Red Headed Step Child Irish Style Red Ale
Tall Tales Brewing Company
- From:
- Tall Tales Brewing Company
- Maryland, United States
- Style:
- Irish Red Ale
- ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- 78
- Avg:
- 3.35 | pDev: 18.51%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 23
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Nov 30, 2020
- Added:
- Jun 11, 2013
- Wants:
- 4
- Gots:
- 23
SCORE
78
Okay
78
Okay
A dark red Irish red with roasty overtones and a subtle, apple, fruity finish.
17 IBU
17 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by daliandragon from Maryland
2.79/5 rDev -16.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.5
2.79/5 rDev -16.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.5
Cloudy brown color with orange highlights and literally no head at all. Nose is sweet malt sugars and little else. The flavor is malt based with a bit of citrus but also some odd sourness a little closer to a Gose. A little bit of a cider feel to it too and the carbonation is lacking. I suspect something off here. No date on the can, but maybe a bad batch?
Oct 17, 2020
Reviewed by Tom_Gilman from Pennsylvania
1.7/5 rDev -49.3%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5
1.7/5 rDev -49.3%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5
They call this an Irish red ale but it tastes like an open-fermented sour. Not in a good way. Other reviews mention a malty sweetness but I didn’t get that at all. Extremely lively carbonation, nice color. Some fruity character but not much happening in the nose. Taste is quite sour, on the order of a Belgian brown ale but without the complexity. Maybe I got a bad bottle but I won’t take a chance on another. Drain pour.
Mar 20, 2019
Reviewed by Sable from Pennsylvania
2.33/5 rDev -30.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
2.33/5 rDev -30.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Red Headed Step Child is an unfortunately apt name. Don't know if it's always like this, or I just got a bottle out of a bad batch. Pours with a massive amount of head, even with my customarily smooth pour. Medicinal, tinny flavor that is just darn unpleasant. This is a sink pour, I'm afraid.
Apr 14, 2018
Reviewed by The_Kriek_Freak from Greenland
4.1/5 rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.1/5 rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
It pours dark brown with huge head. Lots of toffee aroma and some caramel. Very light body. Easily drinkable and refreshing. Mild carbonation. A fairly nice beer for the style.
Aug 13, 2017
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania
3.63/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.63/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Tall Tales Brewing Co. "Red Headed Step Child"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, coded "3 1 2017" and sampled on 31 July 2017
$2 @ Weis Market, Conshohocken, PA
Look: Deep reddish-brown body with orange highlights at the base of the glass beneath a two-finger thick head of rocky tan that slowly settles. Some spots and broken streaks of lacing are left behind.
Smell: Yeasty fruitiness like apples and berries over a caramelish and brown-sugar-like malt base. Some soft spiciness as well... it's almost like cinnamon.
Taste: The malt offers light brown sugar, a hint of toastiness, and just a slight edge or roasted character to it. The fruitiness found in the nose remains, and expands. There's a little bit of tartness to it that's reminiscent of lemon, but it's also fairly sweet as there's hardly any bitterness to it. With that said, it remains balanced as it finishes sweetish but quickly drying in a swirl of apple, cherry, and lemon. There's also a light touch of leafy hops. If it is, indeed, 6.2% ABV as listed on the label that little extra bit never shows.
Feel: Light-medium in body and delicately crisp with a standard carbonation.
Overall: Certainly interesting, but far from compelling. It's certainly unlike an Irish-style red ale I've ever had, although it's in that vein but just too fruity, and with an unusual tartness.
Jul 31, 201712 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, coded "3 1 2017" and sampled on 31 July 2017
$2 @ Weis Market, Conshohocken, PA
Look: Deep reddish-brown body with orange highlights at the base of the glass beneath a two-finger thick head of rocky tan that slowly settles. Some spots and broken streaks of lacing are left behind.
Smell: Yeasty fruitiness like apples and berries over a caramelish and brown-sugar-like malt base. Some soft spiciness as well... it's almost like cinnamon.
Taste: The malt offers light brown sugar, a hint of toastiness, and just a slight edge or roasted character to it. The fruitiness found in the nose remains, and expands. There's a little bit of tartness to it that's reminiscent of lemon, but it's also fairly sweet as there's hardly any bitterness to it. With that said, it remains balanced as it finishes sweetish but quickly drying in a swirl of apple, cherry, and lemon. There's also a light touch of leafy hops. If it is, indeed, 6.2% ABV as listed on the label that little extra bit never shows.
Feel: Light-medium in body and delicately crisp with a standard carbonation.
Overall: Certainly interesting, but far from compelling. It's certainly unlike an Irish-style red ale I've ever had, although it's in that vein but just too fruity, and with an unusual tartness.
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania
2.73/5 rDev -18.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75
2.73/5 rDev -18.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75
I had a pretty good day, but I had to go out to be able to watch Th' Stillers, thus preventing me from getting into the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody. I still have some time before Taps is sounded for the day, so I am availing myself of the opportunity.
From the bottle: "A dark Irish Style Red with roasty overtones and a subtle, fruity, finish. Our most popular brew with a much sweeter finish than expected from the dark color."
A Pop! of the cap & I was ready to go. A modest pour required an in-glass swirl as a follow-up, raising a brief finger of foamy, light-tan head with modest retention. Modesty in all things, I suppose. Color was Coppery-Brown (SRM = > 17, < 22) with NE-quality clarity. Nose struck me as odd, with a medicinal sharpness and the apple that the label mentioned. In looking at the site's "Beer Styles" section, I remained unsure. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was very harsh, medicinal in its sharpness. It had an almost burnt quality, as though the boil had gone on for too long. Is that how they achieved its dark color? Finish took on a sourness of lemons and dark cherries. This Red Headed Step Child should be spanked and sent to its room!
Nov 21, 2016From the bottle: "A dark Irish Style Red with roasty overtones and a subtle, fruity, finish. Our most popular brew with a much sweeter finish than expected from the dark color."
A Pop! of the cap & I was ready to go. A modest pour required an in-glass swirl as a follow-up, raising a brief finger of foamy, light-tan head with modest retention. Modesty in all things, I suppose. Color was Coppery-Brown (SRM = > 17, < 22) with NE-quality clarity. Nose struck me as odd, with a medicinal sharpness and the apple that the label mentioned. In looking at the site's "Beer Styles" section, I remained unsure. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was very harsh, medicinal in its sharpness. It had an almost burnt quality, as though the boil had gone on for too long. Is that how they achieved its dark color? Finish took on a sourness of lemons and dark cherries. This Red Headed Step Child should be spanked and sent to its room!
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania
2.47/5 rDev -26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
2.47/5 rDev -26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
12 oz bottle, no date.
Very dark red, almost brown. Not much head. Aroma is boozy butterscotch, but not in a good way. Taste is dominated by sweet buttery flavor, assuming diacetyl. Not good. Medium bodied.
Nov 18, 2016Very dark red, almost brown. Not much head. Aroma is boozy butterscotch, but not in a good way. Taste is dominated by sweet buttery flavor, assuming diacetyl. Not good. Medium bodied.
Reviewed by AndrewMichael from Virginia
3.25/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.25/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
12 oz bottle. Reddish amber look. Caramel, malty smell and taste, fitting for the style. Medium body feel, and overall, a drinkable red ale. I'm just not a huge fan of malty beers.
Aug 28, 2016
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