Brooklyn Irish Stout Review

Name: Brooklyn Irish Stout
Style: Dry Stout
ABV: 4.7%

Even though St. Patrick's Day has come and gone, I do enjoy my Irish Dry Stouts! I'll go on the record and say that I love Guinness Extra Stout, I think that despite being mass-produced that it still holds up in terms of quality. I am a bit biased when I say that I use it as a benchmark for any Dry Irish Stout. Since I am a huge fan of Brooklyn Brewery, I decided to snag a bottle of their Dry Irish Stout.

The beer pours a pitch black color with a pretty filmy brown head. I see a tiny bit of red on the bottom of the glass if I hold it up to the light.

The nose has a nice mixture of roasted malts, coffee and chocolate. It doesn't assault or overwhelm the senses but it is pleasant. Likewise, the flavor is pretty much the same as the smell with the exception of some grassy notes on the back of the palate.

The body is pretty lightweight and the carbonation has a slight kick to it; So it comes off as somewhat crisp.

While it isn't as vibrant as Guinness Stout, to it's credit, it comes off as a simpler version of a Dry Irish
Stout. For what it is, it's still pretty good

Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout - 7.5/10

Sam Adams Irish Red Ale Review

Name: Sam Adams Irish Red Ale
Style: Irish Red Ale
ABV: 5.8%

Continuing on with my Sam Adams Spring Sampler review, my next item on the list is the Sam Adams Irish Red Ale. Before starting, I wanted to say that I really enjoy seeing the award information under each bottle Sam Adams bottle cap. I find it strangely fascinating.

Sam Adams Irish Red Ale pours a Ruby Red Color with a head that has a slight red tinge to it. At least they weren't lying when they called it a Red Ale. Head retention is decent, which lasts around 3 minutes or so before it starts to wear off, leaving behind a fair amount of lacing.

Smell is quite malty, with some yeast and light floral hop notes. There's also a sweet toffee scent in here as well, probably thanks to the malts.

The flavor has some toffee, yeast, and malty notes. Floral hops are also absent in the flavor, and instead what I am left with is a fairly malty Red Ale, which is rather unusual considering my past experience with this style.

The palate itself is of moderate weight and the carbonation is light, so there it's a pretty easy to drink beer.

Overall, it's a decent beer. Nothing too special or spectacular about it, it gets the job done and has a solid flavor.

Sam Adams Irish Red Ale - 7.5/10