Vixen Irish Red
Old Bust Head Brewing Co.

 

Fairly average Irish Red. Poured from a 16 oz can into a pint glass. this beer featured a clear amber/reddish color and a medium sized off-white head. Good lacing, average head retention. Aroma and taste were mild bready and caramel malt with a touch of bitterness. Nothing special about either the aroma or taste. Mouthfeel was weak for a malty beer and way too watery. Probably the main reason I was not impressed by this beer. As my Irish brother-in-law would say "It wouldn't cut the throat of you", but there is not a lot to recommend here either.

 

 

 

Good, not great. Nice red-brown color, tastes malty, not bitter, maybe too much carbonation. Otherwise, I would drink it again. From a bottle.

Had this beer from a bottle at my hotel bar in Arlington, VA.

Poured into a tall tulip. Dark brownish red color with a good foamy head and good curtain lacing. Somewhat sweet malty smell and taste. A bit of caramel and cinnamon. I thought a tad too thin. I did like the malt back bone. Pronto a repeater.

 

 

 

 

 

 

11/2021 BOM

 

Appearance:
A hazy copper, shaded by a frothy crown of beige that stands an impressive two fingers deep. The head is long-lived and looks as soft and unbroken as fresh-fallen snow; its webbed lacing breaks apart as it slides down, like a waterfall punctuated by little rocks.

Bouquet:
A vast ocean of grains so malty they’re almost creamy; and adrift within it are tiny spice-cakes topped by vanilla buttercream and given a hurried drizzle of caramel. Leaves a brief after-aroma of smokey hay and clover honey.

Feel:
A gliding, frictionless medium so supple you’ll barely notice how much you’ve had. Carbonation hums low in the background, stirring up the semi-sweet goodies in this ale, allowing them to be noticed amidst the roasted grains.

Taste:
A wave of creamy malts, flecked with toasted barely, bits of brittle caramel toffee, and—most astonishingly—ripe strawberries at the finish. The linger is blessed with hearty wheat and teensy pin-pricks of strawberry jam.

Overall:
I honestly thought this would suck. I was anticipating another uninteresting-yet-serviceable Killian’s Irish Red cookie-cutter ale but Old Bust’s Vixen Red utterly sundered my expectations.

12 ounce bottle poured into a tumbler style pint glass.

Pouring slightly murky and reddish brown. The one finger head is manila in color, has good retention and eventually reduces to a thin cap. A fairly strong nose is malt forward, caramel, roast and nutty aromas over slight spicy and floral hops. There is also a hint of toasted coconut. Mild and lowly sweet flavor is in line with the nose but has a mineral note and more of a hop to malt balance. Bread crust, caramel and toasted malt along side of woody, floral and spicy hop flavors. The finish is more dry with roast and hop bitterness. Body is medium weight, full and round with a crisp finish. Overall, mild and solid for style, if perhaps slightly too bitter at finish. Good Red.

 

I am trying this beer at my friend's house in Naples, FL. It was part of a beer of the month pack. It poured a clear rich amber with off white head that is leaving some lace . The scent had caramel malt notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with subtle caramel malt base with a sharp slightly bitter finish. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a decent beer.