A Quart of Ale± #122. On the craft journey with Hope Beer including two new Limited Editions

A Quart of Ale± #122

On the craft journey with Hope Beer including two new Limited Editions

I have often reviewed the beers of Dublin’s Hope in these posts and they are usually pretty good. Recent reviews include regular beers such as Handsome Jack and Underdog.

Hard to beat those that make up their Limited Edition, their Classic Gose a fine example. They are moving on relentlessly with this group and kindly sent on their most recent, Nos 27 and 28, each available widely in 400ml cans.

Hope Limited Edition No. 27 Munich Helles 5.3% ABV

It’s a slightly hazy amber with no shortage of bubbles and a slow sinking head that is foamy and while not snow white, just a little off. Aromas, which are gentle and persistent, are mostly floral plus a touch of herbal. What is outstanding on the palate is the well-judged malty flavour and the long-lasting refreshment at the finish.  Much thought went into this one, the balance is spot-on for the style and the result is really excellent.

They say: This Munich style Helles Lager holds back on hops and bitterness to allow the sweet and full bready flavours of malt take centre stage. Nonetheless there is a noticeable hop presence from the traditional German Hallertau hops used in the kettle and the Whirlpool…….Enjoy it in the garden, or with salty pretzels and bratwurst.

Geek Bits

Serve: 6-8 degrees

Bitterness: 19 IBU

Alcohol: 5.3% ABV

Colour: 8 EBC

German lager types

“Pils” may be Germany’s most well-known lager. Aromatic, crisp and moderately bitter it is refreshing and a terrific session beer.

Maibock is the spring beer (Mai = May). Hops and malts get a turn here. Quite versatile at the table with pasta dishes, salmon, or shellfish recommended.

Märzen has traditionally been brewed in March to be enjoyed at festivals starting in September. Again, there’s usually a good balance between malts and hops and you can enjoy it at Oktoberfest with the schnitzel, brockwurst and game.

Helles can be easily found in Munich, its crisp finish similar to Pils. Cool and refreshing, this everyday beer goes well with salads, shrimp, or fish, an excellent session beer.

There are quite a few other types including Rauchbier. You'll also come across Kolsch which is a hybrid, meaning that its producers employ elements and techniques of both lager and ale.

How To Pour A German Lager From A Bottle*

1. Tilt the glass or stein at a 45 degree angle.

2. Place the tip of the bottle in the glass, and pour the beer quickly down the side.

3. Start to straighten the glass as the beer reaches the top to create a nice head of foam.

* from kegworks.com 

Hope Limited Edition No. 28 Double Rye IPA 8.5%.

This big Rye IPA comes in an attractive amber/orange colour and is quite hazy. The spice of the Rye and the citrus of the Centennial feature in the aromas. And you also meet them on the palate where the interaction is absolutely outstanding.

I was quite taken aback by this, even though I like Rye beers such as Dungarvan’s Mahon Falls Pale Ale, Kinnegar Rye Lager and also their Bucket & Spade Session Rye IPA. Rye is a traditional grain in Scandinavia and Russia, used for both bread and beer. “The baking of bread and the brewing of beer go hand in hand,” said Russell Garet, head brewer at Elbow Lane, at a recent tasting in the tiny Cork brewery. Perhaps the first sentence of this paragraph should start as “I was quite impressed by this…”

Hope balanced the strong influence of the malted rye firstly by “a

mountain of Centennial, the classic American citrus hop, which

we use in the kettle, whirlpool, and in two dry hop additions”.

They also used CryoPop, a new product from Yakima Chief, that

blends various Cryo Hops.

“The result,” they say, “is a huge IPA, which combines the spicy malt flavours of Rye, with the orange and grapefruit flavours of Centennial, all lifted by the tropical fruit flavours of Cryo-Pop hops”. Well worth checking out. But take your time and enjoy this a sip at a time as it is very easy-drinking for a beer that packs an 8.5% ABV.

Whenever, or at least most of the time, I am drinking strong drinks, I think of César Saldaña, then Consejo Regulador in the Sherry region of Spain, and his words during a lecture in Ballymaloe: “When drinking sherry with your meal you should always have a glass of water at hand. When you want to ‘wash’ down the food use the water and then take ‘a few drops’ of the sherry as it goes a long way!” You’ll find that a sip of this excellent beer will also go a long way, so why hurry?

Geek Bits

Serving Temperature: 8-10 degrees

Bitterness: 70 IBU

Alcohol: 8.5%

Colour: 18.5 EBC

Hope American Pale Ale 2022 5.5%, 440ml can Yards & Crafts

Malty. Juicy. Citrusy. It’s a super fresh juicy pale ale dry hopped with El Dorado, Citra, Azacca and Idaho 7.

That’s what Hope say about this American Pale Ale , their summer special for 2022. It is a hazy amber/orange colour and the aromas are citrus and tropical fruit, pretty intense too, as you’d expect from the four hops employed: El Dorado, Citra, Azacca and Idaho 7.

The hops are at work on the palate also and here the balancing comes from the pale malt from Ireland’s South Coast before a zesty finish. Despite all the hops, it has a relatively low bitterness count of 18 IBU.

Geek Bits

Bitterness: 17.6 IBU

Colour: 9.5 EBC

Alcohol: 5.5% ABV

Format: 440ml can

Great with: Picnics. Sunshine & Friends.

*****

Hope produces a core range of five beers which are available all year round as well as two seasonal and a wide range of limited-edition beers. All Hope beers are brewed, bottled, canned and kegged at Howth Junction on Dublin’s Northside.

Why not visit? 

Join us for the best micro-brewery tour in Dublin! Enjoy a guided tour of our state-of-the-art German brewery. Plus enjoy a beer tasting in our taproom while enjoying a great view of the brewery floor. More on tours here.