Saint Boisterous

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Saint Boisterous

• Brewery: Victory Brewing (Pennsylvania)
  

• Style: MaiBock

• ABV: 7.4%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: Golden color with a slight haze.

      The head on this one started quick and fluffy. A good competitor out the gate. The scents off this one were spicy and malty at the same time. You can tell from the scent the yeast is gonna have some nice flavor. Unfortunately the head was gone after the sniff. On first splash you get a nice malt explosion on the follicles. Spicy and just slightly sweet the malts and yeast head line this show. The hops come through nice and full giving it a earthy taste. The swallow leaves you with a nice crisp malty flavor that lasts a good while on the pallet. 
      Here's a early spring seasonal that really impressed me. I bought it about a month back with a best by date of march 11th. Drank it that night. A really full flavored beer even past the best by date. May have even been better had the Face bought it a few weeks before. I recommend, next Saint Patrick season, you find this one and give it a try. 

Rating: ****

Wexford

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name:Wexford

• Brewery: Green King/Morland Brewery (Ireland)

• Style: Irish Style Cream Ale

• ABV: 5.0%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: A copper color, transparent

      Having only tasted a Genny Cream Ale before this I didn't know what to expect. Then the Face opened the nitrous can. Also a first for us. The sound threw the Face off. As the Face poured, I realized if nothing else, this was the coolest pour I had ever seen. Like sand falling to oblivion the glass became clear after being all cloudy. The head on this is another marvel. It stood up for a long, long time. Thick and creamy I was nearly lost in it every time. The taste was that of a creamy red too. It was creamy but wasn't too sweet of a cream ale. Very malty and really a easy drinking beer. The Irish seem to do this Irish style thing pretty good. Weird.
         Figure this and the Brooklyn stout are my favorite beers for the holiday. Hoping to get a good rotation of those as I celebrate this wonderful occasion. I hope that all the other facial haired gentlemen (and ladies?) have a great festivity to attend. Bring them great mustaches home, safe and soaked in some suds at the end of the night. Happy Saint Paddy's day, pop a nitrous can and enjoy my fellow beer lovers.       

  Rating: ****

Irish Red Lager

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Irish Red Lager

• Brewery: Dundee (New York)

• Style: Red Lager

• ABV: 5.5%

• IBU: 25

• Pour Color: A see through red

       The Face pours it and I know it's red ale time. It's brought up to me with a nice foamy head, and all I smell are those malts emanating. A slightly sweet flavor at the start of your sip and ends with the strong malt flavor. This one really is a pretty cut and dry red that offers little to get excited about. Extremely easy drinking and smooth but not much else. 
      Dundee is actually a Genesee Brewing product. I know not really a microbrewery but as I have said finding Irish seasonal is difficult. Dundee though at least gets in the spirit with this one. A red lager that really is just that. No extra hop flavor, or a dry finish, this one is just sweet malt. I would go for any of the other reds I've rated long before this one unfortunately. 

Rate: **1/2

St. Patrick's Irish Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: St. Patrick's Irish Ale

• Brewery: Custom Brewcrafters (New York)

• Style:Red Ale

• ABV: 4.9%

• IBU:?

• Pour Color: A red very clear beer

      This one poured with very little head. Once it was lifted to me it had all but vanished. As usual the Face took a smell of the beer before a sip, I got a whiff too. Malts are all I smelled off of this one. On taste, it's real easy to tell this is a red ale. Very slight taste of almost a smoke too. It also has a bitterness that wasn't there for Conway's or Celtic. Not as sweet as the Conway's either. The malts in this one dance much cleaner on the tongue then the Celtic though. This is another red ale that I could see drinking more then just once a year.
      I been trying to do more Irish style beers due to the season. This is actually pretty hard too do. Only certain American breweries have an offering of this type this time of year. Custom Brewcrafters happened to be one. Really a good beer for the holiday. I really have a hard time deciding if I'd be happier, with the Face, ordering a Conway's or this one.
     


 Rating: ****

Dry Irish Stout

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Dry Irish Stout

• Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery (New York)

• Style: Irish Style Stout

• ABV: 4.2%

• IBU:?

• Pour: Black not see through at all

 



      It was dark pouring into the growler and it's dark in the glass. As it poured a big tall head came up. Through the next six or seven sips it held on. The smell is just a strong malty scent. A nice light taste to the beer yet real big body. Thicker then some of the other beers I've rated and much more malty. This one has tastes of caramel, chocolate, and barley all jumping out at you. The hop flavor though is there and bitter without taking over the brew. A really good Irish stout of course.
      All of Brooklyn's brews are delicious and this one is no exception. My favorite beer so far of the Saint Paddy's day variety. It's ability to not be a bread in the bottle feel while having that taste is amazing. Just the right balance of sweetness too. Another beer I got to say "Thank You Face."

Rating: ****1/2

Celtic

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Celtic Ale

• Brewery: Harpoon (Massachusetts and Vermont)

• Style: Irish Red

• ABV: 5.4%

• IBU: 25

• Pour Color: A dark red color fairly see through

     The Face grabbed some Celtic for the review today. The pour looked almost the same as the Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale. Light red and no cloudiness to it. The follicles tensed up as the Face lifted it to me in excitement. I'm learning to like red ales as I'm going. The head was big and fluffy on the pour as you can see in our photo. The taste however is quite balanced. Celtic doesn't bring out a sweetness like Conway's and presents an interesting contrast.
      Red ale number two leading up to the holiday. Really two different beers in the same style and one I'd order any day of the week the other just for the saint paddy's day. Great lakes has a more interesting beer with bolder flavors. All things considered I'd probably order a Harpoon IPA before either anyway. 

 


Rating: ***1/2

Conway Irish Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Conway's Irish Ale

• Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company (Ohio)

• Style: Irish Red Ale

• ABV: 6.5%

• IBU:25

• Pour Color: A dark red color fairly see through

 
 

      A amber red right out the bottle and my follicles ain't excited. A red ale is the last thing this mustache wants but for some reason this is the season for em.  Conway's Irish Ale had a creamy head for a sip or two before it went down. The tastes are those of mellow malt. A much sweeter taste then the Cascazilla Red Ale I did a review on at the start of the month. A nice bread in bottle taste although usually not my style. The hop is only a slight flavor in the malty red.
      Conway's Irish Ale is really a decent beer in itself. Being a red ale I wasn't sure about it. The Face though tells me he will be buying more of these as the Saint Paddy's day celebration comes closer. So think of this as a first of many red ales for the season. May even get lucky enough to try a few Irish stouts too.

Rating: ****