Upland Ard Ri

Brewed by Upland Brewing Company
Style: Irish Ale
Bloomington, Indiana USA

Name: Ard RI Imperial Red
Date: 04/26/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Rich O’s

muddy burnt orange, dense creamy head, thick lace, sweet caramel malt aroma with lots of floral hops and very light fruits, stick sweet dark caramel flavor, balanced with lots of citrus hops with an earthy edge, nice biscuit character brings it back to being a red ale, best Upland ever and quite possibly the best imperial red, and then the sweet butterscotch comes in the very last sip but too late to detract from the overall experience

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

(Draught) Pours a clear amber body with a small off-white head. Aroma of toasted biscuit, raisins, caramel, apple, and toffee. Flavor of mild hops (resin, herbal, earthy), caramel, and bready malt.

Bottle... Cloudy, caramel-colored ale with lots of floaties tooling about and a small, fizzy, off-white head. Sweet-candy aroma with odd notes of raw beef and sweat. Full-bodied and chewy with soft carbonation. Caramel-sweet up front; pleasantly bitter on the backside. The alcohol warmth isn’t overbearing in the least. Bittersweet, drying, warm finish. <b>Kudos to the ever-generous mgumby10 for popping the top on this one!</b>

Pours brownish red with a thin white head. Smells malty with some citrussy elements. Tastes slightly bitter and earthy with some spicy hints.

My first "Imperial Irish Red Ale" - called The Ard Ri on the label, which I suppose is important to someone somewhere... Looks good, deep amber with a touch of red and a solid ecru head. Loads of lace. The aroma is caramel, toffee, apple, with some grapefruit and zest. The citrusy bitterness is a bit strong for an Irish Ale, but I appreciate it. It blends well will the dull malty sweetness that’s more characteristic of the style. Not bad.

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Ruddy, copper color with a tallish stable dark cream head. Buttered rye bread scents. Hints of citrus and earth in the background. A bit raw and undeveloped in the aroma. Caramel and butterscotch in the front. Middle continues with the butterscotch, with a sharp alcohol and herbal bite that carries well into the finish and linger. I catch the Irish Red Ale and this is definitely one on steroids. An Irish red can be a bit biting to begin with this one is grabbing on and not letting go. Hints of vanilla as time passes. I appreciate it for what it is, but some time an imperial is just too much.

Bottle from Keg Liquor. Poured clear rddish copper color with an average frothy off-white head that was mostly lasting with excellent lacing. Moderate citrus hop and toasted malt aroma. Medium to full body with a slick smooth texture and soft carbonation. Moderate to heavy bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate duration. My expectations where more then met.

Tap and served in standard pint glass: Reddish amber hue with a nice creamy head and fair lacing. The aroma has notes of caramel and toffee, rye bread, mild apple and orange esters, flowery, hint of coriander and dusty yeast. The taste is rather straight forward but it is balanced and quite drinkable with mild hop bitterness and acidity countering the caramelized malting. A light spice upon the finish as well. The mouth feel is smooth and has a slight bite around the edges. Overall a solid example of an "Irish Red" even if a tad too high on the ABV. (Seems that the 2008 batch is improved over the 2007 by looking at the ratings).