10/100) Irish Ales

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Irish Ale, Irish Ale,  Premium Irish Ale

I rather missed St.Patrick's day so Irish beers seems like an odd choice, but I found a Boulevard Irish Ale and wanted to compare it to some Smithwick's imports. All three are Irish Ale's which, by the way, is short hand for "Irish Red Ale." An Irish Ale as a type of beer is a variation on the amber ale.

Smithwick's Irish Ale) In an attempt to cool this beer faster, I accidentally left this beer in the freezer too long. After thawing it out, I tried it. However, I am pretty sure the carbonation took a hit. The taste however was decent. The drink has flavor that seems caramel-like initially but then drops into a smooth watery finish. ☆☆☆

Boulevard Irish Ale) The short summary is that this beer tastes almost the same as the previous. However, it is a bit more bitter. I'm not sure where to place this one as I liked it, but not very strongly. ☆☆☆

Smithwick's Premium Irish Ale) ... and upon reaching this beer, I have discovered that it is the same beer as the other Smithwick that I tried. At least it tastes, smells, and looks the same. I did a little research and found out that Smithwick's did a logo redesign this last year. The two bottles look so completely different that I can imagine that I am not the only one this change has confused. I wonder what their thought process was behind this re-branding. ☆☆☆

In order to keep up appearances with my three beers a week though, I popped open one more Irish themed beer.

Red Harvest Stout

Red Harvest Stout) I sipped it. I drank it. I sipped it again. Smooth this drink certainly is. However, it is decidedly lacking in flavor. The initial and middle are very watery. The finish has a subtle flavor that I can't describe well, but that is partially because it is barely there. A couple internet searches only revealed the terms "velvety" or "burgundy" to describe the taste. I'm not sure either term fits, but maybe you can detect on or the other. The only really positive thing I can say about this is beer is that it is easy to drink. ☆☆