Ballyragget Irish Red Ale - Wig And Pen

heygeebee

Australia

3.85/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From notes, Reviewed as part of a Wig-and-Penathon tasting Sat Oct 1st , between myself and mrs heygeebee

Noted as 4.6 - 4.9% ABV

Pours a dark copper, head dies

Aromas of floral hops (APA style).

Taste is more malty up-front, balanced by a hoppy finish. Quite unusual. Not quite a doppelbock

Mouthfeel is light/crisp. Nicely carbonated.

Overall, a god sessionable ale

Serving type: on-tap

10-05-2011 09:39:40 | More by heygeebee

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Half-pint sampler.

Dark amber-russet in colour, left behind a thin head, some lacing streaks.

Nose is soft - dry malts, caramel, earthy hops, a bit of toffee.

Surprisingly smooth, easy to quaff. Malts are somewhat sweet, and are counterbalanced with an earthy hop bitterness, but not overly so. The whole thing feels a bit turned down, and the finish is somewhat washed out. Still, a good red ale with some flavor to work with. Lighter bodied, crisp carbonation.

A good red ale for an autumn afternoon, but if given the chance I would have stuck with their cask/one-off offerings. Still, not bad.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2011 11:41:22 | More by JohnnyBarman

dgilks

Australia

3.93/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear, deep red colour with an off-white head. Average head retention and a small amount of lacing.

Deep, nutty aroma. A touch of caramel and deep toffee. Slightly earthy.

Dry yet sweet malt with a distinct minerally, nutty undertone. Slightly grainy but very good.

Medium-light body with moderately-high carbonation. Too spritzy and too cold.

A decent and refreshing beer with good flavour. A touch more warmth and less carbonation would make this even more drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2011 04:35:54 | More by dgilks

laituegonflable

Australia

3.55/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark amber colour, quite ginger-ale-esque only without much carbonation. Minimal head, looks okay I guess but not great.

Roasted toffee on the nose, quite sweet, quite creamy. I approve, yeah. Very Irish, very nice and smellable.

Taste is quite nice - quite toasty and thick on front but overall is substantially lighter and quite drinkable. Has a slightly creamy texture and flavour, maybe even a bit watery but there's enough body to make it quite nice drinking. Hints of toast, honey, toffee, some light herbal hops and maybe some cherry. Just hints though.

Pleasant drinking, to be sure.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2009 06:11:29 | More by laituegonflable

Weizenmensch

Japan

3.98/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

After chewing a mouthful of dark malt grains, a schooner of Red was poured for me and it looked more than appetising.

A: Somewhere between ruby and mahogany in colour, the puffy, off-white head, low carbonation and glass-hugging lacing screams 'drink me'. Head dissipates to a thin mist after a while, but the lace sticks around all over the glass, thin and wispy.

S: First impressions are that of the cool, hollow smell of a cave - maybe the dominating aroma is moss. My girlfriend thinks it smells like golden syrup, toffee and burnt sugar (some overlap here)... I agree with golden syrup but I can also smell rich dark malt. I hope that's not due to the grains I just ate.

T: A clash of bitter hops and a sweet aftertaste. The fizzy mouthfeel is distracting, but improves drinkability. Some stone fruit and date aftertaste on the palate and back of tongue. I've underestimated this ale in the past and will be drinking more of it in the future.

M: Maybe a bit too fizzy for the style. Somewhat distracting, but the flavours can still be appreciated.

D: I've yawned about this beer in the past, but either it's improved or I just haven't sipped it thoughtfully before. Drinkability is good, just interesting enough to order another one.

I used to be complacent about all Irish beer styles, but I now recognise unique characteristics in these brews. And to all of you who aren't sure about Ballyragget, this beer is worth another try.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2007 05:36:00 | More by Weizenmensch

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.3/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear dark copper colour, with a slightly filmy off-white head. Little carbonation. Little lacing.

Slight hints of caramel and fruit, verging on a sickly butterscotch. A little bit of metallic hops. This was served too cold, to my mind, and it took a long time for any characters to express themselves.

Toasty and sweet on the palate, with a nice fresh hop flavour. Taste lingers nicely, and stays quite fragrant all the way through. The mouthfeel is pretty flat, it could do with a little more richness and body. Not bad, but not particularly complex.

It's drinkable, and pretty tasty, but it didn't grab me. Falls short of the high standard I've come to expect from the W+P.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2007 22:08:24 | More by lacqueredmouse

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

2.58/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pretty easy going. Clean, lightly sweet toffee-like malts, some roastyness and hops at then end. sweet and clean, fairly pleasant. Like a lot of irish ales theres not a lot of interest about them, but just enough flavour to keep you interested. No surprises, but easy enough to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2004 08:53:28 | More by rastaman