George Killian's Irish Red is a red beer, produced and sold in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...

France, and under license in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Molson Coors Molson Coors Beverage Company is a Canadian-American Multinational corporation, multinational Drink industry, drink and brewing company, brewing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Molson Coors was formed in 2005 through the merger of Mo ...

under the

trade name A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

Unibev. Despite the differences in the brewing methods, the marketing of both beers claim legacy to an Irish "original recipe".

History

George Killian's Irish Red is a beer with an Irish heritage, allegedly based on a recipe created at Lett's Brewery in

Enniscorthy Enniscorthy () is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is located on the picturesque River Slaney and in close proximity to the Blackstairs Mountains and Ireland's longest beach, Curracloe. The Plac ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, in 1864. The beer is named after George Killian Lett, the great-grandson of George Henry Lett, who founded the brewery in Enniscorthy. George Killian Lett died at the age of 84 in Enniscorthy, Ireland in December 2010. It was originally an

Irish red ale Irish red ale (), also known as red ale or Irish ale, is a style of pale ale that is brewed using a moderate amount of kilned malts and roasted barley, giving the beer its red colour. Its strength typically ranges from 3.8% to 4.8% alcohol by vo ...

called "Enniscorthy Ruby Ale," and was brewed from 1864 until the brewery closed in 1956. It is no longer sold in Ireland. The brand name "George Killian's" was purchased from Lett's by the Pelforth Brewery (Heineken France) in France. In the mid-1980s, Coors acquired the rights to use the brand name "George Killian's Irish Red" in the United States. While the name is most often associated with its present American incarnation as a 5.2% alcohol by volume amber lager, the beer was originally marketed by Coors (d/b/a Unibev Ltd.) as a 4.9% ABV red ale. Due to its popularity, Killian's is credited with popularizing the term "

", despite the fact that it is a lager. George Killian's is currently available in bottles, cans, and kegs. A 12-ounce (355 ml) serving of George Killian's has 162 calories (677 kJ) and 5.2% ABV.

Awards

*1997 –

Great American Beer Festival The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is an annual beer festival hosted by the Brewers Association, held in Denver, Colorado. Typically held in late September or early October, the event is currently held at Denver's Colorado Convention Cente ...

silver medalist, American-Style Amber Lager *1998 – Brewer's Association Beer Cup gold medalist, American-Style Amber Lager *1998 – Great American Beer Festival silver medalist, American-Style Amber Lager

George Killian's Bière Rousse

Heineken France's brand is a 6.5% ABV

marketed under the name "George Killian's Bière Rousse: Bière Spéciale de Tradition Irlandaise." It is currently brewed in the Heineken breweries of

Schiltigheim Schiltigheim (, ; Alsatian: ''Schelige'' ; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The inhabitants are called ''Schilikois'' in French and ''Scheligemer'' in Alsatian. It is the largest suburb of the ...

and

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

References

{{Molson Coors Brewing Company Heineken brands Molson Coors brands Beer brands of France