Smithwick's - Guinness Ltd.

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Amber; effervescent; medium head with good lacing

Aroma: Malty; sweet; hints of honey

Taste: Malty, creamy on start; ends slightly bitter and nutty; pretty well balanced ale

Remarks: Did not score A, T, S, M at that time; disregard those scores

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 22:40:34 | More by IchLiebeBier

BeerAficionadoMCMXC

California

4.43/5  rDev +26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Dark brown color, great head retention, lacing is beautiful.
S- Sweet, malty backbone with a hint of piney, earthy hops.
T- Crisp and refreshing. For such a dark colored beer I was expecting to taste something with a bit heavier body. From the nose I thought I was going to taste some hoppy and bitter finish. I am surprised and happy to say that I received neither.
M-Light body to Medium light.
O- Best Irish Ale I have had according to the style guidelines. This is everything an Irish red should be. I'll take 6, thank you.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2013 06:30:29 | More by BeerAficionadoMCMXC

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.5/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Amber body, pretty decent head and ok lacing, carbonation visible.

S: Malt, toast, caramel undertone, sweet, cider? Bready, hint of citrus & spice.

T: Same as the nose, malty, bready caramel, moderate sweetness (not cloying, out-of-balance but refreshing), light cider-ish citrus fruitiness, toasted grains, light nuttiness with a hint of spice.

MF: Creamy, smooth, clean finish, low bitterness, decent carbonation.

O: Expected and typical, still not an unpleasant beer at all. Lighter body, lighter flavors, softer profile lends to this one 'feeling' more like a summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 13:48:52 | More by Scotchboy

NiceTaps

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle poured into a stemmed tulip glass.

A- Poured a dark clear amber color with fluffy white head, 1-plus f. The head tapered to a film leaving generous lacing down the glass. Appealing.

S- Dry bready Irish ale smell with roasted caramel malts.

T- Cramel malt sweetness with the breadiness. Not much of any hop flavor. Agreeable, though.

M- Good body and well carbonated. More body than I expected. The sweet malt flavor is balanced by a long dry finish.

O- Not bad at all. I picked the right time to review this one, years back I may not have
appreciated it.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 18:00:38 | More by NiceTaps

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.7/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Large off white head quickly dies above a clear deep amber colored beer.

The aroma is on the lighter side with light grain malts that are caramel and lightly roasted.

Toffee to roasted caramel malt taste that has a light grain aspect to it.

A slightly dryish aftertaste with a little bit of the tastes of this beer remaining with it on this medium bodied beer.

Not a remarkable tasting beer other than the fact that it is a really drinkable beer, smooth, and easy on the palette.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 17:36:07 | More by LXIXME

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

3.36/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

A: poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass, red brown colored with a short light tan head that dissipates leaving some lacing, clear

S: malty, caramel, bread, toast, cereal grains

T: drier with mineral water flavors up front that fades into a sweeter malt flavor, little hops

M: a bit watery with good carbonation

O: ok beer that is refreshing

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 22:51:38 | More by M_C_Hampton

hdf561

Virginia

2.8/5  rDev -20%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bought a 6 pack of these for St. Pattys Day on the recomendation of my friend.

Open the bottle and the smell is just not great, it made me cringe. The taste and the mouth feel were ok a little more bitter than I like but overall not bad. The after taste was very noticable not great but not horrible. Overall this was just an OK beer, it did not make me want to buy this beer again, but if this was the only recognizable option in a pinch I could drink and enjoy these.

AVOID on a summer day way to heavy, and way to dark.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 18:25:55 | More by hdf561

secondtooth

Indiana

3.45/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark ruby, with a superb head of fine, creamy carbonation. Very lovely and detailed lace.

Aroma is slightly musty and malty, with tones of toffee and caramel. Not bad, not great.

Taste is sturdy, with plenty of rich toffee and caramel notes. This one's full-bodied and quite tasty. A solid and enjoyable, if unremarkable, session red ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 02:08:11 | More by secondtooth

vkv822

Oregon

3.08/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

12oz : tulip

Clear, amber read with a thick, foamy white head.

Toasty biscuit notes with light caramel and light grassy hops.

Taste is similar to the nose, with a fairly basic mix of lightly sweet crackery notes and very faint grassy hops.

Medium body with foamy carbonation.

A pretty average beer. Nothing particularly unpleasant, just lacking in anything intriguing or noticeably well done.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 08:34:16 | More by vkv822

DrewSnyc667

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Happy St. Patrick's Day

A - Dark red, tawny and dark, clear and effervescent, nice activity with a one in head that sticks and hangs around

S - Pretty mild, buttery toffee toasted almond

T - Rich toasted malts, caramel and toffee, very light coffee flavor in the back

M - Strong carbonation, cleans the palate well, think a Guinness but with CO2 instead of nitrogen

O - A nice alternative on St. Pat's day, i don't have this nearly as much as Guinness but its a good trade off for a full bodied ale but one thats a bit more bitter

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 21:06:56 | More by DrewSnyc667

KYGunner

Kentucky

3.33/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Nice amber to ruby coloring with hints of browning in the light. The head is a bit soapy and weak, but very present.

Sweet malt grains with an air of toast meet the nose. A watery wine like presence underlies a relatively weak scent.

The taste is nice and light with a roast maltiness and dryness. A buttery taste finishes off. The roasted taste and texture could be stronger.

I tried this to experience the presence of diacetyl and found it near the finish. Not off-putting and appropriate to the style, it made me analyze an old favorite a little harder. I found it to be an easy drink but not as flush with character.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 20:28:35 | More by KYGunner

Mavigo

Michigan

3.46/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Served in a chalice.

A: Pours an interesting dark red-brown color, few shades darker than mahogany, with a half inch off white head with minimal lacing.

S: Smells of wheat, grains, barley, oats

T: Has a mellow, light flavor, wheat, barley, and oats, strong cereal vibes, it's alright

M: Bit on the over carbonated side with a medium-light body, sort of lacking,

O: It was ok overall, just a decent beer, not too much to say about, in a good and bad way, there was nothing really wrong with it but nothing spectacular, just another beer of the thousands I've consumed. Still, this could be up someone else's alley so I would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 23:26:49 | More by Mavigo

OdinMcHaggis

1.1/5  rDev -68.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Received as a gift and I popped a top. The bottle appearance is unimpressive, who the hell is Smithwick, but it does say Guinness which I find decent. Smell, faint sweetness. Taste, bad hops and metallic brewing vessel, long finish with a bad aftertaste. Mouthfeel, thin but decent carbonation. Overall this beer sucks, I gave it a three on appearance because it is a bottle of beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 01:04:27 | More by OdinMcHaggis

cousineddy

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

appearance: pours a deep orange/brown amber color with 1.5 fingers of offwhite head with decent lacing, few bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass.

Smell: yeasty malts with more hop aroma than expected. sourdough bread

taste: not as sweet as expecting, toasty, with hop notes on the finish.

mouthfeel: substantial without being chewy.

overall: not bad, probably wont buy it again but a solid irish ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 05:30:14 | More by cousineddy

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle had a friend's house. Pours a clear light copper color with small sheets of lace on top. Mild sticky lace clings to the glass. Aroma of light citrus, sweet malt, husk. Crisp clean feel. Easy drinking with a good amount of bubble play. Simple flavors with a mild bitter smack. Some residual sweetness balances it out. Touch of fruit and alcohol as well. Not a bad little Irish beer. I'd gladly drink this one with a steaming bowl of Irish stew!

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 14:57:18 | More by Onenote81

Maxwell

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a dark, dark red, somewhere between ruby, burgundy, and light black, with a lovely white cream head that sits a fingers width above my mug. The lacing on the mug is thin and spattered across my glass. On the nose, the beer smells of sterilized caramelly malts with a touch of staleness. The nose is fairly simplistic, and not the most pleasant but not the most unpleasant either. The smell is a little cloying with sweet malt, but subdued enough that it doesn’t turn you off to the beer. The beer tastes very similar to the smell with sweet sterile caramel malts and a faint touch of bitterness. It begins with almost sickly sweet malts, but quickly pulls itself back with a faint hint of biscuit and more caramel flavor, which balances out the taste into the finish, which is clean and only faintly tingling with the sweet sterile caramel of the malts. On the mouth, the beer feels thin to medium body, with velvety smooth carbonation that reveals only a slight tingle on the close of the sip. Overall, this is a mass produced beer, but it is an Irish mass produced beer, and Ireland just seems to do mass production better than everyone else. Sure it is not as flavorful as some beers, and definitely has some almost-too-sweet flavors to it that are both sterile and weird, but this beer is generally very drinkable, and not offensive to the palate. It’s not a fancy beer, but it’s one that is easy to find and easy to drink, and it does have a hell of a lot better of a flavor than other mass produced beers. It’s a good drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 00:25:19 | More by Maxwell

MattSweatshirt

Texas

2.98/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Raiding my Dad's fridge while he's away.

Poured into a pint glass.

Comes out with a clear amber color and an off white head.

Some hop aroma but it is mostly sweet caramel malt.

Sweet caramel and bready malt. Some light hop flavor and bitterness. A little coppery as well.
Lots of carbonation scrubs the tongue.

A decent enough beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 01:03:52 | More by MattSweatshirt

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Two fingers of head. Clear copper colored body.
Smell is a wet hay and barnyard scent, which turns out nice.
Taste is malt sweetness balanced with a nice dose of bitterness.
The texture fits well. Medium body with moderate carbonation.
A solid ale that hits the spot.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 03:37:03 | More by Fatehunter

jjamadorphd

Florida

2.9/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

In my continuing quest to try all sorts of beers I happened up Smithwick's. A dark ale that I thought had to be good. Well, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good I as I had expected.

Out of the bottle the beer poured a dark, richly colored brown that looks pleasing to the eye when light strikes it just right. The head it forms is lightly tan in color and it has an amazing staying power - all the way down the glass The lacing is also impressive - the most I have ever experienced with a brew.

The smell was great too, hints of spice and a gratifying odor of malts. But that's where it all ends. Mouthfeel was nothing spectacular and it surprisingly tasted watery to me. (I even tried another one just to be sure.) For such a darkly rich-looking beer - its watery taste was really a surprise.

Everything about the beer said it had to be superb, but for me it feel quiet short.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 00:42:29 | More by jjamadorphd

scvance

South Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear amber red color with a very thin white head. Quickly disappears and no lacing. Smell is very mild, there's a little bit of caramel and a hint of fruit. Taste is malty sweet with a slight bitterness towards the end. Medium carbonation and a fairly light body. Mouthfeel is slightly watery. Overall this is a decent beer, but just nothing spectacular. Not what I would imagine getting regularly, but worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 22:54:52 | More by scvance

kaadamo

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +15.1%
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%
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 -3.4%
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

AKellar

3.23/5  rDev -7.7%
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 +8.6%
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