Brian Boru Irish Red Ale

Brewed By: Three Floyds Brewing Co.

Style: Irish Red Ale

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 40

I love when beers have a name that I have to research to find out its significance and this beer is definitely one of those. Brian Boru was the last high king of Ireland and that is how the beer got its name. Three Floyds has typically been a brewery that I wasn’t very fond of. The beers that I tried were before I really started drinking and enjoying beer and so they didn’t impress me. On top of that, I hate the taste of grapefruit and often times with the hops they use (Amarillo hops), I taste grapefruit and lose interest.

I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like this beer just from my history with the brewery, but I was surprised because I actually enjoyed it! It didn’t hurt that it was also on St. Patricks Day!

Look – Pours a cloudy copper with a slight red tint. It had a very thick head that stuck around for a good while.

Smell – It definitely had a typical Three Floyds nose. A lot of citrus, hops, and spice. A little bit of a floral smell as well.

Taste – Definite citrus taste and a lot of hops. The spice from the nose is definitely noticeable in the taste as well. I am personally not a big fan of this spice taste and how it interacts with the citrus. Even though there is a strong citrus taste, it doesn’t taste very sweet. Definitely activates the bitter taste buds much more and the bitter taste lingers for a good while. The “tea-like” flavor that typically describes Irish Red Ale’s is fairly accurate. It’s a very easily drinkable beer and very enjoyable.

Conclusion – I was glad that I enjoyed this beer because everyone always talks about how great Three Floyds is and I never enjoyed them that much. That citrus flavor has always turned me off, but I think at this point I might be able to go back and try the other beers and enjoy them as well. I have had a decent amount of Irish Reds and think this one is one of the better that I’ve had.

I give this beer a B.

Check out their headache inducing website HERE and sign up for a brewery tour! Every Saturday, 40 people are allowed to go on this tour, so sign up early!

Happy Drinking!