Irish Red - Diamond Bear Brewing Company

youradhere

Arkansas

2.95/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a crystal clear ruddy hue of amber; thin cap of foam s falls quickly. No notable aroma. Tastes rather bland, some caramel, watery cola, slight earthiness. Body was fairly thin on this, nothing exceptional whatsoever about this beer. Definitely an English style. Next.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2013 10:57:35 | More by youradhere

estlinska

Arkansas

3.41/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on-tap at the tap room at the brewery in a standard shaker. Pours a reddish, ruddy brown like a wet split piece of red cedar. The head is very minimal and dissipates in a flash, but carries a mildy orange hue to it. No lacing left on the glass. The smell is malt, like white bread (very little) and some maybe floral edge to the smell of the hops. The taste is pretty sweet overall; the 32 IBUs really don't show up very much. There is a little bit of a dry finish, but not much bitterness overall. Mouthfeel is a little watery, but not too bad. It's a fairly average beer, and I liked it overall; just nothing dramatic about it.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2013 21:49:03 | More by estlinska

BrewerB

California

3.48/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thin ultra light tan foam sits atop the hazed reddish orange brew.

Aroma includes a slightly burnt toasted bread with sweeter caramel malt in the initial burst. Dash of hibiscus and perfume in the background.

Initial short blip of drip coffee with a toasted bread in the middle and malty sweet on the finish.

Medium-full bodied with a moderate low level of carbonation.

Overall this feels a bit full on the palette for this style of beer. Irish Reds should be an easy drinking pint. Mouthfeel and lack of a dry finish are hindering the score.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 02:41:20 | More by BrewerB

BeerMeInMS

Mississippi

3.43/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle
Dated: July 2011
Drinking Date: Nov. 1 2011

Glassware: Mug

Appearance: Dense red-orange color with a beige head that has some retention and leaves a bit of spotty lacing as I drain it.

Smell: Not a strong smell... Sweet and floral.

Taste: Throughout the beer is an even flow of sweet, bread-like flavor with very mild bitterness at the end. A mostly clean aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: light-medium bodied; good bit of carbonation.

Overall: Decent beer. Nothing special, but good flavor. A very suitable session beer, because of its continuously interesting, but mild, taste and fairly light body. I will drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 04:05:13 | More by BeerMeInMS

trappistlover

Arizona

3.33/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

(12oz bottle courtesy of Fata!!). Pours clear mahogany with thin off-white head. Nice lacing and light carbonation. Aroma of dark caramel, jell-o chocolate pudding (?!), brownie, and biscuit. Taste is sweet and malt forward with light bittering hops. Medium bodied and oily texture. Pleasant bitter finish. Not bad for a style I generally don’t care for.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 00:14:35 | More by trappistlover

Redrover

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Diamond Bear Irish Red on tap at the Flying Saucer in Little Rock. Served in a large pilsner style glass, the beer is a rusty red with a thin tan head.

It has a mild nose of malts and a bit of plum.

Taste is as expected, a bit sweet with some doughy bread notes. Faint fruit notes at mid glass. Hops are for the most part mia.

The mouth is on the thin side. Not a whole lot going on here. No off or odd notes, but not a lot of flavor either.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2011 20:51:58 | More by Redrover

SickGnar

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: A warm dark amber - sort of a reddish chestnut, especially when backlit. Short light tan head that falls fast to patches and leaves decent lacing.

S: Malty sweet nose with toasty, bready, & caramel notes. Not really any hops. I am, however, picking up a distinct tea-like something.

T: Malty caramel - both flavor and sweetness. Toasty bread in the background with darker toffee and even chocolate notes. Balancing hop bitterness that is grassy, herbal and a little bit spicy. Lingering sweetness in the end, but also an astringent note.

M: Body is just slightly above medium with firm yet creamy carbonation and a semi-sweet finish.

D: Very drinkable overall. Not all that dry and a bit thick & hoppy for an Irish Red. But it is at the upper end of the style abv-wise. I like that it is reasonably complex to go along with the heft.

(from notes - tasted March 2010)

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 12:57:31 | More by SickGnar

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.03/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Admittedly not my favorite style, but this one is not great even for the style. Definitely drinkable, but too light and not the best from their stable of beers. Pours red with a medium head, nothing special, but nice enough. Smells sweet and a little corny- smells of adjunct. Tastes similar, with more sweet adjunct flavor and very light hops. Just okay.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2010 03:48:59 | More by Georgiabeer

Jayli

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Acquired from TheManiacalOne so a big THANK YOU goes out to him!

A: This beer pours a deep amber, almost mahogany color with a one finger of offwhite head. Nice head retention that leaves sticky lacing on the sides of the glass.

S: Nose is of caramel malts, some hops, and a bit of breadiness.

T: Taste is caramel malts and toffee upfron -quite sweet. Middle is balanced out with some roasted malts and beadiness, and finishes with a mingle of hops in here to give a slight bite.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation, pretty clean and crisp feel with a somewhat sweet aftertaste left.

D: This is a nicely done beer, I could sit with a few of these for a little bit, but the sweetness in the aftertaste deters me from drinking it all night.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2009 17:59:47 | More by Jayli

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired from via trade from davey, so a big "Thank You" goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

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

S: The aroma is of caramelized malts, tea, some spice and some hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet and malty with flavors of caramel, toffee and a touch of smokiness. There's a mild but complementary hops presence that brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, this is a nice beer with some substance that is worth drinking for a while.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2009 03:16:51 | More by TheManiacalOne

zeff80

Missouri

3.58/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, fizzy, mahogany color with a thin, tan head of foam. Not much lace.

S - It smelled of malt, nuts and light grasses.

T - Tasted of nuts, sweet caramel and bready malts. A slight grassy bitterness provides some balance.

M - It was soft and smooth. A light-bodied, easy-drinking brew.

D - This is an okay irish red ale. It is well-done and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2009 00:32:14 | More by zeff80

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Diamond Bear- Irish Red

Big thanks to Davey for this 1!

A- Deep amber red/ brown, clear with a good frothy head. Decent lacing along the top of the glass.
S- Light sweet bready malt with hints of cocoa.
T- Toasted bread crust malt, molasses, chocolate, and an earthy dry sweet hop finish.
M- Lightly sweet with a big thick malty body. Slightly dry earthy hoppiness near the backend but finishes sweet and malty.

Overall- Nice and clean. Good balance between the malt and earthy hops. My 1st from Diamond Bear and a good 1 at that.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2009 22:05:23 | More by NJpadreFan

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.63/5  rDev +4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours chestnut with 1+ finger of tan colored head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Toasty malt & some steely hops

T: Toasty, toasty malt, leafy & metallic hops, plus grainnyness up front. Biscuitty malt & dryness dominate as this warms. Finishes with juicy grainyness, leafy hops, & dryness, plus slight fruittyness; almost pulled a 4.0

MF: Light/medium bodied with medium carbonation & good balance, thickens up a bit at the end

Great drinkability, not a bad Irish Red

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2009 02:48:16 | More by russpowell

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle while in Fayetteville. This is an interesting red ale. I'm getting nutty flavors that remind me more of an English brown ale, while this still looks and largely tastes like a red-amber hued, caramel malt. There's also a nice tan head that lasts the whole beer through. And while this is a tasty beer overall, the body is bit thick, making it feel more like the heartier American red ale style. Still worth a try for an interesting take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2008 00:48:39 | More by tempest

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Exuberantly deep amber with a clear, slow bubbly body. A Slim tannish capping of smooth foam sits briefly atop that then keeps a solid skim present the whole session through. A few strings of lace are placed across the glass.

Sweet berryish aroma with a glint of dull grass and some caramel malt that stays favorably forward.

Taste is solid with a somewhat complex tone and length that suits the style with maybe a bit more maltitude in a dullish sweet malt coating of soft, supple, smoothness. Caramel, dullishly fruity, berry-like with some raisin hints and a small grassy tone of hops that lightly smear the malts away in the finishing area. It stays quite malty and kinda chewy actually. Not bad...it hit the spot.

Feel is about medium with a grand display of easy going malt tone and soft chewyness. Perhaps a bit more drying hop effect would really make this stuff shine. But as is it reminded me alot of some of the yummy brews I like from Capital.

Very drinkable and sessionable. A surprisingly yummy little ale by Diamond Bear.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2008 00:59:20 | More by tavernjef

aaronh

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

This beer looks incredible. Nice rich, red body topped by a thick light tan head that shows nice lacing and decent retention. Aroma has some nice caramel notes and a bit of hops, but also a fair amount of what smells like corn or DMS. And holy crap, it's actually bottle conditioned! Swirling it a bit to pick up just enough yeast to make the beer slightly hazed effectively covers the off aroma and throws more of a bread and caramel note in the aroma. Amazing transformation. Flavor actually smoothes out a bit as well, but it still has a slightly skunky & adjunct flavor. Decent bitterness comes through in the flavor. Mouthfeel is fair. Drinkability - well, not a favorite of mine, but I will finish the sixer. Definitely a step in the right direction from the BMC fizzy yellow beers, but not quite a leap. But hey, it's brewed in Arkansas, and it's more than I though I would find down here! And for the record, I find Arkansas to be a beautiful state, just not real beer friendly. I drove for hours from Texarkana to Fort Smith and I swear the entire trip was through dry counties, so to find beers brewed in Little Rock was a real treat. Honestly.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2006 03:07:38 | More by aaronh

Prufrock

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

on tap into a pint glass.

slightly hazy reddish amber. half an inch of off-white head that falls quickly and leaves the slightest lace.

sweet toasted malts, toffee and caramel in the aroma. a faint hint of balancing hop bitterness.

flavor is somewhat light, but dominated by a caramel malt sweetness. faintest hint of cherries and a wisp of smoke. fairly light mouthfeel with a medium-high carbonation and a clean finish. comes off more as an amber ale than a red, but it's drinkable and inoffensive.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2006 03:27:06 | More by Prufrock

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance- Pretty medium amber slash semi-rusty hue mixed with awesome carbonation making its way from the top. The half inch thick foam is maintained throughout the entire brew.

Smell- Doesn't do the taste complete justice. But the toasted malts mixed with pelletized hops. Gives an almost good smelling beer a cheap schnupf.

Taste- The toasted malats are center stage with somoe good seltzer-like carbonation. But the mlats are pretty bubbly on the tongue. They sort of dance over the tongue.

Mouthfeel- Pretty good for a Killian like Irish red beer. But this had more flavor and personality too it. The carbonation helps the flavor move on from the tongue.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2006 05:09:21 | More by scruffwhor

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.33/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Clear amber/red in color, thin, evaporating head.
Malty, spicy nose, pleasant enough, on the sweet side.
Big carbonation on the tongue, quite a fizz, then fast fading.
Not quite enough in the flavor to report on...some fruitiness, a touch of nuts and caramel. A bit thin in the body department...yeah, the malt could be richer.
Nice enough sliding down the throat, rests pleasantly on the palate, but I had a hankering for a beefier taste. Just a little, anyway.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2005 00:46:01 | More by feloniousmonk

bditty187

Nebraska

3.6/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Brown with coppery-ruby highlights, largely clear, there is just a whisper of haze. A few bubbles were noticed in the liquid, they lazily raced towards the head, which was beige in color. The foam reached almost two fingers in height before fading quickly to a thin cap. This cap lasted awhile but left the beer completely before I removed all the beer from by glass. There was no subsequent lacing. The nose has modest potency but the most vocal aroma was toffee. Very light sweetness, in fact it is a little dry. Toasted malts with a slightly earthy undertone finishes the bouquet. Clean. Simple. Inviting. The palate is pleasant. I like it. Malt leads the way, Brown Ale-like roasted malts (tasty), toffee, light sweetness, some earthiness, chocolate, and at the finish is a tickle of hop-induced bitterness. Throughout the taste is a small note of astringency. The finish is creamy but dry with a Scotch Ale-like vibe. There isn’t much about the taste that says “Red Ale” but, thankfully, this beer works, it works well. Tasty stuff. Of the three beers I’ve tried from Diamond Bear this one is the best. Medium in body, maybe a little bigger, the carbonation is modest, the mouthfeel is very good, filling. This is a pleasant quaff. I’d buy a six-pack and drink away the day. It is a solid, uncomplicated beer. A good complement to stews or chili I would think. I have no criticisms about the taste, mouthfeel, or drinkability. I do wish the nose were louder and richer in smells. Oh well. If this was my local I’d be happy. Thanks rugger for the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2004 18:50:11 | More by bditty187

rugger

Arkansas

4/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a solid 4 point beer. Even if I am a little biased. This beer pors a beautiful amber red with a nice head that leaves little lacing but looks nice in the beginning and then it seems to bow out when it is time for the flavours to shine throught. The smell is almost belgian like with a nice fruity nutty earthy smell. The first sip is of a nice sweet and nutty feel. The mouthfeel is nice and bold and it almost seems to be on the heavy sice, but for a nite cap beer it fits the bill. Very drinkable and worth a try. I am glad this is carried up in my neck of the woods.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2004 03:33:05 | More by rugger

EagleTalon

Arkansas

3.75/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bronze Medal, 2004 World Beer Cup
Gold Medal, 2005 GABF

Pours to a deep crimson/amber color and lasting beige head. Aroma is very subtle with roasted malt and earthy hops evident. Flavor is roasty,alcoholic and earthy (but not in a bad way) with a nice balance of maltiness and bitterness. Similar to Scotch Ale but without the smokiness. Finishes roasty and somewhat dry. A very good beer if you are drawn to the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2003 03:20:05 | More by EagleTalon