Tag: beer

Thievin' Fecker Irish Red Ale

Thievin’ Fecker seizes Irish Red Ale’s essence at Tierney’s Irish Pub

Thievin' Fecker Irish Red Ale

The Stolen Bicycle Brewery’s Thievin’ Fecker Irish Red Ale

What is authentic Irish Red Ale? And why is The Stolen Bicycle Brewery‘s Thievin’ Fecker unique? Common questions for Tierney’s Irish Pubs.

Authentic Irish Red Ale is uncommon

Irish beer drinkers seldom find authentic Red Ale at home. The country’s pubs claim to have it, but most are doppelgangers: commercial, multinational amber-coloured lagers masquerading as the real thing. You’ll recognise this classic beer’s many imitators; they sit beside Guinness in Irish Pubs across the world, tasting sweeter and less bitter than their original inspiration.

Sometimes, lucky drinkers find an authentic Irish Red Ale — a genuine treat. And thanks to the craft beer revival, this smooth, easy-drinking copper-coloured beer’s popularity is increasing at home and abroad.

Irish Red Ale history

Inspired by British Bitter, Red Ale became a unique, distinct Irish beer style during the early 20th century.  But as a result of mergers and acquisitions, most 21st century examples of the style are owned by US breweries. No longer produced in Ireland, today’s homogenous ‘Irish Red’ is a modern reproduction that lacks the authentic version’s delightful character. Despite the name, the lookalikes are rarely even ales.

Irish Red Ale production has declined during the past 40-years, with industrial red lager seizing its market position. Fortunately, a few artisanal craft brewers strive to reinvent the style; and a few genuine Irish Pubs also produce their own version.

Enthusiastic drinkers relish increasing opportunities to rediscover authenticity.

Tierney’s Irish Pub

Haarlem’s The Stolen Bicycle Brewery produces Tierney’s Irish Pubs‘ in-house beer, and its Thievin’ Fecker Irish Red Ale — brewed by Amsterdam’s Poesiat & Kater — reinvigorates this beer lover’s favourite. Thievin’ Fecker’s signature flavour offers hints of toffee and caramel biscuit sweetness alongside characteristic dry-roasted barley bitterness, typical of authentic Irish Red Ale.

Beer enthusiasts or not, visiting Haarlem, Delft or Nijmegen’s Tierney’s Irish Pub offers drinkers an opportunity to savour authentic Red Ale, served at a genuine Irish Pub. The Stolen Bicycle Brewery’s Thievin’ Fecker — seize it while you can!

(Peter Mulville is a professional Beer Process writer who travels around the world to discover its craft beer cultures.)