National Homebrew Club Ireland

General Discussions => The Beer Board => Topic started by: DEMPSEY on July 06, 2017, 01:57:19 PM

Title: A good Irish Red
Post by: DEMPSEY on July 06, 2017, 01:57:19 PM
Had a bottle of "the Foxes Rock" Irish red last night and was surprised it was nice. Surprised as I did not expect it to be as most Irish reds I find to be a bit boring. This does not knock it out of the park mind but is what it is supposed to be. For those that like reds what is your view on a good recipe for one. :-\
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: irish_goat on July 06, 2017, 02:00:43 PM
Don't have a good recipe but O'Hara's Red and Sullivans are my two favourites. More often than not though it seems like Irish Red is code-word for Smithwicks Clone. 
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: johnrm on July 06, 2017, 03:45:57 PM
I had a bottle of porterhouse red recently.
Great example.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: irish_goat on July 06, 2017, 03:46:58 PM
Quote from: johnrm on July 06, 2017, 03:45:57 PM
I had a bottle of porterhouse red recently.
Great example.

Must give that a go again. Not mad on the nitro draught version.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: Damofto on July 06, 2017, 05:54:54 PM
I like BRU's Rua.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: darren996 on July 06, 2017, 07:37:31 PM
Second BRU Rua, also 8 degree sunburnt red, Costello's Red
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: phoenix on July 07, 2017, 04:24:58 PM
There are no good Irish Reds - its an insipid, banal, characterless waste of malt and people who drink it are idiots who hate themselves and know nothing about beer. Theres no such thing as 'Irish Red' either, its a load of makey-up bollox, invented by Americans and sold to gullible gobshites who lack critical thinking skills. How does one commercial example which has changed a million times get its own style? Irish Red is absolute garbage and liking it should mean you are ejected from the NHC.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: BrewDorg on July 07, 2017, 04:28:24 PM
How do you really feel though?
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: cruiscinlan on July 07, 2017, 04:44:28 PM
Quote from: phoenix on July 07, 2017, 04:24:58 PM
There are no good Irish Reds - its an insipid, banal, characterless waste of malt and people who drink it are idiots who hate themselves and know nothing about beer. Theres no such thing as 'Irish Red' either, its a load of makey-up bollox, invented by Americans and sold to gullible gobshites who lack critical thinking skills. How does one commercial example which has changed a million times get its own style? Irish Red is absolute garbage and liking it should mean you are ejected from the NHC.

This why we need to raid the Guinness industrial archives. IRA is an innocent MON.
Title: A good Irish Red
Post by: mr hoppy on July 07, 2017, 05:51:03 PM
Controversial I know but I kind of like Smithwicks Winter Warmer


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Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: Vermelho on July 08, 2017, 12:31:02 AM
Quote from: phoenix on July 07, 2017, 04:24:58 PM
There are no good Irish Reds - its an insipid, banal, characterless waste of malt and people who drink it are idiots who hate themselves and know nothing about beer. Theres no such thing as 'Irish Red' either, its a load of makey-up bollox, invented by Americans and sold to gullible gobshites who lack critical thinking skills. How does one commercial example which has changed a million times get its own style? Irish Red is absolute garbage and liking it should mean you are ejected from the NHC.

Couldn't disagree more. O'Hara's red is a fantastic example of the style. I would suggest you broaden your horizons. I agree smithwicks is awful but don't tar them all with the one brush. Maybe your taste buds are less atuned to differences?
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: molc on July 08, 2017, 12:48:26 AM
Quote from: Vermelho on July 08, 2017, 12:31:02 AM
Quote from: phoenix on July 07, 2017, 04:24:58 PM
There are no good Irish Reds - its an insipid, banal, characterless waste of malt and people who drink it are idiots who hate themselves and know nothing about beer. Theres no such thing as 'Irish Red' either, its a load of makey-up bollox, invented by Americans and sold to gullible gobshites who lack critical thinking skills. How does one commercial example which has changed a million times get its own style? Irish Red is absolute garbage and liking it should mean you are ejected from the NHC.

Couldn't disagree more. O'Hara's red is a fantastic example of the style. I would suggest you broaden your horizons. I agree smithwicks is awful but don't tar them all with the one brush. Maybe your taste buds are less atuned to differences?

Hehe, have to agree as well - O'Haras Red is a beautiful beer - full of caramel and chocolate. Was a bit of a revelation for me as well, in a style that I best thought forgotten upto that point.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: johnrm on July 08, 2017, 09:22:29 PM
Strong opinion.
I'll stick with mine that porterhouse red is a great example of an Irish Red. (Probably not a big challenge given the 'classic' example.)
In fact I think I'll go to my local offie now and grab a few.
Yum yum.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: johnrm on July 08, 2017, 10:09:19 PM
Dammit. They had a run on proper reds.
Porterhouse Red and OHaras all sold out.
A small few Foxes Rock remained, nabbed one, having it now.
I prefer porterhouse, but this is very tasty.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: Donny on July 08, 2017, 10:32:35 PM
Great, Now im thirsty!  :P
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: mr hoppy on July 09, 2017, 12:52:34 PM
Kind of like White Gypsy Ruby on nitro draft as well.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: DEMPSEY on July 09, 2017, 05:21:32 PM
Quote from: mr hoppy on July 09, 2017, 12:52:34 PM
Kind of like White Gypsy Ruby on nitro draft as well.
+1 on this. I drink this in J B Keane's bar in Listowel and it goes down well.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: Keg on July 09, 2017, 06:33:11 PM
8 degrees sunburnt Irish Red is pretty good!

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Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: Callan86 on July 13, 2017, 11:36:05 PM
I had a few pints of the Foxes Rock on draught a few months back, very good but then I'm partial to a red ale. Killany Red by Brehon Brewhouse is another decent tipple.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: fatboy on October 23, 2018, 04:26:32 PM
Quote from: DEMPSEY on July 09, 2017, 05:21:32 PM
Quote from: mr hoppy on July 09, 2017, 12:52:34 PM
Kind of like White Gypsy Ruby on nitro draft as well.
+1 on this. I drink this in J B Keane's bar in Listowel and it goes down well.
+2. Available in Phil Carroll's Clonmel
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: mick02 on October 23, 2018, 04:32:44 PM
Quote from: fatboy on October 23, 2018, 04:26:32 PM
Quote from: DEMPSEY on July 09, 2017, 05:21:32 PM
Quote from: mr hoppy on July 09, 2017, 12:52:34 PM
Kind of like White Gypsy Ruby on nitro draft as well.
+1 on this. I drink this in J B Keane's bar in Listowel and it goes down well.
+2. Available in Phil Carroll's Clonmel
That's some way to introduce yourself to the forum... Necromancing  a 15 month old thread on Red Ales of all things!

Welcome to the nhc @fatboy!
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: Pheeel on October 25, 2018, 07:44:52 AM
I'm not really a fan on red TBH but the Sillivans export is really good. It's 5.5% if I recall. Way better than any other red I've tried
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: BrewDorg on October 25, 2018, 10:40:53 AM
Agree with that. Sullivan's export is the best red I've had in recent times. Fair bit better than the original.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: meabhar on December 22, 2018, 10:34:40 PM
Now this is an interesting thread for me, as I went to school 200 yards from Lett's brewery in Enniscorthy.
I researched this and it appears there are quite different styles in France (Pelforth Breweries) and Coors in US with "George Killian" Irish Red. The brand was sold to them. I've had the French type often enough as I go to Brittany for holidays and generally bring back a 6-pack.
Is O'Hara's Red related to the "original" Lett's? Is the American or French closer to the the original Lett's? I think Lett's got out of brewing around the 1950's.

Why oh why can't someone in Ireland revive the brand?
Does anyone have a recipe close to it or which book does (I only possess Papazian's masterpieces) (I don't suppose any member remembers the actual brew).
Most hotels and bars still only have foreign brands, Guinness, or big brewery "real ale" brands, which are good enough but we do hate globalisation, don't we? (sorry if that's politics).

Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: TheSumOfAllBeers on December 23, 2018, 10:03:31 PM
Gets tricky to recreate old Irish beers from defunct breweries. I don't think the brewing logs are as well kept as the equivalent logs in the uk, and many of the producers of malt and hops are probably gone too.

But it would be nice to recreate an original Irish red. I had Sullivan's once and liked it, and their approach to reproducing it was good if I recall
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: meabhar on December 24, 2018, 07:54:32 PM
Good, I haven't had Sullivan's Red yet, but O'Hara's I have and as I recall it's quite good.
So I'll try the Sullivan's.
The "George Killian's" (based GK Lett's red beer from Enniscorthy, historical) was also quite good - I've finished my last bottle recently.
I suppose the best would be to do a tasting, preferable community, of, let's say, these 3 and a few more, though I see there are at least 8 reds being produced in Ireland.
By the way, it seems "George Killian's" is claiming to be from the original recipe, whether that is true or not.
S
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: Callan86 on December 30, 2018, 01:46:23 PM
White Gypsy Ruby is my "go to" pint when I want something sessionable, luckily it's available in Caribou and the Bierhaus in Galway. Sullivan's is a great pint too IMO, hopefully we'll start to see it more available nationally in 2019.

For our honeymoon in April we went on a Mediterranean cruise, which included a day trip to Florence. We went to an Irish bar there for some refreshment, and there was a Kilkenny Strong Ale at 6% abv on tap. I thought it was a smashing beer, not too much info online but from what I can find it seems to be limited to the Italian market only.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: DEMPSEY on November 26, 2019, 03:14:52 PM
I have being tasting various Red ales recently and find that the Crafty Red ale in Lidl is my favorite.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: phildo79 on November 26, 2019, 03:37:56 PM
Quote from: BrewDorg on October 25, 2018, 10:40:53 AM
Agree with that. Sullivan's export is the best red I've had in recent times. Fair bit better than the original.

Wouldn't be difficult.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: DEMPSEY on January 31, 2022, 03:08:58 PM
Resurrecting MY old thread here. decided to brew a red and decided to follow this, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian%27s . I brewed an Irish Red Ale, lager style. Tastes great.
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: DEMPSEY on January 31, 2022, 03:09:18 PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian%27s#George_Killian's_Irish_Red
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: DEMPSEY on January 31, 2022, 03:16:00 PM
Not their recipe mind but myown ;)
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: alealex on March 07, 2022, 09:31:26 PM
What was your grain bill I wonder?
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: DEMPSEY on March 08, 2022, 01:53:12 PM
Maris Otter 60%
Vienna malt 20%
Caraaroma malt 10%
Cara Red malt 6%
Flaked Oats 4%
Centennial hops 97G
34/70 yeast and fermented it as a Lager. Cold conditioned for 95 days.
Beer is crystal clear and tastes GREAT :-*
Title: Re: A good Irish Red
Post by: thefuturebrewer on March 21, 2022, 07:40:06 AM
Thirsty now (8ish am! ???  :P )
My favorite is O' Hara's Irish Red at the Duke on tap!