Irish Red Ale - Foothills Brewing Company

socon67

New York

3.45/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Busy Bee in Raleigh

A - Pours amber with a high white foam. Good clarity, and some carbonation.

S - Smells of english malt, sweet of cherries, and a bit of bread scent.

T - Initial sweetness of sugary fruit gives to a tangy malt flavor. Finishes with a crisp bite.

M - Solid drinker that is smooth, crisp, and light. Went great with my food.

O - Wasn't my favorite of the night but a solid showing. Worth trying if you see it, and if you enjoy the style.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2012 02:40:06 | More by socon67

jsanford

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler filled at CBX on 3/19/11. Thanks as always, ya'll! Poured into a Pint Glass.

A - Pours a clear, dark orange-brown with a 2-inch creamy white head that never fully dissipates. Leaves some soapy lacing.
S - Nicely balanced between the sweet caramel malt and the piney, earthy hops. Very crisp and clean.
T - More sweet caramel malt and earthy, pine and grapefruit hops with a subtle hint of chocolate. Really good.
M - Slightly smooth, with a medium body and crisp carbonation.
O - Man, this is exactly what I needed after a day of yardwork. Crisp, refreshing, and sessionable, an excellent Foothills offering!

Serving type: growler

03-21-2011 20:36:21 | More by jsanford

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from tap into a shaker. Poured red-orange with a one finger off-white head. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, pine resin, and pine hop. The flavor was of sweet malt, massive pine, massive pine hop, and caramel. It had a medium feel on the palate with massively high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. My only gripe is that the aroma was very subtle. With the aroma being so weak it didn't prepare me for what my palate was about to endure with the massive robustiness in the flavor. The pine hoppiness sticks with you after your sip is done for a little while. It was decently balanced, but there was just a bit too much pine for my liking. Worth trying at least once if you get the chance.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2011 13:41:53 | More by thagr81us

mikesgroove

South Carolina

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

Another new one I was able to try from Foothills. Always a happy day when a new ale comes my way. This was a nice little session red that I enjoyed tremendously. Nice light amber pours with a huge head of white that came up a full three fingers in height. Smooth settling left a good bit of side glass lace and a nice and even coating across the top of the glass. Interesting aroma as it started out with a nice and well rounded bready malt that seemed to slowly evolve into a grassy, herbal hop profile with a bit of a kick from the caramel. Did not seem to have a clear direction, but the taste made up for it nicely. Very smooth, nice caramel and malty tones that won me over with ease. Smooth even flavor, crisp, clean and well balanced. Smooth notes of grassy bittering hops coming in at the finish gave it a nice little drying effect and warmed it up. Very drinkable as it went down smooth and left me looking for more right away.

Overall a very solid and very drinkable offering from foothills. I would have no issue at all with having this one again any day.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2010 01:55:01 | More by mikesgroove

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the brewpub. Came out a clear dark amber/red with a thin white head on top. Little lace stuck to the glass. Scents of breads, some mild toffee, and sharp hops.

The body is crisp and refreshing. Plenty of carbonation. This is a high-hopped Irish Red. Reminds me of a tamed-down Amber Ale. Some mild breadiness in the middle, but the sweeter side that I expect from the style, is absent. It's bitter, bold, and good. Not a bad take on the style. Recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2010 17:55:38 | More by Onenote81

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

64 oz growler into a pint glass. The wife picked this up for me during a recent stop in Winston-Salem.

Pours a crystal clear ruby amber with at least 2 fingers of foamy off-white head. Retains with a thin fizzy look that leaves some decent looking spotty lace back. The aroma is sweet smelling with caramel and some fruity citrus, along with a tint of a toasty edge to it that glides along the background.

The taste starts with a big dose of toffeed sweetness that is immediately balanced by a equally big dose of toasted malt character, which mixes with some moderately aggressive hops for a lingering dry feel in the finish. The mouthfeel is lighter-medium bodied with a pricklier carbonation but generally pretty easy going feel.

While not overly robust or anything, the flavors were pretty spot on for the style, which mixed well with the easy nature of the body to keep the drinkibility on this nice. I know that I'd drink more than a few of these if I was celebrating St. Patties Day @ Foothills!

Serving type: growler

05-13-2009 16:58:16 | More by Kegatron

oberon

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Sticks and Stones here in Greensboro.Came to the table in a standard pint glass a clear rich amber/bronze with a tight formed 1/2 finger white head.Aromas were mainly caramel and roasted grain,a hint of dark fruit in there as well.A malt driven amber true to the style on the palate,big caramel tones along with some lightly roasted grain,a touch of brown sugar as well.A full malt onslaught and quite good,nice job.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2009 20:21:43 | More by oberon

atsprings

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at flying saucer, served a nice ruby red with a thin diminishing head. Aroma was a decent balance of sweet caramel malts and some citrus hops. The taste was a nice caramel against some subtle undertoned hops. The beer was light and crisp with just a hint of dryness. This is a decent interpretation of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2008 00:01:36 | More by atsprings

ncvbc

North Carolina

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

Pours a great red hue with moderate carbonation and sticky lacing down the glass. Smell is light and mainly of sweet malts and a light hop presence. Taste expands somewhat with a great toasted character and sweetness from some caramel. A light chocolate is present and the hops help provide some good balance to the brew. Nice refreshingly smooth mouthfeel with a tiny bit of a dry finish. Very good drinkability. Light, balanced, and makes you want to come back for more. I like this one.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2008 19:50:26 | More by ncvbc

wagenvolks

Texas

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Tyler's in Durham. Ordered a pint for both myself and my dad.

The body of Foothills' Irish Red is an attractive-looking, fiery copper-gold hue. The head on my father's pint was large (1" tall), pecan-colored, and well retained, while the foam from my pint glass left some nice spackels of lacing. The aroma was lacking a bit, probably due to the crowded restaurant and amazing-smelling food (especially those Tyler's garlic fries!). However, I was able to detect some citrusy hops and caramel malts after straining the ole' sniffer.

The flavor was a nice blend of caramel and pale malts. After the food arrived, the hops started showing up more in the taste; they were predominantly the sweet citrus variety. Body was well carbonated, medium-thin on the palate, and very refreshing. I could easily have two to three of these, although the complexity would leave a bit to be desired. All in all, a satisfying Irish Red from the good folks at Foothills.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2008 03:30:31 | More by wagenvolks

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Growler obtained via Growling at the Moon from mjgardner. Thanks for the opportunity...

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1" thick beige head over the clear deep dark reddish amber brew. Head sedately recedes, with ample delicate lace. Aroma is grain husks and fresh hops. Taste follows the nose's lead, grains and hops tug-of-warring it throughout. Mouthfeel is smooth and easy, and drinkability is superb. Very nice sessionable brew here.

Serving type: growler

03-19-2008 22:58:27 | More by ppoitras

kkipple

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had Foothill's newest offering at Barley's Taproom in Asheville.

Looks great, a clear deep red-brown with a small white head. Fizzy.

Smells clean (as all Foothills beers do...) and well balanced. A mild roasted grain aroma is balanced by a good amount of hops, but the overall impression is a mild one. Slight amount of corn in the smell, but nothing offensive.

This is a simple drinking beer, and quite good. A miniscule amount of dark chocolate malt comes through the roasted sweet amber malt and crisp finishing hops. A great "pub" beer; my friend and I had several of these. I hope it becomes a staple in the Foothills lineup.

Foothills Irish Red is a well balanced, easy drinking beer. I've come to expect great things from Foothills and once again they live up to their stellar rep. Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

04-09-2007 01:46:17 | More by kkipple

blackie

Virginia

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

appearance: The beer is a rich red-brown in color, with a tan colored head that never quite goes away.

smell: Simple with good balance. The aroma, like the flavor, is dry and gives light notes of toast and a touch of sweetness. Decent hop aroma.

mouthfeel: Nice smooth carbonation, on the lower side of the medium range. The body is somewhere just under medium.

taste: Quite nice. Toffee malts and an overall dry flavor with just a touch of sweetness. The finish yields nice toast/roast and a nice hop profile.

drinkability: easy for sure

afternoon pint at the Draft House

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2007 21:31:34 | More by blackie