Review: Beau's All Natural Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale


Hello? It's Patrick! He took out life insurance!

One thing that sucks living west of Ontario is that Beau's is impossible to get unless if you have a friend or family member who lives in Southern Ontario. Thankfully in my case, I do. This beer's been hiding in my hoard for a while now, but it's time to get it out before my roommates drink MORE of my beer.

Beau's is one of Canada's only organic breweries, quite a feat and I don't blame them - in a beer scene like Ontario where breweries are popping up every week, you have to do something unique and original, so a beer consists of only natural ingredients, no chemicals is always a real treat.

Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale is one of the beers I got to try by Beau's, at 6.5% ABV and in a 600ml bottle, it's going to calm down the body after a long day. The wrestler mask label also makes me laugh, reminds me of the late great Strongbad

Appearance: Strong Patrick Irish Red pours a mostly clear reddish caramel, with a light beige head that's about 2mm. Decent amount of carbonation.

Aroma: Notes of caramel and toffee, a bit of an earthiness, a bit nutty, lightly bready and only a faint oakiness vibe, as it's part of a 1/8 barrel aged blend.

Taste: A sweet Irish red, lots of caramel and toffee notes, a bit of apple juice-like aftertaste on the tongue that leaves a bit of a bitterness. A bit of a watery mouthfeel, quite sweet, malty, and a bit of a graininess from the barley. Very solid Irish Red Ale.

Overall Thoughts: I'm not a fan of Irish Red Ales but this was quite decent, decent amount of sweetness from the malts with notes of caramel and toffee, light amount of oakiness, a large amount of aftertaste on the palate. With St Patrick's Day coming up in a few weeks, this would be a great beer to have a pint to - though it won't ever be available in Manitoba anyways. 600ml bottle, 6.7% ABV. Part of the Wild Oats series. 2013

www.beaus.ca/beer/wild_oats/strong_patrick

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