Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale Review

It's one of those days - smog alert, humidex is beyond 40 C and you don't want to do anything. That's where cold beer comes to save the day...or salvage whatever is left of it. I went on a trip to the LCBO after work to get some cold beer and while I was weighing all the options I saw some 4 packs of Kilkenny in the corner of my eye. Memories and mixed emotions came flooding in. Why did that bring back so many memories and mixed emotions? Because the last time I bought a pack of Kilkenny two things happened. First, I had just purchased a couple of very nice beer mugs and was pouring myself a nice Kilkenny in one of them. It was a lovely sight! I set the mug next to my trusty computer and decided to read some news. Whilst reading, I had to urge to sip of that nice, cold, creamy ale. I reached for the mug while my eyes were still reading a paragraph, and CRAAAASH, my arm was too low and hit the mug sending it to the floor. Shattered was my first nice mug, shattered like my dreams of becoming an astrophysicist, and wasted was the first, cold can of smooth Kilkenny. Horrible... I cleaned it up and went to get another can. I brought it back to my computer but this time I set it in front of the monitor and continued reading the news. The first time I reached for the can, I sent it flying behind the monitor where my surge protector was located. You should have seen the thing work. Instantly the breaker switched went off and my computer was off. Amazing, but that brought the total of wasted cans to 2. Two out of the 4 cans were spilled and a brand new mug was broken. The third can was the charm. I stayed in the kitchen and drank most of it there fearing that I might do something even worse if I got anywhere near the computer.

OK, forget the story, let's move on to the beer. A 4 pack is quite cheap at the LCBO - $9.25 CAD. Sure there are cheaper brews, but compared to a 4 pack of Boddingtons or a 4 pack of Tetley's, Kilkenny is on the cheaper side. It is 4.3% alcohol by volume, right between that of Tetley's and Boddingtons. The difference can be tasted. The overall taste is more similar to that of Tetley's than to Boddingtons. It is a bit hoppy, very smooth and creamy with a rich, bitter finish. The aftertaste is pleasant and on the bitter side. The overall flavour is quite rich, almost as rich as that of the Tetley's. Great cream ale.

Scores:
Cost - $9.25 CAD
Taste - 8.7/10

Overall - 8.7/10...no bonus points here