Caffrey's Irish Ale - Thomas Caffrey Brewing Co.

ThinkAgain

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -6%

07-23-2012 17:21:13 | More by ThinkAgain

BGsWo22

New York

3.25/5  rDev +1.9%

03-20-2013 22:51:52 | More by BGsWo22

LampertLand

British Columbia (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Caffrey's Irish Ale @ 3.8% , served from a 440 ml nitro can purchased for $3.25

A-pour is almost milk white from the can into that cascading Guinness beer trick of changing color into a clear amber with a nice medium size head leaving a thick lace film along the pint after each sip

S-mild caramel malt

T-tart barley water tasting brew , smooth on the palate

MF-low/mild carbonation , somewhat weak body at 3.8% , has a dry finish

Ov-I'll drink a Guinness Draught or Kilkenny Irish Cream before this brew again ,
only tried because of St.Patrick's Day ,

prost LampertLand

Serving type: nitro-can

03-17-2013 06:59:29 | More by LampertLand

doktorhops

Australia

2.23/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Caffrey's Irish Ale, the "white Guinness" as I used to call it, used to have 4.8% ABV as well, and much like Guinness it is slowly working its way down to mid-strength. It's sad to see brewers do this to their beers and I can only see a drop in flavour is to better serve the masses of people that don't drink beer and never will regardless of the flavour whereas the avid beer drinkers (such as myself) are losing out. Anyway let's see how badly the flavour has suffered since the last time I had it it was 4.8% ABV.

Poured from a 440ml nitro-can into a nonic pint.

A: Nitro beers always look fantastic and the Caffrey's is no exception with it's deep copper body and perfect 1cm creamy white head.

S: Toasted barley malts are foremost on the nose, with a hint of brewers yeast, some light earthy hops [read: very light earthy hops] and the effervescence of spring water.

T: Boring as tap water. I know that this beer used to have a flavour profile but really now it just tastes watered down. Yes it has barley malt, yeast, hops and water, but they can at least make it interesting God-dammit. It does have a slight dry toasted barley after taste, which is just as well because you wouldn't know it was a beer otherwise.

M: Mid to light body, flat carbonation, texture of water with a small amount of beer added.

D: This is a very typical Irish ale, like Kikenny, et al... I have difficulty distinguishing between these beers after years of drinking full flavoured pale ales. Well the verdict is: this used to be a decent Irish pub beer but has suffered at the hands of corporate-greed/marketing-to-teenagers and as a result it is now tap water that contains alcohol: disappointing.

Food match: I would have previously said "Irish pub fare, stews and shepherds pie" but now (at the new flavourless 3.8% ABV version) I say plain crackers with cream cheese for dipping... also make sure that cream cheese doesn't have any added flavourings.

Serving type: nitro-can

03-15-2013 06:26:53 | More by doktorhops

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

2.96/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

440ml can poured into pint glass 27/2/13

A I'll give the nitro some credit as it dose produce a cascading foam that dose look great and has solid retention leaving lots of lace deep down the glass, reddish copper liquid with very tiny bubbles

S caramel and dry cereal with some herbal notes and leafy tea bag, fairly faint all around

T much like the nose but with a little more caramel, again its pretty faint without a whole lot going on

M much like many other nitro cans I've had it feels dead flat, has some body but no carbonation

O another fairly boring beer, not offensive while smelling and drinking but nothing exciting either, mouth feel needs some work

I suppose not many 3.8% beers really get me excited and this is no exception, there's not much going on here shes a pretty average brew

Serving type: nitro-can

02-27-2013 20:55:18 | More by wordemupg

Shatter

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +17.6%

02-09-2013 20:09:58 | More by Shatter

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -6%

01-18-2013 09:27:51 | More by tbeckett

BILF

Israel

3.25/5  rDev +1.9%

01-14-2013 18:50:50 | More by BILF

Beerman1977

Austria

1.5/5  rDev -53%

01-02-2013 20:25:47 | More by Beerman1977

pin

Australia

2.5/5  rDev -21.6%

11-23-2012 02:00:04 | More by pin

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

32oz growler, from the very newish Wine and Beyond (read: Liquor Depot meets Costco presentation esthetic) booze superstore in deepest south Edmonton. I used to drink this stuff like water on tap back in the day after university obligations were fulfilled, at least for the day, in those natty nineties.

This beer pours a clear, medium golden amber hue, with two fingers of creamy, foamy off-white head, which leaves some sparse, broad swaths of bubbly lace around the glass as it slowly seeps away.

It smells of sweet, sugary, grainy malt, with a touch of treacle, caramel, a mild orchard fruitiness, and very, very soft leafy hops. The taste is weak grainy, bready malt, a slight toastiness, faint yeast, muddled, plain drupe fruit esters, and muffled noble hops.

The carbonation is very laid back, sleepy, and yet not flat-seeming, the body a less than solid medium weight, and of course, pretty damned smooth, in just that eerie Irish ale manner. It finishes off-dry, the lingering underwhelming bready malt really suffering nothing in the way of challenge.

Not the grandest of rip-snortingly pungent flavours going on here, I suppose, but perhaps this isn't the venue for such a thing - the Irish, and we willing tourists and diaspora, if I recall correctly, use this type of watery sideshow as a respected moderator for their Whiskey habit. I sure could go for some of the latter, as a matter of fact.

Serving type: growler

10-23-2012 03:20:34 | More by biboergosum

shakerus

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +33.2%

08-09-2012 00:56:12 | More by shakerus

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +25.4%

07-02-2012 14:50:54 | More by beerhunter13

abcramer

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +17.6%

05-06-2012 02:57:03 | More by abcramer

TubbyDullard

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +9.7%

03-12-2012 12:52:06 | More by TubbyDullard

seanmugs

Colorado

5/5  rDev +56.7%

03-03-2012 06:29:26 | More by seanmugs

BrazilianAussie

Brazil

3.5/5  rDev +9.7%

02-25-2012 10:40:16 | More by BrazilianAussie

irishkyle21

Ontario (Canada)

2/5  rDev -37.3%

01-17-2012 16:01:04 | More by irishkyle21

cdwil

Texas

3/5  rDev -6%

12-30-2011 14:12:17 | More by cdwil

jjkatter

Australia

2.5/5  rDev -21.6%

12-28-2011 09:15:33 | More by jjkatter

ElCommodoro

Texas

1.7/5  rDev -46.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Appearance is a red-orange type amber with a distinct creamy one centimeter head.
I smell a hint of grain, but it smells almost like nothing at all.
The taste is so watery. It doesn't taste like an Irish red at all. Of course, it doesn't advertise itself as one either. It self identifies as a "smooth Irish Ale." Mildly hopped water with a hint of grain is how I would describe this. Maybe it tasted better before Molson Coors bought it. Who knows. But this doesn't really taste much like beer. It's lack of carbonation makes its thinness even more noticeable. That mouthfeel of cold flat water makes it refreshing, but lacking in any beer-like quality.

Serving type: nitro-can

08-31-2011 06:58:52 | More by ElCommodoro

evlu1441

Alberta (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer pours a medium amber colour. The nitro-can setup leads to a finger of creamy white head sitting on top, with little carbonation rising up after the initial cascade. It's an appealing looking beer.

The aroma is sweet and slightly grainy. It's fairly neutral overall, and very faint. Pleasant nonetheless.

The taste is mild and slightly toasty. There is some nuttiness that comes through in the aftertaste.. The mouthfeel is kind of watery, and there is litte carbonation. There aren't any off-putting flavours or anything though.

Overall, this isn't really the beer for me. It tasted fine, but It's just not something I'm really into

Serving type: nitro-can

08-20-2011 23:08:50 | More by evlu1441

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.38/5  rDev +6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pint served on tap

A: Deep clear amber color with a small creamy beige head. Thin bubbles and few lacings

S: Sweet caramel malts and hops, basically. Some bready yeasts too

T: Follows the nose. A typical Irish red ale. Sweet and caramel malts, yeasts and hops. Nice bitter end. Not bad

M: Light body. Watery as expected. Low carbonation. High drinkability

O: Quite honest Irish red ale. Typic pub ale

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2011 17:04:43 | More by eduardolinhalis

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

440ml Can

Appearance - Orange/amber colour with an above average size creamy beige coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is a large amount of lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell - malts, tea, pears, butterscotch

Taste & Mouth - The beer has a low amount of carbonation and it feels very creamy on the tongue. Most of the taste consists of malts, butterscotch, and a pear/fruit sweetness. There was also a bit of a metallic flavour and it reminded me of an iced tea to some extent. It finishes with a smooth malty/tea aftertaste.

Overall - A nice easy drinking beer that is ideal for a session. It is along the same lines as a Kilkenny Irish cream ale. I could drink a few of these every now and then.

Serving type: nitro-can

03-25-2011 19:41:50 | More by spinrsx

scott451

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a pint glass. A one finger plus very fine white head on a clear dark amber. Lots of foamy lace and the head is retained to the end.

Mild malt smells. Taste is sweet creamy mild caramel malts.

Mouthfeel is smooth,creamy. A bit watery as the carbonation dies down. Outstandingly drinkable. A long session could be built around these, if they were drunk fast.

Serving type: nitro-can

02-28-2011 06:57:42 | More by scott451