Smithwicks Pale Ale

johnnyskeleton

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Cork area only at the moment.

That's discrimination boy.

irish_goat

Without meaning to drag up an old bit of the thread.

Down near the bottom of this page it says....

The Irish beer industry adds €1.7bn to the Irish economy and sources three quarters of the hops and malt it uses in Ireland.

Is this true?

BeerNut

Probably. Weigh all the hops and malt together and a very small proportion of that will be hops: way way under 25%, and all foreign sourced. Most of the malt comes from Ireland, and most of Ireland's malt goes to the Big Two.

ciaran76

Well had my first tonight on tap. Very sweet first taste but also noticed he let it run for at least 30 secs before adding it to my glass.

I think the bottled version is better but will try it again as don't trust the pub I was in.

Technocentral

Enough already with the comments on this pish! Drink Metalman on cask if you want a real Irish ale!

ciaran76

Technocentral wrote: »

Enough already with the comments on this pish! Drink Metalman on cask if you want a real Irish ale!

Sadly I was in a pub that doesn't serve good beers.

n97 mini

Had 2 pints of this again recently, just to see was my initial experience a one-off.

Well, it wasn't. Still can't get any discernible taste off it. It's probably a bit better than Heineken or any of the other tasteless lagers, but even in a macro-only pub you'd get something with more taste.

Anyway, that's the last SPA I'll be having.

johnnyskeleton

Technocentral wrote: »

Enough already with the comments on this pish! Drink Metalman on cask if you want a real Irish ale!

We get it, you love beers produced by small companies and hate those made by big companies. Now can you stop insulting everything you don't like? You can't objectively say that metalman is better than smithwicks, it's all a matter of different taste.

It's comments like that which tend to put people off trying new beers.

Big Nasty

Tried the bottle a couple weeks back and found it tasteless, had it on draught in O' Neill's last night and it was ok but not great. Opted for Galway Hooker instead.

Technocentral

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

We get it, you love beers produced by small companies and hate those made by big companies. Now can you stop insulting everything you don't like? You can't objectively say that metalman is better than smithwicks, it's all a matter of different taste.

It's comments like that which tend to put people off trying new beers.

Unlikely, there are thousands of micro brews, I would encourage people to try them. I just don't understand all this praising of the mediocre when there are fantastic beers out there, why drive a Skoda when you could take a Mercedes for a spin?

the beer revolu

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

You can't objectively say that metalman is better than smithwicks, it's all a matter of different taste.

It's comments like that which tend to put people off trying new beers.

You can't objectively say that hand baked bread with no additives is better than your average sliced pan. Most discerning people would, however, agree that it is.

I know people who prefer instant coffee to freshly roasted, freshly ground and freshly brewed beans but I gusee we can't say that one is better the the other.

I tried Smithwick's Pale Ale again the other night. First few sips are quite nice but then it becomes bland with a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. I'd take it over mainstream lager - just, but would sooner drink regular, 'not craft brewed' Smithwick's over SPA in the future.

johnnyskeleton

Technocentral wrote: »

Unlikely, there are thousands of micro brews, I would encourage people to try them. I just don't understand all this praising of the mediocre when there are fantastic beers out there, why drive a Skoda when you could take a Mercedes for a spin?

You don't understand why other people like what you don't like. That's as far as it gets. If people like it, then what is the problem? It's in fact the opposite to your analogy, you are insisting that the less successful product (e.g. the Skoda) is in fact superior to the more successful product (Mercedes) because you prefer Skodas. That's perfectly fine, but it would be a bit strange if you went onto a thread in the Motors forum about Mercedes and stating that Skoda were in fact better.

the beer revolu wrote: »

You can't objectively say that hand baked bread with no additives is better than your average sliced pan. Most discerning people would, however, agree that it is.

A more accurate analogy would be hand baked bread made by a small little known bakery or hand made bread made by a larger bakery. Most "discerning people" would probably choose the smaller bakery because smaller manufacturers are perceived as being more artisan. However, on a blind taste, they might actually prefer the big company product. This phenomenon is fairly common and much satirised, for example the south park episode about Starbucks vs the local coffee shop.

the beer revolu wrote: »

I know people who prefer instant coffee to freshly roasted, freshly ground and freshly brewed beans but I gusee we can't say that one is better the the other.

I tried Smithwick's Pale Ale again the other night. First few sips are quite nice but then it becomes bland with a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. I'd take it over mainstream lager - just, but would sooner drink regular, 'not craft brewed' Smithwick's over SPA in the future.

All that is fine, but I was responding to Technocentral's constant desire to deride SPA. Beer is like puppies, just because some are cuter than others doesn't mean you should go around kicking the ugly ones.

Technocentral

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

You don't understand why other people like what you don't like. That's as far as it gets. If people like it, then what is the problem? It's in fact the opposite to your analogy, you are insisting that the less successful product (e.g. the Skoda) is in fact superior to the more successful product (Mercedes) because you prefer Skodas. That's perfectly fine, but it would be a bit strange if you went onto a thread in the Motors forum about Mercedes and stating that Skoda were in fact better.



A more accurate analogy would be hand baked bread made by a small little known bakery or hand made bread made by a larger bakery. Most "discerning people" would probably choose the smaller bakery because smaller manufacturers are perceived as being more artisan. However, on a blind taste, they might actually prefer the big company product. This phenomenon is fairly common and much satirised, for example the south park episode about Starbucks vs the local coffee shop.



All that is fine, but I was responding to Technocentral's constant desire to deride SPA. Beer is like puppies, just because some are cuter than others doesn't mean you should go around kicking the ugly ones.

Do you by any chance work for Diageo?

johnnyskeleton

Technocentral wrote: »

Do you by any chance work for Diageo?

That's really astounding. You are so convinced that you have a monopoly on good taste that anyone who does not agree with you must have a vested interest.

You remind me of those people who, because they have heard single malt scotch is considered superior by many to Irish whiskey, refuse to accept the possibility that Irish whiskey could be good too.

Technocentral

I'm jesting, I'm sure you have the same commitment to great tasting beers as the rest of us beer aficionados.

neilthefunkeone

Technocentral wrote: »

why drive a Skoda when you could take a Mercedes for a spin?

Jesus i wouldn't post that up in the motors forum.. Instant life ban!!:D:D

I was a bit slow off the mark in tasting this Pale Ale myself.. First was a few weeks ago in Brady Terenure, 2 pints.. Found it ok.. not up to my usual pale ale(Punk IPA or Sierra Nevada!!) but in all round a grand pint over a bar full of Budweiser or Heineken..

Went for round two in the Mill in Tallaght on Saturday night.. Again a line of Heineken, Miller and Budweiser taps so I went with the Smithwick's Pale Ale.. And again was a fine pint above the other's.

I can see it becoming my go to pint(if available) when i'm not in a pub with any other selection!!

gurramok

neilthefunkeone wrote: »

I can see it becoming my go to pint(if available) when i'm not in a pub with any other selection!!

What's it like on draught? Same or different to the bottles? I've only tasted it out of the bottles and didn't like it as it came across like a pint of bland Bud! :eek: And I hate those commercialised beers with intensity

Bigcheeze

gurramok wrote: »

What's it like on draught? Same or different to the bottles? I've only tasted it out of the bottles and didn't like it as it came across like a pint of bland Bud! :eek: And I hate those commercialised beers with intensity

Ah come on, if you think it tastes like Bud, you're incapable of tasting beer.

All beers you can buy are commercialised

gurramok

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Ah come on, if you think it tastes like Bud, you're incapable of tasting beer.

All beers you can buy are commercialised

Huh? It had tasted like a gassed bland lager like Bud, not like a proper ale. Advertising it as an ale is disingenuous.

And by the way, i'm well capable of tasting all sorts of beer, ok?

Bigcheeze

gurramok wrote: »

Huh? It had tasted like a gassed bland lager like Bud, not like a proper ale. Advertising it as an ale is disingenuous.

And by the way, i'm well capable of tasting all sorts of beer, ok?

It is an ale. That's a fact and cannot be disputed. You could argue that advertising it as "craft beer" is disingenuous.

The definition of ale is not: "full flavoured beer". The world is full of poor to mediocre ales. You only have to drink ordinary Smithwicks to see that.

emmet the rover

meh

L

Bigcheeze wrote: »

It is an ale. That's a fact and cannot be disputed. You could argue that advertising it as "craft beer" is disingenuous.

The definition of ale is not: "full flavoured beer". The world is full of poor to mediocre ales. You only have to drink ordinary Smithwicks to see that.

Mrrrh. Ordinary Smithwicks wouldn't be my first choice (if I'm out I'll happily drink it though), but at least it has some recognisably ale-ish taste to it. The pale ale really is weirdly bland. I wouldn't know it was supposed to be anything like (say) Galway Hooker if it wasn't for the name.