Miasmatic Review

Smithwick's

Petey of Petey�s Powderhorn was the sponsor for tonight�s beer review. Tonight I�ll be reviewing Smithwick�s by Diageo in Ireland. Diageo is the same brewers that make Guinness. This is one of the rare beers that I can remember the very first time I had one. I was sitting at Fado�s Irish Pub in Chicago and they had a beer rep there. I had ordered a Guinness and he came over and asked if I wanted to take a survey. He was with the brewing company�s marketing department and offered to buy me one. So much like tonight�s beer, my first Smithwick�s was free!

We have our standard 12 oz. brown bottle. There is a green front label with the picture of a golden castle towner on it. The name crosses the tower. At the top of the tower is the year 1710. At the bottom of the label it states �From the Brewers of Guinness�.

There is a nice dark brown color to it, much like a cola. Light passes through with some difficulty. If you hold a flashlight up to it you can see floating particles. An inch thick tan head formed when poured. It consisted of a mix of large and small bubbles. It faded slowly and by the time I was done with the beer there was still a good foam on the top of the beer. There was some lacing on the side of the glass as well.

The smell was mostly of sweet malts. There was a touch of a bread scent to it as well. Roasted malts makes up the majority of the taste, there is a hint of caramel to it and a slight bitter finish. The aftertaste is mild and unobtrusive.

This is a medium bodied beer. It is a little heavy on the carbonation for my tastes. It�s an easy to drink beer.

This is a good beer and I could drink one of these most of the time. I don�t even need to be in the mood of it. It really does taste like a Guinness light. It�s got most of the flavor and none of the heaviness. I give this a 7 out of ten.