Kentucky Irish Red Ale
Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

At the brewery.

12oz bottle. Poured out a clear, amber color with a small, off-white head of foam. It left minimal lacing. It smelled of toasted caramel, toffee and some grassy notes. Sweet caramel and toasted malt with a mild bitterness.

 

 

 

 

12oz bottle into a pint glass. NO freshness dating.

Looks very nice in the glass, body a crystal clear golden color with hints of red. The small off white head does shrink quite quickly, hence no lacing.

Slightly sour malt aroma.

Was concerned by the aroma. On tasting though, the bitterness is okay, not harsh or sour. There isn't much sweetness here, which I would have preferred. Not bad though.

Mouth just above medium, finish dry low bitterness.

Overall, not bad. I usually dont care for the higher bitterness Irish Reds, but this one is okay.

 

 

L: Reddish golden in color. Low to moderate carbonation. Crystal clear, in fact so clear that I will say they filtered the hell out of it--I had to check and make sure I wasn't drinking a Guinness product--Also appears buttery.

S: Smells nice. Balanced amounts of tangy barley, roasty toasty notes, and a touch of hops. No adjunct ingredients detected.

T: The bottles mostly accurate. "Balanced, slightly sweet, big malt backbone, clean and refreshing finish." I disagree with the "big" malt backbone (it's rather light), and they don't mention toasted barley imparting wonderful caramel notes. It's a bit hoppy ("sharp") but it doesn't take away from the delicious malt, partly because it feels to me like I am enjoying two distinctive beer styles simultaneously (I mix half&halfs frequently so this isn't alarming to me.) It tastes fine and well-crafted, but I'm pretty sure they just poured two tasty beers together in the same glass.

F: Fluffy. Crisp and lively. Clean and dry finish naturally.

O: Lexington Brewing doing what they do best. Light tasty ale with kick. I would recommend this brew especially for someone who finds Smithwicks, Killians, or Conways to be too heavy, those will be my next reviews.

The signature flavor that's showcased in the Lexington Brewing Company beers is the prominent feature in their Irish Red Ale. While their flagship Kentucky Ale is loosely dependent on these flavors it also borrows from English Pale Ale, but here the "red" character is front and center.

Bright and bubbly, Kentucky Irish Red Ale builds a creamy eggshell froth above a glowing golden amber appearance, seemingly honey-like in its hues. A malt-centric scent carries a mild floral hop presence through the caramelized and toasted grains and a full estery profile. But its first sip focuses squarely on the caramel malts, bringing honey, nuttiness and toasted flavors in a granola kind of way.

Countering with hop flavor, the middle palate shows a balance that's fruity with light citrus, herb and spice but is also fruity with apricot, peach and apple from the beer's strong yeast profile. Trending gently bitter enough to offset the sweetness, the understated hops close the taste with a light woodsy, leafy and peppery bite.

Medium bodied and perhaps sweeter than more authentic versions, Kentucky Irish Red has less of a toasty dryness and more of a juicy malt sweetness and starchiness that finishes on the malty side of malty-dry. Extending into a medium length aftertaste of cola and nuttiness, those granola-like flavors continue.

Nice Irish Red with smooth character, great local find