Irish Red Ale
Country Boy Brewing

Conjuring up the leprechaun in all of us, Country Boy Brewing embraces the St. Patrick's Day festivities with a dying breed- an Irish Red Ale for an easy but characterful beer that's meant for lamb stews and searching for pots of gold.

Deep red and rusty, Irish Red Ale could easily be mistaken for brown ale if not for its russet margins. A low lying and broken froth precedes a malty scent of bread crust, pecan and a nearly toffee-like savoriness. With a mild floral hop scent, the beer eases into an early palate of caramel, toffee and cola-like sweetness.

And its those flavors that cross the middle palate steadily and consistently. Caramels and toffees roll along reminding the senses of the candied nuttiness found in cracker jacks candy snacks and toasted coffee cake. Peanut brittle to cola and sorghum all play a part before a very late palate of soilish, woodsy hops offer a balance and light complexity to signal closure.

Medium bodied and sitting weightily on the palate, the beer's light carbonation offers a cask-like effect in texture but without the creaminess that those authentic cask ales provide. A medium length aftertaste is of flat colas and with a nutty, toasty continuance for an easy but unmemorable spring session.