Cleary Red
Hereford & Hops Restaurant & Brewpub

The other growler I brought home from H&H last night; this Irish Red pours a woody ruby/copper hue with some really pretty, rich ruby highlights that resemble cranberry juice. The lighter but frothy off white or slightly beige head recedes relatively quickly and leaves a bit of scattered lacing behind it.

Heavily malted with lots of sweet fruit. Caramel malt and toffee. Reminiscent of chocolate covered cherries but with an after tone of toasted breadiness. Some citrus and just a hint of light coffee. Slightly roasty, sweet and primarily of malt. I'm not sure why but I'm enjoying the aroma a great deal more than I did last night. Maybe my palate was overwhelmed by the multiple beer sampler. In any case, very nice for a style that often lacks in the nose.

Again primarily malt: roasty and caramel alike. A bit of nutty toffee and light sweet chocolate. A hint of black cherry but overall less fruity than the nose implied. Somewhat subtle throughout but not in a bad way. I had previously criticized H&H for their abundance of mild flavored brews but this one really shines while remaining subtle and mild. Very well balanced and pleasant. Certainly and excellent session brew (the abv isn't displayed here but if I recall it was around 5-6%). Buttery with dark bread and a nutty caramel character in the finish. One of the better Irish Reds I've had in a long while.

Buttery and smooth with moderate carbonation. Slick and somewhat creamy; not very dry. Bright and refreshing. Again a great session beer, I could definitely put the whole growler back over the course of an evening and not get tired of it. Mild... yes, but I certainly don't hold it against this brew. As far as Irish Reds are concerned, this is very well done. An excellent example of the style.

A- Transparent medium red/brown body with thin white head. Head fades rather quickly and leaves behind little lacing in the glass.

S- Light nose of caramel malt and hops.

T- Caramel malt taste upfront. Finish is mostly caramel malt but has a slightly aggressive bitter character to it due to the hops. Caramel malt sweetness lingers.

M- Medium carbonation and thin-somewhat watery body. I like my Irish reds with with a nice smooth creamy body and this one just doesn't have it.

D- Its very easy to drink and somewhat enjoyable. I will probably get again next time I am at H&H-but I wouldn't get it anywhere else.

Cleary's Pub is written across the enty way into the pub area so go figure this Cleary guy must be somewhat important I have no clue who he is. Appears an amber red with a lightly hued cream head leaves some lacing as the glass dwindles down. Aroma is dominated with caramel malty tones and a touch of herbal hop aromatics not bad a bit subdued though. Flavor is semi sweet caramel malt toasted grains don't overkill with sweetness balanced with even bitterness and herbal hop tones. Mouthfeel is medium to light body range with even carbonation that goes down easily. Drinkability...a decent Irish Red just a little light on flavor I could use more pronounced character but that's my taste.

Sweet rather than hoppy. Thin-medium mouthfeel. Copper colour. I think the weakest in their lineup, particular as only taste was some caramel malt and, but people ask for a red.Faint aroma, faint bitterness finish. Bit dry aftertaste with sugar.At the brewpub.