Better half kindly volunteered to drive back through Lisdoonvarna on Sunday morning. Not only were they open at 11:30, they'd just received a busload of middle-aged French tourists. <!-- s:shock: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" /><!-- s:shock: -->
I got a glass each of the red and the stout from unlabeled taps.
The red is pale enough that I asked if I had the right beer. There's some caramel, not much of the toast/nuttiness I'd associate with an Irish Red, and a surprisingly crisp and hoppy finish. If this was called an English Pale Ale/Best Bitter, I wouldn't have noticed (Irish Red Paradox notwithstanding.)
The designated driver took one sip and declared the stout "thin and sweet"$$ I have to agree. Starts nice but there's little roast or hop bitterness, so it just kind of dies in the mouth. Mind, you could probably knock back gallons of it.
Walking in I remembered I'd actually been in the place a few years ago - it gets jammed at night. If the goal is to make beers that don't challenge too much but that you could stay on pint after pint for an extended session, then they're right on the money.
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