Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale - Great Lakes Brewing Company

keytown

Kentucky

4.2/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a clear copper with thin off white lacing that sticks to glass as you drink it.

S - Smells of toasted malts, caramels & slightly fruity

T - Slightly sweet with tastes of caramel & malt

M - Creamy medium body with just enough carbonation

D - Easy drinkable beer, gets better as it warms up. Another good beer from the folks at Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2010 02:12:58 | More by keytown

ZSimon

Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a beautiful color, halfway between amber and ruby, with a rather thin, bone-white head. Smell is primarily sweet caramel, with a touch of herbal hops. Taste is big, sweet malt, with pronounced caramel. Not getting much of the toastiness that the label promised, more like bready or doughy. A flash of hop bitterness in the middle fades into the round, malty, just-barely-sweet finish. Maybe a trace of warming alcohol, especially as the glass warms, but still a well-hidden 6.5%.

Another fine seasonal effort from Great Lakes. Slainte!

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2010 23:06:41 | More by ZSimon

n811

Michigan

4.15/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my new Sam Adams sensory pint glass (thanks to James)!

Deep copper color with a nice fluffy head, crystal clear. Smell was nice malty sweetness, promising for the style.

Taste was nice and smooth, but less sweet than the smell indicated. Malty graininess, a bit of alcohol, a bit of hop bitterness - the balance is very good. The aftertaste is relatively short with a dryness coming through. Ready for my next sip!

I love Great Lakes beers, and this was no exception. Maybe it's the yeast strain they use, but many of their beers share taste characteristics - I've tasted many of the same notes in their Oktoberfest and Christmas ales.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2009 00:29:12 | More by n811

schleprock

Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Copper color with a nice cream colored head that lasted a good bit.

S: I smell roasted malts.

T: Finely tuned roasted malt flavor with a mild bitterness. This beer goes down very easy for me, a very drinkable session beer.

M: Medium body, not too bitter on the hops.

D: Very drinkable, dangerously so. I'd buy this year round if it was available. One of the better Great Lakes products IMHO.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 04:30:14 | More by schleprock

Veristic

Tennessee

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Conway's Irish Ale served @ 45* into a Red Oak tulip pint glass, consumed on 4/20/12. Best by date: 5/9/12.

A- Big fluffy 2-finger off-white head that dissipates into a thin sheet that hangs around until the end. Minimal spotty lacing. Deep copper-red body. Good clarity, only slightly hazy.

S- Some sweet caramelly malt, a little toffee-ish. I can pick up a very slight herbal & floral hop aroma. All aromas are tame, pleasing and in balance.

T- Smooth & balanced, very easy drinking. Light caramel malt, a little buttery. Mild hop bitterness. Some light toasty roastiness in the finish, very nice!

M- Slightly slick mouthfeel. Medium body. Medium carbonation. Slightly astringent in the roasty aftertaste.

O- 6.5% ABV but goes down like a good 4.5% session beer. This is definitely brewed closer to style than FFF Brian Boru but I like the Brian Boru a little better. Both are great, seek em!

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 04:11:10 | More by Veristic

cueball52

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

It pours a deep copper/red with a nice frothy head that dissipates quickly. Minimal head and lace to the bottom of the glass.Not a lot of aroma, just a mild sweet smell. The taste up front is sweet, carmel, with a touch of spiciness. Nice carbination, very refreshing with a dry pleasant after taste. Great balance and probabaly one of the better Irish ales out there. This ale is remarkably drinkable!

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2007 21:16:21 | More by cueball52

NuclearSoAndSo

Ohio

3.99/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured into a beer mug.

Appearance: Pours a not quite two-finger head which dissipates within a few minutes. Has a great golden-amber color; lots of bubbles on the side of the mug.

Smell: Has a decent nose; grainy and hoppy.

Taste: Plenty of hop bitterness with a malty presence, and just a touch of grainy sweetness to finish it out. Crisp.

Mouthfeel: Quite carbonated and sort of light in a good way. Not in taste but in the body; refreshing.

Overall: An all around good beer, I can dig it. I would buy this one again, always a fan of GLBC.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 22:26:25 | More by NuclearSoAndSo

fattire513

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a copper color with a one finger head good lacing as I take some sips of this beer from GLBC while writing this review

S: Nothing really stands out for me on this one unfortunately. The only other red ales I have had besides this one haven't really supplied a smell that stands out to me

T: More malty than hoppy for sure. there is a good balance between all the ingredients, but with my inexperienced taste buds nothing is too apparent.

M: The carbonation does not seem to overwhelm my palette, and the balance between the hops and malt doesn't leave a taste lingering for too long

D: I could drink more than one of these in one sitting, but I really don't prefer red ales over other types. I would define this as a good session beer maybe some people wouldn't.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2010 21:44:53 | More by fattire513

SylviaFaye

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A 1 inch off-white head sits comfortably over a clear amber body with considerable carbonation. The nose is fruity with hints of banana. The initial taste follows the smell with fruity esters, but as the beer rolls over the tongue, a whole palette of flavors emerges, including a slightly hoppy, toasted almond bread middle, and a final alluring, bitter pull. The mouth feel is of medium consistency.

Varied, interesting, and tempting... this beer is definitely one to try from this company.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 19:28:53 | More by SylviaFaye

Zaradog

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle with "enjoy by" date: 04/05/11. Started out at 53*F but was 65*F by the time I finished.

A: Copper. When viewed over a white background it almost perfectly matches Chevy's 2010 "Inferno Orange Metallic"... Which is not a good color for a car, but looks good on a beer. There was a pleasing number of carbonation streams flowing through the beer, unfortunately none worked towards maintaining the head. It disappeared rather quickly.

S: I picked up a Carmelly, Bready odor with a slight undertone similar to Scotch or some type of Whiskey (I'm not a Whiskey drinker so I can't be certain which type).

T: Medium Maltiness with a slight to medium sweetness.

M: Hopefully this doesn't offend anyone, but I'de say it is similar to regular old Budweiser. Maybe a bit thicker, a little less dry, and a bit more carbonated (I liked that part).

D: I could certainly kill a 6-pack. But at the same time, if I was out at a Pub, I'd stop at one and move on to the next contender. I tend to start out mild and go to more bold beers as the night progresses... this is definitely a beer I would start the night with, not finish with.

All in All... this is a pleasant beer. Probably a good choice for someone that is leaving the standard Miller, Bud, Coors line of beers and starting to try new things. This one will certainly not frighten you away from the Micro-Brewery scene.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 02:49:34 | More by Zaradog

Murrdogg

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A A deep brown and caramel appearance. Rather beautiful

S Toasted caramel was obvious, along with roasted hops. Slight woody back aroma, with maybe some hints of bread or yeast

T Roasted hops and malt smacked me first and were the most obvious, but it finished with an almost floral-y sweet hop finish

M Malty hops are strong and almost overpowering. Not bubbly at all, very smooth, and goes down well.

D Light, yet complex in taste. This would be (and was!) a great have-with-dinner beer, as it isn't tooo over powering, but still compliments many dishes and styles
Not my favourite GLBC brew, but it's up there!

Serving type: on-tap

02-03-2011 04:24:31 | More by Murrdogg

LittleWolf

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Pours an amber red with a foamy head that soon dissipates.

This beer has a very yeasty smell which makes you anticiapte a good sweet malty flavor.

Wow, what a drinkable beer. Just like the smell indicates, it has a good malt flavor with some sweetness. Some decent lacing along the sides of the glass, the beer's flavor really comes out as you drink, I think my fridge was too cold. Not much of a hop flavor at all, and the mouthfeel is average or slightly above. However, I could settle for a six-pack of Conway's Irish Ale instead of reaching for 6 different session brews. It says Irish Ale, and I'm not an expert on the stlye, but it doesn't quite match other Irish Ales that I've had. All in all, another good brew from Great Lakes.

I definately plan on having a few of these on St. Patty's.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2006 02:44:31 | More by LittleWolf

Jae27

Ohio

4.85/5  rDev +26.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From Pitcher to frosted mug.

A - Pours a wonderful copper color with a good inch of off-white/tan hearty head that stays through the end of the glass. Lacing is on the higher end of the Great Lakes line about average.

S - More complex than most of the style. Notes of baked apple, toasted nut and molassas. The first glass was masked by the cold temperature but by the second the warmth really brought out the natural aromas that make this beer special.

T - The most distinguishable flavor is toasted malts with sweet notes of caramel and hickory. The hops are very well balanced and do not dominate at any point. It finishes with a fruity grapefruit and apple. All elements are balanced throughout which yield a flawless taste.

M - Slightly on the dry end, the finish is exceptional. This beer does not ware your palate out in the slightest which makes it the perfect compliment to food.

D - This is the easiest drinking beer GLBC has to offer. Easily got through the pitcher with a buddy. I could drink this beer all day.

This is my favorite beer from GLBC. It is a seasonal beer but I wish it wasn't. I reviewed it from draft but it is just as good out of the bottle. The only complaint I had was that it was served too cold. The twelve pack box is a wonderful buy. Do not hesitate to pick some up!

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2009 00:57:01 | More by Jae27

turnblom79

Indiana

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I really enjoy most Irish ales, but was a little disappointed in this one. I had just sampled Michelob Irish Red, and felt that this one tasted a little watered down. The smell and appearance were great, but was thinner than I expected when drinking. Great Lakes has so many great products, it was a shame that this one fell a little short.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2009 05:24:01 | More by turnblom79

aquilontendants

Wisconsin

4.68/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bought at Frugal Homebrewer and drank same day of purchase. Poured into thick stein glass.
Beer smells very malty, and toasty. There is a background of hops aroma hid well behind the malty intensity. The aromas are very welcoming to the style, but unclear as to what style.
Its appearance is ruby-red orange and when poured, a one finger head was left atop the beer. That faded to a thin head throughout the drink.
Wonderfully malty and toasty this beer is. I will not hesitate to say this is the best red beer I have tasted. Its alcohol strength works perfectly with its robust toastiness and crisp taste. The hop flavors are right there with it, not hiden too well and blending very well with the slightly roasted, again toasty, biscuity flavors.
The mouthfeel is great and fresh. I would say it is a medium-bodied beer, and it fits perfectly with its style. GLBC has really hit the mark of the aspect of the brau, could not be better, for my taste at least.
The drinkability is very good. It fills the mouth up quite a bit with flavor but that flavor is full, and desirable. I might have to keep some of this ready for St. Patrick's day.
Overall this beer is one of the best red ales I have tasted. Eggerton's (spelling?) red ale is also a mentionable one to try if you can get your hands on it, though it is stronger and more assertive than this one. I stand by on my rating of this beer, very high!

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2005 03:56:51 | More by aquilontendants

kraken6100

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Poured into a bulb glass, copper to a lighter gold towards the edges, with a nice thumb-sized bright white head.

S: Almost smells like a Pumpkin ale. Something along the lines of allspice or nutmeg, with a pretty forward caramel and malt aroma.

T: White bread with a bit of caramel sweetness. Super faint bit of hoppiness at the end. Great balance, as others have alluded to.

M: Very light, especially for clocking in at 6.5%. Great carbonation, finishes really light and crisp with no cloying or viscosity at all.

D: VERY. Definitely perfect for today, a nice 50 degree change of pace in suburban chicago. Could easily drink a six pack of this and not even break a sweat. Not my favorite by them, but certainly another above average beer that doesn't disappoint.

Paired very well with some orange chicken, fwiw. Nice work, GLBC.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 00:13:42 | More by kraken6100

vintajuess

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a standard pint glass.

A - Pours to a high, foamy head. Gold-to-amber gradient looking down the tilted glass.

S - Very pleasant. Fruity, more of the acidic variety--roma tomato, rotting orange (but in a good way), persimmon maybe, sweet red pepper, a little raspberry which could just be my imagination. Floral smell too.

T - Slightly more bitter than I'd hoped but a nice flavor--raspberry, must, a hint of shallot that passes up through the sinuses, just a tiny bit of sweetness that lags behind the bitter.

M - Causes the lips to purse most similar to eating a grapefruit. It feels too thin for my liking. I almost can't feel it swish around my mouth, and there's too much of a carbonated tingle going down the throat.

D - Very drinkable beer. Other than the bitterness, there's nothing that's likely to turn anyone off about it. Very light for an ale, a good choice for a full stomach if you're looking for something with a little bite but don't have a taste for sweet. This would go great with roasted peppers, cabbage, broccoli, endive salad... stuff like that.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2010 08:25:30 | More by vintajuess

robbtjones68

New York

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Here is one of those cases where the beer from the tap is Sooo much better than out of the bottle. I will review the tap version and give Great Lakes the benefit of the doubt. I had one several years ago from the bottle and was not impressed; even disappointed since I have been a huge GLB fan since the late 90's. Have made several trips to the brewery Mecca over the years. My last trip, my buddy advised that I try it as a draft. I did and it was like a different brew. It came to life with punch and aroma. It delivered on a brilliant Irish Red which can be drank endlessly when done right. Bartender, pour me another! This one's on Eliot Ness....

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2009 02:57:41 | More by robbtjones68

dkrusekontrol

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass on a nice spring day. White head quickly settles over a ruby amber color. Perfectly clear with some carbonation.

Smell: A little bit of honey sweetness, but I detect grass, citrus, and a bit of grain.

Taste: Grass and lemon hop character. Again, grain maybe some caramel. Not too much alcohol noticed.

Dry, light, easy drinking. I don't have a wealth of experience with this style, but I enjoyed this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2011 22:45:37 | More by dkrusekontrol

burring

Ohio

4.55/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: beautiful copper color. Slight head, maybe about a half, to three-quarters of an inch. Little to no lacing. A lot of activity in the way of carbonation.

Smell: malty smell. It's nice. Not bold, not underwhelming--seems to have the right balance.

Taste: malt character up front, smooth finish with a residual hop flavor that creeps up to the back of the palate. Very enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: very well rounded and smooth. It's pleasant to hold in one's mouth. It seems to have a sort of wholeness. I find it extremely enjoyable.

Drinkability: it's at this point in the day where I love to kick back, sip a beer and think. This beer is great for that. It's not boisterous or bombastic--it has a particular laid back quality where you just want to casually sip it with a good meal.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 00:18:41 | More by burring

shoney

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is the only Irish "red" that I drink. I am not a huge fan of the style but I am a fan of this beer. A must for mixing in between Guinness's on St. Patty's day.

ST: Bottle, I bought a case of bottles from my local
A: Deep copper red appearance with a lingering slight head
S: Toasted sweet bread
T: Very malty as you would expect but not overpowering with a good amount of cut from the alcohol
M: Lightly carbonated and very soft
D: The best beer of its class and very drinkable despite it's higher alcohol content

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 23:34:03 | More by shoney

HollandTunnels

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured a nice amber red, 1 inch foam

S - Malt and a little smoked or toasty and sweet

T - A bit on the sweet side tasts and smell are similar

M - Good, easy or mid

O - I liked the beer just alittle on the sweet side for my taste but overall good beer

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 22:07:46 | More by HollandTunnels

detchazm

Ohio

4.59/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

I have liked this beer for sometime. I started homebrewing about a year ago. I tried to brew my first Red Ale as close to this as possible. Dark reddish hue, not a very aromatic beer. It doesn't smell bad, just doesn't smell much at all. I found it to be very filling. A sweet & heavy taste. I have always liked Red Ales as my favorite style & flavor. Living in Cleveland makes it a disappointment that this brew is only seasonal. I would drink this all year if I could.
CHEERS
CM~2013

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 17:37:56 | More by detchazm