Fighting Irish Red Ale
YellowBelly Brewery & Public House

Lasting rich head. Good streaky lace on the glass after each sip. The color is light brown and allows light to pass easily. No haze.

Toffee aroma, yet it's not sweet.

Rich, nearly burnt, caramelized sugar flavor. Again, not as sweet as this suggests. Good body with a lighter carbonation level than expected. Only in the aftertaste do I get any hop bitterness. Simply, a malty beer.

 

 

 

Draught at the pub: Pours garnet read with a thickish off-white head and good lacing. Aroma light - caramel, burnt toast: Flavour bready, caramel, walnut. A full mouth. Best local brew I've found in St John's

 

 

 

 

 

 

A - cedar red, thumb of head settled at a thin cover
S - very nutty with hints of wood smoke and dark toast
T - nutty and woody, multigrain toast, mild grass
M - light and smooth with a mild bitter finish
O - the woody toasty flavour makes it unique, worth seeking given the limited NFLD brewed options

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nevermind red, this ale is damn near black. Well, not quite. But it has a deep russet brown colour. And to call its highlights even rust-toned would be too light, they are like a dark burgundy. Clarity is fully in tact, however. In contrast, its head is near bleach white and, while not thick, is fairly adhesive and gussies up the glass.

A very lightly buttered, but heavily bready and darkly toasted aroma has an elevated level of caramel and showcases considerable water minerals. Smells like an Irish Red if ever there was one. In fact, barring Three Floyds' Brian Boru it is perhaps the most characterful and aromatic example of the style I've come across (and without any hops, at that).

The flavour is more moderate, tasting minimally of toffee and mostly of toasted grain. A bit of raisin and nut. It is very no frills, with a dense concentration of water minerals, and a touch of grassy bitterness but no perceivable hop flavour. A coppery kind of character (kettle caramelization) and heavyset maltiness reminds me almost of a Scottish wee heavy.

An inkling of honey-like sweetness sets in with warmth, but the beer is grainy and malty through and through. The Irish are known as marathon drinkers and, indeed, this Irish Red is the kind of beer that wouldn't give binge drinkers any problems. Hell, it comes in a 1L bottle! It's the kind of beer even average people could session, the 5.5% notwithstanding.

There's nothing fancy about Yellow Belly Brewery but they make the best kinds of beers: those fit for drinkin'! As its name might suggest, Fighting Irish comes with no bells or whistles, just a humble, honest, no nonsense disposition and clean, flavourful drinkability. Newfies are proud people and they should be especially proud of this solid Newfie brewery.

A: Red with a light-tan head, great retention & lacing.

S: Dark caramel, earthy-orange citrus & hints of fruit.

T: Earthy-orange, balanced bitterness, dark caramel, toasted malt, roasted nut & hints of chocolate.

M: Well-attenuated (for the style) moderate body is smooth. There's some residual sweetness as the style dictates, but it's not at all cloying, and is perfectly balanced by the bitterness.

D: I'm not a huge fan of the style, but I did enjoy this one, as it doesn't have as much residual sweetness as some.