NoteworthyTrio from Western Herd
Porter, Pilsner and Witbier
Western Herd Turlough Porter, 4% ABV, 440 ml can.
Our Western Herd Turlough looks like a porter. Black as a December night in the Burren. The soft head has a slight coffee colour. Aromas are modestly floral. The hops though come through and take over on the palate with a chocolate twist, nothing too much though as there’s a good balance here, making the dry porter, with its smooth mouthfee l, easy to drink, before a crisp and satisfying finish.
Pretty much the perfect porter and Very Highly Recommended
Geek Bits
Style
Porter
Colour/Appearance
Dark ruby/black with a creamy head
Aroma
Slight coffee and chocolate
Flavour
Vanilla, coffee, chocolate, creamy and smooth mouthfeel
Hops
Willamette, Cascade
Malts
Pale, White Wheat, Caramunich III, CaraPils, Carafa I, Carafa III
Yeast
Nottingham
Turlough
The porter is named after the disappearing lakes of the limestone region of the Burren, “a uniquely Irish experience”.
Western Herd Back Beat Witbier, 5.0% ABV, 440 ml can
Our fruity herbal “witbier” from County Clare has a pale gold body and a soft white top. Perle and Saaz are the hops used, malts are Pale, Unmalted Wheat, and Torrified Wheat. A larger proportion of wheat as against barley gives the beer its character and name. The water is from their farm and the yeast is WB-06. I've tried a wide selection of beers by Western Herd over the past couple of weeks and this may be my favourite.
Witbier is almost always brewed with added spice or flavouring; here the brewers have chosen fresh orange peel and coriander and that comes through, in a balanced way, in both the aromas and flavours. And the finish is clean and crisp with a lingering aftertaste, again with citrus and coriander featuring. Clove is another regular in this type of beer and it too is here.
This Belgian-style Witbier is nicely balanced, well-produced and Highly Recommended.
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| Loop Head on a foggy day. |
Western Herd Loop Head Pilsner, 4.5% ABV, 440 ml can
My Loop Head Pilsner by Western Herd is a bit on the “foggy” side, not unlike the head itself on a bad day. Later, I declare myself happy with this pretty serious Pilsner. So if you’re toasting County Clare, put a Western Herd Pilsner in your glass and enjoy.
Plenty of bubbles rising through the murky light gold to a quickly thinning head. Yeast and malt on the slightly sour nose for sure. After that, the anticipated crisp clean Pilsner style comes through and we’ve got a central European lager to enjoy from the west coast of Ireland.
And that was their plan all along, based on “a single malt and simple hop bill”. Hops were Saaz and Perle, the malt Pilsner, with a Lager yeast of course. Highly Recommended.
Pilsner is one of the main styles of European lager. But what exactly is it? Pilsner is a pale lager named after the Czech city of Pilsen from where it originated. This bright golden beer is typically crystal clear with a large amount of foam. Saaz hops are a must for this style offering a spiciness to the beer resulting in some earthy, floral, crisp flavours. A refreshing Pilsner is always a popular choice. The vast majority of beer drunk around the world is lager of one type or another. It is a style that micro-breweries should be sure to include in their portfolio.
Geek Bits
Style
Pilsner
Colour/Appearance
Straw colour and crystal clear.
Aroma
Yeast and malt on the nose
Flavour
Clean mouthfeel and malt forward with a slightly fruity and dry finish.
Hops
Saaz, Perle
Malts
Pilsner malt
Yeast
Lager
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