Time for Some Irish Red Ale on St. Patrick's Day

Remember the day when Killian's was the only "Irish" Red Ale option if Smithwick's Ale wasn't available or you tire of Guiness? Well these days there are plenty of Irish red's around. This style normally is a bit sweet with toasted malt on the front leading to a medium hoppy dying finish. And don't expect a strong hop aroma. Some breweries attempt to pass off caramel colored lagers as Red Ales (i.e. Killian's); so read the label.

The History Behind George Killian's Irish Red According to Wikipedia

George Killian's Irish Red is a beer with an Irish heritage, based on a recipe created at Lett's Brewery in Enniscorthy, Ireland, in 1864. The beer is named after George Killian Lett, the great-grandson of George Henry Lett, who founded the brewery in Enniscorthy. George Killian Lett died at the age of 84 in Enniscorthy, Ireland in December of 2010. It was originally an Irish red ale called "Enniscorthy Ruby Ale," and brewed from 1864 to 1956, when the brewery closed and it was discontinued. It is no longer sold in Ireland. The brand name "George Killian's" was purchased by the Pelforth Brewery in France. In the mid 1980s Coors bought the rights to use the brand name "George Killian's Irish Red" in America.

This weekend I tasted a few American versions that were available in the DC market and have some recommendations:

• Tongue Buckler - Ballast Point Brewing Company; San Diego, California (imperial red ale; plenty of hops (aromatics too) balance big malty flavor)
• Reilly's Red Ale - Devils Backbone Brewing Company; Virginia (subtle sweetness, tea flavors, more hops than normal)
• Conway's Irish Ale - Great Lakes Brewing Company; Cleveland, Ohio (slightly toasted, decent hop finish)
• Lucky Slob Irish Red Ale - Flying Dog Brewery; Frederick, Maryland (caramel, bready, lower hop profile)
• Irish Ale - Boulevard Brewing Company; Kansas City, Missouri (big roasted caramel flavor)
• Samuel Adams Irish Red Ale – Boston Beer Company; Boston, Massachusetts (sweeter, dying hop finish)
• Red Banshee - Fort Collins Brewery; Fort Collins, Colorado (interesting interplay between malt and hops with malt outpacing the hops to the finish)

Brews at Zoos: National Zoo

My son wants to be a biologist\zoo keeper so me take very frequent trips to the National Zoo.  Seeing the same exhibits over and over again have become much more palatable once the zoo started serving craft beer. Yes, it's expensive, $7 a beer, but one or two makes the stroll more enjoyable. On our latest trip, Yuengling Lager, Sam Adams Summer Ale, and Starr Hill Brewing Northern Lights were available in the Panda Market and the first two were also available in the Mane Grill. The Sam Adams Summer Ale and Heavy Seas Brewing Company Loose Cannon were also available at the Hot Dog stand across from the small mammal house. At this same stand on a previous trip, they were pouring the Flying Dog Brewery Pale Ale - so local beer is a presence.  If all else fails, I usually find myself at the Zoo Bar Cafe - across from the Zoo entrance on Connecticut avenue. Not a great selection, but a few of the heavy players are available. Cheers.

Ballparks & Brews: Miami Marlins Park

For Spring Break we leveraged a trip to South Florida to watch the Nationals play the Marlins in their new stadium: Marlins Park. The stadium is quite impressive: from the retractable roof; the Clevelander swimming area; the field, itself; and the food. In fact, the food choices rock: Ceviche, lobster rolls, mahi-mahi tacos, cuban sandwiches, giant hotdogs -> just make sure you head to the Taste of Miami section. The downside, poor beer selections. They only craft brew I found was Sam Adams from Boston Beer Company. I've heard from other sources that Dogfish Head Craft Brewery 60 Minute IPA is available, but from circumventing the stadium - only massed produced beer was on the horizon.  Tough.

Beer News

We read two interesting items in the June/July issue of the Mid-Atlantic Brewing News that we'd like to share. First Vermont's Magic Hat Brewing Company purchased Pyramid Breweries, producers of one of our favorite Hefeweizens. The rational behind the purchase is that it allows Magic Hat to expand marketing territory on the west coast and gives a financial boot to Pyramid - which possibly lost $1.8 million in the 4th quarter 2007. At that rate it would take Pyramid 3 years to burn through the $25 million sale price.

The second item pertains to the current hop "crisis" that we wrote about earlier this year. See Hops & Barley Shortage article. The Boston Beer Company, makers of The Samuel Adams Beer, evaluated their hops inventory and chairman Jim Koch decided to sell part of that inventory to other craft brewer at cost. They started a "Hops Sharing Program" and donated 10,000 pounds of Tettnang Tettnanger (German) and 10,000 pounds of East Kent Goldings (English) to the program. Other craft brewers with surpluses also contributed and the communal inventory was allocated to other breweries based on a lottery. This process allowed dozens of craft brewers to retain beer recipes without eliminating them altogether or altering their composition. The craft brew industry and consumers are most fortunate. Thank you Jim Koch and The Boston Beer Company.