Sadhbh alive-o

If you have an aversion to Irish red ale, look away now. Today's review is another product of the January doldrums, though the beer itself was launched back in October, largely for export, I suspect. We were into the new year before I saw it for sale.

This is Sadhbh from The White Hag. Though very much built for the session at only 4.1% ABV it comes in small cans and is quite a pleasingly dark shade of red with a wholesome dusting of haze. The aroma is not that of a bland watery red, with rich and sweet caramel, some milk chocolate and an intriguing Christmassy spice. As expected it's quite full-bodied, which gives it a warming roundness that belies the strength. The sweet side is more subtle than I was expecting, a flash of fudge, but nothing lasting. Instead, the dominant feature is in the finish: a dry green bite of old-world hops, a little metallic and a little grassy. I would guess an English variety.

The overall effect is properly interesting. While this isn't a different style pretending to be an Irish red ale, there are distinct signs of the relationship to UK bitter. As such it would definitely work better by the pint.