Thursday, March 16, 2017

NorthGate Red-Headed Piper Irish Red Ale

So, it's St. Patrick's Day. And a guy with a name like mine is supposed to care about such things, but I'm not one to give a twirl over it. Not a lack of love for my 25% Irish heritage, just not a fan of the holiday. Nonetheless, I should drink something Irish, shouldn't I?

NorthGate Red-Headed Piper Irish Red Ale. 4.5% ABV.

Here's one I've had in firkin form at Acadia, and a couple of samples in cans. Yes, one can was the one I took these notes on, some time ago, and never got around to publishing because the sample can was blank and the pictures were terrible. Meanwhile, I was given another sample can, and this one has the logo on it somewhere, so that's something. So, notes away!

Dark crimson coloring, slim off-white head.

In the nose: Starts out sweet, malty, caramel-y. Hardly a hair of hops. Clean and even.

In the mouth: Bright and hoppy at first, with lush, sweet malt coming in behind. Caramel and toffee notes aplenty. Nicely balanced. Bitterness comes back up and keeps time with the malt. Medium bodied, excellent consumability. Flat out tasty, this one.

I looked it up on their website and found only this:   Rich in color while light in body, with roasted barley and toffee notes.  Exclusive to Merlin’s Rest and The Pub.

Must be old information on there. If it's exclusive to Merlin's Rest, why do I keep getting samples?

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