Serve in a nonic pint at 8-11 °C
What it tastes like
Irish red is a modest beer, and that is its charm. It is a session ale from Irish pubs, low in strength, made to drink in rounds. The red comes from a small amount of roasted barley, the same grain that turns a stout black, used here in tiny amounts so it colours the beer and adds a dry, toasty edge.
Expect toffee and biscuit up front, a little buttered toast, then that dry roast at the end. Hops are low and earthy, there to balance rather than to show off. Some versions carry a touch of butterscotch from the yeast; in small amounts that is part of the style, in large amounts it is a fault.
The difference from an American amber is the hops. An American amber has citrus and pine and more bitterness. The Irish beer is all about malt and finishes drier than you think. Many commercial Irish reds lean sweet; a good one finishes clean enough to have a second.
Style profile
- Look
- Deep amber to ruby red, clear, with a tan to off white head.
- Aroma and flavour
- Toffee, biscuit and light caramel, a dry roasted barley edge at the finish, low earthy hops.
- Mouthfeel
- Medium light body, moderate carbonation, a dry finish with a hint of roast.
- Ingredients
- Pale ale malt, a little crystal malt, a small amount of roasted barley, English or Irish hops, a clean ale yeast.
In India
Irish red is an easy sell in India. It looks impressive in the glass, the malt flavour suits our food, and at 4 to 5 per cent it does not wear you out at a long lunch. Because it is malt led, it handles a less than perfect cold chain better than a hoppy beer. Toit lists one among its house beers, and the style is a good monsoon beer with something fried.
At the Indian table
Food pairings contributed by Anuradha Rao
- Kanda bhajiToffee malt and fried onion is a natural match, and the dry roast finish cleans the oil.
- Butter chickenCaramel malt meets the tomato and butter, and the beer stays light enough not to pile on.
- Kolkata mutton chaapRich, slow cooked meat with a sweet edge likes the toffee and roast.
- Gulab jamunBiscuit and caramel against fried milk dough and cardamom syrup.
Brewed in India
Want the long read? Amber and red ales