Deep amber-red with a velvety head that lingers. Expect a rich malt finish of caramel and toffee, balanced with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel.

Irish Cream Ale is most famously represented by Kilkenny, a beer brewed by Smithwick’s in Kilkenny, Ireland. Though often marketed as a “red ale” because of its striking ruby colour, Kilkenny is technically a cream ale, known for its smooth texture and creamy nitrogenated body. Irish Cream Ale pours a deep ruby-red with a dense, creamy head that lingers to the last sip. The flavour is malt-driven, offering smooth notes of caramel, toffee, and lightly toasted bread, balanced by a gentle, earthy hop presence.

Kilkenny has roots going back to the 1700s through Smithwick’s, one of Ireland’s oldest breweries, and it grew in popularity as a pub staple across Ireland before spreading worldwide. Its use of nitrogen, much like Guinness, gives it that signature cascading pour and creamy head.

Vitals

Original Gravity: 1.045
Final Gravity (Fixed): 1.011
IBU (Tinseth): 16
BU/GU: 0.35
Colour: 27 EBC 

ABV: 4.5%
73% efficiency
Batch Volume: 23 L
Boil Time: 60 min

Mash Water: 17.57 L
Sparge Water: 13.06 L
Total Water: 30.63 L
Boil Volume: 28 L
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.040

Mash

Sacc Rest — 67 °C — 45 min
Mash Out — 76 °C — 15 min

Malts (4.69 kg)

4.1 kg (87.4%) — Simpsons Pale Ale Finest Maris Otter — Grain — 5 EBC
250 g (5.3%) — Dingemans Amber - Aromatic MD — Grain — 50 EBC
200 g (4.3%) — Joe White Maltings Amber Malt — Grain — 45.5 EBC
140 g (3%) — Joe White Maltings Chocolate Malt — Grain — 750 EBC

Hops (9 g)

9 g (16 IBU) — Warrior 15% — Boil — 60 min

Miscs

2.9 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Mash
1.81 g — Epsom Salt (MgSO4) — Mash
4.35 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Mash
1 ml — Lactic Acid 85% — Sparge

Yeast

1 pkg — Bluestone Yeast Co. BSY-A016 Dublin (Bluestone) 75% (recommended)
1 pkg - Bluestone Yeast Co. Edinborough
1 pkg - Lalbrew Nottingham
1 pkg - Fermentis Safale S-04

Fermentation

Pitching Temp — 18 °C — 1 days
Main Feement — 19 °C — 6 days
Diacetyl Rest — 22 °C — 2 days

Carbonation: 2.4 CO2-vol

Water Profile

Ca2+: 60
Mg2+: 6
Na+: 8
Cl-: 50
SO42-: 103
HCO3-: 16

This beer is not intended to be a direct clone but inspired by Kilkenny. We’d highly recommend serving using nitrogen for that characteristic creamy body and mouthfeel. If you'd prefer to use dried yeast we'd recommend either Mangrove Jacks M15 Empire Ale Yeast, Safale S-04 or Lalbrew Windsor.