Luckily for me, New Orleans does not lack entertainment for college students, even if it is not on campus. There was and still is, a lively bar scene in the uptown area of the city. While in school there, I would frequently hit a few of the bars. Of them my favorite was a place called Madigan's. This place was a little different than the other bars we would visit in that it was typically less crowded and the crowd seemed to be a little more mature than some of the places where college, or even high school kids frequented. Madigan's was even the place where I was officially introduced to my future wife, Margaret. We had several classes together, but it took a friend of a friend to introduce us. Thanks Scott.
In my Madigan's days, my beer consumption typically consisted of Bud Light and Bud Light only. However, they would often have on special Killian's Irish Red. I had sometimes thought with my wallet and not my palate and tried it a few times. I recall they were $1.50 a piece when the place had them. All I remember about them was minerally taste that was almost blood-like, which was really not appealing to me at the time. It was so memorable that it was not until recently that I had tried one again. I guess my tastes had changed and it was not too bad, as my father used to say, which was his highest compliment.
On the heels of my better than expected reunion with Killian's Irish Red, I decided to try two more of the style, specifically the Newcastle Werewolf Blood Red Ale and the Murphy's Red Ale. I picked both of these up at my local World Market store.
First the Newcastle Werewolf Blood Red Ale:
Appearance: Beer poured a dark copper color with a thin off-white head with little retention. Beer had a clear appearance with good carbonation which lead to decent lacing.
Smell: Much like the Killians, this one had the mineral aroma that I do not particularly care for.
Taste/Mouthfeel: As with the nose, lots of metallic and mineral flavor present. This beer also left some lingering skunky bitterness that reminded me of Heineken in terms of after taste. The bitterness mellowed as it warmed, but the mouthfeel was thin and watery, which lead to a weak finish.
Overall: I wish this beer was mythical like the creature it is named for. It had some of the bad qualities that kept me away from Killians for so long with the metallic taste and aroma. It followed that up with being thin and watery. I would not recommend this beer, however the Newcastle website is something I would recommend. For more info on this beer, please see Werewolf
Murphy's Red Ale:
Appearance: Beer poured a copper color with three fingers of thick fluffy off-white head with good retention. This beer had a less clear appearance than the previous one, but still had good carbonation, just harder to see. Nice lacing noted.
Smell: Similar to the Werewolf, the primary aroma I got was a minerally and metallic one.
Taste/Mouthfeel: Unlike the Werewolf, the palate was not like the nose. A nice malty and yeasty flavor was present with no bitterness. The mineral aroma I smelled was not present in the taste profile. As it warmed up, a sweetness was present on the finish. A medium mouthfeel for this beer.
Overall: This Red Ale was much more balanced and had some nice character. It's flavors were more complex than the Werewolf and was much more enjoyable to drink. For more info on this beer, please see Murphy's
Being a parent and struggling with a picky eater child, I frequently implore her to try something she did not like initially a second time, as I tell her tastes change over time. This is true with beers as well. It just took the right red ale for me to be convinced. Keep trying beer lovers!
Cheers!
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