Samuel Adams Irish Red - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Samuel Adams Irish Red

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a shaker pint glass. Served chilled...

A) A nice vibrant red with a good finger slightly off-white head. Nice retention, ample lacing. Looks good...

S) Nice malty sweetness... A little caramel, bready, a bit of toast. Not much hops on the nose, but still very pleasant.

T) The tastes follows the nose. A malt forward brew, with a nice amount of grassy/floral hops presence in the flavor.

M) Medium body with lighter carbonation. This was soft on the palate. Smooth and easy drinking.

O) I've had quite a few different red ales and ambers recently. This was one of the more enjoyable for sure. As far as Samuel Adams goes, I put this right up there with Boston Lager, Oktoberfest, and Winter Lager, as one of my favorite offerings from their brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 22:28:46 | More by RoamingGnome

brewcifix

Connecticut

3.6/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

To me, the best way to enjoy an Irish Red is to let it roll down the back of your tongue. This may be a bad habit that I acquired in college, but it seems to work every time. This Red pours a beautiful clear amber with not much head to talk about- nothing lasting, anyway. I get sweet candy and malts on the nose, with a touch of honey and caramel. There's nice carbonation. I taste the same, finished by lovely sweet candied honey hops. (Is there such a thing? Can I say this?) This beer has everything I'd expect from an Irish Red- nothing more, nothing less. It's hard to describe this beer above that. I don't understand the harsh reviews, as this is a very drinkable beer. I don't expect complexity or richness, and find myself pleasantly not disappointed. Boston can be proud of this Irish Red. Anyone that knows more about Irish Red's is welcome to introduce me to the "finer Red brews".

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 00:16:13 | More by brewcifix

UCLABrewN84

California

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

Enjoy before 7/2013.

Pours a clear orange-red with a foamy tan head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Thin streaks and dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, grain, and some caramel aromas. Taste is much the same with malt and slight metallic flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an above average beer that is drinkable but I think the smell is better on this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 02:11:20 | More by UCLABrewN84

BeerEngineer

California

3.08/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

General - This beer was from a bottle with a best buy date of July 2013. I poured this into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass. This came in a variety pack called the "Spring Thaw" from Sam Adams. This beer has a new label on it than the image above.

Appearance - BJCP color around 28 to 30 with a heavy red tint to it. Head was a light khaki color and was extensive upon the pour. It diminished rather quickly when drinking. There were no legs on this beer at all. All head diminished very quickly.

Smell - A slight caramel scent although very faint. There isn't a lot of scent to this beer actually. A touch of earthy smell, again it's extremely subtle. To get any significant scent I had to actually hold one hand over the beer while warming it with my other hand.

Taste - Not a lot of flavor to this beer actually, there is a slight caramel sweetness to this but not that pronounced. I'm actually disappointed in this because I've had several Irish Red style (BJCP 9D) beers that are extremely flavorful. There is a touch of butter/toasty flavor to this either from the malts used or a touch of diacetyl. I am guessing it is a hint of diacetyl because of the slick mouthfeel (see below). This seems like a watered down version of a good beer. There is a bitter bite on the finish that is to be expected but again, it seems like it is missing that vast majority of what it should have!

Mouthfeel - A little on the thin side of how an Irish Red should be. There is a slight slickness to this indicating a touch of diacetyl. Not really what this beer should be.

Overall - "Eh" is about all I can say about this beer. It's not a bad beer by any means but it is not a traditional Irish Red that I would expect. It almost seems like a watered down version. I'll drink the other 3 Irish Reds that came in this variety pack after having a couple of more flavorful beers. This was pretty disappointing for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 02:28:20 | More by BeerEngineer

Seekerpilgrim

Washington

3.15/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pouring a clear burnt auburn, there is a delicate sweet aroma on the nose, a mixture of honey and agave nectar. On the tongue, a bit more bitter than the smell would suggest, though not at all unpleasant. The three hop varieties are well balanced here, with just enough bite to let you know there are present, followed my a brief creamy middle and a smooth finish.

This is a delicious beer, with the briefest presence in my mouth that I can remember a beer having, which again, isn't unpleasant. Probably best in the summer when you want a lighter (though not weak) brew, somewhere between a Pale Ale and an IPA. Though best on it's own, the slight sweetness might go well with a light pasta dish or contrast with a white clam chowder. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 23:54:18 | More by Seekerpilgrim

Mavigo

Michigan

3.28/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

This came in Sam Adams Spring Thaw pack, it's time to try this beer now. Served in a tulip.

A: Pours a copper amber color with a half inch tan head that dissipated quickly to a thin layer on the top with small amounts of lacing.

S: Smells of wheat, barley, rye

T: Tastes ok, wheat, barley, maybe a tinge of hops, rye

M: Very carbonated, with a light body, unbalanced with the carbonation

O: Meh, it was alright, not horrible and it was fairly smooth too, I've had far worse. Just a decent beer, would pair great at a Barberque in 90 degree weather. I'd recommend it though I probably won't have this again unless it's given to me

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 00:36:53 | More by Mavigo

JamesMN

Minnesota

2.96/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Translucent dark copper with a red tint. Poured a thin off-white head.

Aroma: A nice toffee malt and caramel quality without being too sweet. Also a slight off-aroma that may be from the yeast.

Taste: Very lageresque in flavor. Starts with some amber malt that carries a far amount of earthy flavor and bitterness from the hops. Finish is slightly crisp with an unfortunate metallic aftertaste. Based on the aroma I was expecting some nice toffee malt flavor but it's a bit bland in that department. I think the off-flavor of metal may be coming from the yeast as I've noticed it in other Samuel Adams offerings. At 5.8% ABV there isn't much gravity to hide any off-flavors.

Mouthfeel: A tad under medium in body but perhaps considered to be medium by most. Average carbonation for the style. Average drinkability.

Final Thoughts: Overall the Samuel Adams Irish Red is a bit of a below average beer. It really doesn't have much going for it to begin with and the off-flavors don't help. Would I drink it again? No.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 01:15:26 | More by JamesMN

Immortale25

Florida

3.59/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Dogfish signature snifter. Notch on label indicates best enjoyed by Aug 2013.

A- Pours a dark ruby color with a 1/2 inch light tan head that retains well before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a half-full sheet of wispy surface foam. Semi-resilient lacing leaves a solid ring behind on the glass.

S- Malty sweetness with that signature red ale aroma. Light hops are herbal.

T- Balanced flavor of mild hop bitterness and toasty malt. Bready, semi-sweet with a refined flavor one would find in a lager.

M- Crisp with a minimal hop bite, medium carbonation and a body leaning toward the fuller side.

O- I'm not really a fan of red ales unless they're super hoppy (e.g. OB G'Knight, Lagunitas Imperial Red) and this one certainly isn't that hopped up. Still, it drinks well and I could name several Sam Adams beers that are worse.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 23:36:08 | More by Immortale25

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.54/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

I picked this up as part of the spring thaw mix at Giant in Linglestown, enjoyed this chilled in a 1/2 pint.

The color is deep ruby with good clarity and thick beige head with average sized bead and retention. The smell is bready and slighty yeast influenced with light fruit ester and subtle caramel sweetness from the malt in the aroma. The feel is okay, but a bit too creamy with subtle mineral and tanginess of yeast with a slight diacetyl smoothess and mild sweetness in the finish.

The flavor is okay, not bad mild maltiness with slight fruitiness in the yeast with just enough hops to give it some balance. The flavor is slightly creamy with bready toasted taste yet the diacteyl comes forward as it warms with a light tanginess in the yeast I am not ecstatic about. The flavor is okay, but after one of these I was ready to move on, the style is fine, but this particular interpetion is not that impressive.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 18:56:02 | More by Slatetank

barnzy78

Illinois

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

12oz bottle from a sampler 12pack, pours reddish-amber in color and is topped with a frothy, off-white head that holds good retention and leaves some lacing as it fades. Malty nose with caramel, toasted grain, and herbal, earthy hop. Tastes are sweet with caramel, herbal and earthy hop again, kind of sour, with some toasty grain notes as well. Thin-to-medium body, creamy with ample carbonation. Overall, it's what I'd expect for a traditional Irish Red Ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 21:01:00 | More by barnzy78

ggourde

Missouri

3.16/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Little head out of the bottle, but a pretty,clear amber with a fair amount of red. Strong sweet malt comes upon opening the bottle. Fair amount of dryness, but more is needed for this style. A bit of fizz on the tongue from the carbonation. Overall it is a tasty variation that is welcome, but as an Irish red goes- a bit too sweet and needs to be a tad drier.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 03:49:18 | More by ggourde

StonedTrippin

Colorado

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

a pretty good irish red, not as dry as the traditional ones, but a good spring mix brew no doubt. it pours a nice amber honey color with a solid white head with fine retention. the nose is a little sweeter than the style usually allows for, with a woody sort of malt vibe and a balancing hop component towards the end. the flavor follows suit, with a surprisingly delicate malt profile that makes this a real easy drinking beer. the caramel toffee English sort of sweetness comes out in the middle before the hops checks it in the finish. the hops are sort of pine like, foresty and more winter than spring in this beer. medium body and average carbonation, slightly sticky finish and a tad filling. a better than average irish red and a fine addition to the spring mix.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 15:55:35 | More by StonedTrippin

raznug

Ohio

4/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: A crystal clear red color dominates the look of this beer and it is topped with ½: of off white colored head that dissipates quickly.
Smell: This is a rather clean smelling brew that has good malt aroma that is balanced by the hops in the beer.
Taste: The flavor of this red ale is very typical of the style a good caramel malt base with hops to balance it out and a dry finish.
Mouthfeel: This is a bit of the light bodied side that makes it rather easy to drink compared to some red ales, and with its dry finish makes it a good Irish red.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 17:56:49 | More by raznug

Ivanhoes_Backpack

New Brunswick (Canada)

2.63/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

341ml bottle out of spring thaw pack (beer #2)

A - chestnut, amber colour, two full fingers head! (pretty aggressive pour)
S - really sweet hops on the nose, caramel, earthiness.
T - hint of roasted sweetness for a split-second, quickly gives way to earthy bitterness, blades of grass almost, something seems a bit off.
M - medium bodied, somewhat watery-smooth.
O - Not really balanced between the smell and taste, the beer is kind of all over the place. Not as much taste as one might hope, and even then the initial flavours fade very quickly. Not terribly impressed, this will be my already-drunk beer if I have to pick one from the pack.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 23:08:38 | More by Ivanhoes_Backpack

mactrail

California

3.28/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A pleasant warmth of malt and a hint of sweetness makes a welcome appearance. There is an interesting herbal note, even a hint of wood. A touch of cardboard in the nose. A touch of resins and enough hops to be pleasantly beery.

Surprisingly coarse and sparse bubbles in the appearance. This was from a Spring 2013 12 pack out of the cooler at Albertson's, so this is about as fresh as it's likely to get. Carbonation is usually an unheard-of defect in Sam Adams beers, so I'm surprised.

I don't know how they get this perfect copper color, but it's a little suspicious. Lovely, though, and there is a float of foam, finally, on the last pour of the 12 oz bottle. Not a bad contender in one of my least favorite beer categories.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 05:48:59 | More by mactrail

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

3.39/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured a nice dark amber color with some copper hues on the edges. Pretty translucent. There is a nice off-white head that is pretty dense but recedes quick.

The aroma starts off with some nice sweet caramel malts. Some mild sweetness is present. Very mild almost nonexistent grassy notes from the hops.

Flavor starts off with the sweet malt notes. But then fortunately, different form the nose, there is some grassy herbal notes to it. Then the grassy refreshing notes get subedud again by some nice sweet bready malt notes. There is some slight roast but the sweetness carries through. Pretty straight forward brew. Easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 01:29:44 | More by JoEBoBpr

acevenom

Louisiana

3.76/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a Samuel Adams perfect pint glass. The beer pours amber with a light tan head that dissipates slowly. There are some visible bubbles rising in the glass. Some lacing is left behind on the glass during consumption. The beer smells of caramel and lightly toasted bread. There's also a mildy earthy smell. The taste follows the nose. There's bread crust and mild caramel sweetness balanced by the earthy hops. There's some back end hop bitterness that is fairly mild, but does provide some balance. There's almost a touch of smokiness in the flavor. The body is light to medium with moderate carbonation. The finish is fairly clean and the beer drinks smoothly. This is a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 03:29:45 | More by acevenom

Utica_Brew_Review

New York

2.35/5  rDev -32.9%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

Light amber appearance with little head. Very little aroma, slightly fruity. Very bitter. Starts out yeasty with a hit of fruit. Then it hits you with ash and bitterness. Sweet alcoholic backdrop. Not too much flavor unfortunately but you can definitely sense the toasted caramel note becoming more noticeable especially in the aftertaste. Moderately carbonated. Finishes with less ash but with more of a sweet alcohol taste.

Compared to other Sam Adams and Irish Red beers this is a let down for us.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 07:10:36 | More by Utica_Brew_Review

alexgash

Connecticut

3.79/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz. bottle. Best by June 2013.

Clear, clean coppery amber body. Thick finger of dense, cushiony, light khaki head. Lacing crawls up the glass nicely. Malty nose with notes of molasses, caramel, raisins, and cooked carrots. Faint spicy hops.

Toasted marshmallow up front. Sweetish, and a little nutty. Caramel, molasses, and cookie dough flavor build by mid-palate. Vegetal hops sneak in by the finish creating some mildly spicy bitterness. Medium-bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Not bad. Reminds me of some Scottish ales I have had.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 01:57:52 | More by alexgash

teromous

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The body is a very clear red-brown color. It looks a lot like stained rosewood. The head is an eggshell-white with a hint of tan. Leaves spots of lacing on the glass.

S: Very faint musky scents like an old wooden box. There's some nutty scents as well.

T: Loads of toasted caramel flavors. These are followed by a slightly woody aftertaste. Extremely mild bitterness, but it is present. A bit of butter, but not much.

M: Medium body, with a smooth but fairly dry mouthfeel. Not slick, but full presence in the mouth.

O: Overall I did enjoy this beer. It has a fair amount of toasty flavor and caramel sweetness without upsetting the balance of it being a drinkable beer. I would say that of all the Sam Adams offerings I've had, this one would probably be the closest to what an appreciator of their Boston Lager would enjoy. For these people, I would recommend it highly.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 18:03:31 | More by teromous

Murrhey

Montana

2.73/5  rDev -22%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a weizen glass in high elevation Libby, Mont. Reviewed live. Best-by July 2013.

A- Two and a half finger cream colored head. Leaves thin translucent lacing down the side. Retention is relatively weak, about 45 seconds in and it is down to about a quarter-inch. Gorgeous red with very high clarity. Not looking too bad.

S- Warm malts, some straw and English, muted hops. All in all a quiet aroma, but not a tremendously appealing one.

T- Slightly toasted caramel malts, sour English hops and a stoic earthy yeast character. Interesting. Not great though.

M- Acidic and medium bodied. Wet finish.

O- Not Sam's best, but not a beer I would be above choosing again.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 00:51:38 | More by Murrhey

Goosehunter75

Missouri

3.31/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured a deep amber with and reddish hue. Medium light tannish head and lots of bubbles

S - Big caramel smell. I really didn't detect much else.

T - Just a little spicy with lots of caramel flavor and maltiness. I detected little to no hops flavors

M - Very silky and smooth feeling.

O - Nice beer but nothing special. I'd drink it again but probably wont make an effort to look for it. It did go down easy.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 17:39:49 | More by Goosehunter75

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.19/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Samuel Adams Irish Red has a medium, off-white head, a clear, bubbly, rust-red appearance, and medium lacing left behind on the glass. The aroma is of medium-roasted barley malt and brown bread crust. Taste is of sweet, roasted barley malt, bread crust, and some mild hop bitterness at the middle through the end of the sip. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and slick, and Samuel Adams Irish Red finishes semi-dry, refreshing, and highly drinkable. Overall, this is an excellent beer.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 00:07:40 | More by RonaldTheriot

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

2.78/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

12 oz bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A: Pours a clear reddish copper color. The head is a one finger light cream shade with an excellent creamy texture. Retention isn't great, but the lacing left on the glass is good.

S: The only thing I really notice aroma-wise are sweet caramel malts and earthy hops. Maybe a touch of diacetyl comes through, I'm not really sure. Whatever it is, it's not very impressive.

T: Just like I said in the aroma, it's caramel malts and some earthy hops to finish it. There's a faint touch of fruity esters and some hazelnut in the midtaste, but this is very simple otherwise. This does a good job of dictating exactly what the aroma suggested - by being quite mediocre.

M: This comes off rather sweet and syrupy; given its clean texture, it feels rather strange on the palate. If any beer needs a drier finish, this is it. Not particularly drinkable for that reason.

O: Can't say I'm a huge fan of this one. It's hard to really place what I don't like about this, but it ultimately doesn't come together nearly as much as it should.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 01:09:58 | More by ThisWangsChung

TempeBeerMan

Arizona

3.71/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a bottle into a nonic pint.

A - Well, it certainly is a beautiful shade of red. Crystal clear. Two-finger spun cotton like head. Good retention. Minimal lacing.

S - Mild aroma of caramel malt. Not getting much else.

T - Big toasted malts forward, but (plesantly) nowhere near as sweet as expected. Some toffee and nuttiness in the mid-palate. Ale yeasts bring the slightest hint of fruit in the form of watered-down cherry. Some English style hops bring a nice bitterness to the finish without really imparting much distinct character of their own. Very suprising at all I am getting here.

M - Medium bodied. Standard SA prickly carbonation. Why do almost all SA "production" beers seem to have the same carbonation level?

O - Not my favorite style, yet I really like this beer. More complex tasting than expected. A little "all over the place" (great look, boring smell, great taste, etc) and if they fixed a couple flaws, this could really be a champ. I'm sure there are better Irish Red's out there, but it's the best I have had so far, and blows Smithwick's out of the water.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 23:21:22 | More by TempeBeerMan