Dylan's Killer Red

Name: Dylan's Killer Red
Style: Irish ale
ABV: 5.0%
Serving: 20oz pint
Where: Pub Italia, Ottawa
Brewery: Church-Key Brewers
Location: Campbellford, ON, Canada
Weblink: Pub Italia

So, back once again to Pub Italia on a Friday afternoon. Well... it's just so close to work that going further afield for worse beer, just for a change of scene, seems like a waste of time. Besides, I like it there! So, this is the house ale at Pub Italia. It is brewed on their behalf by Church-Key down at Cambellford and Pub Italia claims exclusivity. However, the brewery also distributes the same beer to a couple of other pubs and restaurants in Ontario, albeit under different names.

The beer arrived at the table with a centimetre of open, frothy, yeasty foam riding on top of the obligatory deep red-brown ale. The beer is very much in the traditional Irish or northern England "best" bitter style, with a very caramel malt and bread yeast dominated aroma, perhaps with a slight hint of apple at the back. The head dies away fairly quickly, leaving a pint with only moderate effervescence. The flavours are again very much of the type. There is a still a very smooth malty palette, perhaps sweeter than most, overlain by unbaked bread flavours. To the middle of the mouth a slightly sour malt tone, with a return of a slightly green apple tang. The aftertaste returns once again to a lingering toasty biscuityness once the sour notes have faded. The mouth feel is fairly thin throughout, and the beer, when cold, has a pleasingly refreshing feel. However, when it warms it starts to be dominated by the sour tones. This is a beer to be drunk fast and in quantity. Therefore it is a shame that it rates up at 5% ABV. Were this beer a percentage point or two lower in alcohol it would make a very handy session ale for a warm summer evening. Unfortunately with 5% it is too strong for that, and if you are forced to sip then there are plenty of other, better, beers available that fill that niche.