Upland Brewing Company Ard Ri

Ard Ri

 

Upland Brewing Company in Bloomington, Indiana, United States 🇺🇸

  Amber / Red Ale - Imperial Regular
Score
7.17
ABV: 8.5% IBU: 77 Ticks: 16
Imperial Red Ale

Ard Ri (pronounced Ard like hard and Ri like bee) means High King in Old World Gaelic and certainly lives up to its name. Like all Irish Red Ales, Ard Ri gets its distinct color from roasted barley used in the brewing process, but we’ve stepped up the malt and hops to make this imperial version of the style.

This brew is slightly sweet with a complex malt character, balanced by a large hop addition to make it perfect for the big beer lovers and hop heads alike. Recipient of a Gold Medal in the 2007 World Beer Championships.
 

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7.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

From Apr 2008

I got this in a trade with joe1510. Thanks Joe!

This pours a hazy reddish colour with a 1 finger head of foam and some good sticky lacing.

The smell is mostly citrus hops with a dash of sweet and roasted malt there as well.

The taste...umm...it's big. The first thing I notice is huge notes of caramel and roasted malt that brings on the sweet but doesn't go too far in that direction; some nice hoppy flavours, grass and some slight citrus stop it in its tracks and brings on some good balance. I also get a sense of some fruit. Nice.

Hey, this is hefty son of a gun at 9.5%abv and I do feel some warming after the swallow but that's about it and I'd better keep just sipping on it or I'll be in trouble. ;^)

It has a medium mouthfeel, the carbonation is fairly light, and it finishes with another nice caress of roasted malt and grass. This is a darned good Red Ale

Tried on 08 Nov 2017 at 09:33


Beer tick image

7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Sample at Pint House during a tap takeover. Dark reddish-amber color with a medium thick foamy light beige head that diminishes slowly. Patches of lacing on the glass. Aroma of bready malt, hops and fruit. Medium-bodied with flavors of grainy malt, earthy hops and fruit. The finish is moderately bitter with a lingering hoppy aftertaste. Decent overall.

Tried from Draft at Short North Pint House on 23 Aug 2013 at 08:56


7.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 5.5

Appearance cloudy amber airh a white head aroma bready and hoppy taste bready with a bitter after taste that lIngers on the palate

Tried on 27 May 2013 at 17:59


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

From a 22 oz bottle shared at home. Pours a cloudy amber with a fine ecru head. Grassy hop aroma. Nice caramel notes moderating the hops. Bitter after taste.

Tried from Bottle on 27 May 2013 at 17:52


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Bottle. Butterscotch malt and light hops aroma. Cloudy amber with a small tan head, suspended sediment. Boozy, buttery caramel malt, burnt toast, herbal hops flavor. Medium body and carbonation. The hops and burnt toast combination was a little too harsh for my taste.

Tried from Bottle on 14 Jun 2012 at 14:24


7.3
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Bottle. Buttery toffee malt and light alcohol aroma. Amber color with moderate head. Sweet toffee/butterscotch malt flavor with moderate astringent alcohol finish. Nice.

Tried from Bottle on 07 Apr 2012 at 10:30


6.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Shared bottle with friends. Poured a small off-white head with a slightly cloudy red/ruby color. Aroma is sweet malts. A bit of a harsh, alcohol burn. Was a bit better as it warmed up.

Tried from Bottle on 12 Dec 2011 at 21:49


7.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

750 bottle-thanks hbmason for sharing-pours a tan head and hazy amber color. Aroma is medium malt-caramel, resin. Taste is medium malt-caramel, resin.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Jun 2011 at 08:44


7.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Pour is a dark red with a small white head. Aroma is of toffee and of roasted malts. Flavor is a decent roasted malt with with a bit of caramel and a nice helping of chocolate toward the end. I don’t know if this style needs an "imperial" version but this is tasty and the alcohol is hidden well.

Tried on 28 Aug 2010 at 21:26


7
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

22oz bottle pours a translucent copper red with a creamy white head. Aroma is malty, spicy. Flavor is very spicy, malty, sweet. Finish is medium bodied and malty.

Tried from Bottle on 04 May 2010 at 17:55