Smithwick's

I'll never forget my dad's favorite belt buckle. It was a large metal oval with an American flag and and an Irish flag crisscrossed and the words "American by birth" above the flags and "Irish by the grace of God" below.  Understood by him not as nationalism, but as as a special reverence for his grandparents culture and his personal link to something greater. Most specifically, (and of course stereotypically) the alcohol that is produced in Ireland. A link I was lucky enough to soak up from him.

The sweet aroma, mellow taste, and velvety smoothness of Irish whiskeys and the tender malty goodness of Irish beers are often copied, but never duplicated. Those relatively gentle and mild flavors that Irish alcohols have has caused their current popularity explosion the U.S. For the masses they are easy drinking, generally inexpensive, and it's fun to sound cool when know how to properly enunciate the booze you are ordering. For the appreciators they are ancient creations that provide a refreshing change of pace and offer subtle expressions of alcohol made with quality ingredients.There are two Irish beers that combine both mass appeal and aficionado snobbery, Guinness and Smithwsick's (both made by Guinness). It's summer so I picked up the lighter Smithwick's Irish Red.

Irish reds are supposed to be easy drinking flavorful ales. They should have a toasted malt charter with a very mild bittering hop. Smithwick's does just that with perfection. Oh, and it's pronounced smidth-iks not smith-wicks just in case your getting one at the pub (bar). The rusty red amber burps up a very nice thick tan head. The toasted malt appears on nose with a just a touch of  caramel malt and a hint of yeast. Very light nose. The taste closely follows the nose. The toasted malt gives the wondrously thick mouthfeel something to play with while the mild caramel malt sweetens things briefly. A very light yeast gives the malt some fruity depth. Quick light balancing hops mid palate. Very straight forward.  A quick metallic whiff before the mildly bitter mostly dry distant hop finish.17 tickets to Dublin out of 10. Let this warm for a slightly more flavorful experience. An absolutely wonderful beer for the summer. Some fried chicken or beer battered fish are absolutely perfect with this beer.

slainte