8

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

12 ounce can into pint glass; no can dating, but is a recent release. Pours slightly hazy deep orange/copper/light reddish color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, and nuttiness; with lighter notes of cocoa, toffee, raisin, plum, apple, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready/light roasted malts and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, and nuttiness; with lighter notes of cocoa, toffee, raisin, plum, apple, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spicy hop and roast bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, light cocoa/toffee, dark fruit, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and fairly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 5.5%. Overall this is an excellent Irish red ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. Very rich English malt complexity; restrained/complementing fruity yeast, and balanced earthy hops. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.