O'Hara's Irish Stout - Carlow Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
88
very good
-
599 Ratings

THE BROS
93
outstanding
-
read more »

rAvg: 3.9
pDev: 12.05%
Reviews: 437
Hads: 162

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Carlow Brewing Company

Ireland

Style | ABV
Irish Dry Stout | 4.30% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (377), on-tap (32), nitro-tap (26), growler (2).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

View: Beers (10) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by DavidST:

DavidST

Texas

3.53/5 rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a pint glass, there's a date of April 11 on it, but the rest is rubbed out. This pours a pitch black color with a decent head which has good retention. The smells are of roasted malts, a little light. The feel is medium to a little light. The taste is good enough, better than the burnt Guinness taste, you get some mild roasted malts, not bad.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 04:33:03 | More by DavidST

More User Reviews:

cfitterer

Arizona

3.5/5 rDev -10.3%

06-19-2013 01:24:23 | More by cfitterer

rickyleepotts

Arizona

2.8/5 rDev -28.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.5

Man, today has been a long day. Actually, I have had a REALLY long week. Anyway, since Sheryl started her new job we haven't reviewed a beer. Hopefully we can review two tonight. I suggested we do an "off the wall" review where we review a beer that isn't on the list, but gets equal attention for the blog. I hope to do more of those, as I have started posting more content about the other beers I am drinking on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Anyway, we decided to review a beer that I had already prepared. I am not typically a dan of Irish stouts, but I am excited to try this one. It's been a while since we reviewed a beer, so regardless what it tastes like, it should be fun!

Oh, and I am not 100% positive, but I feel like the bottle changed. This bottle is only 11.2 ounces, and for some reason I thought they were bigger a few months ago. Can anyone shed some light on that for us?

In the Glass: This is pitch black in the glass with a nice two finger tan head. The lace is also nice, which isn't typical for this style. When I think of Irish stouts, beers like Guinness, Murphy's, and George Killian's come to mind. I tend to only drink this style around St. Patrick's day. The lace is drawing the glass to my nose. Let's see what she smells like.

Nose: The aroma is pretty boring. It takes a deep whiff to get some nice subtle dark burnt chocolate aromas. I want to say there are some subtle coffee notes peaking through there, too. I bet a beer like this infused with coffee would be amazing. Yeah, not impressed with the nose. I hope this bottle delivers on the flavor.

Flavor: I will say this is much better than Guinness. I mean, another level better. However, I don't like Guinness. Not saying I hate this beer, but it's just my "thing". The flavor does change as it slides across your palate. I am getting, at first, some nice burnt chocolate flavors, then I am hit with a metallic flavor as I swallow. I dislike my beers tasting like I just licked a coin. The finish is quick, leaving nothing really to desire. It's too cold, but I am not sure this will be much better unless it is in a warm glass AT room temperature.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is nice. It has a nice fluffy experience going on. On my third drink, I did swish it around in my mouth a little. It didn't really do much for the flavor, but did open the beer up a little. If I was in a bar in Ireland, I might order an Irish stout. Just because I was there. But I wouldn't order two.

Aftertaste: It starts with those same metallic notes that I was getting, but quickly fades away leaving me bored. I HAVE to take another drink just to get some more flavor in my mouth. The finish is drying, which I like. But not drying enough to require another drink.

There are a few more of these on the list… but I doubt I like any/many of them. Oh well, maybe the next beer will leave me sockless. Get it?

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 03:47:32 | More by rickyleepotts

StevieDarrier

Ireland

4/5 rDev +2.6%

06-13-2013 20:54:51 | More by StevieDarrier

cambabeer

Florida

4.25/5 rDev +9%

06-06-2013 15:44:41 | More by cambabeer

jl28r1

Texas

3.75/5 rDev -3.8%

06-02-2013 03:27:09 | More by jl28r1

GRG1313

California

3.75/5 rDev -3.8%

06-02-2013 00:40:46 | More by GRG1313

crobinso

Colorado

3.75/5 rDev -3.8%

06-01-2013 19:54:03 | More by crobinso

JohnBender

Texas

3.75/5 rDev -3.8%

06-01-2013 14:45:42 | More by JohnBender

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

4.25/5 rDev +9%

05-26-2013 23:09:35 | More by NightINgale

Ciocanelu

Romania

4/5 rDev +2.6%

05-23-2013 06:59:36 | More by Ciocanelu

GinsuDave

Michigan

4.25/5 rDev +9%

05-21-2013 23:31:26 | More by GinsuDave

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4.25/5 rDev +9%

05-20-2013 17:15:45 | More by BeerForMuscle

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

4.25/5 rDev +9%

05-20-2013 02:45:56 | More by SmellsofMahagony

KSfrost

Maryland

3.75/5 rDev -3.8%

05-19-2013 22:01:12 | More by KSfrost

shand

Florida

3.84/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

O'Hara's Irish Stout has a honestly amazing pour. It pours black, which is plenty impressive for a 4.5% brew, but the mocha head is huge and retains for an eternity. One of the best looking pours I've seen in a long time. The aroma is a roast and caramel thing, with just a touch of leafy hops. The taste offers a nice roast flavor, with some hints of chocolate, caramel, and the leafy hops from the nose. A pretty decent tasting dry stout. The mouthfeel is on the light side and well carbonated, and the drinkability is good. Overall, O'Hara's is a good Irish Dry Stout that I'd take over Guinness any day.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 00:54:24 | More by shand