push the limits a bit more thus training my palate and giving me some more tolerance in my tasting. In the end after finishing this brew I am left saying, "Thanks Jim for yet another well balanced and enjoyable brew."