Great Lakes Conways Irish Ale

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Irish Ale
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Pours a nice clear copper color with a thin white head. Aroma of sweet malts. Flavor starts malty with a watery toffee taste to it. Ending flavor had some hops in it. Dull flavor that could be more but falls just short, almost bland. Nice and smooth nearly full bodied with slight bite at the end.

12oz - Nice tan head, copper colored liquid, malty bread nose. On the sip malt strength. Nice to this point, and then it all goes wrong. Nasty sweet cabbage funk follows. Another miss from Great Lakes for this taster.

Pint Glass Pours a red amber, with a small white head. Aroma of nutty dark chocolate, toasty hazelnut. Light palate, with dull flavors matching the nose. Oily in the mouth and on the finish. Meh.

Bottle@Home. Toffee, molasses, fruity, light floral aroma. Amber color, beige head, good lace. Very sweet, malty, licorice wood, toffee, light bitter, floral, fruity. Very full and sticky mouthfeel. Nice and flavorful but due to the sweetness I wouldn’t know if I would have second.

Great red color with medium head and carbonation. Aroma is very malty with a very prune fruit scent. Flavor is moderate alcohol combined with a fruity prune, lots of malt character, very sweet hops and not much bitterness. Overall a great example of a red.

I’ve only had this bottled, but I live close enough to the brewery to go try some on tap and the bottled version is good enough that I plan to do that soon. Dark amber pour, nice head, lovely clean taste. Reminds me of Smithwyck’s, only better, in my opinion.

Poured on tap at The Galway Tribes (Frankfort, IL). Pours a deep dark auburn hue with notes of dark red throughout with a small white head that quickly subsides. Aromas are largely malty, toasted malts and caramel break through with a minor hop presence. Initial is largely caramel malt sweetness. Taste moves to a slight hoppiness that is still smothered by the caramel malt. Not very complex as any complexity that may have existed is humped into submission by the toasted caramel malts. Finishes smooth and leaves the aftertaste ever present on the palate. Decent.. not something I’d necessarily go out of my way to try again though.

Bottle acquired via polomagnifico!!! Yes, another one!!! Thanks RYAN!!! Aroma reveals nothing but sugar. The appearance is bronze in color with a head that leaves only a small ring behind. Flavor is where this one earns its merit badge (and isn’t that the most important attribute???" Incredible nuttiness, caramel, molasses, and toffee. Palate is right down the middle. Will warm ya during a winter chill.