Sam Adams Irish Red Ale

Had this last night as part of a sampler 12-pack. So I've never actually had an "official" Irish Red, although my homebrewing friend Steve Murphy and I used to make an Irish Red kit from www.hop-tech.com (looks like they're out of business now, but the recipe is here). This was a dry-hopped West Coast ale that was EXTREMELY hoppy and EXTREMELY bitter... so bitter I couldn't drink it but Steve loved it.

I think Sam Adams' take on it is one of the best ales I've ever tried. It is extremely well-balanced between malt sweetness and hop bitterness, and the richness is "just right" on my palate's scale. Unfortunately you can't buy sixes or twelves of just Irish Red around here, you can only get it as 2 bottles in a 12 pack sampler.

This would definitely be in my top 10 list of personal favorites. I would love to try it on tap.