Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale - Guinness Ltd.

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: It has a nice copper/amber colour to it. It has a nice creamy off-white head that dies down slowly and has nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of roasted malts, caramely notes and a bit of hops.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a roasted malt taste to it with slight caramely notes and some fruity notes. The hops also add a bit of bitterness at the end.

Mouthfeel: It has a low carbonation and has a slight watery taste.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavours and aromas. It's an overall worthy beer.

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone!

Serving type: nitro-can

03-18-2011 02:28:58 | More by SebD

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This brew was a standard of mine for many years, but I have to admit it's been a while since I've had one. What better time than St. Practice Day?

Poured nitro-can style into a Guinness glass. Lovely cascading effect led to a striking clear amber brew. Thick, creamy head that remained throughout the pint, creating sheets of lacing down the glass.

Nose is caramel, bread, lightly toasted malt.

A mild, creamy ale, notes of caramel, bread, and toasted malt, finishing with a mild tea-hoppped bitterness. Nothing spectacular, but certainly pleasurable to drink. Tastes fine.

Creamy, but very watery mouthfeel. A trend I've found with most Guinness products. Still, easy to quaff.

A good standby around St. Patrick's Day or whenever I find myself in one of those pseudo-Irish chain bars Canada seems to have in spades. I can certainly have quite a few of these in a sitting - the light ABV and thin mouthfeel make for easy drinking.

Serving type: nitro-can

03-16-2011 02:00:22 | More by JohnnyBarman

Erish

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap at Tommy Nevin's pub in Naperville, IL.

A: brownish/red amber, a nice cascading, creamy head courtesy of the nitro-tap, the cap and lacing are good.

S: roasted malty backbone, earthy; reminds me of Guinness light.

T: dry, roasted malty backbone, some smokiness, a bit of chocolate, vanilla, oak.

M: light to medium-bodied, creamy texture, moderate carbonation.

D: not bad. Kind of reminds me of Smithwick's. Nothing earth shattering here.

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-11-2011 03:43:02 | More by Erish

LazyL

British Columbia (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured from a 440ml can the colour is dark amber with a creamy off white head. The nose is very sweet and malty. I get alot of sugary candy too. The taste is pretty much the same and the mouthfeel is flat and very creamy. Only the slighest amout of bitterness on the finish. Not a great beer, but there is enough here to keep you interested and its very easy to blow through quite a few in short order making this a great sports beer down at the local pub. Which I believe is what its supposed to be.

Serving type: can

03-08-2011 03:07:55 | More by LazyL

spree92

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From the Pub can that contains a floating widget. One of the creamiest heads on a beer. Head lasts unti the bottom of the glass. Really sweet aroma of candy and caramel. I know beer is supposed to have hops but I would be surprised if this had any. Creamy, smooth, goes down easy. This is as just as drinkable as water.

Serving type: can

02-19-2011 05:32:37 | More by spree92

Everydayoff

Thailand

3.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On nitro-tap served in a Kilkenny pint glass at the Dubliner Irish Pub, Bangkok.

A:
Reddish copper brown color with everlasting creamy thick head from nitro effect, the head recedes slightly and leaves good lacing all around. Carbonation is mild.

S:
Rather mild aroma; touch of malt sweetness, caramel, honey, slight hop bitterness and subtle toasted character.

T+M:
Malt sweet up front balance and finish by bitterness from hop. The taste is not complex but easy to pleasant. Rather thin body, smooth with light carbonation.

D:
Easy drinkable, at least it has more characters than any nitro-tap beer that I ever had.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-16-2011 09:46:49 | More by Everydayoff

Rayek

Colorado

3.63/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Yard House in Denver, CO. Served in a shaker pint glass.

A: Red tinged amber with great clarity and a dense head from the nitro. Head retention is great and a fair amount of lace is left behind.

S: Fairly mild. Toasted grains dominate. A light amount of diacetyl adds a hint of butterscotch. Some black tea rounds things out.

T: Toffee and toasted bread hit first. Bitterness is well balanced and packs a black tea and pepper bite. The bitter flavors linger through the finish.

M: The light body has the silky mouthfeel that I expect from a nitro tap beer.

D: This is a nice session beer in the vain of Tetley's and Boddington's. It's not terribly complex, but does its job well enough.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-03-2011 02:17:36 | More by Rayek

mandolinhomebrew

Austria

3.35/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a 33 cl bottle into my Hopus glass. Moderate pour produced a moderate head that was just shy of an inch.

A - Looks almost like Brandy.. a reddish amber/brown. Quite clear and transparent. -

S - Not a whole lot going on. You can tell it's an ale from the aroma at least. There is some malt there, maybe roasted & caramel. Maybe a hint of spicy hops. You really need a super strong sense of smell to get much more than that.

T - Malts up front. Some fruit-like flavors are there, maybe apples or pears, certainly not citrus fruits. There is this malty-alcohol flavor that you get in some Belgians, but much much much more subtle. Bitterness is very light, but it's still relatively balanced. Finishes on the dry side.

M - light to medium mouth-feel. moderately carbonated. smooth. when i had it on nitro-tap it was super light and smooth (but really lacked in aroma).

D - Goes down very easily. Flavorful enough (for a macro) that I could drink a couple before getting too bored.

Overall - For a macro that's readily available, it's pretty good. It's easy to drink, and has enough complexity and taste that it's a "go to" if only the typical macro line-up is available. It's hard to find ales here in Austria in general, so I'm glad this is around and easy to find.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 16:25:36 | More by mandolinhomebrew

LukeK1231

New York

3.4/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Overall it was a good creamy beer. Obviously had the tight nitrogen head.

Very drinkable and nice finish however lacks some taste before swallowing. Appearance was dark reddish.

A good beer to have while in Ireland and different than anything I have ever tried before.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-27-2011 14:02:19 | More by LukeK1231

doktorhops

Australia

3.23/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale - one would be correct in thinking that this is a classic Irish red ale, from none other than the classic stout makers Guinness.

Poured from the regular 440ml "widget" can into my Guinness pint glass.

A: The body presents an inviting deep red hue whilst the head is firm packed with an off white colour (I settled on "beige"). The head started out at about 3cm and left rings in the glass on the way down.

S: Rich caramel malts... you can smell a sweetness to it - very inviting. The hops also add a distant aroma. You know exactly what to expect from this ale from it's scent - strong malts, bitter back notes and a dry aftertaste. Let's see then.

T: Strong caramel malts: check. Slight bitter back notes from the hops: check. Dry aftertaste (most likely from the yeast used): check. But there is something else in there, a slight metallic tang (well we've all been there with a macro brew), but it's not that... it's like a mix of pecans and brown sugar, not full-on but it's there hovering around in the background (wishing to be invited in for tea and crumpets).

M: Small letdown here - this beer is just as watery in the mouthfeel as I found Murphy's (and I'm sure it's the same for Guinness too). Carbonation is fine (for the style).

D: It's a go to beer if you're looking for something you can take on in a session. I'm not as much a fan of this style as I am of the Irish Dry Stouts but come Saint Patrick's day I'll drink a couple pints of both.

Food match: Oysters or light game hen with a green salad (rocket) and mashed potato.

Serving type: nitro-can

01-25-2011 14:45:15 | More by doktorhops

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Cook McDoogal's Irish Pub, Kokomo, IN:

The beer appeared a dark golden color with a nice one-finger, creamy, white head and a thin cap remained throughout the beer. No lacing to note.

The aroma was light and of roasted malted barley.

The taste was roasted malted barley sweet and was nicely balanced.

The beer had a light feel to it, as expected, but the beer was extremely drinkable, crisp, very smooth and very creamy. I could drink this beer all day every day.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2011 20:32:56 | More by PhillyStyle

marcusR111

Alberta (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Dark ale with a red tinge to it. Thick creamy head, bubbles are almost non-visible.

S- Doesn't have much smell but you can definately smell hops

T- Tastes kind of metallic. Hop taste as well

M- Head is very creamy almost like melted ice cream. A little watery, feels just like a Guinness.

D- Could maybe drink 1 or 2 but no more than that in one sitting.

Serving Type: Nitro-can

Serving type: nitro-can

01-07-2011 04:52:19 | More by marcusR111

BeerManDan

California

3.9/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

When poured from the tap, there was not a ton of foam in the glass, but, two tons and after finishing off the pint, there was one ton of lace on the side of the glass. The color was a light hazy cream brown when served, but after a few minutes, the color was of a clear medium goledn brown. The smell of roasted malts and a hint of spice? or fruit? or whatever had a pleasant aroma. The taste was of the sweet/bitter roasted malts and a nice balance of, whatever the components were in the ale. I really enjoyed it, especially being in an Irish Bar in SF.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2010 01:30:48 | More by BeerManDan

Matt1516

Quebec (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

All hail the floating widget! I love the excitement of cracking one of these open.

The cascade in the glass is also part of the show. A goodly finger of head sits atop and remains till the end. The lacing is medium. It's a rusty penny-coloured dark copper ale. The mouthfeel is very creamy (thus the invented category of Irish Cream Ale). The first taste is sweet malts with a late bitter aftertaste.

The ABV is low at 4.3%--a perfect choice for session drinking. One of my early favourites.

Serving type: nitro-can

12-28-2010 02:25:47 | More by Matt1516

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +28.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Ahh, I finally review the beer that got me interested in drinking this fine beverage in the first place....it holds a special place in my heart :)

A- Well who can argue with the look of this brew? It is a reddish/brown color, is clear, and pours with a beautiful pillow like foam head, created of course by the nitro widget in the can....I wish it cascaded like Guinness does though...oh well. Fine carbonation clings to the side of the glass and gently rises to the top of the brew. the lacing is incredible! A thick foamy layer covers the side of my glass as I drink this down! A fine looking beer for sure!

S- Overall, the aroma is mild, but there are notes of sweet malt, unsalted butter, and just a hint of hop bitterness. Nothing else to report but just a pleasant aroma profile.

T- Starts out smooth and creamy....gentle caramel malts grace the palate, with mild burnt brown sugars and/or toffee. It finishes off with just a slightly bitter leafy hop note, yet creamy....overall just nicely balanced.

M- A solid medium bodied beer....leaning slightly towards full bodied. The carbonation is probably as fine as a person will find in a beer, but it's just enough for this style....closer to an English/Irish draft beer than anything canned.

D- Give this to me any time and I'm gonna enjoy it! With or without food, this is so easy to drink...low alcohol, creamy, sweet throughout, yet bittering enough to just balance the flavor profile. A great starter for anyone just discovering beer outside of BMC types, and just a great session beer!

Serving type: nitro-can

12-01-2010 04:27:27 | More by ChrisCage

Vdubb86

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint glass at Peggy Kinnane's in Arlington Heights, IL

I've never had an Irish Red on nitro before, so how could I turn this down. This pours a beautiful cascading ecru foam leaving a firm fat finger of head. This covered a nice amber red body that is how it was supposed to look. The aroma was rather bland in nature there was a bit of hop and green apple. The flavor consisted mostly of malted barley and green apple. The green apple almost made me think I had mistakenly ordered a cider, but this was not true. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. The flavor however was muddled greatly due to the nitro tap. I'm not sure how good it was supposed to be but the kind I had was extraordinarily water. This is the worst mouthfeel I've ever given a nitro-tap. It was drinkable no real problems taking it down, but It's not really the best beer I've had from Guinness, but it held it's own, and was definitely an interesting experience.

Serving type: nitro-tap

11-06-2010 05:47:55 | More by Vdubb86

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another CAN from one of my solids, BigBry, who CAN certainly list himself as a member of The CANQuest (TM).

The Crack & Glug also included some odd noises as a result of the widget priming itself, I suppose. Man, I do love watching the cascade when pouring from an N2 CAN!It resulted in a finger of thick tawny head with great retention. Color was a deep-coppery orange with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a lightly malty sweetness which was okay with me. Mouthfeel was creamy, which is as it should be with this serving style. The taste was pleasantly mildly bitter with a hint of nuttiness on the tongue. Finish was slightly dry, pleasant, easily quaffable. This was a nice, simple beer, somewhat unobtrusive, but with such low alcohol that I could easily see having it in my cooler for a day out.

Serving type: nitro-can

10-30-2010 07:19:19 | More by woodychandler

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Kilkenny pours a murky brown with a light tan head. Light aroma, hard to get anything but some mild malt. Flavor fails to impress, mild nutty malt and lactose are there but very light. The mouthfeel is so slick and dare I say too smooth, since it lacked any real body or substance. I'd stick to Smithwicks, Guinness or Harp over this one.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-28-2010 18:14:55 | More by Stinkypuss

A380

Manitoba (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pretty dark gold almost a light red. very nice creamy head. kinda smells and tastes like a guinness yet without the roasted notes but they are a bit noticeable in this one. aftertaste is just like a guinness imo. also tastes pretty watery but a good kind of watery.. not like light beer, but it actually tastes like this was brewed with good quality water.. and it goes down pretty good. not something i would drink too often as it isnt really my thing but its pretty good and i could see a few people really take a liking to it.

Serving type: nitro-can

10-13-2010 03:17:11 | More by A380

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.95/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On nitro-tap 10/9/2010 at Mews Tavern in Wakefield, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright reddish brown color, with a large dense off-white head that fades very slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is faint but contains caramelized malts, tea, some fruit and a little bit of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel and a little fruit. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and the nitro-tap brings some creaminess. The hops presence is mild and provides a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: A little crisp and very smooth, medium body, light carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer to drink for a while if you're in the mood for the style.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-12-2010 16:02:57 | More by TheManiacalOne

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep amber colour with a finger of thick white head. Head doesn't dissipate at all and leaves nice rings of lacing on the glass. Smell is of sweet toasted malt with the slightest hint of floral hops. Flavour is balanced of sweet and bitter, but it is a bit lacking overall. Mouthfeel was very creamy. A nice beer to have sometimes, but it is just ok.

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-30-2010 02:47:31 | More by kwjd

nokes

Ontario (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass, medium reddish brown with a two-finger head and the classy-looking nitro-can mini bubbles throughout. I like the feathery look as these bubbles go up. Cool.

Smells good. Malty and caramelly but not overwhelmingly. Feels like it could be more complex, but it's fine.

Taste is okay, but doesn't live up to the way the beer looks or smells...the sweet caramel came out as expected and diminished to a dry finish, but it somehow feels again like it lacks some complexity or depth that it could have.

The mouthfeel is where this beer really let me down. It's been a long time since I had Kilkenny on tap, but maybe that would be better? It came off ultimately as a bit thin and flat.

In the end, a drinkable beer and mostly enjoyable, but a fuller mouthfeel would really help it. Not my favourite, but okay.

Serving type: nitro-can

08-26-2010 03:06:57 | More by nokes

smithza9

Michigan

3.1/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is a very solid beer. Any beer from Dublin must be quality. I'm not normally a big fan of the red beers but this one hit the spot with Shepard's Pie in an Irish pub in Canada. It looks good, has that very noticeable cream ale taste, and is easily drinkable.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

08-13-2010 05:09:07 | More by smithza9

jneiswender

Massachusetts

2.5/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Had this on tap at St James Gate in Amsterdam. Served on tap, cool in a pint glass.

A-brown red body and a thick off white head.

S-butter and caramel.

T-sweet and watery, some caramel and a light British hop finish.

M-medium to light and thin.

D-not robust at all. the light flavor is disappointing after an appealing aroma. I would not have this again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2010 03:01:12 | More by jneiswender

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Received a deep red brew with an outstanding tan/beige 1 finger creamy head. Good clarity and a good pour by the barman. Fantastic lacing.

Light boiled grain aromas with some light cereal scents. Not much here.

Some toasted malt, with bread crust and clean bitterness. Not alot of power in this one. Intensity is lacking (not watery, just kinda weak. Flavors are palatable, and the finish is creamy edgefrom a lingering headappropriate.

Good medium body and nice cream in the texture from the head.

Overall, not terrible, but lacks depth. Fairly easy to drink, but you teeter on the edge of mediocrity/boredom with this one.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2010 01:42:19 | More by OtherShoe2