Firemen's Red Ale
Shire Breu-Hous

 

 

 

I kinda had to buy a beer from Shire didn't I?
Bought in MA - no canning date.
Simple bare bones label - black lettering and image of a helmeted fire fighter on a white background. No info other than the name, obligatory warnings and abv 5.3%.
Pretty red ale - deep amber color one might describe as polished red oak or mahogany. A low sorta soapy head receeds quickly to a whisp of bubbles and very little lace traces.
At 4.3% this would be a great Ruby Mild. Very British in character, mild toffee and apples in the nose along with more stone fruit and grain husk notes.
When first poured cold, this was boring. Let it warm up like a proper pint would be on cask. Ahh there ya go. Lots of flavor in this little beer and not a lot of it from hops.
What a joy to savor. Lovely caramel and mild fruit flavors mix with a gentle herbal and white pepper hop bite in real homage to classic UK casks ales. Faint hints of coffee and dark grains slip in and out as you take a swallow - a real celebration of barley malt - crystal, roasted and Maris Otter types all represented here very well.
Soft handed hop additions make this a remarkable beer in todays "juicy" over hopped market. What felt watery cold, is now has a nearly medium mouth feel with delicious dark grain flavors hugging the tongue.
Finish is almost lager clean but for a lingering caramel taste and earthy herbal hop tingle.
Well done guys. Please make an Imperial version of this too.

 

Thanks to a trade, I had my first opportunity to try a product from this young brewery which I have yet to see in retail distribution. As a big fan of red ales, I was pleased to find that the contents of the can were of that style. From my first taste to the end, I found the product highly enjoyable and relatively true to the style - a Red Ale that I'd purchase if I ever located it on a store shelf. Hopefully it will be a regular in their product line as well as a product benefiting the local firefighters.

Poured from a pint can into a pint glass. Decent caramel colored head that dissipates quickly; some lacing as you drink. The body of the beer is a deep amber in color, bordering on red. Not much of an aroma. The first sip is all about the malt flavor, with the slightest bit of hops bitterness on the back end of the tongue. The carbonation gives a nice bite to the mouth feel. This is a single malt (Red X), single hop (Cascade) beer, according to the label, with 27 ibu and a 5.3% abv. Overall it is as described on the label: easy drinking. But the best reason to enjoy this red ale is the fact that a portion of the proceeds benefit the Dalton Firemen's Association. I'll drink to that!