Grays Irish Ale

Brewed by Grays Brewing Company
Style: Irish Ale
Janesville, Wisconsin USA

Hazy amber with a n off-white slowly diminishing head that leaves streaks of laces as it turns back into beer. Aroma of nuts, caramel, toffee and toasted malts. Taste of sweet malts, toasted malts, caramel, nuts, though not very strong on most accounts. Heavily malted with a mild hop finish that is somewhat dry.

Picked up a single 12-oz bottle from Flanagan’s Liquors in Appleton, Wisconsin as "Gray’s Irish Style Ale." Pours a clear reddish amber brew with a thick and creamy off-white head. Nice lacing! Aroma of multi-grain malt with even a touch of dry rye, some grassy hops and some toffee. Taste is medium bodied, some little carbonation with flavors of caramel malt, some fruity character and mild spice hops. Finish has a good balance of malt and mild bitterness. Actually, this is a pretty decent Irish Ale.

12 oz bottle. Poured a clear reddish orange color. Head was one finger high and dissipated over a few minutes. Aroma was of husky grain with a touch of caramel. Slightly sweet. Flavor was similar to the aroma. Very easy to drink. Not excellent, but a surprisingly decent beer.

On-tap at a chain restaurant bar, served in a imperial pint glass. Poured an transparent bright reddish amber with a rocky pale head, fair amount of laced sticking, a good start. Pleasant aromas of toasted grains and caramel, at first I smelled a little tobacco, but as it settled down just a light woody, herbal hop. This is quite quaffable, easy to drink, smooth medium body, crisp and dry. Tastes of toasted malts and a caramelized sugariness, also a softly tart berry-like fruitiness. The hops are mildly bitter, touches of green wood, herbal in the finish. I thought this was enjoyable, a nice middle of the road Irish Red Ale.

Bottle and served in yet another ye olde pint glass: Reddish hue with some small floaties (WTF this is bottle conditioned?) and a fading white head which left some lace. The weak aroma does show some basic caramel, toffee, bready and pale, nutty malts along with a dash of spearmint leaves and a heather and flowery ester. The taste is mildly malty at first but quickly moved towards a mild roast and herbal midsection. The finish is sadly musty but could be a product of age. A bland but quaffable mouth feel. What can be said about an generic "Irish Ale" other than been there, done that.

Bottle. From sampler pack. Copper color - slightly cloudy. Good. Sweet and malty, as the description says. Some roastiness and hop bitterness in background.

Orange/amber pour with off-white head. Sweet, malty aroma with notes of caramel. Somewhat fruity. Flavor is sweet with a very slight floral bitterness in the finish. Medium body - chewy, sticky. OK session ale.

A darkish clean copper with a medium head. Aroma is pretty faint. Light caramel malts and some grains. As for the flavor....The rater below sums it up with the musty description. Musty malts and hops. A dryish bitter finish.