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

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a 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 Feb ...

France, and under license in the US by

Molson Coors The Molson Coors Beverage Company is an American-Canadian multinational drink and brewing company incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law and headquartered in Golden, Colorado and Montreal, Quebec. Molson Coors was formed in 2005 ...

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

George Killian's Irish Red

George Killian's Irish Red: Premium Lager is a 5.4% abv

amber lager Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storag ...

brewed by Coors. The brand name was purchased only for sale in the North-American market by Coors from the Pelforth Brewery (Heineken France), who had previously bought it from Lett's Brewery in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, which had closed in 1956.

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, Ireland. At the 2016 census, the population of the town and environs was 11,381. The town is located on the picturesque River Slaney and in close proximity to the Blackstairs Mountain ...

, 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 vol ...

called "Enniscorthy Ruby Ale," and brewed from 1864 to 1956, when the brewery closed and it was discontinued. It is no longer sold in Ireland. The brand name "George Killian's" was purchased by the Pelforth Brewery in France. In the mid 1980s Coors bought the rights to use the brand name "George Killian's Irish Red" in America. While the name is most often associated with a 5.4% abv amber lager which had become very popular, it was originally marketed by Coors as a 4.9% red ale, George Killian's Irish Red: 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 5.4 percent alcohol by volume.

Awards

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

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 Center. ...

silver medalist, American-Style Amber Lager *1997 -

silver medalist, American-Style Amber Lager

George Killian's Bière rousse

Heineken France's brand is a 6.5% abv

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

Schiltigheim Schiltigheim (, , and sometimes by non-local speakers of French; 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'' ...

and

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

References

{{Molson Coors Brewing Company Molson Coors brands Heineken brands