Smithwick's - Guinness Ltd.

Kremlock

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Deep orange/red colour. Pours a thick creamy head that laces the glace all the way to the finish.

S: Hint of caramel, and noticeable bitterness

T: Caramel, peppery, hints of bubblegum

M: Light to Medium bodied, well carbonated for the style, nice lacing.

O: I've had this beer at the brewery so I can honestly say that what I just drank from the can (in Canada) is not what you get there. For starters I served it too cold but the whole thing is different.

Serving type: can

10-24-2012 19:37:12 | More by Kremlock

kaadamo

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark brown, nearly black. This beer is much darker than more common example of an Irish Red.

S: Slightly boring albeit familiar. Aromas of nuts and roasted malts. Hardly any hop aroma that's noticeable.

T: Very smooth, malty, and roasted taste. Goes down well. A great finish with a crisp departure from the palate.

M: Thinner than you'd expect from the appearance and smell, but overall smooth and well carbonated.

O: A great beer. Fantastic Irish session beer. The best way I can describe it would be the Bud Light to Guinness' Bud Heavy. Granted, they aren't the same style, but you get my point....

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 00:46:15 | More by kaadamo

wiscokid920

Wisconsin

3.08/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass

A- Clear dark amber. Two finger frothy beige head that retains a decent layer on surface with good lacing.

S- Lots of toasted malts, nutty with some smoky notes.

T- Initial taste of Molasses, nutty flavors follow suit and blend into a smoky finish.

M- Medium bodied with very good carbonation.

O- Not the greatest but it’s a Classic offering.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 03:29:10 | More by wiscokid920

ChrisPratz

3.38/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a very deep, almost blacked out brown with about 2 fingers worth of head that dissipates down to a nice pillow of foam across the top that clings all the way down.

S: Nice roasted malt aromas with some scents of nuts coming thru and a very mild aroma of deep dark roasted coffee or espresso. Not sharp on the nose but its def noticeable.

T: Some good roasted malt flavorings with the nuttyness aromas coming thru. Light smokeyness here as well. Bottle here tastes different then the drafts ive had before and I have to say I remember those being a bit more enjoyable.

M: Light carbonation works with the roasted malt flavorings, everything is clean and crisp with a very minimal dryness.

O: This is usually my favorite go-to brew around St Pattys Day although im used to having it in draft. This bottle tastes a bit different then im used to and although its not unenjoyable, i def have to say im gonna stick with the drafts. Gave higher then normal scores because of it.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 05:01:11 | More by ChrisPratz

FlyingBull

California

3.73/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this beer at Ould Soud in SD on tap. Had a Harp just before it. Was doing the "Irish beer tour". :-)

This beer was a clear, dark reddish-brown. I've had it in bottle before and always found it to be a little darker than what one would expect from an Irish red. It poured on tap with a nice 1 finger off-white head that held through most of the drink. There was a nice, sweet malt aroma with very light hops in the background. The initial taste was very malty and somewhat sweet, with nice carmel notes up front and in the middle. It finished nicely with a mild sweetness and some light hop notes.

Overall, this beer is a very nice Irish red; very drinkable - espcially on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2012 03:35:14 | More by FlyingBull

AKellar

3.23/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is actually one of my favorite beers but it is much better on tap than from the bottle...as most beers are. For a full review check out my blog, Insight by the Pint on wordpress: http://insightbythepint.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/a-taste-of-home/
Thanks!

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 15:15:40 | More by AKellar

Mojo

Alabama

3.8/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours a maple syrup clear brown with a 2 inch lingering foamy head, leaving substantial lacing. The nose is mostly honey with some citrus notes as well. Taste is sweet malt balanced well with hops and a lot of carbonation. Mouthfeel is a little thin and watery. Pretty good beer although I don't have much to compare it to.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 02:46:56 | More by Mojo

SometimesIfart

Michigan

2.33/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

From a bottle into a lager glass .Pours a dark cherry red with a two and a half finger head. The smell is of sweet candy. Lots of sweet candy. Unfortunately, The taste is of agave and tequila. I hate tequila, thus and so why it is getting the current rating that it is getting from me. The mouthfeel opens up nothing else, Just more agave and tequila. Sweet, Yes, Drinkable, Perhaps, Bad tasting? depends on whether or not you can drink Cuervo. The only beer I have had that tastes like it should be made into a liqueur, Or better yet, A tequila. I'd avoid, But I got the bottle for free, So no true complaints. Overall, A 2..

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 02:53:58 | More by SometimesIfart

57md

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours brown with an orange hue. Half finger of head that dissipates rather quickly. The nose is bready. The flavor profile is malty, but pretty light.

Basically, nothing really stands out about this offering. It is drinkable and sessionable. Certainly, it is far preferable to the light yellow corn and rice slop that some people call beer. But that's the best I can do for a compliment.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 04:57:50 | More by 57md

Hex

3.98/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Before I begin, take note the the only "Irish Red" style beer I can ever remember having before this one is Killians... This completely outclassed it.

A- after being poured there is a fairly large, thick head that looks similar to shaving cream foam in texture; beige in color. It doesn't stick around to long but the last and thinest layer of foam sits at the top of the beer for the entire remaining contents. Very pleased... Not to mention its unparalleled lacings. The beer is a beautiful dark amber, almost mahogany color. Reminds me of the fossilized tree-sap cane from the Jurasic Park movie.

S- the aroma isn't too exciting. There is some deep malts and nuts. If you could imagine a trail-mix milk shake, this is what it might smell like.

T- And we have an interesting trail mix, with lots of mild tasting dark malts and a light nuttiness. A slight floral hop follows the nutty taste. Although its smell forcasts its flavor it has much more to offer the palate and taste buds.

M- goes down with the perfect, appropriate amount of carbonation. Though creamy, it has a medium-light body. Keeps the bottem of the bottle up.

O- I feel that me and this beer will get along during several occations. Dinner, parties, cook-outs, family get-togethers, chill time with your homies, etc... This could shamelessly be somebody's favorite beer. It may be becoming mine...

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 05:34:46 | More by Hex

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap at Village Pourhouse in Hoboken, NJ

A: Pours a clear very dark amber in color with some light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a two finger tall creamy light beige head that slowly reduces to a thick layer covering the entire surface of the beer with an even thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Very significant amounts of lacing are observed (it practically coated the entire inside of the glass).

S: Moderate aromas of roasted/toasted malts and some caramel malt sweetness. There is a very light smell of nuttiness and peat notes.

T: Moderate flavors of molasses and caramel malt sweetness with some light notes of nuts. There is a light amount of peat smokiness and light earthy hop notes. There is a light to moderate amount of bitterness with this beer that lingers in a non-aggressive fashion.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Creamy.

O: Relatively easy to drink but not one of my favorite beers - I think this one might be a little more enjoyable on nitro than it is on tap. This is just on the border of being sessionable - might be just a hint too bitter.

Serving type: on-tap

07-05-2012 22:39:37 | More by dbrauneis

Bottlebomber

California

2.73/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'm not going to do the ASTMO for this beer. It is average in almost every respect. I did like the appearance, with it's dark amber and full rocky head, but there was nothing else remarkable about it. A biscuity malty aroma leads to a biscuity almost malty flavor. Nothing grand, nothing offensive either. A slight flavor of English hops... EKG? Fuggles? I would definitely not go out of my way to drink this, but I would also be happy to see it among the normal lineup of BMC beers. I will add that drinking it from a glass was significantly better than from the bottle, as is usually the case.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 04:49:33 | More by Bottlebomber

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: pretty nondescript, or rather nothing distinguishable.
Smell: again, a hint of tea and burnt toast, but understated to be sure.
Taste: as the nose suggests.
Overall: a beer I would have been much more impressed with enforce discovering founders, dfh etc. not bad by any means but merely passable.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 10:47:32 | More by cindyjeffsmith

srv33

2.63/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Dark brown pour, large bubbles, decent lacing. Not many overarching scents, soy and a hint of chocolate. Mouthfeel is rather smooth, though nothing special. Lots of malt in the taste, and a bit of chocolate rounds out this average brew. It ends with a strange aftertaste I can't quite put my finger on.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 22:35:09 | More by srv33

Rantingfury

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I poured from a bottle into a jigger. I got a four fingered head of creme colored head that faded to some lacing. The color was of an amber/tea color and very clear. The nose was sweet with malt and a hint of grass and lemon on the back end. The flavor was sweet with a tiny bit of bitter from the hops and a dry finish. The mouthfeel was nice, being bready and good carbonation. Overall a good solid beer, but not outstanding in any area. I will buy this again from time to time as it's very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 20:26:49 | More by Rantingfury

brureview

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint glass. Pleasantly surprised- this was better than a bottled Guinness. Poured a one finger head. The smell was a very faint lemon.

The lightly carbonated mouth feel matches well with the finish: some fruit, smooth, and refreshing. A solid beer. It's a good choice-easy to drink with good character.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 01:00:24 | More by brureview

stephenjmoore

Maryland

3.2/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Amber body with some reddish color. Light tan highly carbonated head.

S- Caramel malt, faint sweet aroma.

T- Caramel malt comes through, with some sweet malt as well. Bitterness and malt on the finish.

M- Medium bodied, medium carbonation.

O- Not bad, good choice when only options are other macros.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 01:52:33 | More by stephenjmoore

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Deep, almost brown red colour in the body that boasts ample carbonation. Produced a finger and a half of head that managed to retain some soapy islands, and offered minimal lacing.

Smell: Smells of nice caramel malt with smoke and peat notes and a touch of walnuts. That being said, it's not quite strong enough even with warming.

Taste: Starts with a molasses tasting malt whose sweetness is reigned in by peaty notes. Plum and light nuttiness comes forward as the malt asserts itself a bit more with then gets dusted away with some earthy hops that are accented by the nut taste in a bit of an odd but interesting fashion.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation with this beer is well done and very consistent. It leaves a bit of a peaty aftertaste that while mild initially, builds and becomes unpleasant near the end of the beer. Good enough transitioning though.

Drinkability: It's on the heavier end of medium bodies, but I've come to expect that from this style. It's a little dry for my liking, but I wouldn't say it's a struggle to get down.

Final Thoughts: Methinks this beer is supposed to be the benchmark for this style. It's far better then Kilkenny and I'd be interested to see what nitro would do for this one.

Serving type: can

05-13-2012 02:07:49 | More by TheHammer

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Can from the LCBO in to Guinness pint glass.

A - Medium translucent brown with two fingers of off-white head that settled down after a couple of minutes.

S - Light caramel and toffee notes up front with a slight bitterness and some floral aromas in the background. The nose has a slight off-putting aroma that I can't pinpoint.

T - The sweet malt profile dominates with toffee, caramel and bready notes. A slight bitterness is present as well, especially in the finish.

M - Medium body, slightly creamy. Light carbonation.

Serving type: can

05-06-2012 03:55:15 | More by TheSevenDuffs

SmithwicksGuy

4.33/5  rDev +23.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Just got a four pack of awesome Smithwick's glasses from http://www.e-celtic.com, so I grabbed a six pack and Im ready to review. Beer always seems to taste better when its in a perfect glass so I might be a little impartial.

Smithwicks has a perfect head when poured correctly with dark red brown body. Nice hoppy ale taste with no aftertaste. All in all goes down smooth and a great pick if you want a little taste of Ireland

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 03:42:03 | More by SmithwicksGuy

acevenom

Louisiana

3.03/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a Guinness pint glass. Pours clear dark reddish copper with an abundant off-white head. The head dissipates slowly, leaving some lacing on the side of the glass. It's a faint smell. It smells of bread and it has that nutty/grassy type of aroma. The flavor is fairly neutral. There are flavors of caramel and it's slightly nutty. There's a slight back end bitterness. The flavor is fairly average. The body is light to medium and it's moderately carbonated. It's fairly easy to drink. Overall, this is a mostly average beer. I purchased this as a single and would not purchase this again as a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 18:27:42 | More by acevenom

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Mahogany reddish colour, close to 2 fingers of creamy eggshell/tan coloured head, some rings of lace at the top of the glass. Smell is malty and almost cereal like, some nutty scents come off of this, lightly sweet toffee and carmel are present but are minimal, for the most part this had a fairly neutral aroma. Taste is a little better, cereal like malts, earthy and nutty flavours, light sweetness and caramel, light bitterness towards the finish, clean aftertaste. The nitro made this creamy and light but unfortunately also makes this close to flat, light carbonation and feel. A pretty ho-hum offering and not something I would order again unless of course I found myself in an undesirable bar with limited offerings like the one I consumed this one in.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-17-2012 19:04:01 | More by peensteen

mactrail

California

2.28/5  rDev -35%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Flat and dishwatery are the flavors that come to mind. The faintest beer-like smell. Why do I think of bricks and concrete basements? There is something like used tea bags and spoiled fruit here. A hint of sawdust in the nose. Sharpish club soda flavor takes over. No hint of anything hop-like, nor any hint of malty sweetness. The head is big and rather coarse, but pleasant enough.

This is such a wretched beer, I don't think being an allegedly Irish style is any excuse. I went back and looked at my review of bottled Guiness with the new harp logo. The Diageo legacy seems to be making their beers into even more unpleasant industrial concoctions. I feel a rant coming on.

12 oz bottle from Trader Joe's.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 05:43:56 | More by mactrail

scratch69

Missouri

3.35/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I poured a bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance- Dark amber color with a fingers worth of foamy white head. Nice lacing.

Smell- Very faint aroma of bread and malt.

Taste- Bread and malt with some nuttiness.

Mouthfeel- On the light end of medium bodied. A little watery with a large amount of carbonation.

Overall- It's alright though I've had better.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 23:06:00 | More by scratch69

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Rosy dark amber pour a nice foamy head. Unfortunately, the 33cl bottle only filled my Guinness glass two-thirds of the way. 3.5

Tinny nose with pronounced toasted malts and wispy Euro hop. Almost as many spot-on aromas as off ones. 3.0

Bitter frontside with some burnt grain and some almost fruity grassy hop. Finishes way too clean. Almost dead. Not much lasting flavor. I can't remember why I used to drink so many of these. 3.0

Ah, this is why... they drink so easily. Persistent carbonation over a medium-light body. 4.0

I've yet to have a super-delicious Irish Red, so I'm comfortable calling this my stand-by. Not my favorite, mind you. Just good and easy-to-find. 3.5

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 00:12:34 | More by thecheapies