Big River Grille Irish Red Lager

On tap at Chattanooga. Pours quite red with a good white head. The aroma is very woody with bicuity notes and something like damp basement. There is a surprising level of European hop bite in the flavor. It’s very woody with a pleasing dry finish. Hints of apples and bread are noted. This is a very crisp, clean beer. This delivers in the way I’d hope a typical lager to. It’s not bad at all.

Name: Irish Red
Brewery: Rock Bottom Brewery - Atlanta
Date: 03/04/2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub, Atlanta

Appearance: clear dark red with a copper hue, big dense beige head, layers of drippy lace,
Aroma: bready malt aroma with a light caramel sweetness balanced by light earthy hops,
Flavor: dry caramel malt flavor, nice bready character, earthyness keeps it balanced, touch of caramel sweetness comes through to rebalance the earthyness, good interplay between the caramel sweetness and the dry earthyness, light lasting bitter finish rises out of the earthy hops,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *4

From The tap poured amber with a fair amount of head. Decent flavor with a quick finish.

Draught in Chattanooga: This one pours with a small white head that dropped off almost immediately and left no lacing. It is an absolutely clear amber color. The aroma is a little light, although pleasant. Just hints of some toffee, malt, roastiness and earthiness. The taste is good. It had just a touch of sweetness to it. Pretty good balance with a hint of bitterness on the finish. No bad, it will appeal to many, but is rather non-descript.

Draft in Chattanooga w/ Shag/Clash. Poured a dark amber to copper color with a nice initial head, decent lacing. The aroma was light roast, some caramel. The flavor followed suit, although mixed in and underneath was a corny adjunct flavor that started to get annoying by mid-glass. The first half of the glass was drinkable, probably the best of the four I did at BR Chattanooga (although not lager crisp, even had some fruity ester notes over top of it), but with warmer temperatures, I couldn’t get past the adjunct flavor in each sip. Imbalanced clearly to the malty side of things.

Pint at the Seven Bridges Brewpub in Jacksonville. Had this on the eve of their party to introduce it, with some of the proceeds going to charity. This beer poured clear amber orange with a white head that soon dissipated. It was an honest, straight-up beer. Very drinkable, and very forgetable. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing to make it special or memorable. a good Irish Red, but boring.

On tap at Disney World location. Pours a golden amber orange with an off white head. Aroma of light roasted malts and caramel. Flavor of roasty malts and some cocoa.

Draft a Seven Bridges. Poured a auburn color with a moderate frothy white head that diminished quickly. Average sweet malty aroma. Light to medium body with a thin texture. Same sweet malty flavor with little bitter finish of short duration. Many better brews from this location.