Red Beer -- Murphy's (Cork, Ireland / Den Bosch, Netherlands)

Chalk one up for "truth in advertising" -- this is a fine red lager formerly offered as "Murphy's Amber."  I'm a little confused by the contract brewing situation (by Heineken), but I suppose it saves on shipping since a Heineken affiliate handles the US imports. And though I'm partial to red ales, the lager finish makes a nice difference with this beer.

Characteristics: Rich reddish color just slightly on the brown end of the spectrum, light body, warm, slightly malty/sweet flavor finishing with a true lager bite (almost like a Budvar/Czechvar). There's even a whisky-like hint of alcohol in the finish, even though it's only 5%.

Minor Gripes: The malt starts to go syrupy as the beer warms up -- though you're not likely to notice if you drink it quickly enough.

Bottom Line: Supremely drinkable, excellent change of pace if you can find it.  Murphy's conveniently offers a beer-finder on its web site -- but only for pubs in Ireland.

Rating: 6.5 / 10