Ireland Forever Ale
Berkshire Brewing Company

Respectable, which is saying a lot these days with a flood of nothing but IPA-like beer everywhere here in the US. (How I long for the days of real Irish red ales and real English brown ales.)

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a deep ruby-reddish-brown color with a one finger head of tan colored foam. The head has a great level of retention, fading slowly and leaving tons of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is rather strong of a nice sweet caramel and toffee smell mixed with lots of lightly toasted brown bread and some brown sugar. Along with these aromas comes a big cherry smell, along with notes of fig and plum, mixing with the rest to produce a very inviting and sweet smell.
Taste – The taste begins with a brown bread flavor mixed with notes of toasted biscuit and flavors of toffee and brown sugar. At the same time there is a little bit of a cherry flavor as well as a touch of earthiness and some light herb. As the taste advances, the sweetness fades a tad, while the malt gets a bit more intense. All the while some light cocoa and notes of wood join in, leaving one with a moderately malty, sweet, and toasted taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body is a touch more chewy then would be anticipated for a 5.5 % brew with a moderate to slightly lower carbonation level.
Overall – A pretty nice red ale. Good drinkability with lots of flavor

A: crystal clear; reddish amber in color; 1+ finger finely pored very light tan head that receded to a skim cap with a thick tight collar; nice rings of lace;

S: sweet malt, apple, caramel, and spice;

T: sweet malt and caramel up front; follows the nose from the middle through the finish; mild to moderate bitterness at the end that is balanced by the sweetness;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: a little sweet for my taste; interesting aroma and flavor profiles;

Definitely the best i’ve had from BBC. Hits all the right notes like a great pub ale. Great job!

Super, super good beer with an amazing sweetness to it, not too hoppy.

16 oz. can born on: 01/13/25

Pours clear red amber with an off-white foam head. Smells malty rich, sweet and nutty with notes of chocolate, cherry, dried fruits, dark fruit, toasted bread crust, melanoidin, biscuit, caramel, toffee, honey, and some floral earthy grassy hops. Tastes really rich and nice, a little sweet and nutty with notes of macadamia, biscuit, toasted bread crust, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, honey, melanoidin, chocolate, hint of red cherry, dried fruits, dark fruit, some spice, finishing dry with floral earthy grassy hops lingering. Feels lighter medium bodied, creamy and slick, smooth with moderate carbonation. Overall a really nice Irish style red ale.

Canned 11/03/23.

Translucent reddish-amber, with 1/2-finger of light tan head.

Smells of toffee, caramel, & doughy molasses (i.e., like gingerbread batter, minus the ginger & spices). Slight sourdough tang, after the head fades.

Taste is molasses, brown bread, and toffee. A hint of fruitiness lurking in the background. Light bitterness, that is balanced just right with the sweeter elements.

Feel is medium, lightly slick & syrupy, with moderate, very fine carbonation tingle. Drying finish, that lingers a good while.

Overall , maybe the best I've had of the style. A really good one!

 

A normal pour released a finger of light beige foam with long retention and blotches of lacing. Clear reddish-brown color with ruby highlights.

A blend of toasted and caramel malt greets the nose with whole grain bread and mild herbal hops. The smell is low overall.

Semi-sweet with low bitterness at first, as in the smell, a balance of toasted bready malt and caramel sweetness is out front. A hint of apple and pear hide behind the rising yet still mild hops. The finish is quick and neutral, almost semi-dry. Bitterness rises to a bit above average and lingers a while.

Medium bodied with soft, lasting carbonation. Smooth and balanced feel, alcohol is very well hidden. True to style, Looks great in front of fire.

 

 

Tasty. Nice dark amber, red color. Big off white head that dissipated quickly. Full bodied taste of carmel and toffee. Clean finish. Just a hint of hops to match the malts. Not overly sweet. Well-balanced.

 

 

 

 

Irish red ale is not generally one of my favorite styles. This one from BBC, however, is a keeper. Poured from a can freshness dated 3/4/21. It's not overly malty. But it's still true to the style with plentiful caramel and toffee notes. It has a nice rich mouthfeel and more hop bitterness than most beers of this style.

Poured from a 16 oz can dated 03/04/21 into the test glass
A - Beautiful ruby tinted backdrop, Excellent clarity, carbonation feeds a loose knit soft froth
S - Sweet malts, a whisp of earthy hops, a touch of caramel
T - That caramel was first out of the gate, add a bit of toffee, and soda cracker.
M - Medium on body, semi sweet start quickly centers to neutral, a lovely feel, with a dry finish
O - A very good red ale, malt focused but avoids being overbearing, the hops seem to be continental, Fuggles or EKG is my guess. Very drinkable and very tasty