Caffrey's Irish Ale - Thomas Caffrey Brewing Co.

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.08/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had this at an Irish pub in Toronto. Was hoping for a pint of Murphy's Irish Stout, but they were out of it, so decided to go with Caffrey's. Pours a clear amber colour. A finger of nitro-assisted white head is there and doesn't dissipate at all. Some very mild lacing. Some floral hops with a lot of caramel in the smell. Flavour actually has more bitterness than I remember, some sweetness as well. Creamy mouthfeel from the nitro. This is an ok beer, nothing special though.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-11-2011 16:05:40 | More by kwjd

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.4/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Notes from Old Chicago (2001): A beautiful pour from a nitro-keg. It takes forever to separate. When it does, it is a clear red-golden with a creamy nitro-infused head. The aroma is very mild. Much better in terms of flavor. While still a bit mild for my tastes, it has a definite apricot note that I rather enjoy. As would be expected given the means of dispensation, it is very clean and smooth on the palate. It lacks a certain richness but it's not bad overall.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-09-2011 22:24:13 | More by CuriousMonk

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this one on tap at our Christmas party.

A - Pours a crystal clear golden amber colour, finger of creamy head with really solid retention and sheets of fine bubbled lacing.

S - Scent is rather metallic, slight caramel bready-ness, with a bit of a fruity apple cider coming through.

T - The caramel malt and bready finish dominate, and the slight apple cider flavours also linger. Touch of roasted almonds also present.

M - A tad watery, though the head was quite creamy. Finishes smooth and leaves the palette nice and wet.

D - A tasty irish ale, and great to have on tap. Nothing mind blowing here, just an all-around tasty beer.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-18-2010 20:01:40 | More by andrenaline

case4816

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Light brown, golden amber in colour. Very creamy head that lingered for the entirety of the drink.

S- Heavy Caramel, toffee scents. Lots of Vanilla as well. No discernible hop smell.

T- Caramel, toffee, and nice light roasted malts come to the front. Sweet after-notes of vanilla come through as well. Very smooth with very little to no carbonation.

D- My favourite beer on tap at one of my favourite pubs. Very smooth and very drinkable.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-10-2010 06:31:27 | More by case4816

Long813

Nova Scotia (Canada)

2.6/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

G: Caffrey's Pint Glass

A: Clear copper body with a two fingers of white head. Good retention and lacing. Carries the same appearance as any other nitro beer.

S: Light sweet malts, biscuits and hint of green apple. Nothing else comes though.

T: Again like smell, sweet roasted malts and some biscuity to it. Nothing to strong, very pale and bland.

M: Medium bodied and light carbonation. Smooth and creamy while leaving a dry lightly malty finish.

D: This reminded me of a darker Boddigton's ale. No flavours are strong in this, very bland and pale. I wouldn't buy this again - maybe it's the style it self, but it's a weak beer.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-23-2009 19:47:19 | More by Long813

Antilochus

Ontario (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had to attend a function at the Keg... was anticipating Guinness or something to quaff with my blue rare sirloin but none was to be found. Other 'local favourites' included Canadian, Heineken, Coors Light. Great. Poured in an unbranded pint glass.

Typical nitro creamy off-white head, amber body. No lace. Lost retention by the bottom.

Malty buttery aromas, some floral hops.

Nitro creamy feel. Taste was very malty, some lighter bitterness on the palate. Medium length finish. Loads of caramel and butter, a little sickening actually.

I wouldn't reach for another, but not bad, a sort of lesser evil.

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-19-2008 04:27:01 | More by Antilochus

soupyman10

District of Columbia

3.05/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a deep red color with a solid finger of off-white head on top, nice and foamy. A very light touch of lacing. Nose is extremely mild, but mostly caramel malt. Taste is likewise, mild but with a fair bit of caramel malt. A little citrus. A touch of hops show up at the end. Feel is full-bodied and creamy, a meal in itself. This one was alright, although I wouldn't have to many because of the thickness and the general blandness.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-12-2007 17:10:57 | More by soupyman10

HimerMan

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +34.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On nitro-tap at The Mask Bar, in the Strand Plaza Hotel in London.

Nothing in the United States like this beer, Wexford does not even come close.

Pour is awesome, very dark copper/amber, with a thick and ultimate creamy head that lasts.

Incredible flavor, rich and full of sweet malts and cream. One of the smoothest beers out there.

Absolutely try it if you can, not sure if this is available in the US anymore. Perhaps a trip back to London soon.

Cheers!

Serving type: nitro-tap

05-11-2006 17:14:51 | More by HimerMan

nitroterrance

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +35.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I have had Caffrey's on draft in my Basement Pub for a year and can't find a better nitro ale to replace it. Although Caffrey's has little or no nose appeal, the head is very creamy and always super smooth going down. On draft there is a slight bitter or fruity finish that is clean and crisp. This irish ale is smooth as silk and enjoyable in quantity or alone. The best nitro irish ale I've had.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-19-2006 00:49:49 | More by nitroterrance

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Clear, light amber with an orange hue topped by a dense, white head of fine bubbles (nitro really helps out here). Great head retention and it leaves a thick lace on the glass. The aroma is quite muted, but there's some caramel maltiness, a hint of fruit, and some floral hops. The mild flavour is matched by low bitterness. Caramel malt and light fruit start things off, with hops kicking in towards the finish. Low carbonation (of course) with a light body and a dry texture, especially as it warms. This is a great session beer, especially on nitro-tap... not very complex, but tasty enough to have several.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-08-2005 00:38:43 | More by DrJay

francisweizen

Australia

4/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An above average Irish Amber/Red Ale. This ale was presented to me at the wonderful Claddagh pub in downtown Montreal, QC. This beer had a very thick head on it and it was a very nice amber/red colour. This ale had some nice sweet aromas of malts with some hop aromas on the nose as well. This tasted very light, creamy, and refreshing. A very well-balanced irish brew with a smooth mouthfeel and an above average drinkability. Why is this no longer available to us in the U.S.?
Cheers!,
F.

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-28-2003 13:36:32 | More by francisweizen

oberon

North Carolina

3.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I have had this on tap a few times,a nice creamy look to it with nice creamy head.Kind of a dark gold almost amber color.Smell was nice and appetizingly sweet,the taste was a little bland for the look and smell of this one.A little smack of hop will hit the farther down the glass u go.A pretty good Irish ale but nothin to spectacular.

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-03-2003 12:39:37 | More by oberon

frank4sail

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Wow what a different brew in England. I still am not a huge fan but the brew is improved on tap and fresh. It took 3-5 mins. to settle. Slightly sweet nose. Thick white persistant head. Sweet chewy malt taste with the usual hop metalic finish. This is what I dislike the tin-like finish to this brew. It was less watery than the can but still not a stand-out!

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-03-2002 13:22:43 | More by frank4sail

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

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

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

rjimlad

Australia

3.93/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This reminds me of my beloved John Smith's Extra Smooth. Poured a beautiful deep amber with a creamy and persistent head. I didn't get much in the way of aroma but the toffee and malt flavour was really enjoyable. Carbonation is low and very fine. The problem with this is quaffability. I can smash down a whole pint before I can even taste it so drinkability is huge. There's not a whole lot going on in terms of complexity and it is a bit watery but this suits me as long as the flavour is there and though the toffee and caramel is subdued it's still there and balanced. Good but not great.

Serving type: nitro-can

12-28-2010 05:04:01 | More by rjimlad

grac1970

Ontario (Canada)

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

A = medium dark amber colour with no carbonation noticeable. A rich creamy head

S = very light smell

T = sweet but light, a very light, malt taste

M = smooth and creamy, light carbonation, almost seemed like malted water

D = A beer that is very easy to drink. I found it was half gone before I even gave thought to what I was going to say.

I have to say this was way too easy to drink - like flavoured water.

Serving type: nitro-can

10-05-2010 00:27:57 | More by grac1970

dolzan

Slovenia

3.6/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Deeply amber coloured and a very clear appearance. The can had a nitrogen ball, so the head was pretty firm and creamy.

The smell is pleasant and the taste is sweet. The beer is smooth and creamy, but it definitely lacks something - the taste is very straight forward and not too complex, which prevents the beer from being a really great one.

Serving type: can

07-17-2010 20:35:42 | More by dolzan