Customer Reviews

Exactly what I expected Review by Alexander

Rating

I let this sit for 2 weeks in primary and 4 weeks in secondary. Used liquid yeast and the results were great. I added 3/4 cup of priming sugar and the carbonation was spot on for commercial examples. The beer did need to age a bit in secondary, and keeps getting better in my fridge. For the price I won't be buying any more red ales at the liquor store. (Posted on 5/7/13)

Easy drinking......... Review by Brad

Rating

This one came with my kit, and it doesn't disappoint. I highly recommend giving this one a couple weeks to cold condition - it makes a large difference. Very good beer. (Posted on 4/15/13)

Awesome Brew Review by Brian

Rating

Bought the one gallon kit, brewed per instructions, turned out great after a month in the fridge. Read the reviews and did a 5 gallon kit for st patty's and added a lb of gold dme. 2weeks primary, 4 secondary, 2weeks bottle, fridge for 4 more weeks. Perfect St Patty's brew!!! 3 months of worth it! (Posted on 4/9/13)

Not bad for my first brew experience Review by Mitch

Rating

Well this turned out surprisingly well with the fiasco that was my first brew. The pot I used I cleaned for nearly 2 days since it was my fathers brew pot from 10 years ago and neglected to clean it in that time span. About 30 min into the brew I started to hear a sizzling sound and realized there was a hole in the bottom of a pot. Spent the next 3 hours tracking down a suitable replacement even though I live literally two blocks from NB in Greenfield... they were closed for remodeling. Two weeks in Primary, two weeks in secondary. I recommend letting these bottle condition for at least a month, was a bit too bitter for my tastes until then. (could have been the terrible brew day...). (Posted on 3/30/13)

Easy to drink Review by Pan

Rating

So got this kit with my deluxe starter. Turned out pretty good. Not much up front but a nice finish. The wives/GFs loved this beer! They kept trying to bogart the bottles. Will brew this kit again. (Posted on 3/27/13)

Great! Review by Travis

Rating

It was a joy to brew, and it went way to fast! (Posted on 2/27/13)

Very good all aroung beer and easy to brew as well! Review by Tommy K

Rating

One week primary, two weeks secondary, two weeks bottle conditioning. This was my second brew, first with Northern brewer. Nice deep copper color exactly like the picture and video. Very drinkable very mild. Nice lacing on the glass. Nice caramel flavor. Comparing it to the American amber, I would say it's a lighter version of that. American amber was heavier on the caramel, alcohol and hops. I hope my next three Northern kits that I've brewed since turn out the good! Cheers!! (Posted on 2/19/13)

Very drinkable beer Review by Erik

Rating

Nice and smooth taste and very drinkable beer...I will buy again in the future. (Posted on 2/13/13)

excellent red ale Review by Greg

Rating

This is an excellent mild red ale with great color and a mild yet very pleasant hop finish. I did a secondary fermentation and bottled after 3 weeks. I allowed another 3 weeks in the bottle and was very pleased. All who have tried it so far agree. (Posted on 2/9/13)

Very Easy and would recomend! Review by Ryan

Rating

This was my first 5gal attempt at home brewing. My wife got me a Mr.XXXX kit and I got her to let me get a NB deluxe starter. I chose this as my first brew. I brewed a full 6gal of wort, that came out to about 5.5gal. Other than that followed instructions exactly. O.G. was 1.044. Created a 1.8L yeast starter 36 hours prior with WL California V as that was the only yeast my local supplier had.

Fermentation was complete 4 days later, let sit in primary for another 2 and re checked F.G. 1.010 both days so off to the secondary it went.

Been in the secondary for almost two weeks and i pulled another sample to check clarity last night and color and clarity look great (tasted good too). Bottled this morning and now just waiting for the carbonation to be done. If yesterdays tasting is any indication then this is going to be an awesome beer!!!

Super easy and would recommend to others. (Posted on 2/7/13)

Despite all my mistakes, this one turned out great! Review by Tyler

Rating

This was my first home brew on my own, and I made a few mistakes, but it turned out to be a great tasting beer anyways!
I followed the instructions to a tee on brew day, but half-way through realized my meat thermometer I was counting on only went down to 130 degrees. So I did a little guess-work on the temperature when cooling and pitching my yeast, which I pitched dry. I think both those factors cause minimal activity in my airlock, plus I live in Colorado and heat with wood, so keeping a constant temperature was a challenge. It did ferment, though not extremely actively. I transfered to secondary at 12 days, and bottled after two more weeks. I tried my first one after 6 days in the bottle, and was very hesitant, but extremely surprised with the outcome. It was well carbonated, crisp and slightly sweet, with just enough hops bitterness on the finish to make it a pretty well-rounded beer. I think my alcohol content is really low, but I'm not looking to get buzzed, just to enjoy a good beer, and have a couple at a time. I'm gonna share this one at our super bowl party on Sunday! I think I will do this one again at some point and hydrate my yeast before pitching, and attempt to keep a more constant temperature to give it a slight bit more might, but overall, very pleased with my first one! (Posted on 1/31/13)

Great first brew Review by Justin

Rating

This brew was my starter. I followed the directions and did the partial boil, with dry yest.

I did three weeks in the primary and skipped the secondary. 2 weeks in the bottle and ready to drink. Didn't measure OG or FG.

I had some chill haze but maybe that's because of the partial boil from what I've read. Nice sweet malty nose and up front taste with a just a the right amount of bitterness on the finish. (Posted on 1/26/13)

Update to my previous review Review by Pellis007

Rating

Give this brew enough time to bottle condition. Another week and a half of aging turned this beer into a whole new brew! Beautifully carbed, slightly darker color than the picture, the taste of this beer is fantastic! I was pretty disappointed after 3 weeks conditioning, but with a bit more age, this beer really came to life. The wife loves it too! (Posted on 12/19/12)

Not a Bad Starter Beer Review by James

Rating

My second beer, and it's not bad...but it's not great. I'm not sure if I got the steep right, but it didn't have much body and the malt characteristics weren't as strong as I would have liked. My batch has an almost soda-like carbonation (bottled with 5oz of corn sugar). (Posted on 12/18/12)

Not a bad beer Review by Pellis007

Rating

This was my 2nd 5 gal batch. Followed instructions completely except I added 1/2 LME at beginning and the balance at 30 mins. Used the Nottingham yeast and fermented at 61 degrees. Fermented in primary 3 weeks and bottled. OG was 1.046 and FG was 1.014. Just tried my first sample at 2 weeks bottle conditioning. Nice head, good lacing, nice malty aroma, color was a little dark. The taste was a little bland, but overall not bad. Nothing to rave about. I expect that with a little more aging it will improve. (Posted on 12/5/12)

Not my favorite Review by Joe

Rating

If you like malty beers, you may like this one. Also, this is not one of my favorites. Has a chocolate nose, and a licorice-like flavor. Very easy to brew, though. (Posted on 10/22/12)

great starter beer Review by Thomas

Rating

this was great to make for first time brewing!!! nothing to fancy just a great all around beer!!! (Posted on 10/4/12)

excellent ale Review by frank

Rating

This is my 3rd beer. I was very happy how well it came out. It is a rich red ale...not normally my type of beer, but I love its taste. One learning for me : I was freaking out as I saw no signs of fermentation...no bubbles in the air lock. I went to the local supplier for advice...I pitched another package of yeast. Again no apparent fermenting...but the gravity reading indicated that it had fermented. I wasn't planning to do a secondary...but I'm really glad I did...there was a lot of sludge removed. Also I added the extra DME as I saw that many reccomended it. Overall a good experience and it turned out a surprisingly good beer. (Posted on 10/2/12)

Great Starter Kit Review by Peter

Rating

I brewed this as my first batch (as this, Caribou Slobber and American Wheat were recommended with the Basic Starter Kit), and it was a HUGE SUCCESS. I was a bit worried, as my fermenting temperature was on the high end of the spectrum, and, as a beginner, I know there are a lot of ways to improve beer quality; that being said, this kit is fantastic, and tastes great too- distinctly malty, but with a nice aroma, it made for a perfect first brew. (Posted on 9/19/12)

amazing beer. Review by matt

Rating

This was my first home brew. I followed the recipe. I did a 2 week primary and a 2 week secondary. Tried one after 1 week in the bottle and it was really good. Nice head, nice color and great taste. It only improved after 3 or 4 weeks in the bottle. Everyone I shared this with loved it, and could not believe it was a home brew. A friend even offered to buy a case, but with 5 gallon batches, I'd NEVER sell half of it...it's just too good. Can't wait to make this again. Even my wife likes it and she's not much of a beer drinker. It's easy and I highly recomend brewing this beer. My FG got all the way to 1007 using dry yeast. (Posted on 7/5/12)

A good basic beer Review by wolfie

Rating

First brewing attempt. Very happy. This is a fairly tasty basic beer. (Posted on 6/29/12)

Great brew that the wife loves Review by scott in Michigan

Rating

This one fermented at 64 degrees then I gave it a two day rest at 74degrees then dropped it back down to 64 for a couple more days 2 weeks in primary 1.010 then I kegged and and 2 days later it taste fantastic. This is going to be donated to my best friends wedding along with 2 other brews. Cant think of anything bad to say about this beer. (Posted on 6/15/12)

Good ole' fashioned Red Ale Review by BrandonH

Rating

This beer turned out great. I've been brewing for about 8 months, and had no problems at all. Very simple to brew, great taste. Everyone I gave a bottle to loved it. I'll definitely be ordering this again when I'm in the mood for something a little light again. (Posted on 6/14/12)

Excellent! (But try with hop-bag) Review by Mark E

Rating

Overall, a delicious beer! This is my sixth batch of homebrew and first time making this style.

Very tasty, though mine ended up being a little over-hopped. I didn't use a hop bag -- just dumped them in and left them -- which I think is the culprit. I'll definitely brew this again, but will try using one of those nifty hop bags! (Posted on 5/7/12)

Great 1st batch Review by Phaedrus

Rating

This was my first time out with home brewing. Just because I can't leave anything as is, I added 1 cup brown sugar to amp up the alcohol level. It turned out great but the last bottles sitting around 4-5 weeks in the bottle had a much thicker head. (Posted on 5/5/12)

Exactly what I expected. Review by Funky Disco

Rating

This kit tastes like a regular old fashioned red beer. It's good for what it is, nice and safe. Enjoy! (Posted on 4/27/12)

Great beer Review by William

Rating

This is a great extract kit. My results were just like the description. The beer had an amber read color, a sweet malty aroma, and a great toasted malt taste with minimal bitterness. I used the recommended Wyeast, primary fermentation for 2 weeks, secondary for 4. After a week in the bottle it was well carbonated and tasted great. (Posted on 4/22/12)

got lucky Review by BD

Rating

This was the first NB kit I brewed, and my second extract kit ever. After the first i was a little disappointed with the ABV so wanted to kick it up a little bit so i added a pound of brown sugar and 1/2 pound honey at start of boil. Obviously not knowing what I was I doing. After 2 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary, and 2 weeks in bottle, thought i wasted my time and money. It was over powering at 10% abv. But after 4 weeks in bottle it gets better and better. True test came when my son and his buddies came home for a wedding, and they love it. Brewed a second batch but followed the instructions this time, can't wait to see how it compares to this one. (Posted on 4/14/12)

Quick and Easy. Good Irish Red. Review by Kirk

Rating

I've been brewing for many years but I've had limited time to brew lately and just wanted something quick and easy to brew that my friends would enjoy. This was it. Not my favorite beer, but good quality and true to the style. I like it and my friends love it so I guess it is a success. (Posted on 4/13/12)

Home Brewing Initiator Review by Robbyboatz

Rating

This beer was so good it only lasted one party and two people that drank it will be home brewing now because they were amazed that such a good beer could be made at home. Perfect balance in flavor, color and all around beer. (Posted on 4/5/12)

first time brew Review by John

Rating

my very first home brew and it came out perfect! Instructions were simple and easy. the batch came out a bit bitter at first but as time passed they get better and better!! definitely gonna order this kit several more times.

addicted now cant stop! on my third brew this weekend!!!! (Posted on 3/31/12)

simply awesome Review by k.bus

Rating

First brew w/ new kit and it turned out great! (Posted on 3/27/12)

Great beer Review by Benjamin

Rating

It has been bottled for just over three weeks and keeps getting better! My timing wasn't as the recipe indicated, ( didnt rack beer at time when recipe called for) but it still turned out awesome. Will definitely brew again! (Posted on 3/19/12)

so so at best Review by Jack Torse

Rating

Just isn't a very good beer. I used the wyeast and the fermentation fizzled fast. I had a higher than expected fg. It's been 6 weeks in the bottle and carbonation is lacking. The only two NB kits I haven't been thrilled with are Irish, red and stout, among their most popular. I strongly suspect the viability of the yeast and probably will give this another try down the road but for now it's pretty much a wasted batch. (Posted on 3/17/12)

First brew in 5+ years Review by Chief 1973

Rating

Got back into brewing after a 5+ year layoff (kids etc etc) Turned out quite well, very smooth and easy drinking (4 weeks primary, 3 weeks +- bottle). Was expecting a little more flavor, but I did cut back on some of the hops do to a full boil, next time I would include all. Overall though a very tasty brew and one I would do again. Cheers! (Posted on 3/7/12)

Awesome Review by WillyT

Rating

This kit fully converted me from winemaking to BEER. What a great Irish Red. Good color and great taste! (Posted on 2/27/12)

Decent Red Ale. Good for 1st Brew. Review by Steve

Rating

This was my first brew. It was very easy to make, but only made 48 bottles rather than the 60 it said it could make. I primed mine with table sugar.
It reminded me of a Killian's Irish Red, but better. It was a little less bitter, with a little more hops flavor.
This beer is best served cold. A cold beer goes down smooth and easy, while a slightly cool beer leaves a bit of an aftertaste.
Little to no residue left in bottles (but that is up to the brewer's quality control).
My family and friends thought it was great!

I'm going to try brewing other red ales before trying this one again. (Posted on 2/20/12)

Agree with the fellows Review by Hyderometer

Rating

Like most of these reviews this was my first kit ever. I wanted an Irish red to celebrate the cardinals winning the world series. Very fun experience, my advice to any first time brewer is to sanatize a fine wire strainer, I tried as slow pouring as I could into first fermenter bucket but still had a lot of sludge. Great beer though, will impress anyone who tries it. (Posted on 2/9/12)

Great way to start Review by Brady

Rating

This was my first homebrew ever, and am very happy with it. Very easy to do for beginners. It was a little cloudy after 2 weeks in the bottle, but less than 2 weeks later it's already clearing up. And it tasted great despite the initial cloudiness. Better than Killians! (Posted on 12/27/11)

Great Beginnings! Review by Jim

Rating

This was my first brew, and it turned out better than expected. Officially unveilled the Irish Red for the family Christmas party. Although the beer was unanimously popular, I wish I would have kept it bottled up longer as the carbination was a wee bit light. Other than that, I was extremely pleased with the results, and got lots of compliments. (Posted on 12/27/11)

Great Starter Beer Review by Billy

Rating

This was my first brew ever. It couldnt have been easier and the results were fantastic! Started out bitter but drinkable. A few months bottle conditioning and its at the top of the heap as far as successful beers go. (Posted on 11/1/11)

followup... Review by MattN

Rating

As a followup to my post below, I took this to my beerclub meeting last week. The response was embarassingly positive. "Better than mine in the keg" someone told me. In the last few weeks, the flavor has gone from "very good" to "boarderline outstanding". This will go into my regular rotation... (Posted on 10/16/11)

Great for a first timer Review by Ken

This was my first kit and a hot day raised the temp in my basement. It fermented a day and a half too warm. The initial tastes were "sour?". I used the chat and was advised to age to the long end. At bottling the taste was better, after 2 weeks, better yet, 3 weeks very good. So if I can - do it wrong - and still get a very good beer it has to be a pretty good kit. (Posted on 10/12/11)

Well worth brewing Review by MattN

Rating

Only 1 week in primary and after only 5 days in the bottle it was very drinkable. After a few more days the flavors developed a bit more and this is a nice red ale. Nothing terribly complex. Smooth, malty, nice hop finish. Very nice. Absolutely worth brewing if you like red ales. (Posted on 10/2/11)

Worth your time Review by Jeffery

I do primarily extract brewing and have done two batches of this now. I cannot keep it once my friends and other homebrewers know it is done. It is very popular. I have had to reduce the priming sugar just a bit as it was getting over carbonated but other than that it is a smooth, easily drinkable beer. I leave it two weeks in the fermenter and 3 weeks in the bottle for conditioning which does just fine for me.

Recommend this kit. (Posted on 9/26/11)

Highly recommended session beer for beer snobs. Review by Scott

Rating

Second best beer I have brewed in 2 years. Cream Ale was number one and is now my house beer. It had a fabulous tase and it is young and not even fully carbonated yet. I will be brewing this on a regular basis if my brother-in-laws agree with my impression on this brew. I have the innkeeper kit next which is supposed to be good too. The Irish Red though, has far exceeded my expectations. (Posted on 9/1/11)

awesome Review by Randmo

Rating

This was my first brew. It turned out as good as I could have hoped for. I just followed the recipe, 1 week in the primery, 2 in the secondary, 3 in the bottle. It is so mellow, with a rich but not heavy maltiness. Needs a little more sugar in the primary next time. This was a home run for my first time at bat. The only thing I didn't like about thisrecipe was that it only made 2 cases. (Posted on 7/3/11)

I botched this beer Review by Melody

Rating

I'm giving the kit 5 pints because I think it is a good solid Irish Red Extract Kit. This is the only beer to date that I can only assume I botched by missing something in the sanitation process.I can't bring myself to throw this batch out yet, but I have been opening and tasting a bottle every 4 weeks and the unmistakable twang of "clove" is there.
Thankfully I've never had a problem before or after . Again, this had nothing to do with the kit. The fault was brewer error. (Posted on 6/14/11)

great brew, very tasty Review by Jeffrey

Rating

This was only my 4th brew, and my 1st shot at using a secondary fermentation. It came out great. Several folks I kayak with really liked it too and that crowd is fussy about the post-whitewater beverage.

(Posted on 5/30/11)

God bless the Irish Review by flytyer

Rating

9th brew in 2011. I really like this Ale. Brewed as per the instructions using the wyeast recommended. I think I will be dialing down the priming sugar from 3/4 to 2/3 as my initial concerns with the carbonation of my first batch have disappeared with subsaquent batches,(I really mix prior to bottling). Conditioned at 62 degrees for two weeks. Nice creamy head, light aroma, color is a deep copper. Very drinkable and not overly hopped. (Posted on 5/5/11)

No carbonation Review by Bulldog Brewer

Rating

been in bottles for 8 weeks and no carbonation. I am 0 for 2 with the danstar dry yeast. (Posted on 4/26/11)

Irish Red Ale Review by snowwis

Rating

This was my first home brew and had a blast with it. Primary 2 weeks - secondary 2 weeks and bottle 2 weeks. Good malty flavor and carbonation but am holding back for 1 more week to see what 3 weeks bottle conditioning will bring. Number two is in the fermentor (Sierra Madre) and hoping for another great brew experience. (Posted on 4/25/11)

Great Beer Review by Dixie

Rating

This was the first kit I ordered from NB and I couldn't be any happier. I brewed this in time for St Patty's day and my family and friends loved it. I've already got requests to brew it again. (Posted on 4/16/11)

benefits from extra conditioning Review by Austin

Rating

This was my first time brewing by myself. I added a 1/4 cup of brown sugar because I spilled a little of the lme and the gravity of the recipe was already on the low side. the brown sugar definitely results in a more fruity beer, but with the small amount I used, it is well balanced by the malt.

It spent a week in the primary, 3 weeks in the secondary, then 2 weeks bottle conditioning before I tried the first bottle. at that first tasting I was a little disappointed. I felt it was under-carbonated, it did not have much of any head to speak of, and the flavor was still too fruity/unconditioned (like wort with alcohol rather than beer--it smelled great though!). I was upset but decided to give it more time.

After another week of bottle conditioning I tried it again (7 weeks in now, 3 weeks from bottling) and was pleased that it tasted MUCH better. there was more carbonation, a decent head, and the flavor was much more malty and settled. I still would like a tiny bit more of a hops profile to balance the malts, although I realize this might be less true to style. Also, I think I make have delayed the 30 minute addition several minutes which could have had an effect. I've had two more since then (at 7.5 weeks now) and I'm pleased with it enough that I've given it to friends who also like it.

I think that the extra week in the secondary must have let more yeast settle out so that less were in the beer at bottling; and thus, priming took longer. Regardless, my biggest recommendation would be to not rush the aging and give the recipe another week or two of bottle conditioning for an optimal brew! (Posted on 4/14/11)

Best I've Made So Far Review by Clifford

Rating

This was my 10th batch of homebrew, and my first review. By far the best that I have made, and there have been some good ones!

I added half a packet of Grains Of Paradise at flameout, 2 week fermentation, and aged in a keg for four weeks at room temperature. Fantastic! I will definitely order this one again. (Posted on 4/10/11)

Great Red! Review by Tom

I decided to branch out a little bit from the comments I was reading on this kit and went ahead and added 2 lbs of Golden Light DME just as some others have been doing. I ended up with and OG just under 1.060. A little over a month later and now I just had my first pint from the keg. Great maltiness with just the right amount of hop character to stay out of the way in the forefront but still support that great Irish Red flavor! (Posted on 4/7/11)

Awesome! Review by NoobBrewer

Rating

This beer is fantastic...and I cheated! I fermented in my primary fermenter for only 2 weeks, and then bottled. The beer tastes great and with such little work! Cheers. (Posted on 4/4/11)

My very first attempt at homebrewing Review by Milwaukee Jim

Rating

I picked this kit totally at random when I bought my homebrew equipment a few months ago. I was very careful at keeping everything very clean and it paid off. I gave out some bottles to friends and co-workers of mine and they were all very impressed. I'll be brewing this type of beer again in the near future, I'm sure. (Posted on 3/28/11)

Great beer Review by David

Rating

this was the first kit i got with my starter and it is great! (Posted on 3/1/11)

Best Kit Review by Thomas

Rating

Surprised best Kit! As with all of the Kits from NB, easy to make. This was in the fermentor for 4 weeks and then straight into a Keg. I have tried many methods of force carbonating, the easiest by far is to cool the Keg to Kegerator temp and connect CO2 line at 10psi and let sit for 4 days. (Posted on 2/26/11)

Outstanding Review by Ando

Rating

I made this one in July and added an extra 2 pounds of Golden Light DME. This added more "horsepower" to the batch (O.G. was 1.060) and it turned out great. I still have about 12 left and will be making another batch in the next week or so. Got many more "friends" since I started brewing my own beer. (Posted on 2/23/11)

Killian's is my favorite Beer Review by Banana Pants

I just started home brewing this year and this was my 1st batch. I moved my batch into the keg and saved a glass. I finished off the Killian's I was drinking and grabbed the glass of young Red, and it ,in my opinion, is better. I just finished the keg and I am going to be making more of this, very soon, but this time I will bottle it so I don't have to share it with friends, they can have the other beers I will be making. (Posted on 2/12/11)

pump it up! Review by Hawk Diesel

Rating

Great beer! I pumped up the og with dme to 1.056 and bottled with kreamyx...UM OUTSTANDING!!!! (Posted on 2/6/11)

Pump it up Review by Hawk Diesel

Rating

Good kit. I pumped it up with some extra dme, kreamyx and you're in business. OG came in at 1.056. Hoppy, drinkable and tasty. NB extract kits are great. However they need to find a different container than the half gallon milk cartons for the lme. (Posted on 2/5/11)

Great crowd-pleaser Review by Tom_EB

Rating

Robust enough to please the beer snob, approachable enough to snare the "lite beer" crowd, and good enough to keep them both asking for more. I always try to keep some on hand. (Posted on 2/3/11)

Finally....Beer! Review by Franzie

Rating

This was my first brew. I made rookie mistakes that made the waiting process a bit longer. Left the bottles in the garage after fill day for 2 weeks and it didn't carbonate enough. Left bottles inside at 65-70degrees and forgot about them for a month. It got better with age, the later the open the more refined the flavor. Next batch of red will be tweaked to add a twist. (Posted on 2/1/11)

Weak Review by Brewdawg

Rating

This kit definitely needs help. Although it is drinkable, that's as much praise as I can muster. Nothing wrong with the flavor, but it's just too weak. I brewed the kit as-is, and it came out tasting like a "lite" version of an Irish Red. The balance of hop/malt is okay, but a lot of work to go through to get a product that isn't as good as its store-bought bretheren. If I did brew it again, I'd have to make it a 4 gal. batch, or add more malt. (Posted on 12/28/10)

Recomended Review by hefe300

Rating

Very easy extract kit that produces a solid, respectable brew very representative of the style. Nice nose, good taste. The kit is good as is, but I may try some minor tweaks next time. It's easy enough that I'd recomend it for a first timer and good enough that you'll probably want to brew it again. (Posted on 12/15/10)

On par with Killians or Sam Adams Irish Red's Review by Ryan Hanson

Rating

I used this kit for my very first home brew. It was easy and turned out even better than expected. Being a fan of amber and darker beers this beer was perfect. Great taste, great head on the beer at pour. This one will be a definite keeper in the future to brew again. (Posted on 12/8/10)

Great Beer! Review by Beginner Brewer

Rating

This was my second batch of home brew and it turned out as expected, it is a great beer! I was impatient and drank most of it right away. However, this beer gets better with time so let it age a few more weeks in the bottle and the over all taste will be well worth the wait. I will buy it again and perhaps add 1 lb. of DME to boost the gravity a bit. (Posted on 11/29/10)

Taste's just like Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale Review by Bill S.

Rating

This was one of three different kits I ordered, and it came out amazing, especially for one of my first few batches. With some help, the two cases of this beer was gone in under 2 weeks. I just bought a bottle of the Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale and I SWEAR it tasted 99% like it. The only difference is they use columbus hops instead of U.S Goldings. Definately going to buy again because it's one of the cheapest kits, it's easy as hell to make, and it tastes great. Also if you're a fan of dogfish head 60 minute IPA, then get The Innkeeper. It tastes very similar. (Posted on 11/24/10)

Great recipie with tweak Review by stedtale

This kit is excellent, I can't say enough good things about it. The only thing I did was to switch the order of the hops and make the aroma hop addition later (5min). Great kit, real crown pleaser. Smooth, rich, nice body, great beer. (Posted on 11/10/10)

Awesome taste, great color Review by Rich

Rating

Outstanding. came out slightly darker than the picture. Great taste. Slightly sweet really great with a sandwich, or just as a session beer. Nobody can drink just one.
Everyone wants more. (Posted on 10/8/10)

Best Irish Red I have ever had! Review by Tim

Rating

This was my first batch and even though I was very meticulous at all times I kept my expectations low. I was just hoping for something that was drinkable. Man was I shocked when it turned out to be fantastic. I must admit that it is the best Irish Red I have ever had. It has a little more bitterness than I was expecting in a red but I think that's one thing which makes it stand out for me. It's not a lot of bitterness, just more than any Red I have ever had. The instructions call for a 3gal boil but since I had a large enough kettle I did a full 5gal boil. I believe that this allowed a slightly higher hop utilization which accounts for the extra bitterness. Every one who has tried this loves it. Several people have said, "I would definitely buy that!" I will definitely make this again and it just may become my new session beer. Thanks NB for your help. This was great! (Posted on 9/29/10)

tis' good laddie Review by clayshooter

Rating

She's a beaut, Clark. Brilliant red color. I modified the recipe a bit by adding another 2.5-3lbs of extract to the brew at the end to give it a little boost in the gravity department, doesn't seem to have hurt it one bit. (Posted on 8/20/10)

great kit Review by st anky

Rating

This was my first kit and introduction into home brewing. I did have some brews I made with a friend that gave me the bug to try it on my own. I buoght this Irish Red kit so it could be ready for St. Paddy's Day. The brew came out prefect, the color was great and it tasted great to. The only issue I had was with the coopers tablets for priming. They did work but they took longer to carbonate the beer than if I had used regular priming sugar. All in all it was really worth it I will buy and brew this beer again. (Posted on 8/14/10)

Good beer, but too mainstream for me Review by gr8tefloyd

Rating

Please dont shoot me...I know and like good beer. This is a good beer. It is not a great beer. This ale is good for all who drink, nothing too hidden, not too bitter, not too strong...just plain old good beer. Would i rave about it, not really, would i drink it and recommend it, yes.

I do say this is a good starter beer because it would impress anyone who does not believe you can brew in your basement.

(Posted on 5/4/10)

This is one good Red Review by Gabe

Rating

I made 5 gallons of this and bottled 1/3. the remaining beer was gobbled up by all members of my family with in 2 days. My only regret was not making a larger batch. I have now ordered more and will be making this ASAP. This one will go on the permanent rotation list. Asp in the fall and winter. (Posted on 4/20/10)

Even though I screwed it up it was good Review by Abrewham Drinkin

Rating

I tried this as my first home brew and despite all my rookie mistakes it turned out pretty good. Though it did taste more like a Sam Adams knock off than I expected it to. (Posted on 4/12/10)

Exception to Murphys law Review by Shea

Rating

This was my second homebrew ever. I screwed up on 9 different occasions in all 3 stages. It still came out, tasty as if nothing had gone wrong. (Posted on 3/30/10)

Least favorite Review by The Gentle Cricket

I've attempted this Red Ale twice, with equally disappointing results. The base flavor of the brew is pretty good--malty and warm, like a red ale should be--but there is a strange sweetness to it, and it is pretty bitter and tart up front. The tartness can be a bit much. Both batches have had the same shortcomings.

I double fermented the second batch, and used less priming sugar, which slightly improved the outcome. (Posted on 8/21/09)