Red Stripe

[ResLo]

I just found a case in the back corner of my local Sip N save of a Jamaican beer I knew fondly while living in London...

Red Stripe is interesting in that it's not a sweetish "island" lager like Corona or Sol, nor an interperetation of an American lager or European pilsner. Instead, it has kind of a European influence, but it doesn't really go any further than that. It's kind of a beer unto itself. Not that it's great... It pours a clear golden body beneath a fluffy birghht-white head that holds well but leaves limited (but nice) lace. The nose is pretty basic (mostly just generic beer) with a touch of hay-like malt, some milld yeasty fruit, and a bit of lager yeast sulphur. The body is light/medium and it's crisp with a fine-bubbled, slightly above median carbonation level. The flavor reveals a distinct note of sulphur, a limited amount of grainy malt character, some subtle fruitiness, and a smear of non-descript hops in the background. It's well-balanced with bitterness but there's a harsh edge to it nonetheless. It finishes with a quickly passing note of grain and a short-lingering raspy bitterness.

[swamp rat]

and it leaves wicked hangovers

[Garreh]

Have Solbrew or SB if you want an island beer, i had it while deployed to the solomon islands and SB is labelled between 7 and 10 percent, it knocks your socks off, gives a shit hangover, but goes down easy :P