Beamish Red

odyssey06

Has 2 lovely pints of this over the weekend in Clontarf Castle. It has a nice creamy head, like Kilkenny, but is lighter than it, more like a Smithwicks.

Anyone know anywhere in Dublin city centre which serves it on draught?

BeerNut

Peter's Pub and O'Neill's on Suffolk Street have it. Quite fond of it myself, now and again.

Edit: and I just spotted that Nash's on the corner of Kevin and Patrick Streets have a sign in the window saying they sell it too.

deaddonkey

not city centre, but hedigans in phibsboro do it

€3.80 i think. it's lovely stuff.

Sarky

*takes notes of locations*

This stuff seems almost impossible to find nowadays. Used to be everywhere in Cork (one of my main reasons for visiting the city, actually, but don't tell Warpcon, they'll cry), but last time I went i had to visit the pub opposite the Beamish brewery to find me some.

Divine stuff, if Smithwicks and Kilkenny had a baby that was raised by God, it would be like Beamish Red.

BeerNut

Sarky wrote: »

Divine stuff, if Smithwicks and Kilkenny had a baby that was raised by God, it would be like Beamish Red.

Get that man some O'Hara's Red.

odyssey06

To continue the Red Ale rundown, I was in Messrs Maguires last night, had a few lovely pints of their Ruby Red Ale. Very nice. As creamy as a Kilkenny but not as heavy. I'd prefer it to the Portherhouse Red I think. And microbrews are 4 euros a pint in Messrs.

BeerNut

Rusty, not Ruby. Any sign of the Imperial, odyssey06? I understand a new batch has been brewed. Divine (award-winning) beer.

I think it's kinda weird that the Porterhouse and MM still do nitro reds. They're very much products of the mid-1990s when the styles were in fashion. But the big-brewery nitro reds (Beamish, Murphy's, Kilkenny, Caffrey's) have really fallen out of favour since, and yet Rusty is MM's biggest seller. Novelty value, I suppose.

odyssey06

I stand corrected BeerNut, Rusty it is - I didn't see any Imperial but I was focusing on the Rusty... and the girls at the bar alas

Ham'nd'egger

BeerNut wrote: »

Rusty, not Ruby. Any sign of the Imperial, odyssey06? I understand a new batch has been brewed. Divine (award-winning) beer.

I think it's kinda weird that the Porterhouse and MM still do nitro reds. They're very much products of the mid-1990s when the styles were in fashion. But the big-brewery nitro reds (Beamish, Murphy's, Kilkenny, Caffrey's) have really fallen out of favour since, and yet Rusty is MM's biggest seller. Novelty value, I suppose.

Beernut, I think a lot of people like the smooth a Nitro gives over a basic ale or even a lager. They do drink a little easier over regular ales (once they are not ultra chilled) and for those who can't deal with more bitter tasting stouts, they are a viable alternative especially to tourists who want the novelty of a headed beer, that novelty factor does a lot of good to them IMO.

gurramok

BeerNut wrote: »

Peter's Pub and O'Neill's on Suffolk Street have it. Quite fond of it myself, now and again.

Edit: and I just spotted that Nash's on the corner of Kevin and Patrick Streets have a sign in the window saying they sell it too.

Went into O'Neills to try this stuff. The bartender had to run the tap a bit to get the proper flavour before serving the pint. (€4:10)
He said he has maybe served maybe one pint of this stuff every week! :eek:

Maybe i didn't get a decent pint because of the above as the flavour didnt stay more than halfway through it, but it could have potential as it's pretty distinctive flavour.
Straight afterwards, i drank a pint of red in the Porterhouse and it was superior to the Beamish Red, not sure but that maybe because it's drank more from the keg to get a good flavour:)

On second thoughts, where would this red ale be drank more often to get its real flavour? (that Nash's pub?)

lego

In other countries you can buy it in cans or bottles, but apparently not in Ireland.

AFAIK these are the pubs that sell Beamish Red it in Dublin (Corrections welcomed if I missed some):
Elenora Pub (Drimnagh)
Clontarf Castle Hotel
O'Neill's (Suffolk Street)
Nash's Pub (50 Patrick Street, D8)
Hedigans (Phibsboro, D7)
Peter's Pub (South William St, D2).

You can get it in loads of pubs in Cork.

If you're really into it, the best pint of Beamish Red can be got at An Spailpin Fanac (across from the Beamish Brewery on South Main Street in Cork).

http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/ireland/county-cork/cork/attraction-detail.html?vid=1154654660996

BeerNut

Add KCR House (326 Lower Kimmage Road, D6W).

Subtract Nash's on Patrick Street: like about half the pubs between Christchurch and Harold's Cross it is no more.

manc

a little further out The Salmon Leap in Leixlip does Beamish Red for €3.70 also a great pint of Guinness €4.20 (i think)

BeerNut

I heard Peter's Pub served their last pint of it over Christmas. Heineken are pulling the plug, I reckon.

oblivious

BeerNut wrote: »

I heard Peter's Pub served their last pint of it over Christmas. Heineken are pulling the plug, I reckon.

Thats not good at all, it can only mean the Beamish stout will become a local beer at best if at all

mawk

god I love beamish red

god Ill miss beamish when it changes.

yknaa

Blue Bar (Skerries) and Ollies Place (Skerries) also serve Beamish Red. Top beer

oblivious

yknaa wrote: »

Blue Bar (Skerries) and Ollies Place (Skerries) also serve Beamish Red. Top beer

Try and get a few pints in before it goes

shanel23

Drank a few pints of beamish red in Madrid a few weeks ago and man was is nice - a far better cry that the usual muck they were serving over there

chakotha

I'd be afraid to order it as it moves so slowly there must be cobwebs in the keg.

oblivious

chakotha wrote: »

I'd be afraid to order it as it moves so slowly there must be cobwebs in the keg.

Pasturised and filtered beer is very stable and is good for a long time, how long it is sitting in the lines and how ofter they get cleaned is another matter

BeerNut

Just got word from someone who spoke to a publican who spoke to the brewery: production of Beamish Red has ceased, may the lord rest its nitrogenated soul.

Macardle's will be next, IMO, then Smithwick's. We are living in the last days of mass-produced Irish ale.

lego

BeerNut wrote: »

Just got word from someone who spoke to a publican who spoke to the brewery: production of Beamish Red has ceased, may the lord rest its nitrogenated soul.

Macardle's will be next, IMO, then Smithwick's. We are living in the last days of mass-produced Irish ale.

Nooooooo!!!!


Are any of these places still selling it of have they ran out too?:

Clontarf Castle Hotel
Elenora Pub (Drimnagh)
Hedigans (Phibsboro, D7)
KCR House (326 Lower Kimmage Road, D6W)
O'Neill's (Suffolk Street)

Blue Bar (Skerries)
Ollies Place (Skerries)
Salmon Leap (Leixlip)

Who should we email to attempt to dissuade them from pulling the plug on Beamish Red production - Heineken or Beamish?

http://www.heineken.com/ireland/

http://www.beamish.ie/

oblivious

lego wrote: »

Nooooooo!!!!
Who should we email to attempt to dissuade them from pulling the plug on Beamish Red production - Heineken or Beamish?

I think the plug is already pulled, it worth are try but the probably have some data that fits what they want to do

BeerNut

lego wrote: »

Are any of these places still selling it of have they ran out too?:

I have other things to do with my time than auditing pubs for Beamish Red stock , but KCR House still had some last week.

lego wrote: »

Who should we email to attempt to dissuade them from pulling the plug on Beamish Red production - Heineken or Beamish?

They're the same company. You can write to Heineken, but as oblivious says, it was a bit of a no-brainer, economically speaking. Irish red has become a niche product, a very small niche as far as the two industrial brewers are concerned. I suggest red fans switch to O'Hara's Red, Porterhouse Red, Rusty, Rebel Red (aka Castle Red/Writers' Red) or, dare I say, Galway Hooker. At least that way you're supporting Irish-owned breweries.

lego

BeerNut wrote: »

I suggest red fans switch to O'Hara's Red, Porterhouse Red, Rusty, Rebel Red (aka Castle Red/Writers' Red) or, dare I say, Galway Hooker. At least that way you're supporting Irish-owned breweries.

Murphys Irish Red Ale, Wexford Irish Cream Ale and Messrs Maguire Rusty are the only ones that come close when comparing, and none are spot on like Beamish Red.

Porterhouse Red, Bass and Kilkenny are drinkable, but not very good.

O'Hara's Red, Rebel Red, Smithwicks and Macardles are undrinkable as far as I'm concerned.

I've never tried Galway Hooker or Red Biddy so I don't know what they're like.

If you add them all together you would probably have a reasonably-sized segment of the market. But the ale market in Ireland is much more fragmented than the stout, lager and cider markets (especially in terms of whats available in pubs).


There seem to be loads of them at this URL:

http://www.beerpal.com/Beer-Directory/Irish-Ale/

but I don't know how many are actually Irish.

oblivious

lego wrote: »

There seem to be loads of them at this URL:

http://www.beerpal.com/Beer-Directory/Irish-Ale/

but I don't know how many are actually Irish.

O'haras Irish Red is , I think Caffreys Irish Ale is on the way out and Árainn Mhór RUA is not brewed in Ireland

Irish red ales is fairly popular style with micros in the north america, but they are probably bigger beer that Smithwicks and beamish red

BeerNut

lego wrote: »

Murphys Irish Red Ale

No longer made (or sold, I think) in Ireland.

lego wrote: »

Wexford Irish Cream Ale

Made in England by UK giant Greene King. Not generally available in Ireland.

lego wrote: »

Red Biddy

Not brewed in several years. Brewery effectively out of business.

oblivious wrote:

Caffreys Irish Ale

Made by Coors in England. Not generally available in the Republic of Ireland.

lego wrote: »

the ale market in Ireland is much more fragmented than the stout, lager and cider markets

That's because it's on a much much smaller scale. When the Competition Authority considered the Beamish takeover they didn't even include ale in their analysis of the Irish beer market because it is practically non-existent.

oblivious

BeerNut wrote: »

Made by Coors in England. Not generally available in the Republic of Ireland

Sorry I mean I thought is as been discontinued or is it?

BeerNut

No, I've seen it around recently in the UK. They redesigned the can with the Coors thermosensitive ink thingy.

ArmCandyBaby

Absolutely gutted that I never got to try this. I love red ales and Beamish - this seems like the perfect drink! I got stupidly excited when I saw this thread's title come up on the main page but alas tis not meant to be.


Ugh, boards can be such a roller coaster of emotions sometimes...