Red Sunset Irish Ale

By way of Collingwood, Ontario, and delivered to me via my brother, the unsinkable R.A.N., was a 500mL bottle of Red Sunset Irish Ale. Put together by Northwinds Brewery, this Irish red ale clocks in at 5.6% alcohol and 31 IBUs.

A hazy, deep ruby number, Red Sunset pours with a tight fog of creamy head. The beer has a mild metallic and malt nose. Its flavour is packed with sweet caramel notes, balanced against toasty malts and a grainy, unexpectedly bitter finish.

Well made, but not exactly special, Red Sunset is an enjoyable bottle of beer. Coppery, malty, and nice; this was a fine effort from an Ontario brewery that I haven’t heard much about, but will definitely be keeping an eye on. Although hops and bitterness aren’t staples of Irish reds, I’d have enjoyed this one a bit more if there had been a bit more IBU emphasis.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.