Everything you need to know about Irish Red Ale
The Irish red ale style emerged around the 19th century, although it is obviously not the first top-fermented amber beer. At the time, it was the Irish response to the widespread pale ale of Great Britain. The economic situation favored its popularization. The English were the main suppliers of malt and hops to their island neighbors, so they decided to implement a tariff policy. As a result, Irish brewers began to brew beers with unmalted roasted barley while also reducing hop additions to the bare minimum. It is in this context of scarcity that our protagonist emerged.
How do we distinguish an Irish Red Ale from other amber or toasted beers? To the eye, it is mahogany in color, translucent due to a calm maturation and a bit cooler than other ales. The foam is bone-colored. On the nose, it remains a simple and honest beer: caramel notes, roasted hints, and, to a lesser extent, ripe fruit. The Maillard reaction is very present in this beer. Properly roasted grain is combined with a prolonged wort boil. As a result, we get a very malty beer. Sweet without being cloying, thanks in part to a dry finish. The bitterness comes not so much from the hops as from the roasted malts.
Today, we can find a couple of more or less widespread references around the globe. One of them is Murphy’s Irish Red and the other is Smithwick’s from Kilkenny. It’s easy to find either of them in almost any pub, as they have focused on export. However, the latter now uses corn syrup in its recipes. Other benchmark breweries for their red ales are O’Hara’s and Porterhouse, but they have not yet expanded to the same extent. If we want to try Spanish interpretations, we can turn to Red Kahs from CCVK in Madrid. Birra e Blues also has a couple of beers along these lines. Even Estrella Galicia launched its “Galician Irish Red Ale” La Pelirroja in 2020. There must be a reason why the style keeps spreading.
Far from dominating tap lines like lagers, IPAs or stouts, this doesn’t make it any less well received. We can classify the style as easy-drinking. It’s a tasty, well-balanced beer. Ideal for those just getting into tasting, its low alcohol content (usually between 3 and 5% ABV) means you can sip it slowly and at length. In addition, its low carbonation makes it even more drinkable.
