Smithwick's Imported Premium Irish Ale | Guinness Ltd.
Brewed by:
Guinness Ltd.
Ireland
guinness.com
Style: Irish Red Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.50%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by Mebuzzard on 04-01-2006
Ratings: 2,750 | Reviews: 804
3.72/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
11.2oz bottle poured into a pint glass shows a deep red clear body and floats a thicker 1/4in light tan head that stays for a bit and leaves spidery lacing.
Aroma is a muted bready malt with a floral hint.
Flavor matches including a sweetness and a light toasted malt, maybe just barely a caramel taste. Underneath the sweetness lurks another, almost metallic, flavor that I enjoy.
Mouthfeel is medium.
Overall a very drinkable ale that fills a void in my beer library.
470 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
11.2oz bottle poured into a pint glass shows a deep red clear body and floats a thicker 1/4in light tan head that stays for a bit and leaves spidery lacing.
Aroma is a muted bready malt with a floral hint.
Flavor matches including a sweetness and a light toasted malt, maybe just barely a caramel taste. Underneath the sweetness lurks another, almost metallic, flavor that I enjoy.
Mouthfeel is medium.
Overall a very drinkable ale that fills a void in my beer library.
470 characters
3.77/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.71/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I like British imports. Now they have a hard time competing with the American craft brews. However, this beats your basic American adjunct beer easily.
152 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I like British imports. Now they have a hard time competing with the American craft brews. However, this beats your basic American adjunct beer easily.
152 characters
3.65/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.18/5 rDev +20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
2.87/5 rDev -17.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
Deep brown to amber in color. There's a fingernail of eggshell white around the rim and most of the top. The aroma is slightly nutty, but I'm struggling to search it out. The taste is a cross between cola and caramel. The mouth is a bit thin and watery.
257 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
Deep brown to amber in color. There's a fingernail of eggshell white around the rim and most of the top. The aroma is slightly nutty, but I'm struggling to search it out. The taste is a cross between cola and caramel. The mouth is a bit thin and watery.
257 characters
3.12/5 rDev -10.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
6/24/17 (Chicago). 16 oz draft pour into standard pint glass. $5.50 @ NW Vaughn's. Dark copper pour, light tan head and carbonation. Light, sweet malt aroma. Mild sweet malt and chocolate taste. Light mouth feel and texture, minimal carbonation. Overall good offering.
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look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
6/24/17 (Chicago). 16 oz draft pour into standard pint glass. $5.50 @ NW Vaughn's. Dark copper pour, light tan head and carbonation. Light, sweet malt aroma. Mild sweet malt and chocolate taste. Light mouth feel and texture, minimal carbonation. Overall good offering.
269 characters
4.44/5 rDev +27.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.03/5 rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark brown-ruby body that is perfectly clear, loose carbonation supports a creamy, thick light tan head. The nose and flavor display rich, toasty malt, caramel, toffee, and even mild coffee, perhaps a touch of soap/floral notes. The flavor is mildly sweet with even more timid bitterness, each doing their part to add depth, balance each other, and not distract too much from the warmth the rest of the flavor provides. The body is medium-full, creamy, warm, even frothy.
I found this to be a delectable brew, especially within its categorization. The simple but fleshed out toasty flavor was delicious, and alongside the sweet/bitter balance it was almost beautiful in its simplicity.
685 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark brown-ruby body that is perfectly clear, loose carbonation supports a creamy, thick light tan head. The nose and flavor display rich, toasty malt, caramel, toffee, and even mild coffee, perhaps a touch of soap/floral notes. The flavor is mildly sweet with even more timid bitterness, each doing their part to add depth, balance each other, and not distract too much from the warmth the rest of the flavor provides. The body is medium-full, creamy, warm, even frothy.
I found this to be a delectable brew, especially within its categorization. The simple but fleshed out toasty flavor was delicious, and alongside the sweet/bitter balance it was almost beautiful in its simplicity.
685 characters
2.05/5 rDev -41.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Didn't enjoy this. Smells terrible and tastes like charred meat of some kind.
77 characters
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Didn't enjoy this. Smells terrible and tastes like charred meat of some kind.
77 characters
2.5/5 rDev -28.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
3.75/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.67/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
12oz. brown bottle into pint glass.
Look: medium red-brown with impressive head retention. Fluffy, off-white head sticks around for a while and then fades to a thick layer of lace.
Smell: Bready, somewhat toasted malt. Maybe an earthy undertone, but mostly grain in the aroma.
Taste: Slightly sweet, toasted malt up front and in the middle. Fades to a gentle, earthy bitterness in the finish. I wouldn't call the bitterness "tea-like," as the style description says, but it's pleasant and balances the sweetness well.
Feel: Tightly carbonated. The finishing bitterness lingers, but not in an overpowering way. Slightly drying finish.
Overall: It's a solid interpretation of an Irish Red. Duh. It's not amazing, never-forget-it beer, but it's serviceable. And the Irish Red isn't meant to be a particularly bold style anyway. It's a session beer.
851 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
12oz. brown bottle into pint glass.
Look: medium red-brown with impressive head retention. Fluffy, off-white head sticks around for a while and then fades to a thick layer of lace.
Smell: Bready, somewhat toasted malt. Maybe an earthy undertone, but mostly grain in the aroma.
Taste: Slightly sweet, toasted malt up front and in the middle. Fades to a gentle, earthy bitterness in the finish. I wouldn't call the bitterness "tea-like," as the style description says, but it's pleasant and balances the sweetness well.
Feel: Tightly carbonated. The finishing bitterness lingers, but not in an overpowering way. Slightly drying finish.
Overall: It's a solid interpretation of an Irish Red. Duh. It's not amazing, never-forget-it beer, but it's serviceable. And the Irish Red isn't meant to be a particularly bold style anyway. It's a session beer.
851 characters
3.76/5 rDev +8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.86/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.87/5 rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.86/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a nice garnet color with a a half finger of tan head that leaves nice lacing on the glass. Wife says it is more ruby colored.
Main smell I pick up is roasted malt.
Main taste I pick up is roasted malt.
Mouth is fairly light with a drying finish. The finish is so dry my mind automatically connects with taking another sip. Clever ploy and well played Smithwick's.
This is really a fairly simple beer that comes across as really refreshing. The taste of the beer is very good and the mouth feel makes it highly drinkable. With a 4.5% ABV this makes for a great pub beer. Pair this with some loaded potato skins or wings and some good friends and the party is on!
671 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a nice garnet color with a a half finger of tan head that leaves nice lacing on the glass. Wife says it is more ruby colored.
Main smell I pick up is roasted malt.
Main taste I pick up is roasted malt.
Mouth is fairly light with a drying finish. The finish is so dry my mind automatically connects with taking another sip. Clever ploy and well played Smithwick's.
This is really a fairly simple beer that comes across as really refreshing. The taste of the beer is very good and the mouth feel makes it highly drinkable. With a 4.5% ABV this makes for a great pub beer. Pair this with some loaded potato skins or wings and some good friends and the party is on!
671 characters
3.33/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Smithwick's Imported Premium Irish Ale from Guinness Ltd.
3.48
out of 5
based on 2,750 ratings.
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5