Irish Red Ale - Really A Beer Style?

It's March. In Austin, that means Spring Break, South-By-Southwest Film and Music Festival, and as most places in the US, St Patrick's Day. All over America, massive quantities of beer, primarily Guinness, will be quaffed during all kinds of gatherings from back-yard parties to huge festivals in celebration of the legendary Irish Saint. St Patrick's Day really is an American invention but with solid roots based deeply in the large number of Irish immigrants that have come here.

Recently, this got me to thinking. No, not about Guinness, but that other Irish beer 'style' - Irish Red Ale. I began to recall all the fine beers I have had in my travels to the UK and parts of Asia that maintain at least a semblance of British influence and to ask myself, is there really such a thing as Irish Red Ale?

Being the brewing historian that I am, the first thing that I expect for a beer type to be considered a style is some historical basis. I had my suspicions as to the answer but to be sure, I consulted one of Britain's most knowledgeable brewing historians, Martyn Cornell, to see if he knew of any such basis for this alleged style. As I suspected, Martyn replied that, no, there is no historical basis for Irish Red Ale, not in Ireland anyway.

So, is this really a beer style? If you consult the Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guide, the one by which all legitimate homebrewing competition styles are judged in the US, yes, "Irish Red Ale" is a style lumped in with Category 9 - Scottish and Irish Ale. Briefly, according to the BJCP's description, Irish Red Ale has "... moderate caramel malt flavor and sweetness..." and "...finishes with a light taste of roasted grain...". The "red" in the name comes from "...most examples have a deep reddish hue...", usually from a small quantity of Roasted Barley. Among the commercial examples from Ireland cited by the BJCP are Kilkenny Irish Beer, O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale, Smithwick’s Irish Ale, Beamish Red Ale, Murphy’s Irish Red (lager), and Caffrey’s Irish Ale. I've had Kilkenny on many occasions and always enjoy it but I've never considered it "red". Smithwick's is made by Guinness and although I like it a bit, also I've never really considered it "red". I've also had Murphy's but not the Beamish version, only Beamish Stout. O'Hara's is a relatively new introduction to the Irish brewing scene, brewed by the Carlow Brewing Company, more on them in a minute. However, I've had my fair share of Caffrey's on tap overseas and it is far from anything I would term "red", it is pretty pale and creamy not unlike draft Boddington's. Not sure why they included this one. Other US micro-brewed beers of this 'style' are also listed. However, the one missing and most synonymous with the style to most Americans is George Killian's Irish Red, a lager. I suspect this was left out due to the fact that it was conceived of and is brewed by Coors.

So, from a purely historical perspective I say, "no", Irish Red Ale is not a beer style. From the perspective of the Irish brewers that brew beers called "red", do they really think of it as an Irish style? I doubt it. But the fact remains that, not unlike St Patrick's Day itself, Americans do consider this a style. And, I must say, many of the ones carrying this moniker I have really enjoyed. After all, it is not a far shout from a Scottish ale, sharing the reddish hue and frequently a touch of Roasted Barley. With this in mind, I picked up a few examples to sample again and to comment on. Three that I picked up on this occasion were Harpoon Brewery's Celtic Ale, Boulevard Brewery's Irish Ale, and the aforementioned O'hara's Irish Red.

Harpoon's Celtic Ale I really enjoyed and to my mind really represents what we think of as Irish Red Ale. Highly drinkable with caramel notes and a slight finish of roastiness, it is a beer one could easily drink a lot of at one sitting (although the ABV is a bit high for this at 5.4%). It is smooth, not heavy and brilliantly clear but maintaining that reddish hue. This is a great beer.

Next is the one actually brewed in Ireland, O'hara's Irish Red. This is a relatively new beer to these shores but both this one and O'hara's Stout are excellent. The Irish Red has an ABV of 4.3% and is described as "A full bodied Irish red with a traditional hop flavour to balance a sweet malt finish". This one is uniquely different from any American interpretation I have ever had and, honestly, better than any of them. Distinctly British is flavor, it really tastes authentic if indeed such a style was truly considered as such in Britain. More roasty than I would have predicted almost to the point of having a smoky aftertaste. Still a lovely silky mouthfeel and nice caramel flavor.

Finally, Boulevard Brewery's Irish Ale. I love Boulevard beers. They have been one of favorite US microbreweries ever since I received my first gift of a six pack of their Wheat beer some fifteen-plus years ago as a token for watching their cat while my friends, Scott and Sue Biederwolf, were out of town. As I recall, that was one of the incredibly few - and the worst that I can remember - ice storms we've had here in Austin since I moved here over twenty years ago. Only recently have we been able to buy their beer here in Austin and it has been a wonderful addition to the selection. One of the best things is - and pretty much unique in this country - all (I believe all anyway) Boulevard bottled beers are bottle-conditioned, the closest thing you'll find to true cask ale. More on this in a future post. To me, Irish Ale is pretty full-bodied and has more residual sweetness than other examples of the 'style'. As with all the Boulevard beers, it has a really smooth and creamy mouth-feel. It finishes with only the slightest hint of roastiness. Like Harpoon, this one needs care with an ABV of 5.8%.

So, there you have it, my take on Irish Red Ale and a few examples just in time for St Patrick's Day. As the old Irish Blessing says:

     "May the road rise up to meet you.
      May the wind always be at your back.
      May the sun shine warm upon your face,
      and rains fall soft upon your fields.
      And until we meet again,
      May God hold you in the palm of His hand."

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone, no matter where in the world you are.

Yours Aye!
Neil