Big Red Ale
O'Dempsey's

Big Red AleBig Red Ale
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From:
O'Dempsey's
 
Georgia, United States
Style:
Irish Red Ale
ABV:
6%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.66 | pDev: 12.84%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
45
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 14, 2017
Added:
Apr 11, 2010
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  5
It’s Big! It’s Red! It’s an Irish-Style Red Ale with a North American Attitude! With 30 IBUs and an Original Gravity of 1.058, this 6% ABV Red Ale has all the body you want with just the right amount of hoppy goodness.
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Ratings by ThisWangsChung:
Photo of ThisWangsChung
Reviewed by ThisWangsChung from Maryland

3.7/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a dark chestnut color. The head is a finger high and mocha in shade. It doesn't have a very creamy texture, nor does the head retain very well. Small bits of lacing are left on the glass.

Smell: Wow, the caramel notes are extremely rich on the nose. Even better, this beer seems to think it's a porter (or even a stout) instead of some simple red ale. I'm also picking up chocolate and whiffs of roasted malt. My only real complaint is that it seems a hair sweet, but I still don't care. This is pretty much what an Irish red should smell like.

Taste: The flavor profile seems to introduce a touch of fruity esters, which manage to blend with caramel and subtle roast. Some wispy chocolate flavor exists on the back end. I'm really digging this one - it's hitting all the right buttons for me - but if it were a bit more complex, this would be a 4.

Mouthfeel: It lacks some of the clean dryness this style would normally feature. Instead it feels lush and slightly wet, but the zippy carbonation helps lift it off the tongue somewhat. Regardless, this beer is quite drinkable.

Overall: Look at the label, it's not very good. Look at this 'brewery's' (which is pretty much just one guy running out of Thomas Creek in South Carolina) website, it's not very good either. But the beer itself? That's actually quite good. It's on the verge of being great even, though it would need a little more depth for that. I love drinking hidden gems like these - while most beer geeks will cream their pants over whatever sugary-sweet, barrel-aged monstrosity The Bruery charges four hundred dollars a bottle for, stuff like this will continue to be ignored. And that's a shame, because this red ale is well worth one's time. This 'brewery' is 2 for 2 as far as I'm concerned.

3.7/5: A good example of what a red ale *should* be
Oct 14, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of yuenglingfan101
Reviewed by yuenglingfan101 from Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +23%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Reddish hue to this beer. Nice rich malty beer kind of a fall beer type. small head easy in drinkablity def a beer worth trying at least one in a llifetime
May 14, 2017
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.62/5  rDev +26.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Beautiful rich red color; see-through.

Nice off-white head; strong lacing.

Nice caramel maltiness in the nose; far from cloying but a nice sweetness. Just a hint of hops, far from overbearing. A touch of coffee & chocolate as well?! I'm impressed!

Medium mouthfeel.

Subtle caramel maltiness in the flavor; a touch more pronounced hop bite. Again, just a hint of chocolate & coffee elevate this. Wonderfully balanced; this is a style of beer I'm not fond of but I'm pretty blown away. Rich yet drinkable, sweet yet with bite. A home run.
Nov 29, 2016
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.48/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
A: The beer is clear dark red in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high off white head that quickly died down, leaving only a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of toffee and brown sugar are present in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of caramel malts, toffee, and dates. No bitterness is perceptible.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is somewhat maltier compared to other beers in the style and doesn't have the distinctive tea-like flavor that you would normally associate with an Irish Red Ale.

Serving type: bottle
Dec 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.52 by stomioka from New Jersey

Dec 29, 2014
Photo of ordybill
Reviewed by ordybill from Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Aroma- Has a great roasted malt and caramel aroma. Appearance- Pours a dark amber color with a small beige head. Taste- Awesome flavor of roasted malt, top notch Palate- A medium bodied beer with moderate to high carbonation. Overall- A really good beer from O’Dempsey’s, this is highly recommended.
Oct 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Sep 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by GallowsThief from Florida

Sep 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by bongobeer from Alabama

Aug 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by kkmiller76 from New Jersey

Feb 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 15, 2013
Photo of Mojo
Reviewed by Mojo from Alabama

3.79/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12 ounce bottle -> Samuel Adams Perfect Pint glass

A - pours up a deep clear amber with a one finger head the color of butter. Retention is good, but there is no residual lacing to speak of.

S - very grassy and bready

T - malts are caramel and sweet, finishes dry and yeasty

M - moderate thickness, good carbonation, a small mouthfeel

O - unspectacular, but solid red ale.
Nov 18, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by seavercm from Washington

Oct 21, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by ChuckS from North Carolina

Oct 03, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Cynic-ale from Texas

Aug 01, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by Gww1864 from New Jersey

Jul 28, 2013
Photo of Samp01
Reviewed by Samp01 from New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours reddish amber with a medium slowly fading beige head. Aroma and Taste is caramel malt, yeast and fruity notes with some mild floral earthy hops. A medium bodied palate with a sweet mouth feel mad god carbonation. Finishes with a sweet caramel malt, yeast and fruity flavor with some moderate earthy hops and nutty flavor. A good session brew.
Jul 10, 2013
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.91/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle, unknown date but recently acquired, served in a pint glass.
Pours a fine looking deep red-brown, clear, with a tan head of moderate size, with very good retention and lacing.

Aroma: roasted and caramel malt with some spicy hops. Hints of dark fruits. The flavor follows, although it is stronger and richer than the nose suggests, with a bit darker roast in the malt mix. Only a faint suggestion of dark fruit.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied, medium-high carbonation

O: quite good and tasty Irish Red Ale. Recommended.
May 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by buckyp from South Carolina

May 12, 2013
Photo of Beergeeknut
Reviewed by Beergeeknut from New York

3.48/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: A very dark mahogany red with an off white head about an inch thick.

Aroma: Some good dryness in the nose. Floral hop, light citrus notes, caramel malts and molasses, a subtle twinge of licorice in the back.

Taste: Citrusy but mostly floral hopiness , Light crispness on the palate, caramel malts, raisins,

Aroma: Overall a good beer it could a little bit sweeter but still tasty. Cheers
Mar 22, 2013
Big Red Ale from O'Dempsey's
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 45 ratings