A Quart of Ale± #92. On the craft journey with Dot Brew, Bradleys, Whitefield, Wicklow Wolf, Mourne Mountains

A Quart of Ale± #92

On the craft journey with Dot Brew, Bradleys, Whitefield, Wicklow Wolf, Mourne Mountains

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Bradleys & Dot Brew Shady Dealings BA Extra Stout 8.5%, 440 ml can Bradleys

This amazing barrel-aged (BA) stout has a very low carbonation so don’t expect much of a head on the black body. And that is how it pours out, black with a thin tan disc that slinks away very quickly. There’s a light fruitiness in the aromas and more on the rich velvety palate, dark fruits now though and chocolate, and there’s a sweetness too from the cask.

The cask? Dot Brew explain: Shady Dealings was originally meant for the export market but we've hijacked the shipment and brought it down to the real capital. This 8.5% illicit imperial export stout is aged in Banyuls dessert wine barrels and punches dark fruits and lush chocolate. Just don’t let anyone know how we got it…"

Where’s that 8.5%? The collaborators justifiably ask. You hardly notice it and this is so well balanced that the abv just doesn’t get the chance to take centre stage and swallow everything else up, depriving the beer of any display of individual character. Still, it is 8.5% so do take their advice and sip this from a wine glass. Sip and savour for there is much to savour.

Banyuls dessert wines come from the south-eastern corner of Roussillon, southern France, in the lower reaches of the eastern Pyrenees, just a few miles from the Spanish border. These sweet vins doux naturels are drunk both as aperitifs and as dessert wines. 

Quite a few Irish will have holidayed in the area, families in particular in the campsites around the beaches of Argeles sur Mer. Wish that I were there now with the beach out front, a glass of Banyuls or even of Shady Dealings (personally exported of course) and a lovely meal to come with the edges of the waves splashing gold as the setting sun leisurely slips behind the mountain tops. 

Might have to settle for a picnic table in Inchydoney. How bad! Or, keep a few cans in stock until next Christmas and sip it with the pudding! Or maybe there’s a 2021 pudding hidden away somewhere here. Must check.

Banyuls, with hilly sandy vineyard in foreground left.

Whitefield Ivy Hall Dark Lager 5.2%, 500ml bottle Bradleys

The label tells this is a Bavarian style Dunkel, a lager style beer, with a smooth velvet finish! 

Colour is as black as you’d expect and it comes with an impressive tan coloured head. It is probably the best head I’ve poured from a can or bottle over the past 12 months or so. That head is creamy and so is what follows on, yes, a very smooth palate indeed with a mild touch of caramel sweetness. You may not think this is a lager early on but the finish is dry and lip smackingly refreshing. 

A very satisfying beer and a very satisfactory style thanks to Cuilan and his team in Templemore. And big thanks too are due to the descendants of the last king of Bavaria König Ludwig III. Whitefield tell us the former royal family were largely responsible for saving this lager style.

It may befuddle the senses with those early sips but you’ll quickly grow to like it! Don’t be afraid of the dark! A lovely beer for these mid-winter days but it will also be very acceptable in the summertime. Dunkel simply means a dark German lager. 

This Ivy Hall, previously the Dark Lady, is yet another superb beer from Templemore. As you probably know, there is ongoing rebranding with the main change being that the White Gypsy brewery name has been changed to Whitefield.  “As part of the rebrand we wanted to link everything to our locality and Ivy Hall is a towns land in Templemore.”

By the way, how did you come to real ale? In an interesting piece on their website here Cuilan admits to having his first in a bar at Heathrow Airport!

Wicklow Wolf Canis Rufus Red Rye IPA 5.5%, 440 ml can Bradleys 

The updated Beer Bible (well worth getting your hands on) says Rye thrives in poor soil, so its use in both bread and beer has been concentrated in colder, harsher regions. Finns and Russians used it to make their traditional beers. I was thinking that the endangered Red Wolf (Canis Rufus) also came from these northern lands but no, the handful that are left are mostly in the south east of the US. 

Red, a murky one, is the colour of this Wicklow Wolf beer. Aromas have a touch of the wild with notes of resin but there’s also a fruity element with citrus to the fore. And the fruit is prominent on the complex toothsome palate, the balance, and it is very nicely balanced, coming from the sweet malt with, of course, the spice from the rye.

The Endangered Species brews are a series of small batch, limited edition crafted beers. These beers are so rare that only a lucky few will get to experience them in the wild before they become extinct and this one is inspired by the Red Wolf.

They say: We have taken a classic American style IPA with American hops and given it a Classic Irish Twist. Citra and Chinook make up the double dry hop addition to this IPA… This is a fiercely bold Red IPA in honour of the Red Wolf.

 

Mourne Gold Pale Ale 4.0%, 440 ml can Bradleys

Gold is the name and gold is the colour of this Pale Ale, my first beer from the Mourne Mountains Brewery, Warrenpoint, Co. Down. No shortage of rising bubbles either and a white top that gives you a few minutes of its time.

Malts used include Cara Gold and that can help enhance the colour and give a softer mouthfeel. The lightly roasted Amber brings a deeper malty flavour to the party and helps balance the hops.

They use a combination of German, English and American hop varieties for a clean bitterness, spicy kettle hop flavour; and a floral, fruity hop aroma. All more or less borne out with the first few sips. Well balanced and easy drinking, this comfort beer (it doesn’t wander outside of the style) can be recommended for your session shortlist. And for mine!

They say: Mourne Mountains Brewery was founded in 2015, situated in the foothills of the beautiful Mourne Mountains. At our 16HL brewery in Warrenpoint we brew a diverse range of beers from fruited sours to imperial pastry stouts and highly-hopped IPAs - all vegan friendly!

At our traditional brewhouse we use the finest whole leaf hops from around the world and the highest quality brewing malt but the ingredient we treasure the most is our water supply. Originating in the high Mournes, it is beautifully soft and perfect for brewing a wide variety of beer styles.