Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale

While travelling to Baltimore, MD to catch the Orioles v. Angels game, we got lunch at the Tir Na Nog's Irish Bar and Grill. They had an extensive draught beer list but the Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale caught my eye as I've never tried it before and I've always wanted to try a beer that has 'cream' in its name. Upon returning home, I decided to do a little research on the beer since I had never even heard of it before. As it turns out, it is one of the beers produced by Guinness along with Smithwick's and the traditional Guinness stout. It first came to the States in September of 2009 and has limited availability in the Mid-Atlantic states. It is considered an Irish Red Ale and it, like its brewery's name sake, is nitrogenated. 

The presentation was very appealing in the pint glass that it was served in. As you can see from the photo above, the head had a rich, thick, foamy appearance. At first appearance, it looks a lot like a Guiness except much lighter than the black color associated with the very familiar stout. This, I felt, made the beer far more accessible considering that it was an Irish beer and the number of people that associate Irish beer with either heavy stouts or warm draughts. The first sip I had of the beer was almost entirely head but unlike many beers in which the beer's head is flavorless and entirely carbonation, the head was very light and made me eager to taste the beer itself. The ale was refreshing, which was a must considering that it had reached 102 degrees out. It had a very rich, creamy texture to it which I felt was true to its name. There was very little carbonation in the beer which helped to make it as refreshing as it was. The beer had very little bite in its flavor and was a very smooth, easy drink. While I do tend to prefer beers more as they warm up, this beer maintained the texture and quality of flavor even as the temperature rose over time. I find that this is a very rare quality in a beer as many increase in bitterness and become less and less appealing as time goes on. At this particular restaurant, it was $6 a pint. This price is a rather large drawback considering that my dad was able to have three Yuenglings for only $1.50 more than the two that I had. As I've never seen this beer before now, I don't really know how to rate it against other pricing for it but I would consider it fairly moderate for an imported beer. Overall, I think I would give this beer 3 1/2 mugs out of 5. While it is a very good beer, both the rarity of it and the price of the import work against it. I would definitely have this beer again, especially in a situation in which the price of imports are more equal to the domestic brews, or the prices in general are lower. It is definitely a must try for anyone, however, who enjoys low carbonation beers with good flavor to match.