Geary's Irish Red Ale
D.L. Geary Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see one lonely 4-pack of Gearys Irish Red cans on the shelf at the large Yankee Spirits store in Sturbridge ,MA. Didn't know Gearys was distributing it outside of its home state. I've been trying any Red Ale I can find as its one of my favorite styles although it seemingly rarely gets prime shelf space. Of the ones I've tried to date, this one definitely ranks in the top layer. Not too much malt, not too heavy on hops and everything blended together to produce a very satisfying experience. 5.2% ABV also seems appropriate for the product. My biggest problem now may be to find another 4-pack somewhere not too far from home.

a really lackluster example of the style, tastes super dated, not in terms of freshness but in terms of where american craft was at a couple of decades ago. my buddy got this in a beer of the month club, but neither of us were quite sure why a club like that would feature a beer like this, its really very generic and average in quality. amber in color and with an aroma of sweet red malt, red apple, light european yeast and some astringency and oxidation too that do not belong. the flavor is the same, with the less desirable parts setting in early and staying late. the malt base is simple but it feels thin t me too, not as robust and hearty as I like an irish red to be, at any abv. the yeast is weird and not obviously irish to me, maybe that’s the missing element here. sharp and oddly fruity at the end for the style, like overripe and almost rotting fruit. not sure if this is old or fresh or what its deal is, but its unsatisfactory for me, especially around st pattys day, when I want something like this to be traditional and good. forgettable, but i would be down to try some of the others they make, this is the first i have had from them.

 

 

 

Poured a clear dark bronze color. Mild aroma is pleasant and somewhat malty. The taste is slightly bitter (more bitterness than expected in a red ale) with caramel and toffee undertones. Medium body. Clean and smooth.

Decent Irish red......

From a pint sized can poured moderately into a 20-oz. mug produces a pencil sized beige head that shrinks to a ring with minimal lacing. Reddish brown color changes to reddish amber in front of light.
Smell is semi-sweet malt, toasted malt and yeast.
Taste is where the sweet kicks in; semi-sweet at first, sweet from the caramel malt enrichens the middle with some bitterness from toasted malt and hops sneaking in at the end.
Mouthfeel is rich and smooth, hidden carbonation moves things along evenly. Once the sweetness from the malt fades, a dryness arrives late in the profile. A sessionable easy drinker, outstanding balance between sweet and bitter.

A very good Irish Red Ale. Coppery Red color, flavor true to the style. Great malty flavor without an over abundance of hops which I am burning out on. Thick tan head which quickly dissipates or I drank it.

Geary's is one of the few beers from New England that doesn't disappoint, they make things in a traditional way and unlike many other New England beer companies they are not hop crazy. When they make something in a certain style they stay true to that style. This is a good point, the Irish Red has a nice reddish copper color with that nice slightly sweet, malted, hint of hops smell. The taste was perfect, all the flavors went together well, nothing overpowering the other flavors, nice malt taste with a hint of bitter. It's one of the better versions of the Irish Red that I've had in a while.

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