McFarland Red Beer
Birra Moretti (Heineken)

McFarland Red BeerMcFarland Red Beer
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From:
Birra Moretti (Heineken)
 
Italy
Style:
Irish Red Ale
Ranked #110
ABV:
5.6%
Score:
77
Ranked #27,205
Avg:
3.14 | pDev: 19.43%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
24
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 09, 2024
Added:
Sep 04, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  13
No description / notes.
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Rated: 3.63 by Kost97

Feb 09, 2024
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.18/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
330 ml bottle, bought in Rhodos, Greece. ABV is 5.6%. Amber colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma of caramel, toffee, brown bread and grain. The flavour is malty with notes of caramel and brown bread, but is not too sweet. Minimal hops, dull finish.
Jul 23, 2022
 
Rated: 3.25 by jroof1 from Massachusetts

Aug 17, 2019
 
Rated: 3.77 by Robertas from Lithuania

Jul 18, 2019
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Reviewed by Thomas_Wikman from Texas

3.1/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
McFarland Irish Red Ale is malty but light, too light/watery but refreshing

Look: semi-clear amber to reddish brown hue with an inch thick off-white head

Aroma: bread, caramel

Taste: malty, bready, caramel

Body/Overall: light body
Jul 15, 2019
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Reviewed by rex_4539 from Greece

2.47/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 2
L: Clear amber color, two finger slightly off white head, ok lacing, light carbonation.

S: Hops, malts, sweet.

T: Very slight hint of hops, slightly malty, watery.

F: Light bodied, watery.

O: Pass.
Apr 24, 2019
Photo of schavuytje
Reviewed by schavuytje from Netherlands

1.13/5  rDev -64%
look: 1.25 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.25
On holiday in Rethymnon a nice Irish pub found ordered an Irish red; Rooibos red flavored to tannic tea rich tea, when drinking also making dry tea in the aftermath murphy yeast
Jun 05, 2017
Photo of The_Kriek_Freak
Reviewed by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

3.99/5  rDev +27.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: Burnt orange but dark and bordering on brown. Not much head
N: Sweet and malty with notes of burnt sugar
T: Sweet and with very little evidence of hops
M: Silky smooth and with very little carbonation
O: A fairly decent red
Apr 21, 2017
Photo of MilanoItaly
Reviewed by MilanoItaly from Italy

3.45/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
I felt the need to edit my review.
I gave it a second chance.
I really appreciate the drinkability and the price / value ratio.
I confirm the nice look impression.
Probably wrong serving temperature in the first review.
I cancel my ''avoid'' recommendation.

The fact that this ''Irish style'' beer is brewed in ''Italy'' by ''Heineken'' and it's delivered at a discount price of 2.1€ / liter creates a prejudice in evaluation. Will it resemble a CocaCola ?
Someway, yes.
I found a > normal look: nice intense copper hue with persistent and creamy foam, lot of laces.
Still , carbonation is > normal and the overall sense is ... dull.
Good drinkability, like a .. uhm.. CocaCola ?
Avoid it.
Dec 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.28 by Giangio from Italy

May 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.45 by kjkinsey from Texas

May 12, 2016
 
Rated: 2.99 by kamilgracki from Switzerland

Aug 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.24 by thatsmyspot from Italy

Jun 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.45 by UniversitateaDeBere from Romania

Jan 30, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Srecko from Serbia

Dec 09, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by dcmchew from Romania

Aug 05, 2014
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Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.2/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
33cl brown glass bottle with appealing label art and branded red pry-off pressure cap acquired as part of a 3-pack at a Carrefour supermarket in Kardamena, Kos, Greece, and served into a pilsner glass in my hotel room.

For the record, this is the first time I've ever seen a 3-pack of beer in my life...

Reviewed live. Expectations are average. 5.6% ABV. BB: 11/2014.

Because it's Greek, it has a sticker on the cap with Greek info. I believe this is bottled in Giovanni, and it's brewed somewhere in Italy based on what little I can read of the Greek alphabet.

"Under License from Murphy [sic] Brewery Ireland."

No bubble show forms as it's poured.

HEAD: Pours a 2.5 finger wide head of white colour. Nice thickness and creaminess. Fluffy and nicely frothy. Has a nice smooth even consistency and an appealing complexion. Head retention is good - about 5-6 minutes. Some uneven lacing does form on the sides of the glass as the head recedes, but it's largely unimpressive.

BODY: It's a deep vibrant copper with some faint amber hues, but it isn't quite the red colour I'd expect in a good Irish Red. Translucent and transparent. Clean; no yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.

Appears well-carbonated. It's not unique or special, but it does come close to the right appearance for the style, which is more than I'd expect from an Irish Red brewed by a Heineken-owned brewery. I'm looking forward to trying it.

AROMA: Nails the toasted malt aromatics key in an Irish Red. I just hope they nail it in the flavour profile too. Amber malts, faint caramel, some bread crust, and cream. Any hop notes are faint and complement the toasted malt; I think it's just a slight fruitiness, but I'm having trouble identifying the fruit with me broken nose.

Overall, it's a pleasant aroma of above average strength and really fits the style's conventions. I'm pleasantly surprised, and am looking forward to the first sip.

No yeasty character or alcohol is detectable.

TASTE: Toasted malt is present, but lacks depth and doesn't feel like the heart of the beer; instead the balance shifts to some slightly sweet amber malts and the bread crust character, which is unbecoming. The fruity hop notes join with the malty sweetness to deliver an unrefined flavour profile suggestive more of an American Amber, to ill effect. I do like it in a general sense, but it suffers from a scattered balance and a misplaced focus.

Average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour. It's got enough complexity - at least for a Heineken-brewed Irish Red - but there isn't much subtlety or intricacy here. It's not well-layered and has poor amplitude of flavour.

TEXTURE: Aptly dry up front, but it trades that in for an unbecoming wetness at about the midpoint. It's smooth throughout, and is certainly filling (in keeping with the bread crust emphasis). It's bit overcarbonated and is too full-bodied and thick for the style, hitting the drinker with a hefty weighty presence on the palate without providing complementary flavours to justify it. Could be softer, could be creamier.

Overall, this texture suits the taste fairly well, but there are no signs the former was custom-tailored to the latter. Could use improvement.

OVERALL: While it definitely beat my expectations for an Irish Red available in Greece brewed by a Heineken-owned Italian brewery (boy is that a mouthful!), it's not going to impress the discerning drinker and definitely offers little in comparison to the best beers in the style, including common Irish-brewed offerings like Smithwick's and even Murphy's Red (which isn't even available in Ireland). Still, call it my love for this underappreciated style, but I do think it's above average both overall and in terms of the style. I always like to see more Irish Reds in the world. One of the better beers available on the island of Kos. I'd try it on-draught if I found it in Italy or something. Highly drinkable.

C+
Jul 08, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by wewantbeer from Italy

Dec 09, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by jakea from Wisconsin

Sep 30, 2013
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Reviewed by mmmbirra from Italy

3.46/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Copper. Transparent. Head dies down to literally nothing after a few seconds. It's been a while since I've seen a beer with absolutely no foam sitting at the top. I suppose it could be the glass.
Smell: Really not bad. A little caramel malt, and a little nuttiness. No yeasty esters though. Maybe a hint of alcohol.
Taste: Again, not bad at all. Not fantastic and won't knock your socks off, but I was pleasantly surprised. A touch of caramel malt, a touch of bitter roasted malts and a dryness in the back from the hops. Inviting. Very very clean though, tastes as though it was lagered.
Smooth with a dry bite in the end that keeps it easygoing.

So much better than I expected it to be(my expectations were low.) Not a bad alternative to the ubiquitous adjunct lagers that line the shelves of Italian grocery stores.
Jul 03, 2013
McFarland Red Beer from Birra Moretti (Heineken)
Beer rating: 77 out of 100 with 24 ratings