Havana Red - Kelly's Caribbean Bar, Grill & Brewery

apintofknowledge

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark mahogany, with a slightly sweet roasted aroma. The flavor is quite malty, sweet and bready, with a hint of smoke that becomes more and more noticable as you drink. Mild hop bitterness, but works well for this beer considering they might overwhelm the smoke. All in all, very tasty and the best offering from Kelly's during my visit. The smokiness makes it somewhat unique and memorable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2006 22:41:43 | More by apintofknowledge

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Good bar poured head that leaves some ring lace on the plastic cup (how its served). Neutral amber color and clear.

Not much smell, but there's nothing off about it. More malty--slightly toasted and lightly sweet.

The flavor matches the profile. Very neutral Red, but it is well-made. Light hop bitterness in the swallow. Short aftertaste. Full bodied and above average carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

12-26-2012 18:58:11 | More by smcolw

WesWes

New York

3.73/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark amber/red color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a well balanced mix of roasted and crystal malts. It's dry and earthy up front with a hint of hop bitterness. The crystal malt sweetness creeps in balances out the aroma. The taste is decent. Again, it has a nice roasted character up front. It's nothing bold, yet it adds a noticeable dryness. The hops follow. There present, but nothing too intrusive. The caramel malt sweetness is minimal, but adequate. The mouthfeel is decent as well. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a pretty good beer. A lot of red ales are really dry or overly sweet. This one compromises and it serves it well.

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2011 01:44:07 | More by WesWes

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clean copper/ reddish color with a white head. In the aroma, sweet caramel and somewhat roasty malt. In the taste, just like the aroma, sweet caramel and a nice roasty malt, a bit sticky. A smooth and thin bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry, sticky caramel in the aftertaste. A decent red, but a little sticky and thin.

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2010 14:32:57 | More by OWSLEY069

GbVDave

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a pint glass at Kelly's 5/17/10.

A: Served a deep maple brown with amber highlights. Rather lifeless head never got more substantial than a thin skim. A few lace spaecs were scattered on the glass.

S: Hard to get much of any kind of nose out of this. When it began to warm slightly from the ice cold serving temp I noticed an ever so slight citrus smell as well as a hint of caramel.

T: See above and add to that a bit of toasted malt.

M: Suprisingly dry and prickly-bitter. Oiliness helps stick that bitterness all over my mouth.

D: Goes down surprisingly well...but that could be a result of the 55 degree difference between serving temp and ambient temp.

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2010 11:34:13 | More by GbVDave

david18

New York

3.08/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I went to Kelly's because it was the only micro brewery on Key West. A very beautiful bar/restaurant with a nice setting.

I think the Red Ale is their signature beer and probably the best of the bunch. Not the best amber i've ever had but definitely good beer. Good red/amber color. Subtle aroma. Good carbonation and decent flavor. I would recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2010 15:39:33 | More by david18

spointon

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer at Kelly's while on vacation last weekend. From my notes:

A= This ale poured a murky brownish amber color with a 1/4" light tan head. The head dropped quickly to a patchy skim and left zero lace down my glass.

S= I was surprised to find that this beer has an almost Belgian ale quality to the aroma. I don't know if that was from the malts used, or from the yeast strain that was used, but it was interesting to say the least. The malt forward aroma was full of bready sweetness and caramel.

T= Like the smell indicated, the taste was all bready/caramelly malt and Belgian ale esters. Hops were seemingly way on the back burner with this one. The sweetness persisted throughout, with only a faint bit of drying in the finish.

MF= Medium bodied and a soft but slightly under-carbed mouthfeel.

D= This was not a bad beer, it just seemed to be lacking something to tie it all together and make it pop.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2009 04:22:00 | More by spointon

Bierguy5

Ohio

3/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a goblet during happy hour for $2. Hazy, dark amber color. Nice white head disappears rather quickly.

A very faint hint of toasted malt in the aroma, not much else. No caramel, or hop aroma.

Very little caramel flavor. A bit of toasty malt, and an odd sourness at the end. Not much character at all.

Light body, fair carbonation. This was pretty disappointing as well.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2008 13:49:42 | More by Bierguy5

OStrungT

California

3.3/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a brownish red with a very thin tan head. The head fades very quickly, leaving no laces at all.

This beer has a malty aroma. It smels slightly of caramel. I can detect a slight hop aroma also. A small spicy aroma was present, but only ever so slightly. For the most part, the aroma is lacking. It is not bad, but it just dosent stand out.

This beer has a rather busciut like malt flavor. Sort of bready. Not very much hop presence in the flavor either. It tasted slightly of caramel. As with the aroma, the flavor was just a little lacking.

This beer goes down smooth, leaving a busciut aftertaste. It is carbonated well.

This might be a good session beer. It is not overly high in alcohol content, and the mild, non aggressive flavor is weak enough, to never become overbearing.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2006 21:20:29 | More by OStrungT

Mitchster

Michigan

3.43/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear, dark chestnut, forming a small light-beige head with minimal retention and lacing. Aroma is of lightly herbal hops, faint amber malts, and roasted barley. Taste has a hint of chocolate, and a roasted barley astringency. Hints of alcohol and vanilla. Mouthfeel is lightly dry with medium-low carbonation. Quite average in all regards.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2004 01:10:12 | More by Mitchster

Andy

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer poured flat (even when poured vigorously). The name is its best feature. Flavor was earthy in an unpleasant way. Color was solid for style but there was no aroma and little malt or hop presence. The brewing water's quality appears to be the major problem with this brew

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2002 19:22:38 | More by Andy