Odd Notion - Irish Red Ale (Spring 2008)
Magic Hat Brewing Company

Odd Notion - Irish Red Ale (Spring 2008)Odd Notion - Irish Red Ale (Spring 2008)
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From:
Magic Hat Brewing Company
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Irish Red Ale
ABV:
4.6%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.68 | pDev: 14.95%
Reviews:
57
Ratings:
65
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 28, 2015
Added:
Jan 23, 2008
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by geexploitation:
Photo of geexploitation
Reviewed by geexploitation from Indiana

3.47/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours very dark brown with some lighter chestnut highlights and a tan head forming a collar on top of the beer. The aroma has a low key maltiness and a strange, but intriguing ginger note. On the palate, expansive until the mid-palate, where things take a turn towards thinness and an overabundance of acidic sourness. Prior to that, the flavors hold together well, with a gingery spiciness working against caramel malts in counterpoint. Overall, this is a pleasant enough beer at first, but its success is mitigated by the sad turn things take toward the end of the experience.
Mar 09, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.03 by knextel from Pennsylvania

Sep 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Durandal_777 from Pennsylvania

May 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by krome from Illinois

Jan 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Enriquehopnog from Massachusetts

Nov 22, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 22, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by swgwilt from Tennessee

Jul 04, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Goldfoot from Michigan

Dec 16, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by dave00100 from Vermont

Dec 10, 2011
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
reviewed from notes, this one was serve in a pint glass during a magic hat tasting i had with my brother in law down at his apartment.

The pour was decent. A nice ruby tinted amber color coming through, with a nice caramel like hint to it. Some light touches of frothy white head on the top as well as a good bit of carbonation coming up to the surface throughout the session.

The aroma was a malt bomb and this was evident really from the very first sip. But the nose was leading that way as well. Hints of caramel, some bready touches and a musky sort of aroma were dominating the day here. Nice touches of earthy hops coming through as well, but very light, more of an accent then anything. The flavor started out with a nice rush of caramel malts, syrup like in the feel almost with some soothing carbonation underlying it but not enough to push it off the map. Nice bready and biscuit like mid palate was then replaced with a somewhat chewy and earthy hop in the finish, before melding back into the sweet profile that held me at the beginning.

Overall not bad at all for the style, a little thick to really be a session able beer here as I found the carbonation a touch lacking, but the flavor was pretty darn good and I would have no issues with trying this one again any day.
Feb 19, 2011
Photo of goblue3509
Reviewed by goblue3509 from Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a light brown color with a one finger head. The smell is of sweet malt and roasted malt with a hint of banana. The taste is much the same sweet malt up front which gives way to a roasted malt and possible a caramel note. The mouthfeel is average for the style. Overall it is a decent drinkable beer, it is slightly more complex than a lot of reds, but still not fantastic.
Aug 26, 2009
Photo of PEBKAC
Reviewed by PEBKAC from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Baby growler tucked away for too long, paired up with in season notes. Geek... must... rate.

Filtered iced tea body, a little darker once it settles. Moderately spongy half inch of oatmeal head; Sporadic lace.

Lavender, ginger, heather, stale cinnamon, toasty malt. Cardamom I'm really not familiar with, but Wiki says it's a relative of ginger, so I'm not totally loopy. :P Flip top growlers are the best, know that. :)

Taste is initially a shadowy representation of what I smelled, but no where near as potent. Heather(or something like it)comes up first, a little ginger, white sugar, then a flush of base malt running through till the finish.

Carbonation is on the lower end of average, but there doesn't seem to be any oxidation that I can detect(spices +2). Malt on the finish makes it slightly slightly dry if anything.

It's gone. It's gone. It's long gone. Magic Hat makes great beers when they try.
Feb 06, 2009
Photo of htomsirveaux
Reviewed by htomsirveaux from Texas

3.35/5  rDev -9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz. bottle tried 5 Oct 2008. Received from Phil.

poured into a shaker glass. Medium tight tan head. Clear very dark brown color. Smells cinnamony, vanilla, jasmine, almost soapy. Starts with tastes of sassafrass, root beer, lightly sweet. Reminiscent of spice cake, cinnamon, tarragon. Alcohol quite light. Finishes with some nutmeg and bitterness. Medium body.

interesting but probably would not get again.
Jan 31, 2009
Photo of thekevlarkid
Reviewed by thekevlarkid from Maryland

3.7/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Out of the bottle this one was a copper brown with a white, one finger head. The lacing and retention were average. The nose was caramel malt, toasted malt and some fruit sweetness. The flavors were mostly caramel at first, behind that was a smoky malt and some other grains. Dry, slightly medicinal finish is unusual, sort of like bitter coffee grounds. Decent mouthfeel and medium to low carbonation levels. Complex and perplexing. A good transitional beer for dark winter to lighter spring but it's such an 'odd' beer I could not see myself recommending it.
Sep 05, 2008
Photo of NCSUdo
Reviewed by NCSUdo from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle

A: Brown under an inch worth of white head. Decent lace and retention.

S: Smells of toasted malt, a little bit of coffee, some caramel and I swear I get a fruity (banana?) hint here and there. Not bad.

T: Very malty, sweet up front. Finishes with the toasted malt and slight coffee. Not a lot of bitterness. Almost like a tea. Pretty good.

M/D: Medium bodied, medium to high carbonation. Drinkability is fine. A good representation of the style I feel. A lot of the Irish Red Ales I've had (even in the time I spent in Ireland) barely have more character then a normal macro lager. This one is good though, I was very surprised.
Jul 21, 2008
Photo of OWSLEY069
Reviewed by OWSLEY069 from Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a hazy copper color with a small white head. In the aroma, peety and an irish maltiness. In the taste, a sweet maltinessand a dry peet like end. A smooth, medium body mouthfeel, with a semi-dry maltiness in the aftertaste. A decent Irish Red, interesting with peet and actually quite smooth.
Jul 05, 2008
Photo of jeffmonarch
Reviewed by jeffmonarch from Maryland

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
12 oz. bottle in a pint glass.

A - Nice dark brown with a slight reddish tint.

S - Good caramel smell with a hint of malt.

T - A lot lighter than expected. Really smooth caramel and roasted malt flavors.

M - Medium bodied with good carbonation.

D - Really good beer. Unfortunetly I can only find it in the sampler pack.
Jun 08, 2008
Photo of paulthebeerguru
Reviewed by paulthebeerguru from Florida

3.7/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Magic Hat Odd Notion (Spring '08)
12oz. brown bottle

A: snifter. rich brown color with some reddish hues. khaki color head on top with a moderate retention level. OK lacing.

S: nice rich malty aroma with a nice floral hop smell. slight sour oak tone.

T: nice smooth taste, some caramel from the malts as the backbone, with a good citrusy hop flavor, mostly oranges. really nice flavor for the style.

M: carbonation is a little high. medium bodied, but a little watery. very smooth brew though.

D: a good session beer and a great seasonal for the spring. nothing amazing about it, but it is a good brew.
Jun 03, 2008
Photo of PatrickJR
Reviewed by PatrickJR from North Carolina

2.46/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Poured from 12 oz bottle into nonic pint glass.

A - Deep transparent red, with a small head that disappeared quickly into thick collar.

S - Mint??? That's all I can think when I stick my nose in the glass. Mint. Morever, menthol, like VapoRub. Some earthiness pulls through as well, with some caramel malt.

T - The menthol flavor gets to me and overwhelms almost anything else I might be able to taste. The same earthy characte from the nose comes in with some semi-sweet caramel malt, with a bizzare finish. Medicinal and strangely bitter.

M - I think it's alright in this department, decently carbonated with light to medium body. I don't know if anything could save this brew.

D - Yuck. Could not and would not have more than one of these, I'll be lucky to finish what's next to me.

What the fuck is this? This is the most outrageous and off-the-wall beer I have ever tasted.

*Edit* I just read that this beer is flavored with cardamom, which would explain the menthol sensation perfectly. I love using cardamom cooking, especially with pork and mushrooms, but what the hell is it doing in this beer? This combination of flavors doesn't work at all.
May 28, 2008
Photo of RunawayJim
Reviewed by RunawayJim from Rhode Island

4.03/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Beer pours a dark ruby brown color with a small head. Smells of roasted and caramel malts. Upon drinking, it tastes of lots of roasted, chocolate, and caramel malts. There is only a hint of hops to add a little balance to this fine malty brew. It was light-medium bodied with moderate carbonation. It was a very drinkable beer.
May 26, 2008
Odd Notion - Irish Red Ale (Spring 2008) from Magic Hat Brewing Company
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 65 ratings