Murphy's Irish Red
Murphy Brewery Ireland Limited
Beer Geek Stats:
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- Style:
- Irish Red Ale
Ranked #255 - ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- 74
Ranked #47,210 - Avg:
- 3.23 | pDev: 16.41%
- Reviews:
- 329
- Ratings:
- From:
- Murphy Brewery Ireland Limited
- Ireland
- Avail:
- Year-round
- Wants
- 15
- Gots
- 86
SCORE
74
Okay
74
Okay
Notes:
Reviews: 329
| Ratings: 701
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Reviews by rale:
More User Reviews:
3.46/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle poured into an imperial pint glass.
A- It poured with a nice, 2-finger, off-white (nearly tan) head. The body was a rich, copper color with lots of tiny carbonation rushing to the surface. The head fell to a very full lace and left lots of sticky rings around the glass.
S- The aroma was mainly doughy malts with some earthy hops adding to the balanced mix. Maybe a little light.
T- Very refreshing flavor. It was a nice mix of grainy malts that give a good caramel flavor that is cut with the earthy hops noted in the aroma.
M- Strong carbonation provided a tingle on the tongue, add that to a little hop bite, and you know you're drinking a beer. Full malt profile provides a little grainy kick. Pretty solid.
D- A good beer. The style celebrates subtleties. I can see drinking a few in a sitting, but all said, I'm not going to seek this beer out.
862 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle poured into an imperial pint glass.
A- It poured with a nice, 2-finger, off-white (nearly tan) head. The body was a rich, copper color with lots of tiny carbonation rushing to the surface. The head fell to a very full lace and left lots of sticky rings around the glass.
S- The aroma was mainly doughy malts with some earthy hops adding to the balanced mix. Maybe a little light.
T- Very refreshing flavor. It was a nice mix of grainy malts that give a good caramel flavor that is cut with the earthy hops noted in the aroma.
M- Strong carbonation provided a tingle on the tongue, add that to a little hop bite, and you know you're drinking a beer. Full malt profile provides a little grainy kick. Pretty solid.
D- A good beer. The style celebrates subtleties. I can see drinking a few in a sitting, but all said, I'm not going to seek this beer out.
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2/5 rDev -38.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
A: Clear, reddish orange, no retention, no lacing, 2-finger head goes away in 10 seconds, bubbles stick to the side, so it looks over-carbonated like soda. Looks terrible.
S: Malt liquor with a little bit of hop backing. Smells just a little bit better than Coors Light.
T: Malt liquor taste, a little hop backing. Not anything else but alcohol, which is overpowering. Lack of flavor on swallow other than a slight bitter bready twinge. Not a good beer.
M: Over-carbonated (burns the tongue), a little syrupy, medium-bodied, non-astringent.
D: Terrible - I cannot finish at all. I'll never buy it again.
607 characters
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
A: Clear, reddish orange, no retention, no lacing, 2-finger head goes away in 10 seconds, bubbles stick to the side, so it looks over-carbonated like soda. Looks terrible.
S: Malt liquor with a little bit of hop backing. Smells just a little bit better than Coors Light.
T: Malt liquor taste, a little hop backing. Not anything else but alcohol, which is overpowering. Lack of flavor on swallow other than a slight bitter bready twinge. Not a good beer.
M: Over-carbonated (burns the tongue), a little syrupy, medium-bodied, non-astringent.
D: Terrible - I cannot finish at all. I'll never buy it again.
607 characters
3.08/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Poured from the 330mL brown glass bottle into a tall pilsner glass.
A: the beer is a clear orange color with indeed some rusty coloration in there. A bit of carbonation within. Head reached 2 and a half fingers, was offwhite, and had moderate retention.
S: A little hint of fruitiness, some bread and some spice. A bit of an off twang at the end.
T: Bready at first, and holding strong til the finish. A touch of toast in there close to the end, then a slight bitterness. Very basic beer, but also very easy going.
I'd gladly accept one of these anytime, and sometimes at these BG bars, this is the best offering. Not too bad, but not something I'd go out of my way for.
674 characters
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Poured from the 330mL brown glass bottle into a tall pilsner glass.
A: the beer is a clear orange color with indeed some rusty coloration in there. A bit of carbonation within. Head reached 2 and a half fingers, was offwhite, and had moderate retention.
S: A little hint of fruitiness, some bread and some spice. A bit of an off twang at the end.
T: Bready at first, and holding strong til the finish. A touch of toast in there close to the end, then a slight bitterness. Very basic beer, but also very easy going.
I'd gladly accept one of these anytime, and sometimes at these BG bars, this is the best offering. Not too bad, but not something I'd go out of my way for.
674 characters
2.4/5 rDev -25.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Pale copper in color with a light foam head that quickly breaks up when poured into a pint glass. I am not able to pick up anything striking on the nose. The taste seems a bit odd and is reminiscent of some macrobrew or over produced craft beer that I have had but cannot place. I wouldn't call it a great beer for sure. It is pretty common. I suppose I could see some being into it, but it just doesn't get it done for me.
423 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Pale copper in color with a light foam head that quickly breaks up when poured into a pint glass. I am not able to pick up anything striking on the nose. The taste seems a bit odd and is reminiscent of some macrobrew or over produced craft beer that I have had but cannot place. I wouldn't call it a great beer for sure. It is pretty common. I suppose I could see some being into it, but it just doesn't get it done for me.
423 characters
3.24/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Samuel Smith nonic.
An "Irish Red Ale" that is actually a mass market lager?
Pale, clear, rusty burnt orange body with no head. Virtually no lacing. Meh.
Clean vaguely toasty aroma with hints of kettle caramelization.
There is a pleasing maltiness on the palate. Initial sweetness is washed away by a toasted corn tortilla flavor - odd but not entirely unpleasant. Finishes clean and moderately dry. Very low bitterness throughout.
Brisk, light-bodied, albeit sort of flaccid feel.
A bit dull, and a poor value, but easy drinking and with a hint of character hiding in there somewhere.
627 characters
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Samuel Smith nonic.
An "Irish Red Ale" that is actually a mass market lager?
Pale, clear, rusty burnt orange body with no head. Virtually no lacing. Meh.
Clean vaguely toasty aroma with hints of kettle caramelization.
There is a pleasing maltiness on the palate. Initial sweetness is washed away by a toasted corn tortilla flavor - odd but not entirely unpleasant. Finishes clean and moderately dry. Very low bitterness throughout.
Brisk, light-bodied, albeit sort of flaccid feel.
A bit dull, and a poor value, but easy drinking and with a hint of character hiding in there somewhere.
627 characters
3.13/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
this beer was interesting. i had it years ago and hated it. times change and tastes change. i had it today and it was pretty damn good. poured nice with surprising little head. nice carbonation. decent lace in me glass. very light reddish amba color. nice malty taste and a decent finish. this was pretty damn good. i see that it is now brewed by heineken. not that that is bad.
suckem up and movem out.
giblet
412 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
this beer was interesting. i had it years ago and hated it. times change and tastes change. i had it today and it was pretty damn good. poured nice with surprising little head. nice carbonation. decent lace in me glass. very light reddish amba color. nice malty taste and a decent finish. this was pretty damn good. i see that it is now brewed by heineken. not that that is bad.
suckem up and movem out.
giblet
412 characters
4.13/5 rDev +27.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: Very bright (obviously filtered) deep copper colour. Thin head which dissipates fairly quickly but leaves a minimal layer which lasts all the way.
S: Toasty malt aroma. No real complexity, but a decent aroma nonetheless.
T: Caramel and toasted grain. Clean with no real detectable hops but a nice bitterness on the finish. Clean and uncomplex.
M: Reasonable body, smooth and clean.
D: Very drinkable - this is a reasonable session beer - the bottled version if 5% but a slightly weaker 4% version would probably make a nice session pint.
Overall, this is a pretty much spot on example of the style - if you don't like it then you probably just don't like Irish Reds. The finish could be a little drier and it could be a great beer if it was upped to 6% or so with a bit more of everything but it's a competent, if uninteresting, example of the style - exactly what you'd expect from a big-name brewery. To be honest though, complexity is not a characteristic of this style.
981 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: Very bright (obviously filtered) deep copper colour. Thin head which dissipates fairly quickly but leaves a minimal layer which lasts all the way.
S: Toasty malt aroma. No real complexity, but a decent aroma nonetheless.
T: Caramel and toasted grain. Clean with no real detectable hops but a nice bitterness on the finish. Clean and uncomplex.
M: Reasonable body, smooth and clean.
D: Very drinkable - this is a reasonable session beer - the bottled version if 5% but a slightly weaker 4% version would probably make a nice session pint.
Overall, this is a pretty much spot on example of the style - if you don't like it then you probably just don't like Irish Reds. The finish could be a little drier and it could be a great beer if it was upped to 6% or so with a bit more of everything but it's a competent, if uninteresting, example of the style - exactly what you'd expect from a big-name brewery. To be honest though, complexity is not a characteristic of this style.
981 characters
3.29/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
On nitro-tap at Beachwood BBQ for St. Patrick's Day,
A: Pours a light red with a full creamy nitro head, nice lace.
S: Caramel, hint of earthy hops.
T: Good caramel/toffee malt type flavours. Light hopping. Solid beer, but I wanted more.
M: On the thin side, creamy, light-bodied.
D: A fair Red Ale. I liked it, but it's not a beer to wow you, just an easy drinking pint.
376 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
On nitro-tap at Beachwood BBQ for St. Patrick's Day,
A: Pours a light red with a full creamy nitro head, nice lace.
S: Caramel, hint of earthy hops.
T: Good caramel/toffee malt type flavours. Light hopping. Solid beer, but I wanted more.
M: On the thin side, creamy, light-bodied.
D: A fair Red Ale. I liked it, but it's not a beer to wow you, just an easy drinking pint.
376 characters
3.31/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a clear amber color. Very fizzy with a thin white head that had little staying power.
Not much to the smell. A slight malt smell with a little bit of caramel.
Fairly nice taste. A caramel malt taste. Not very strong taste at all.
The mouthfeel is the best part. Smooth with a semi-thick substance as well.
Smooth enough to drink a good amount of these. Just not enough taste to want to.
392 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a clear amber color. Very fizzy with a thin white head that had little staying power.
Not much to the smell. A slight malt smell with a little bit of caramel.
Fairly nice taste. A caramel malt taste. Not very strong taste at all.
The mouthfeel is the best part. Smooth with a semi-thick substance as well.
Smooth enough to drink a good amount of these. Just not enough taste to want to.
392 characters
3.45/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
This beer poured a copper color with a big two-finger head. The smell is malty with a bit of hops. The taste starts off with a little bit of malt that is cut by a fair amount of hops. The mouthfeel is slightly thick with a tiny amount of carbonation. This is a fairly drinkable beer, but didn't really stand out in any way.
323 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
This beer poured a copper color with a big two-finger head. The smell is malty with a bit of hops. The taste starts off with a little bit of malt that is cut by a fair amount of hops. The mouthfeel is slightly thick with a tiny amount of carbonation. This is a fairly drinkable beer, but didn't really stand out in any way.
323 characters
3.21/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4
sooo my bar got this just for st pats day. maybe it was the wrong choice...
A- clear reddish-brown dirty penny color with a nice creamy puffy off-white head. cap has decent retention after a hard pour and a glass with preexisting lace crusties...a decent bit of lace as well, even in a clean glass.
S- some weak caramel malt and noble hop aroma crossed with some english hops. right away it's evident that this beer is affiliated w heineken. some off-metallic odors and toasted grains, grassy, weak.
T- weak taste as well, mineral water, metallic coin taste matched the dirty copper color. a hint of caramel, diacetyl, cooked veggies, grassy straw, not what i expected in red from ireland. a bit of spicy grassy hop flavor and weak pale raw barley & noble hop finish. tastes more german than anything.
MF- thin body, medium carbonation...seems lacking.
D- good D though, watery and chuggable!
898 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4
sooo my bar got this just for st pats day. maybe it was the wrong choice...
A- clear reddish-brown dirty penny color with a nice creamy puffy off-white head. cap has decent retention after a hard pour and a glass with preexisting lace crusties...a decent bit of lace as well, even in a clean glass.
S- some weak caramel malt and noble hop aroma crossed with some english hops. right away it's evident that this beer is affiliated w heineken. some off-metallic odors and toasted grains, grassy, weak.
T- weak taste as well, mineral water, metallic coin taste matched the dirty copper color. a hint of caramel, diacetyl, cooked veggies, grassy straw, not what i expected in red from ireland. a bit of spicy grassy hop flavor and weak pale raw barley & noble hop finish. tastes more german than anything.
MF- thin body, medium carbonation...seems lacking.
D- good D though, watery and chuggable!
898 characters
Murphy's Irish Red from Murphy Brewery Ireland Limited
Beer rating:
74 out of
100 with
701 ratings
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