Alpine Beer Company McIlhenneys Irish Red

Brewed by Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: Irish Ale
Alpine, California USA

From a far this sits a shadowy dark blood red, up to the light it has a wonderfully clear ruby brown tinted body. The cap is small and faintly thick with a light stained ivory color. Minimal lacing sticks in small globuals. Nice aroma of candy bar chocolate and caramel with a wiff of subdued cherry-like fruityness and vanilla. Taste is outstanding for an Irish Red. Complexingly delicate and well rounded flavors of malty fruityness bringing a partial red apple and date filling, feathered in vanilla cherry coke without the overly sweetness or active carbonation. Mild but fulfilling with a calming smooth character. Great finish of lightly dry candy bar chocolate and caramel swirling off into a return of some malty fruits and vanilla. Tthe mouthfeel of this beer is awesome. Big full smooth body. Succulantly easy to quaff. Its smoothness is like no other Irish Red I’ve ever encountered. Its milding charm is very enthralling and the finish is spectacular. My kind of beer. Tasty, well rounded, smooth, full, candyish with chocolate and caramel with a sweet fruity center that helps keep a terrific balance. Damn good stuff!

On tap at Downtown J. Brown’s. Poured with a deep orange hue with a very pleasant malty nose. Mouthfeel was smooth and had a cool citrus taste couples with mild touches of chocolate malt. Finish was clean and very crisp. I very much enjoyed this and would love to have it again, Pat knows his brewing!

Sampler at the brewery. Pours copper, thin off white head. Aroma is malty, with sweet malts caramel/chocolate aromas notes. Taste, plenty of the 13 malts adding some sweet caramel and chocolate, remains very smooth with a vanilla like mouthfeel. Some light hop notes hit the back palate with some licorice and a beer that just amazes me with the use of the malts.

Initial malt aroma clear small white head, good moderate hop nose. Caramel with light fruityness. Very smooth and crisp finish with no llingering aftertaste

On draught at brewery. Probably my favorite of the brewering offering I have tried, though pure hoppiness is a very close second. Copper colored with a light off white head. Flavor is very complex for an Irish Red. It has a nutty caramel flavor along with a very slight hint of chocolate backed by a dry maltiness. Hop are well represented though not over done.

(on tap @ hollingshead)anber body with a thick off-white head.light hoppy aroma with an earthy malt taste.

Nice dark red on pour with a large, off-white head that diminished quickly. Although delicious, aroma and flavor were modest. Aroma and flavor were similar with malt, caramel, hops, cherries, and carbonation. Very well balanced, the aroma and flavor did not grab me and announce themselves. This Irish Ale would make for a great daily drinking beer if it were available in my area.

This is probably the best Irish Ale Ive had to date. A dark reddish brown appearance with a moderate head. The flavor was rather complex with some bitterness present. I tasted cherries, nutmeg, and grapefruit. From the looks of it, I enjoyed this more than most people.