After church, I decided to head home and fix myself a turkey sandwich and relax. While that was an easy decision to make, my choice of beer was quite the opposite. After stocking up on some fine brews last night I had a fridge full to select from (more reviews to come). I finally made a decision to enjoy a tall pint, and then some, of Moylan’s Irish Style Red Ale. I had their Dry Stout about a year ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I thought I’d give them another try.

Well, I must say I am getting my sock rocked off as I drink this. Unlike an American Amber (Red) ale, the Irish style is more focused on the malt components rather than pushing the envelope with hop usage. The color is hazy red and the head is low and short lived. The aroma is pure caramel and toasted/roasted grains. I just about fainted, it smelled that good. I recalled the smell of bread popping out of a toaster (set at golden brown) with a hint of caramel. The hopping was very low-moderate. This style only uses the hops to mildly balance out the malt character so while there is some bitterness it is not essentially from the hops. It is very smooth and has low carbonation making it a very easy, relaxing beverage. I could have easily gone for multiple pints. The finish was on the dry side, but I attributed that to the roasted grains not the hops. There was only one hop used and a variety of malt. Two of the malts (American 2-Row and Durst Vienna) were used to add body some body while three different Crystal malts were used to bring forth the rich caramel aromas and flavors. At first, it took me a while to get used to the fact that I was not drinking an American Red, but once I was down to my last sip I was wishing more would miraculously appear in my glass.

For the record my turkey sandwich was delightful. I remember drinking Great Lakes Irish Red Ale while eating a PB&J. I could not get over how amazingly well the two paired well. Give it a try and thank me later!

ABV: 6.5%

Grade: A