Beer Rant

Well for midway through the week I thought I'd pick a standard ale of sorts. That is to say good, but more of a standard type beer that many breweries make, including the major ones. That of course being an Irish Red, typically not the sweetest, strongest, or even the hoppiness it still has a unique character and quality to it all it's own. Big Al's is a fairly new brewery, and since they opened the Irish Red has been what I would say is their flagship ale. For those who haven't been it's about the nicest find in probably all of the white center area, but a definite stop nonetheless. This Irish Red in my opinion is one of, if not the best out there. It actually has a wonderful robust flavor, where a great many of these ales have a rather bland taste about them. Big Al's effort is light years ahead of anything like Killian's (YUCK!), or even Ireland's own Smithwicks. This one has a wonderful robust amber flavor, with almost a hint of nuttiness about it. Two tastes that tend to blend into each other very nicely, especially in this ale. When it hits the tongue the flavor tends to have a lasting effect about it, something other reds do not. Unlike other standard reds, and many lagers, this one does not have a hint of being watered down, or an extreme exercise in bland beer. I do have a food side note to go with this one, I sat down with a beer and a couple of slices of some smoked cheddar, and OH MY GOD! What a find, if you have it available and this beer you will not regret it! The smoky flavor of the cheese only enhanced the flavors present, but also gave it a slightly sweetened aftertaste on the backed of the drink. The amber, the nut flavor, all kind of just poured out in awesome array of flavor. I was specifically having WSU 2 year aged smoked cheddar, but I don't see why any wouldn't work. As for texture it's incredibly smooth out of the tap, which is the only place you can drink this wonderful brew. Mine came from my own home bar of course, but you can find this beer in a large amount/variety of bars around the Seattle area, even some of the classier establishments in the Kent valley! I'm not sure on the exact alc. % either, but I would estimate it at somewhere around 4.5%, so while there is significant flavor, it does not have an overpowering heaviness to it like a barleywine or stout. If your looking for a simpler beer, without simple taste then this may be the beer for you. Great flavor without a lot of frills, and a solid effort as always from Big Al's.