Rose Of Shannon
Black Cloister Brewing Company

 

 

This is a style that it's hard to get excited about, but it's an accurate take on it. It's pretty good for the style.

It pours brown golden with just a bit of fine fizz. The aroma is sweet, herbal. The taste is a nice well rounded malty taste, with just enough of that British isles darkness to remember that they are supposed to be serious tasting. I had to check the location - yup, Ohio, not England.

Recommended.

A: Deep ruby red, a hint of orange hue to it. The tinted head is tall and fluffy. Retention and lacing are thick and consistent.
S; The malts and hops balance very nicely and in a classic character for the style, but more strength than most versions of this unappreciated style go for. Lots of toast, caramel, and a hint of fruits with firm leafy and earthy hops tones over top.
T: Complexity and flavor are deep, and the balance (as in the nose) between floral, earthy hops and toasty, caramel malts is superb. There's a bit more complexity from dark cocoa undertones in the roasted malts.
F: The mouthfeel is rich in a medium body, plenty of crisp bite while going smooth. It's appropriately in the middle between sweet and dry on the palate, finishing semi-dry.

This is a standout in the style and should be seen as such, however anyone feels about Irish reds.

this is one of those strange styles of beer where if you make it well, they all taste about the same. not a ton of room for experimentation and building in uniqueness, that is if its true to style. this is a pretty classic take on the irish red, the malt, yeast, and process all tastes and feels pretty right on, but yet the beer remains somewhat unexciting as good as it is. what does make this a little different is the depth of the grain, it tastes darker, more nutty, earthy, dense than a lot of these do, more to it on the low end, and i think thats a neat feature, but its only a minor deviation and not really enough to make this memorable, despite solid execution. its also rather nicely carbonated, i am used to a softer feel, and i like the energy that brings. easy drinking for a maltier beer, aided there by its relative dryness, the carbonation, and the lower abv. overall a very well made beer, but for the most part an unexciting one. still, neat to see some smaller american craft breweries getting this style dialed in, more misses than hits on this one out there, so job well done here.