Background – From Guinness themselves “In 300 years of triumph, adversity and above all, brewing, you learn a thing or two about ale. This, our original Red Ale, is a blend of mild hops, sweet malt and roasted barley. Like the castle at the heart of our Kilkenny home, it’s stood the test of time throughout Irish history, and earned its rightful place as Ireland’s most loved ale. Smithwick’s Red Ale is the ruby red session ale with a gentle hop bitterness, sweet malty notes and a refreshingly balanced taste.”
Appearance – The bottle design stands out with the distinct red label and the photo of the Castle from Kilkenny. This beer screams Ireland and still manages to keep it very simple. With a nice description on the label this is what a standard beer label should be. When you pour the beer into a glass you will notice a dark amber/ruby color that is clear but quite dark. The head produces a ton of lacing that sticks around the glass throughout the remainder of the drink.
Aroma – Unless you are an Irish Blood Hound you will not get much of a scent from this beer. What you will get tends to be strictly malts, I would love to be clever enough to keep describing this beer but to be honest there’s little here.
Taste – The flavor is a typical for Irish Red Ales, malt heavy that tends to be a bit bready and notes of the hops finish off your sips. It may not be the most flavorful beer but there is nothing I dislike while drinking.
Drinkability – The Smithwicks Red Ale goes down real easy but man does it have a bitter upfront bite to it. The mouthfeel is both dry and bitter but doesn’t last long. After 2-3 of these beers it may begin to wear on you but make no mistake this is a solid session beer that is great to drink throughout the day.
Overall – Overall this is one of Jim’s favorite beers but strictly for nostalgia. The Smithwicks red ale is one of the most well known Irish red ales and is typically consider the “other” Irish beer aside from the Guinness Stout. I would recommend trying it but do not expect to be blown away, this is a drinking mans beer.
Game Pairing: When it comes to game pairing I decided to go with Maximum Carnage on the Sega Genesis. I used to love this game as a kid, and like Jim’s nostalgia for this beer, neither ages as good as we thought. Still the beer is solid and the game is fun, although hard as hell, so suit up as Spiderman and Venom grab a few of these Irish Red Ales and get fighting, Sláinte
