Irish Red
Triumph Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

First had: on tap at Triumph, Philly, PA

Pours a slightly hazed amber with a finger of white head that receded to a lacy collar. Toasted malt aroma, sweet, nutty, with a touch of indistinct esters. Smooth taste of toasty caramel malts, sweet, nutty, with hints of banana bread. Some hops bitterness toward the end provided a slightly dry finish. Medium mouthfeel, simple, and pretty easily drinkable.

Triumph "Irish Red Ale".

Triumph's notes:
"Triumph proudly pours unfiltered "real" ale finished and dispensed in the traditional British style, served at cellar temperature (50-55 degrees). Though Ireland is justly famous for its stouts, it OTHER native beer style, red ale, has found a significant following in recent years. Murphy's, Smithwick's, and Killian's are all examples of Irish Reds characterized by caramel malt flavors and roastiness"

Appearance:
A clear berry red -- like a very watery pinot noir or cranberry juice. They claim it's unfiltered, but it looks really really clear and filtered to me.

Aroma:
I'm not getting that much out of it -- perhaps some lightly roasted malt and a hint of tea?

Taste:
I can't taste as much as I can smell -- a bad sign. Very watered-down malts, some earl grey tea flavor. Finish is a bit dry. This is somewhat balanced, but at a really low and un-flavorful level.

Mouthfeel:
Like drinking slightly thicker water. Virtually no carbonation.

Drinkability:
"Meh" pretty much sums it up.

This is one of those beers that you almost feel bad not saying more nice thigns about it, as it certainly isn't bad, but at the same time there isn't too much you can really pick out about it. It is a bit bland in the aroma and flavor. The mouthfeel is fairly nice, not too light, and it has a fairly decent drinkability as it's not too heavy. However, its lack of much flavor keeps me from really wanting another one. I could see fans of the style being into it, but it just seemed a tad bland to me.

Poured a medium shimmering amber hue with a one finger frothy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a light crystal malt and neutral hop.

The taste consisted of a dry mild crystal malt and a balancing hop.

The mouthfeel was toward the lighter side of the style.

Overall a light and user friendly Irish Red.

I had this at the Philadelphia, PA brewpub.
Appearance: The body is a very dark ruby red color. The head is a finger tall, light tan head, great retention and beautiful thin lacing.
Smell: Nothing much, but maybe some pale malt.
Taste: This is a nice sweet beer with some toffee notes on-top.
Mouthfeel: This beer is crisp around the edges.
Drinkability: This beer is good, but not great.
Don't drink and review.

This was on cask at the New Hope Triumph on 4/5/2008. They served it to me in a slender pint glass.

This Triumph brew poured a light cranberry red color that had a nice long lasting 1/2 inch creamy head of white foam. This head of foam never receded or dissipated away. It only went down when I took a sip. When it did go down, it only left behind a few spots of white lace. It had an average mild aroma of lightly roasted malts, juicy fruits, and a handful of fruity hops at the finish. The taste was light with toasted malts, juicy fruits, and then it ends with lightly bitter fruity hops. It was a light bodied beer that had a faint aftertaste of toasted malts and lightly bitter fruity hops. There wasn't much going on in this beer, but if you get it on cask, it's worth a shot.

Cask sample at the Princeton location: Pours reddish-amber with a dense off-white head that burns off to a thin layer. Minimal lacing. The aroma is subtle malt and hops. Medium, soft body with earthy malt and muted hops flavors. The finish is round and sweet with a short malty aftertaste. Not very impressive overall.