St John's Irish Red
Toms River Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

Really nice dark amber /mahogany appearance
Body and carbonation both sit around medium
Aroma is malt,malty bread, with some floral honey in the background
Taste has some mild sweetness, even more mild floral hops with malty bread
Overall its a nice well done beer

Very good representation of a red ale. Tom's River has impressed me with their offerings recently. Nothing over the top or weird or groundbreaking; just making the style and making it correctly.

Solid rendition of an Irish Red by Toms River Brewing. The ale pours amber with an off-white cap. Vaguely malty and grainy nose but the pay-off is flavor. Toffee and caramel primarily but thankfully without a heavy malt sweetness--the balance is really good with this beer. Flavorful and true to its category.

On tap in a pint glass at a pub on the Jersey Shore.

Deep reddish brown color with a near 1f dusted white cap. It’s see through and bright. Moderate lacing.


Clean aroma, fresh malt with caramel sweetness and a bit of fresh Irish breeze.

Flavors follow through with hops that tame its sweetness. Fuggles or some British hop addition.

Light and smooth start that finishes either a bite. At 4.9% abv, it still packs some beer body.

I like it. Irish reds work well with bar food and have flavor and feel without too much alcohol. And that’s good for me.

On tap and a local pizza joint trying to attract beer lovers. AKA where 5 gal kegs last for 3 months.
More of a brown ale in appearance but highly hopped for that style.
Deep, clear, ruddy red-brown color with a low and weak white head.
Good malt character up front - nice caramel sweetness is squashed quickly by strong hop bittering that overwhelms the "Red" vibe that started things off.
Finish is harsh and tinny - pellet hop over bite I call it.
It's ok but I probably wouldn't order it again unless it stood out in a sea of light lagers and Kolsch's.

Pours a dark brown, 1" tan head with light retention but very good lacing. Nose is lots of roasted malt, brown bread, earthy hop spice; light toffee notes as well. Taste is mild and clean throughout with mild roasted coffee beans, pumpernickel, roasted barley, and mild, bitter hops; very little sweetness. Mouthfeel is full and relatively creamy with light carbonation. There are aspects of this beer - particularly it's appearance - that don't cleave too closely to the style, so points can be taken off from that perspective. Still, it is a very balanced and satisfying beer that is worth seeking out regardless of classification.

Toms River Brewing "St John's Irish Red"
16 fl. oz. can coded "03/24/22 12:53:02" and sampled on 10/02/22
$4.79 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: It's poured a surprisingly dark body beneath a creamy head of tan foam. It looks black in the full pint but if I hold it to the light it's a dark mahogany brown. They've obviously used a fair amount of roasted barley in this as you can smell it. It's malty, sweetish, grainy, roasty, and caramelish. That carries over into the flavor and you can definitely taste the roasted barley. I wonder if that was a mistake or if they always brew it this way. It's also a like bit cocoa-ish. It's nice, but certainly not to style. There's a little bit of a leafy and tea-like flavor but Ican't tell if that's coming from hops or the malts. Either way it's OK. A median to moderate bitterness balances it nicely, and its roasted edge helps it to dry in the finish. The head didn't hold up very well but it has left some nice lacing about the glass. In the mouth it's soft and smooth with a fine-bubbled, seemingly natural, moderate carbonation. That must certainly have something to do with the lack of head retention, and if that's a trade-off for the silky mouthfeel I'll take it. All in all this is a tasty and pleasant brew with a good balance and roundness of character. It honestly seems more like a Scottish ale to me, and doesn't really cut it as an Irish red but it's still good.
Review #8,280

 

 

 

 

16 oz can. Pours dark red with tall, long lasting, fluffy off-white head and lively carbonation. Aroma is of caramel malt, ripe fruit and grassy hops. Body is medium and slightly crisp. Taste is of good of herbal hops, caramel malt, brown sugar and red fruit. Finish is long and dry. Nice brew.

DATE: March 27, 2021... OCCASION: home after visiting Shan in the hospital--a better day today... GLASSWARE: HopDevil nonick... my first experience with Toms River--if these guys can't do a decent Irish Red, who can? pours a browner shade of the ruby red that glows ominously at the glass's bottom--more like iced tea--a bit too dark?... nearly opaque throughout... its head an off-white froth that settles to a half-finger's worth of cream... caramel, yes--quite inviting--with slight nuttiness, sweet toffee, some musty basement, and a bit of perfume fragrance... altogether, pleasing enough and approximating its style... a reasonably effervescent introduction at the teeth becomes a buttery presence that slips past the tongue, with a flourish at the throat... fresh and engaging, if not the medium-bodied experience of the better Irish ales... perfect for a St. Patrick's Day bender--low in ABV, high in drinkability--especially if you tire of the stout options... the toffee and caramel are solid, not spectacular, in their strength and depth--but that, I don't mind, as it again allows for an all-day experience... its maltiness hits in the finish, part nuttiness, part lingering sweet, toasted oat... this works, and a great companion for a future St. Patty's Day it might be... for now, a good introduction to Toms River, courtesy of Bottle King...

 

Poured in the Pine Room, standard 16 oz pint glass.

Nice drinkable red ale. Nice balance, not too sweet, haven't had many Irish Reds as good as this.