003 Oh, Danny Boy, your Red Ale is calling...

My grandfather had a bit of an Irish brogue, "inherited" from his father, who immigrated from Dublin at the age of 17. From that side of the family, I'm not too far removed from the Emerald Isle (if climb the other branches of the family tree, though, my kith and kin have been here in the US (and its territories) since 1792).

I've often wondered if that kinship to the Old World is where my brothers and I developed a taste for the beer and whiskey. I doubt there's anything genetic to it, but I do think there's a little something to it.

Tonight's beer is an Irish style red ale by Moylan's: the aptly named Danny's Irish Style Red Ale. For me, the first sip was a bit of heaven. By far, this is the best brew I've had so far on my Sip on the Wild Side travels, and this is absolutely something that will wind up in my refrigerator again in the future. In fact, if there was ever a reason for there to be a tear in my beer, it would be because I only bought one bottle of this at the Central Market near the Galleria in Houston. Right now, I would love to have a second bottle to send me to bed.

Okay, I must admit, I'm not 100% sure why it's called a "Red Ale," because the color is actually a light caramel/brown without much of a hint of red. But I really don't mind (it must be a brewing thing, and as I said, I'm not an expert on brewing) because the flavor is so smooth and refined. I don't know if it was aged more than typical beers, but it tastes like it. Or maybe it's the ingredients, like the barley, that intercede and stop it just at that instant before the strong flavor is about to turn bitter on the tongue. It almost gets there, and then just pulls it back to leave a faintly sweet aftertaste. There's something else there, too... something smooth. I don't want to call it "chalky" because that would give it a bad connotation (and I almost didn't write that because I didn't want that image to scare you away). But there is definitely a smooth, somewhat faintly smokey flavor (a remnant of when the barley was roasted?).

Moylan's Irish Style Red Ale A rich ale recipe from the Homeland, Paddy’s Irish Red Ale is malty sweetness in liquid form. A low hop profile dances above the massive barley character, creating an invigorating aroma and caramel character that will compliment most foods. Hearty and luscious, this brew is what keeps those Irish Eyes A’ Smilin’! From Moylans.com Alcohol content: 6.5% NOTE: This actually has a very nice head on it. Please excuse my photo; next time I'll set up the camera and backdrop before I pour!

 This beer might be a bit heavy for the faint hearted, but if you enjoy dark ales that have some heft to them, then you'll enjoy this brew as much as I do. So far, this is the best I've had so far, and I give it 8.5 out of 10.