Boston Beer probably has bottled more styles of beer than any other brewer on the planet. I can’t be certain of that, of course, but I’m pretty well convinced. That said, they still hold an election of sorts each year to allow beer lovers to select a brew from the few remaining styles they haven’t touched yet to become the next member of their Brewmaster’s Collection.

The winner gets to be featured in six-packs and as part of a sampler collection for a time. For 2007, the winner was Samuel Adams Irish Red, which means we get to drink it in 2008. And so I snagged some a few days ago, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day as it were.

You may be vaguely familiar with Irish Reds if you’ve tasted a Killian’s Irish Red by Coors or, better yet, a Smithwick’s Ale . Killian’s, of course, is only a pale imitation of an Irish Red, but it’s on the idea of what that can really be. Such beers should be slightly sweet and rather malty, as is the case with Boston Beer’s version here.

Not too long ago, I bought a set of special beer glasses Boston beer has been hawking on their website. They sing their praises as the idyll as far as beer glasses go, and though I’m not sure that’s the case, they are pretty nifty, indeed. The glass is smaller at the bottom, curves up and around nicely as it approaches the bulb-shaped top, and has an indent just below the rim. This is all supposed to foster a perfect head, and I must admit that my beer does seem to generate and retain a good head in these glasses. The laser etched logo doesn’t make the beer taste any better, but it does look rather nice.

Samuel Adams Irish Red pours to a, well, red color, deep ruby red to be more precise, with a thick creamy head formation and a sweet toffee malt nose. A sip reveals a very tasty beer indeed, definitely malt accented as is appropriate for the style. It’s slightly sweet at first, with a generous smack of soft, chewy caramel and a hint of chocolate, and maybe even a suggestion of rock candy.

The finish is herbal and earthy with aromatic British hops, not really bitter but nicely balanced enough so that this is a very drinkable brew. Irish eyes will definitely love this beer that’s sure to soothe the palate of malt lovers everywhere. A wonderfully delicious and drinkable brew, perfect for the style it aims for. Delicious beers like this may not hit you over the head with flavor, but they do seduce you ever so sublimely with it, and in my book the former is as much an accomplishment as the latter.