Beer Review

So here is another review.  Recently discovered this beer and to be honest with you out there, it caught my attention solely due to its name.  "Rooney's" is emblazoned with a red keystone on the cap and the signature beer is an Old Irish style Ale.

 Rooney's as the name would imply is a Pittsburgh company run by the legendary football owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Now being a huge fanatic of said team, I must admit that my initial wanting to sample this brew was bastardized.  I gave it a whirl because of the name, and my sports fandom roots.  It won't happen again.  Allow me to explain.

I was shown promise when first cracking the beer open and pouring it into a glass.  The smell was deep and malty and the color was dark red.  Just as an Irish ale should be.  There was little to no lacing on the glass however and the "suds" seemed to be holding back on the pour.  All appeared to be mostly in order for something that screams championship brew, but looks are deceiving.  Come to think of it, smells can lead you down the wrong path too, but that is another blog entirely.

The first swig of this ale brings notes of caramel and malt, which are promising, however then the peppery aftertaste hits you.  That is a mixture that seems to square peg round hole you.  It just doesn't fit.  Then the  hops kick in.  It has a definite sense of hops, with a dash of hops, and a slight variation of hops.  This combined with the pepper, smack you in the face malt, and over the top caramel flavors, it makes for a confusing ride down the throat.

So as I look back on the glass, I am glad I sampled this offering from a hometown brewery.  At the very least I can say that I've checked this one off of my bucket list of beers.  After that however, I don't believe I will be having another go on the Rooney wagon.  Unless that is it is stopping at another Super Bowl.  GO STILLERS!!