Easy to Drink, Hard to Define

Whether preparing for beer judging, a tasting exam, or just honing your skills, building a mental sensory profile from which to benchmark is vital. It’s always lovely when something easy and attainable comes along like Belgian Witbier. Which can be benchmarked with Hoegaarden White, Blanche de Chambly, Blanche de Bruxelles and more. Despite its many variations, almost all Belgian Wit, or Wit style, are going to share unmistakable similarities. Alas the world is rarely that simple, and Irish Red Ale exemplifies that. 

When I began working on a sensory profile for Irish Red, I chose Kilkenny as my initial benchmark. It was a classic example, it hailed from the motherland, and it was available. The third point being of utmost importance. Some weeks later I did a blind tasting. The beer I sampled was toasty, with an aggressive burnt sugar flavour. Bitterness was firm, but not hyper aggressive. Alcohol was noticeable but not front and centre. This must be an american amber ale, or maybe even a milder Red IPA, I thought. Wrong. Irish Red Ale. Strange, but noted. Then it happened again. Different brand, same style, same flavours, but different. Confusing. I was pretty sure I knew what Irish Red tasted like. Clearly I did not. 

It took a bit of work.  And by work I mean thinking and drinking, and then more thinking. This style seems to demand much more patience and flexibility than others, partly because the style guidelines are fairly wide. The first issue with my experience was that Kilkenny is a nitro ale. Nitrogen in beer changes the mouthfeel, reduces carbonic bite, and softens bitterness. It also creates smaller, more stable bubbles of foam which tends to reduce the volatilization of aroma molecules. It’s a totally different beer really. 

Smithwick’s ( pronounced “Smiticks” by the way) is not nitrogenated. It’s a different sensation. Unable to rely on the softening caress of nitrogen, nothing is muted. The nose is light caramel bordering on faint toffee, and a tiny bit of toast.  Nothing overwhelming.  It is a medium-light body with carbonation on the lower end of medium. Hops are faint, but if you can pick them up, there is a bit of rose petal and mint. Bitterness is restrained, balancing the malt beautifully.  This is a very drinkable beer. If one were to create the flavour image of an English bitter, and then dial down the bitterness, it would be close.  

North American Irish Reds tend to be bigger, toastier, with more of a burnt sugar character, alongside elevated bitterness. And of course if the hops have any meaningful presence, they are decidedly American. Of course, should the brewer choose to use imported ingredients, and brew a more traditional style, you may find something closer to a Smithwick’s. It’s a challenge for sure, but that’s part of the fun isn’t it.   

If you are Ontario based, as I am, options in the Irish Red Ale category tend to be limited. The three beers listed below will give you a fairly wide spectrum, from subtle and creamy to bold and toasty. 

Kilkenny Irish Ale

Smithwicks 

Black Gold Brewery Angry Redhead Irish Red

Slàinte!