Smithwicks Pale Ale

Sarky

The novelty is fading for me. Couldn't finish a pint of it the other night. Might have been different conditions in a different pub, but meh.

youcancallmeal

I'm just tasting it for the first time right now. As far as pale ales go its fairly tame but for my friends I think it's a great introduction to the world beyond bud, ken, carlsberg, miller etc

Big Nasty

youcancallmeal wrote: »

I'm just tasting it for the first time right now. As far as pale ales go its fairly tame but for my friends I think it's a great introduction to the world beyond bud, ken, carlsberg, miller etc

Who?

youcancallmeal

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Who?

Heineken aka Ken, Heino, vitamin K, vitamin H, The Goalposts, Electro K....

It goes on, I kid you not

Technocentral

youcancallmeal wrote: »

Heineken aka Ken, Heino, vitamin K, vitamin H, The Goalposts, Electro K....

It goes on, I kid you not

Aka as piss

youcancallmeal

Technocentral wrote: »

Aka as piss

Exactly

Camilo

I was very excited to try this ale and was delighted when i walked into a random off-license in Galway and they happened to have it but i must say i was very, very disapointed.

I'm not the biggest fan of pale ales, i prefer my brown and red ales and IPA's, but i enjoy smithwicks and decided to keep an open mind for this one but it was simply ****e. Bland as bland can be and with a rather foul after taste. My first go was from a bottle from the shop but when i tried it again at the pub it was just as bad. I'm very disapointed but this is indeed a step in the right direction for the piss-poor choice of selection in most irish pubs.

Heroditas

It's definitely not something I could drink all night. After my third pint of it last week, I had to go onto Guinness.
I just thought it was a wee bit too acidic.

clancywigam

Its about time the big brewing companies realised that there are a lot of people out there who have had enough of those bland lagers that they sell in most pubs - Heineken, Bud, Carslberg etc.
If you check most off licences now you will find a selection of IPA beers - Trashy Blonde, 8 Degrees, O'Hara's IPA, Wyse Ale, Sierra Nevada, Anchor Steam to name but a few. This means people are drinking them and appreciate that slightly bitter hoppy taste which you cannot find in most of the generic lagers.
I discovered IPA in the USA on a student visa 13 years ago and immediately lost interest in lagers.

Delighted Smithwicks have taken this first step, hopefully others will follow suit!

twerg_85

didn't like this drink at all. First taste was blandish and had a slightly dodgy aftertaste. Reminded me most of Stella.

F.

sarkozy

I'm scared. As Smithwick's is a poor ale, this new one will be a poor pale ale. This won't help Galway Hooker or O'Hara's to expand to pubs across Ireland, this is Smithwick's seizing a new trend and looking at cornering the market.

mayto

Thought it was pretty good, a bit watery but at least its a bit hoppy. If some micro was making this the reviews from a lot of people would be a lot more positive I think. Some people could not bring themselves to even taste it :rolleyes:

Geuze

Had some Smithwick's PA in Freeney's, High street, Galway.

I think it was 3.85 or 3.95.

The barman said they should have gone for a real ale, hand-pumped.

Also available around the corner in the Dail bar on Cross street, but priced at lager prices 4.65.

BeerNut

Geuze wrote: »

The barman said they should have gone for a real ale, hand-pumped.

And yet I bet if one of the Irish breweries which does offer hand-pumped real ale were to offer it in that pub they wouldn't take it.

BaZmO*

I had a bottle of it last week and thought it was actually quite nice. It reminded me of a watered down Galway Hooker. I'd definitely have it on a night out if there was nothing else of note available.

Technocentral

Haven't tasted this yet even though I was planning to, because I wasn't in any pubs its sold in that dont sell real craft beer apart from Whelans, they ran out of Galway Hooker I asked for this and they had ran out too, was in local Tesco, Spar and Superquinn which don't sell it, they have it in Redmonds but with all the delicious ales in there I couldn't bring myself to try it! Seems odd that they restrict the supermarkets they sell to.

BeerNut

Technocentral wrote: »

Seems odd that they restrict the supermarkets they sell to.

Supermarkets expect big volume and consistent supply. This is a test batch. There probably isn't very much of it.

Losty Dublin

Had a few pints of SPA last night in the Leonard's Corner.

Better than what I expected; not as good as what I had been told about.

bennyineire

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Had a few pints of SPA last night in the Leonard's Corner.

Better than what I expected; not as good as what I had been told about.

What? your contradicting yourself you nounce

Martyn1989

bennyineire wrote: »

What? your contradicting yourself you nounce

Not really, he had low expectations, even though someone he knew said it was very good, he just didnt trust that persons opinion.

Whats a nounce?

johnnyskeleton

mayto wrote: »

Thought it was pretty good, a bit watery but at least its a bit hoppy. If some micro was making this the reviews from a lot of people would be a lot more positive I think. Some people could not bring themselves to even taste it :rolleyes:

That's always going to be the way. Some people won't drink blue moon because it is made by coors and the smithwicks label in their mind instantly puts them off.

It would be interesting to see what results it gets in a blind tasting.

Ultimately I suppose it is a pleasant pale ale that doesn't have the strongest of flavours. But sometimes suble is better and I wouldn't mind trying it a few more times before making up my mind

saintsaltynuts

Unless the pubs can sell this at under 3.50 a pint it will never take off.Tuborg is doing well now decent enough pint at under 3.50 and its the only way its going to compete.If your charging 4.50+ for a pint of this new stuff it hasent got a chance.Too many lagers on the market to begin with anyway.

discus

oblivious wrote: »

Not true I much preferred bottle Guinness over draft , difference serving it on nitro makes the beer bland, but its something marketing likes as it make it "more approachable"

Guinness draught in bottles is nitrogenated I thought?

BeerNut

I don't think "Guinness Draught" in bottles exists any more. But yes, it was nitrogenated via a widget.

redlead

Finally got around to drinking this. I was very very disappointed. An absolutely rubbish pale ale which doesn't taste too different from a bad lager. It's a real shame because Pale Ales are probably my favourite drink at the moment and I thought that I would finally have an acceptable drink when in normal pubs. It must be very demoralising to be the head brewer in these places. What goes through their heads when they release this stuff?

Sid_Justice

I ordered a pint of smithwicks in the Locke bar in limerick on saturday night and your man goes "which one, pale or red"? I looked at him like he had two heads but quickly realised there is a new smithwicks.

I got it for the laugh. I generally don't like pale ales, but this is nice enough, therefore i'd imagine people that actually do like pale ale will find this too bland.

i take the point this is a big brewery trying to bully their way into an emerging market so i sympthaise with the microbreweries trying to get their beers, which are at least as good as the bigger rivals, getting their stuff out.

I had a bottle of o'haras in North County Dublin trendy bar and it was 5.50 so never again.

BeerNut

Sid_Justice wrote: »

I had a bottle of o'haras in North County Dublin trendy bar and it was 5.50 so never again.

I bet you it was still cheaper than most of the other bottled beers they had. The problem is that bottles, all bottles, are stupidly priced in pubs.

redlead

Sid_Justice wrote: »

i take the point this is a big brewery trying to bully their way into an emerging market so i sympthaise with the microbreweries trying to get their beers, which are at least as good as the bigger rivals, getting their stuff out.

I had a bottle of o'haras in North County Dublin trendy bar and it was 5.50 so never again.

They are a hell of a lot better than "as least as good". There is no comparison!

I payed 6.70 for a bottle of O'Hara's in Fitzsimons on Saturday night! It's more my fault for going there though. 5.50 for a 500ml bottle in a pub isn't bad as bottle go. Bottles in gerneral are just a rip off in Ireland unfortunately. I just stick to draught when I'm out now and try to go to porterhouse or against the grain. O'Neills on suffolf st have the most impressive selection of craft draught I have ever seen actually. I don't know how they manage to fit all the taps. It's a handy pub because they have all the main stream stuff too for any mates that prefer that stuff.

KJ

Just picked up a bottle of this to try later tonight

Martyn1989

BeerNut wrote: »

I don't think "Guinness Draught" in bottles exists any more. But yes, it was nitrogenated via a widget.

Never even saw them in Ireland, thought they where just for th USA, I saw something somewhere (maybe the guinness website) that said it was supposed to be drank straight from the bottle, which contained this spear type thing that spins in the bottle as you drink making "each mouthfull creamy"

Sid_Justice

HOw many years ago were Guinness promoting the 330ml draught bottle of guinness, aimed at the yuppy and night club crowd?

donaghs

Just had some, had to say wasn't expecting much after all the criticism here, being bland etc. I normally go for microbew's myself, Ales, IPA etc. However, I found this one surprisingly good. It wont blow you away with hops like a Sierra Nevada Torpedo, but is still tastier than any of the normal range available on tap in most pubs. And thats a good since not every town and suburb has somewhere like "Against the Grain" nearby, and these average pubs cant be convinced to stock interesting beers.

As for it being a very tasteless "pale ale", there are lots of beers out there with less flavour calling themselves "Pale Ales", e.g. Coopers and Moosehead.

It reminded me more of "Blonde Beer" styles I've tasted. You can definitely taste the hops, but could do with more maltiness.

All that said, its not as interesting as the microbrew range available, and I hope it doesnt eat into their market share, or dent their growth.

revileandy

I see the posters everywhere but I've been in a few different pubs over the last few weeks and nobody seems to have this.

BeerNut

Even ones on the list?

ciaran76

Had a bottle of it tonight while doing the dinner.

Not the worst beer ever but the weirdest thing is the minute I opened it I knew it was Smithwicks.

It's not over hoppy but good entry level for people to start down that road.

I will stick to my usual hoppy Irish beers but if I end up in a pub that don't have a good choice I might go for this.

evercloserunion

I will stick to my usual hoppy Irish beers but if I end up in a pub that don't have a good choice I might go for this.

I feel the same. It's definitely no Galway Hooker or Metalman but it's better than Carlsberg or Budweiser if you want something other than a dark beer.

bobbysands81

Had a pint of this last week and didn't think it was great.

However... had a large bottle of it last night and was very impressed, I thought it was a really really nice mild tasting Pale Ale, will definitely be buying it again.

I think Smithwicks missed a huge opportunity in marketing this though, they should have given it a brand new name but kept some Smithwicks branding on the bottle.

bobbysands81

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

That's always going to be the way. Some people won't drink blue moon because it is made by coors and the smithwicks label in their mind instantly puts them off.

It would be interesting to see what results it gets in a blind tasting.

Ultimately I suppose it is a pleasant pale ale that doesn't have the strongest of flavours. But sometimes suble is better and I wouldn't mind trying it a few more times before making up my mind

Great post mate.

adamski8

very poor i thought. water with tiny hop taste.

norrie rugger

I wonder how many of the negative comments that are here are because of the smithwick's name?

Someone here do a blind taste, with the group and report back

Technocentral

Tasted it for the first time yesterday, shocking amount of carbonation, apart from that average taste, I won't be giving up Galway Hooker for it anyway.

adamski8

norrie rugger wrote: »

I wonder how many of the negative comments that are here are because of the smithwick's name?

Someone here do a blind taste, with the group and report back

I've tasted many craft beers and some taste shiite to me and don't mins saying it. SPA is just shiite. I like many others here i actually wanted it to be good so I could drink it in pubs so I think a blind test is isn't needed.

norrie rugger

I have tasted hundreds of cask ales, pale ales, lagers, etc and it is average.
Plenty better but not widely available.

PLENTY worse that people wax lyrical about. It is far from a bad beer TBH

johnnyskeleton

norrie rugger wrote: »

I have tasted hundreds of cask ales, pale ales, lagers, etc and it is average.
Plenty better but not widely available.

PLENTY worse that people wax lyrical about. It is far from a bad beer TBH

+1.

I suspect that some people judge beers not because of how pleasant they are to drink but how strong or unusual a taste they have. Lighter (or more subtle) flavours have no place for many people.

It's similar with whisk(e)y - some people like the strong peaty islay whiskeys, others prefer more subtle flavours of good Irish blends. Each to their own but it annoys me that islay drinkers deride Irish whiskey a bland, or that Irish whiskey drinkers think peat is only used to cover a poor quality of whisky.

I've had some horrible beers in my time, but I'd never equate them with faeces. Moreover, I'd be willing to try them again at some future point when my tastes might differ.

Technocentral

norrie rugger wrote: »

I have tasted hundreds of cask ales, pale ales, lagers, etc and it is average.
Plenty better but not widely available.

PLENTY worse that people wax lyrical about. It is far from a bad beer TBH

Thats funny, only remember you going on about Budweiser on this forum. I have posted about horrible craft beers on here too, but at the end of the day the industrial beer makers are never going to create many (or any) great tasting beers as blandness unfortunately is the way to mass appeal.

norrie rugger

Oh so I have to post on this forum, before I am allowed to drink cask ales throughout England and Ireland?
My trips around Belgium/Luxembourg and Germany have been wastes aslo it seems

Not allowed to use my experience of my cork local, when I lived at home, to help? Must tell the lads in the Well that they lovely beers that they served me were wasted as I did not immediately run home and post on the boards beer forum.
I must also tell my off licences to not sell me bottles of non mass market beer. As I am not allowed experience them, as I do not tell the world about each texture, flavour, dissolved gas content.
Please sir, don't make me stop experimenting with new flavours :-(

Make assumptions much?

norrie rugger

Oh and I do not think that I ever praised Bud ever TBH
might have mentioned the Index app, as it was a good idea and that there is somehow a market for Bud.

super_furry

Well I didn't even know it existed until yesterday when I was in Sinnotts. They have it on tap and it's great. Sure it's not the best pale ale I've ever had but when you're in a pub and it's that or the usual Carlsberg/Heinken/Guinness choices, it's great.

norrie rugger

super_furry wrote: »

Well I didn't even know it existed until yesterday when I was in Sinnotts. They have it on tap and it's great. Sure it's not the best pale ale I've ever had but when you're in a pub and it's that or the usual Carlsberg/Heinken/Guinness choices, it's great.

I was home, in Cork, for the weekend and had several in the Long Valley. Was great, pity the second pub consigned me to Carlsberg

johnnyskeleton

Technocentral wrote: »

Thats funny, only remember you going on about Budweiser on this forum. I have posted about horrible craft beers on here too, but at the end of the day the industrial beer makers are never going to create many (or any) great tasting beers as blandness unfortunately is the way to mass appeal.

Or maybe some people are prejudiced against the possibility that a large brewery can produce a good beer.

Technocentral wrote:

I won't be giving up Galway Hooker for it anyway.

Do you not see that having a brand loyalty to Galway Hooker might be tainting your view, just as those who have a brand loyalty to, say Heniken, might be prejudiced against trying Galway Hooker etc?

It's funny that this beer has generated such a large thread, seeing as no one is saying that it is a brilliant or even exceptional beer, but just a good, gentle pale ale without the sometimes overpowering taste of hopps.