Seamus O'Faolain
The Fox Brewpub

a middle of the road red here, the yeast is close, the beer is basic, drinkable, and off dry, unexciting and not as impressive overall as some of the others we had in here, but it gets the job done in a style we dont see enough of here domestically. to me the irish red is made by the irish ale yeast, and this seems almost there, kind of partially english to me, a little more bready than doughy, a little more warm than cool, and the minerality isnt as robust as it can be in the best of these, but i like that its not neutral on the ferment. there is a pretty color here, brick red, clear, but not as carbonated, frothy headed, or rich feeling as i look for in the style. the malt has a kilned warmth, an old world appeal, and while its a bit one dimensional, it works and it reads authentic. faintly metallic as it sits, some late sweetness in the toffee range rising up, dark bread, raisin, and the lightest oxidation which really isnt out of place to me. drinkable, but more carbonation would enhance that, smooth, hearty in the right ways. decent offering, nice to see one of these on a beer menu when its not st patricks time...