Beer of the Weekend #556: Smithwick's
The beer tonight is the last from the first custom sixer my cousin gave me — and also obviously not Texan: Smithwick’s, brewed by some giant conglomerate that also owns and brews Guinness. Guinness Ltd. is listed as the brewer on BA and Diageo Ireland is listed on the Smithwick’s website. Whatever. It’s brewed by somebody, and probably (hopefully) in Ireland.
Despite being as available as Guinness, I do not think I have ever tried Smithwick’s. The only time I may have drank it was at Sweets’ birthday celebration a few years back at Donnelley’s on the Ped Mall. Somebody was drinking it, at least; I remember them saying that the proper pronunciation of the name was not “Smith-wick’s” but “Smit-icks.” I have no idea if that is correct or not. (According to the beer’s Wikipedia page, it is correct. Go figure.)
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is clear, ruby-brown. Two fingers of beige, buttery head leaves an even and slowly dissipating skim as well as a ring around the edge.
Smell: Quite grassy, which is a surprise. Grass, caramel, toffee, cherry, light chocolate, and some toasted malts.
Taste: Once again it is surprisingly grassy and floral. The toasted malts and caramel are much more prominent but the grassiness is ever-present. The grassiness fades a little but is still there and the taste mostly mirrors the aroma. Caramel, toffee, a little chocolate, and grassy and floral hops, which provide a nice bite. There is also a little brown sugar and maybe a touch of molasses, but there is almost no fruit.
Drinkability: This is a tasty beer. I suppose this could be considered Irish pale ale.
Fun facts about Smithwick’s:
-Style: The beer is classified on BA as “Irish Red Ale.”
-Price: Moving furniture in the snow. Those U-Haul truck beds are slippery when wet!
-Alcohol content: 4.5 percent ABV.
-Based on the website, the Smithwick’s packaging looks to have undergone a redesign recently. I am unsure how recently but I hope it was within the past couple months. If not, I wonder how old this Texas bottle of Smithwick’s truly is. Hmm…
-Speaking of accents and pronunciations, I recently stumbled across this Vice Magazine documentary about the Celtics–Rangers rivalry in Glasgow. It’s a good, informative piece and thankfully features subtitles.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
Despite being as available as Guinness, I do not think I have ever tried Smithwick’s. The only time I may have drank it was at Sweets’ birthday celebration a few years back at Donnelley’s on the Ped Mall. Somebody was drinking it, at least; I remember them saying that the proper pronunciation of the name was not “Smith-wick’s” but “Smit-icks.” I have no idea if that is correct or not. (According to the beer’s Wikipedia page, it is correct. Go figure.)
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is clear, ruby-brown. Two fingers of beige, buttery head leaves an even and slowly dissipating skim as well as a ring around the edge.
Smell: Quite grassy, which is a surprise. Grass, caramel, toffee, cherry, light chocolate, and some toasted malts.
Taste: Once again it is surprisingly grassy and floral. The toasted malts and caramel are much more prominent but the grassiness is ever-present. The grassiness fades a little but is still there and the taste mostly mirrors the aroma. Caramel, toffee, a little chocolate, and grassy and floral hops, which provide a nice bite. There is also a little brown sugar and maybe a touch of molasses, but there is almost no fruit.
Drinkability: This is a tasty beer. I suppose this could be considered Irish pale ale.
Fun facts about Smithwick’s:
-Style: The beer is classified on BA as “Irish Red Ale.”
-Price: Moving furniture in the snow. Those U-Haul truck beds are slippery when wet!
-Alcohol content: 4.5 percent ABV.
-Based on the website, the Smithwick’s packaging looks to have undergone a redesign recently. I am unsure how recently but I hope it was within the past couple months. If not, I wonder how old this Texas bottle of Smithwick’s truly is. Hmm…
-Speaking of accents and pronunciations, I recently stumbled across this Vice Magazine documentary about the Celtics–Rangers rivalry in Glasgow. It’s a good, informative piece and thankfully features subtitles.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
