O'Hara's Irish Red
Carlow Brewing Company

O'Hara's Irish RedO'Hara's Irish Red
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From:
Carlow Brewing Company
 
Ireland
Style:
Irish Red Ale
Ranked #89
ABV:
4.3%
Score:
81
Ranked #25,757
Avg:
3.56 | pDev: 13.76%
Reviews:
241
Ratings:
545
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 28, 2023
Added:
Feb 22, 2005
Wants:
  29
Gots:
  95
No description / notes.
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Photo of Ernald_Elbertson
Reviewed by Ernald_Elbertson from Delaware

3.54/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
If you can get this over Smithwick's, do so. This beer isn't marvelous, but it is a much better Irish Red. Despite the low ABV, it has a decent amount of flavor and doesn't feel watery. Fairly well balanced with some earthy bitterness from the hops, to me this is what really makes a decent Irish Red along with the more obvious malt character.
Dec 28, 2023
Photo of MaltsOfGlory
Reviewed by MaltsOfGlory from Oregon

4/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
15oz can

Pours a finger of creamy, off-white head into my nitro glass. Retention is average. Lacing is poor. Body is amber, nearly brown. Looks ok.

Nose is toffee, biscuit, nutty. Flirts with chocolate, and then eventually capitulates. Very malty. Perhaps a touch of cherry. Maybe a tad heavy for me, but it smells very nice.

Flavor is more balanced. A surprisingly forward dose of chocolate, some biscuit, and touch of cherry. A little odd, but it’s flavorful.

Carbonation is hardly here, but there is a small tingle. Very light bodied. Slightly dry to begin, finishing with a touch of sweetness, neither is very apparent. Bitterness is noticeable and helps offset the bigger malt presence. It’s a pretty balanced, serviceable mouthfeel.

Drinkability is pretty good despite the elevated bitterness.

Overall it’s a little edgy for a style that’s often on the sweeter side, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Dec 25, 2023
 
Rated: 3.92 by KeithGreatNorth from Canada (BC)

Dec 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.84 by binno from Canada (ON)

Nov 27, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by KMcGrath from Massachusetts

Jun 15, 2023
Photo of DaveMaciolek21
Reviewed by DaveMaciolek21 from New Jersey

3.69/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A dense, dark ruby pour with a thick off-white head that stays put. Full-bodied, substantial mouthfeel. Nice flavor blend--sweet caramel malt with a bit of roast, and then a nice subtle hop bite to balance the sweetness. Great example of its style.
May 13, 2023
 
Rated: 3 by prisdefer from New York

Apr 16, 2023
 
Rated: 1.71 by MacStinson from Michigan

Mar 23, 2023
Photo of TheHammer
Reviewed by TheHammer from Canada (ON)

3.71/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Deep brown with touches of crimson, that is just clear enough to allow you to pickup silhouettes of your hand as the roast approaches that of a Scotch Ale. Hard to tell but the carbonation looks milder. Produced a single finger's worth of head that sadly didn't stick around and thus did not lace.

Smell: A mix of caramel, toffee and biscuit malt is the star of this show, but notes of tea, herbs and a hint of fig and maybe clove is present. Didn't really need warming to achieve good potency, but improved with it.

Taste: Starts with that strong mixed malt aspect with tea notes that goes to a brief fig, nut and berry touch where the almond like nuttiness comes out to add a slight touch to finish of earth and mild herbal hops. It's good, but that middle part seems a bit too tame when paired with it's bitter, but not out of control ending.

Mouthfeel: This I feel is really where this beer falters, as the carbonation isn't as low as you think it is, given the lack of head as it seems to mainly help out the start or end of the beer depending on how fast you drink it. The transitioning has a bit of a gap in the middle of the beer. The aftertaste however is nice as the bitter hops seem to revive the tea and toffee malt leading to a mostly balanced aftertaste. Sadly as you near the end the earthy hops seem to want to cling more and more.

Drinkability: On the heavier side of medium body, but feels like it should be heavier but I do like that it is a bit more reigned in. It's certainly a lot more refreshing then drinking like a meal that sometimes the style falls victim too. Low carbonation means it settles well but the middle gap puts it in a odds spot.

Final Thoughts: That odd spot is this tastes like it should be that single beer sipper, but because of that gap in the middle and milder body, it falls into a weird spot. Not light enough to a more character filled faster quaffer but not heavy enough to be that slow sipper. The place I can see this beer shinning when paired with food, but while I'm not cicerone, I think it would go very well with sheppard's pie or shellfish.
Jan 05, 2023
Photo of Pmicdee
Reviewed by Pmicdee from Canada (ON)

3.64/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours more brown than red, midsized head. Mild aroma, mostly of malts and grains. A bit spicy on the taste, just a bit, with more of the grains, this time toasted. a bit of hops also. medium bodied mouthfeel
Nov 29 2022
Nov 30, 2022
 
Rated: 4.42 by Irish57 from North Carolina

Oct 12, 2022
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.33/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Aug. 2005: 500 ml bottle, as "Molings Traditional Red Ale / Traditional Celtic Beer", bought in Denmark. Chestnut colour, large cream-coloured head. Very moderate aroma of malts and caramel. Malty flavour with some toffee and a noticeable bitterness, but not very complex or remarkable. Drinkable of course, but this is a beer that probably would be a lot better if cask or bottle conditioned. It’s not, which makes it not that much better than "average".
Sep 14, 2022
Photo of JZH1000
Reviewed by JZH1000 from Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from an 11.2oz bottle best by February 28th 2023

On the pour a one finger head dissipated relatively quickly to a little bitmof floating foam and a ring. The body has lazy carbonation and is a dark brownish red.

Aroma is quite unique with a standard malty sweetness and a bit of british ale characteristic, but there's a sort of peatiness to the malt bill as well with hints of smoke. Perhaps a highly roasted malt? Clean and unique, but still right on style.

Taste follows the aroma, but with a bit of extra sweetness, and some nice bitterness shows up. The bitterness is from both hops and roasted malts, and that smoky flavor stays present, but isn't overbearing in any way. The malts finish up with a nice nutty toffee note.

Feel is carbonated and pretty dry on the palate. Despite the dryness making the perceived lightness much higher, the finish is pretty long, and the malts stick around in the back of the mouth for a good while.

Overall this is delicious. I was a bit disappointed on the pour but everything else about this brought redemption. Crisp, but flavorful, as well as very sessionable.
Sep 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.71 by nodder from New York

Jul 31, 2022
Photo of HarlotBronte
Reviewed by HarlotBronte from District of Columbia

3.84/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: Brownish-red with a half inch off white head. Good retention.

S: Caramel, toffee

T: Toasted malt, light hop bitterness, and a bit of smokiness.

F: Light bodied, low carbonation, smooth

O: One of the first beers I liked and for a good reason.
Jul 23, 2022
Photo of rclangk
Rated by rclangk from West Virginia

3.86/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
BOM 3/2022
May 06, 2022
Photo of mikeg67
Reviewed by mikeg67 from New Jersey

2.88/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
330 ml bottle. Pours dark red with tall, long-lasting, fluffy white head and nice lacing. Aroma is of herbal hops, caramel and bready malt. Body is medium and crisp. Taste is of earthy hops, ripe fruit and bready malt. Finish is long and bitter. OK brew.
Apr 05, 2022
 
Rated: 3.67 by Hazey92 from New York

Mar 17, 2022
Photo of Tony787
Reviewed by Tony787 from Canada (ON)

3.85/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Got it from a mixed pack bought at the LCBO in Ontario 500ml bottle at 4.3%.
Poured a 1finger head into glass.
Dark reddish copper color
Taste is very smooth easy to drink it with hints of cherries .
Overall a good red ale with a low bitterness level.
Cheers
Dec 07, 2021
 
Rated: 4.21 by irishevans from California

Nov 21, 2021
O'Hara's Irish Red from Carlow Brewing Company
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 545 ratings