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

TippySelenoid

Missouri

3.03/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a mug.

It's a coppery red, cream colored head. Active carboantion.

It smells like an Irish ale, malt and yeast.

This is just what an Irish ale should taste like. It's malty sweet, some spicy hops and that yeast flavor. All of the components are there. This is mediocre.

Feels average, doesn't blow me away.

Irish ales are my least favorite style. I don't hate them but I don't seek them out. Since this one was foisted upon me I drank it. So so, who cares?

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2011 21:54:34 | More by TippySelenoid

grahambo

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I've had this beer on two occasions. The first was on tap at a beer festival over the summer where it was in competition with another Sam Adams beer where the public got to vote for which one would go into production...I voted for this one.

This beer looks like just Smithwicks or most any other Irish Red. That is where is stops being average.

It smells much malty like most Irish reds I've had, but there is also a bit of smokiness which is interesting.

It tastes malty but with more bitterness than I expected it to have. The beer then finishes with a nice mild creaminess. Overall I rate this as a great beer. A good addition to the Sam Adams family of beers.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2008 20:32:20 | More by grahambo

gmfessen

Michigan

4.15/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, SA Irish Red is a red-amber color (surprise!) with a cream colored, thick, soapy head. The nose is faint but is of caramel and grainy notes. Flavor also seems a little muted, but definitely easy drinking. Mild caramel sweetness with a bready-toasted malt flavor, hops only to balance - finish is very neutral, somewhat dry and very satisfying. The mouthfeel is medium in body with a thick, creamy carbonation. Overall, I don't drink many amber ales any more but this one is a home run in my book - smooth and not too sweet this is one you could have more than a couple of.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 01:11:31 | More by gmfessen

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.01/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a perfect pint.

3.25 A: Clear orange amber color. One and a half fingers of frothy beige head. Retention is a touch below average and a short ring of lacing is left.

2.75 S: Buttery with light caramel and some toastiness. Not much else going on. Super boring nose.

3.0 T: Taste is also underwhelming. Light caramel, toastiness, some buttery notes.

3.5 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Light creaminess.

3.0 D: This is about as average as it gets. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing right either. Boring beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2013 00:53:07 | More by DavoleBomb

stella77artois

New York

4.15/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into pilsener glass.

A - A very dark reddish-amber. Very nice to look at. A thick head developed which stuck around very nicely. Small amounts of carbonation visible. Pretty beer.

S - Not a lot happening. Still pleasant. Malted caramel, not much else.

T - Hadn't had this in years, and don't remember it being this good. Typical Sam Adams base w/ lot's of malt noticeable, as well as toffee, caramel, and even a hint of coffee. Hard to describe what the taste in most quality Red Ale's is, but that was noticeable as well. Great tasting beer.

F - Not too thick, but still strong. Felt some carbonation and it went down smooth. Nice, sweet aftertaste.

O - Appreciated this beer much more this time around. A very flavorful and pleasant red ale. Several unique flavors going, with a small amount of sweetness. Highly recommended beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 15:24:44 | More by stella77artois

curasowa

New York

3.25/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Clear, reddish-copper color with one finger of head that fades to a ring with streaks of lace.

Aroma: Bready malt with some caramel sweetness and a light floral hop note.

Taste: Grainy malt with some bready notes up front quickly followed by a surprising amount of earthy hop bitterness that lingers through all the way to the finish, which is fairly clean and a bit metallic.

The Rest: Not my favorite style, but a pretty decent red.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 02:01:57 | More by curasowa

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