Crooked River Irish Red Ale

Formerly brewed at Crooked River Brewery (Snyder Intl)
Style: Irish Ale
Frederick, Maryland USA

Delicious complex flavors abound in this ale. Fruit-like flavors from the yeast combine with delicious malt flavors and tangy hops. If only those Killian’s Red Lager drinkers could taste this Irish Red Ale, they would never look back. Or would they? This might be a little too far over the top for them but WOW! I could drink this beer regularly. Delicious and sturdy.

this is the real deal! if Coors could get half way here with Killians

A fantastic dark ale. Very flavorful and an overall good drink. I did find it very filling though. It’s a meal in of itself. But one of my favorites!

My favorite Irish Ale! I don’t buy this as often as I should! The head depicted in attached photo is false tho, this stuff is fairly headless, but smooth, very bubbly, but crisp. Little aftertaste make this my faver of this variet, one that I don’t enjoy all too often. Never had enough of them to report on hangovers tho, I guess this stuff would cause some bad ones.

Sweet, tangy front. Tart middle and finish, with a good balance of hops bittering at the end. Did not remind me of an Irish red as much as it did a Scottish ale, although not as malty. Could have used a little more malt to balance the tartness.

Everybody seems to mention Killians Red when rating this beer. Not that I blame anybody, Killians is really the only mass produced ’Irish’ Red Beer I am aware of in the USA. Crooked River’s version is far superior than Killians. It has an English malty taste to it. When I poured the beer into a glass I was rewared with an excellent head and deep red color. Good aroma and rich taste. Definitely a great brew and should be the beer to measure all other American ’Irish’ Red Ales by.

Tasted at the Barrelhouse Brewing Company Microbrew Fest on November 9. This was a great beer to end the evening with. Crooked River’s beers seem to be hit-or-miss a lot of times but this is definitely one of the better ones. I can see keeping this one stocked for myself and for company. Reddish-orange with a medium light beige head. Malty aroma. Malt character is just enough that it is not syrupy or overly sweet. I really enjoyed this.

Had a few bottles of this as my first sample from this month’s beer of the month club offering. This brew pours a clear orange red. The generous tight off-white creamy head is mostly lasting with fair lacing. The nose is subtle with roasted grain, caramel, spruce, resin, cheese, and a bit of fruity spice. The flavor improves as the brew warms. The brew is predominately sweet & malty with a low acidity. Hints of fruit, spice and alcohol are present. The medium creamy body is soft and feels alcoholic at the finish. Very well done. Would make an exceptional session offering.