On the Craft Trail with 9 White Deer and Wicklow Wolf. A couple of cracking lagers.

On the Craft Trail with 9 White Deer and Wicklow Wolf. 

A couple of cracking lagers.

Wicklow Wolf Hideaway Helles Lager, 4.0% ABV, 440 ml can, Bradleys

Escape the noise. Savour the peace!

This new Helles Lager from Wicklow Wolf comes in a mid-gold colour. Aromas and floral are a little on the delicate side before this well-balanced Helles comes into its own on the palate, where you'll find it malt-forward, refreshing, flavourful and quickly drunk.

By the way, I wondered if Helles Lager involves a bit of tautology. Apparently not. The term "Helles" refers to a specific style of pale lager originating from Germany, mainly from Munich. "Lager" is a type of beer that is fermented and conditioned at low temperatures, describing the brewing process. So Helles is one type of lager, as is pils, the word itself coming from the German word for "bright" or “pale”. Or maybe from Helios, the Greek word for the sun god - just showing off there!

Away from tautology now and on to the philosophical motivation that Wicklow Wolf deployed as they launched this Helles, a beer they are obviously (and rightly) proud of. “This is your ticket to a moment of calm and clarity. Hideaway is the perfect companion to transport you to your sacred space – your hideaway. Escape the noise, savour the simplicity, and let this clean, balanced lager be your moment of zen.… Whether you're unwinding after a long day or taking a quiet moment for yourself, Hideaway is the perfect escape.”

Back to earth now, though. This is an excellent smooth beer. It is Very Highly Recommended. Enjoy a couple of bevvies for casual drinking or pairing with various foods. If you’re a Jack Grealish fan you might skip the alcohol and go for a couple of bovvies* instead.

* Bovril, a favourite of Jack’s, as he revealed on the Netflix series on Man City.

9 White Deer Stag Kölsch Lager, 4.2% ABV, 500 ml bottle, O’Donovan’s Off Licence

Extended lagering time allows this beer to develop fully.

Kölsch is a style of beer, of the lager family, originating in Cologne, Germany. In appearance, this 9 White Deer produced example is bright and clear with a gold/amber colour. And a soft white head.

The Stag Kolsch, with its high carbonation level and gentle hop character, is palate-friendly with an almost creamy feel. Easy to quaff and easy to see how this refreshing gluten-free and flavoursome beer (more malty than hoppy) has become quite a seller, widely available in both bottle and draught.

The team in 9 White Deer have certainly cracked the style here. They have brewed with German Nobel Hops, Premium Irish and German Malt and German Yeast. Stag Kolsch gets “an extended lagering time where it can develop and mature into a classic premium European style beer”. 

9 White Deer had some help from the soft local water and a famous German brewmaster. Soft is the operative word here as the water, from the Cork and Kerry mountains, is really soft, just perfect for lager-style beers. And the guidance they got from Roland, then brewmaster of the well known Munich brewery Augustiner and still a friend of the Ballyvourney brewery, could not have been bettered. Kolsch and 9 White Deer were on their way.

The Hideaway may be a bit smoother but the Stag has a slight edge in aroma and flavour, a little more brio. Each is Very Highly Recommended.

On the craft trail with 9 White Deer and Whiplash

On the craft trail with 9 White Deer and Whiplash 

9 White Deer Stag Stout 4.2% ABV, Bradleys

 

“remember how creamy the pints used to be”

This gluten-free Stag Stout, from Ballyvourney’s 9 White Deer, weighs in at 4.2% ABV. It is a glossy black colour with a soft tan head. Aromas are rich and rammed with chocolate promise, which is fully delivered in the mouth. Here, the chocolate and Madagascan vanilla (each listed in the ingredients) play the most pleasing duet as the rich and smooth beer finds its way around. The chocolate is never over the top though and the stout is distinctive and delicious. Smooth and creamy, all without any nitro! And it is also gluten-free.

They say: Stag Stout is a medium-bodied traditional dry Irish stout at 4.2 % ABV. It is designed to appeal primarily to traditional stout drinkers, who remember how creamy the pints used to be. The complex recipe we developed brings back to life characteristics that are long forgotten. However, this stout is like no other; Stag Stout also happens to be gluten-free, the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

The combination of the medium body, low carbonation and low hop bitterness makes Stag Stout a dangerously drinkable stout that tastes every bit as gorgeous as it looks. The promise from 9 White Deer is that as you enjoy a pint of Stag Stout, you will agree with them in their assertion that it is the “Smoothest Stout in Ireland”.  It certainly is a good one!

Whiplash Blue Ghosts Pils 5.2% ABV, 330 ml can, Bradleys 

 

Mid gold is the colour of this German Pils from Whiplash. It is a clear beer with plenty of bubbles in view. The hops, Saaz and Hersbrucker, also bring something to the party, and you’ll notice herbal hints, even grassy notes, along with a hint of Bergamot in both the aroma and palate. 

They didn’t spare the hops using 10g/l of Saaz and Hersbrucker and say it is unique in that it is heavily whirlpool hopped, not dry hopped. Perfect for outdoors in the sun, but not bad by the fireside either.

The Blue Ghosts are given some corporal heft by the hops. By the way, that yeast strain, WLP833, is regarded as ideal for German-style lagers, and that certainly seems to be the case here with yet another well-executed beer, one of a series of excellent lagers from the busy Whiplash team. The other styles that they focus on are big stouts, IPAs and porters.

Pie Fiesta at Gallaghers. Comfort Food in a Comfy Cork City Corner

Pie Fiesta at Gallaghers

Comfort Food in a Comfy Cork City Corner

Beef Pie

Gallaghers of MacCurtain Street is well-known for its signature dish, Beef and Beamish Pie. But we learned last week that it also makes a super fish pie.

The evening was wet and cold, and comfort food was on our wish list. And we got it in accomplished abundance at the junction of Bridge Street and MacCurtain Street.

Soon, we were sitting in our own cosy corner, with a Christmas tree at my left hand and a bottle of stout in the other as we studied the menu.

I had already settled on that signature pie: “the original Beef and Beamish Pie (Beamish stout, braised beef and root vegetables, topped with a crispy puff pastry)". They serve it with fries or mashed potatoes. I chose the mash, which worked very well with the pie.

All the lovely ingredients are hidden under that crisp puff pastry that covers the bowl and extends down the outside. The savoury treasure underneath is a filling and comforting, delicious mix, and you can taste why it has been on the menu here since Noreen and Martin Gannon opened their doors in 2013.

The Fish Pie is a mixture of fresh fish, including salmon, cod, mussels and prawns. It is topped with mashed potato and parmesan crust, with a side of toasted sourdough.  With the various fish nicely balanced, CL enjoyed this one no end, and two very clean plates went back to the kitchen. 

Pork Belly

A Ballyshannon statue of Rory
Gallagher. Lots of Rory
memorabilia in the
Cork pub. He lived close by.

I’m sure most of you are well used to various pies and know how hot they can be initially. In this respect, Gallaghers’ are no exception. Just take it easy; you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy. The cutlery for each pie includes a large spoon! Which pie was the best? Despite some cross-table sampling, we found it difficult to give a one-two. Looks like a replay is called for!

The pies are more or less traditional and are not just for the festive season.  The menu is quite large with something for everyone, including the likes of Buttermilk Chicken Burger, T-Bone Steak, Roast Cider Chicken, Fish ’n Chips, Lamb Curry, Twomey's Beef Burger and Catch of the Day (which was Sea Bass on the night we were in.)

In some restaurants, it can be difficult to find gluten-free options, but not here, where you have plenty of choices, including starters like chicken wings, crispy cauliflower, seafood chowder, and more. See the menu here.  

Our starter was the Korean Pork Belly (Parsnip puree, house pickles, Gochujang glaze), a flavourful combination, sweet and spicy, and melt in the mouth. That set the scene nicely for a lovely meal.

Of course, we got a warm welcome. We stepped in from the cold, were greeted immediately and shown to our table. Everyone got quite a greeting from the helpful staff. Indeed, the staff - chatty, smiling, efficient - contributed in no small way to the general and genial atmosphere. We left this friendly place with, yes, a stomach full of food, but also with a sense of well-being.

My drink, by the way, was Stag Stout from 9 White Deer in Ballyvourney. I’ve long been a fan. It is a medium-bodied traditional dry Irish stout at 4.2 % ABV. It is designed to appeal primarily to traditional stout drinkers, and also happens to be gluten-free, the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

Gallaghers. A comfortable corner.

A Feast for the Senses: A Night at Monk's Lane

 A Feast for the Senses: A Night at Monk's Lane

Lamb

The Atlantic drizzle may have been softly creeping into the streets of Timoleague village and drifting through the long deserted refectory of the ancient abbey but, inside the nearby Monk's Lane last Thursday, a vibrant buzz filled the air of the dining room. 

Unlike the hushed reverence of some

Granville's: Macroom's Culinary Gem Rises from the Ashes

Granville's: Macroom's Culinary Gem Rises from the Ashes

Menu Locally Sourced, Globally Inspired

In 2007, Paul and Leonie Granville transformed a derelict site into a Macroom jewel, Granville's Bar and Restaurant. A 2021 fire tested their resilience, but the family bounced back stronger than ever. It is a friendly place, service is with

Beer of the Week. 9 White Deer's Well Bred Stag Kolsch

Beer of the Week.

9 White Deer's Well Bred Stag Kolsch 

9 White Deer Stag Kolsch, 4.2% ABV, 500 ml bottle, O’Donovan’s

Stag Kolsch, by 9 White Deer Brewery in Ballyvourney, is our Beer of the Week.

See the fountains of micro-bubbles rise through the yellow/amber body towards the soft white head. This Stag Kolsch, with its high carbonation level and gentle hop character, is palate-friendly with an almost creamy feel. Easy to quaff and easy to see how this refreshing gluten-free and flavoursome beer (more malty than hoppy) has become quite a seller, widely available in both bottle and draught.

But what style is it? Some call it a lager, some call it an ale, others hybrid. Don't worry too much about it, just enjoy! It is a style that originated in Cologne.

The team in 9 White Deer have certainly cracked the style here. They have brewed with German Nobel Hops, Premium Irish and German Malt and German Yeast. Stag Kolsch gets “an extended lagering time where it can develop and mature into a classic premium European style beer”. 

The brewery had, still have, two big “factors” on their side when they set out to produce a Kolsch: the local water and a famous German brewmaster. The water, from the Cork and Kerry mountains, is really soft, just perfect for lager-style beers. 

And the guidance they got from Roland, then brewmaster of the well-known Munich brewery Augustiner and still a friend of the Ballyvourney brewery, could not have been bettered. Kolsch and 9 White Deer were on their way.

On the craft trail: Two Red Ales and a Session IPA from 9 White Deer, O'Hara's and Lough Gill

On the craft trail

Two Red Ales and a Session IPA 

from 9 White Deer, O'Hara's and Lough Gill

9 White Deer Stag Rua Red Ale, 4.2% ABV, 500 ml bottle Bradleys

Be big, be bold, Bí Dána

Made with a mix of ale, crystal and chocolate malts, Stag Rua by Ballyvourney’s 9 White Deer, pours a very dark red indeed, with a soft off-white head. Indeed at first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that a glass of stout was on the way to you.

Chocolate, coffee and caramel in the aromas and also on the smooth palate. A really well-balanced beer with no single ingredient dominating. Quite a satisfying mouthful indeed. Easy-drinking as they indicate and also Gluten Free (since 2018).

They say: Stag Rua is a beer with big malt flavours and it’s our impression of a perfect Irish Red Ale. The body is moderate meaning it’s not a heavy beer with an ABV of 4.2%. The flavour profile of Stag Rua is full of irresistible chocolate, caramel and toffee characteristics. These are derived from the liberal use of chocolate and crystal malts besides the gorgeous Irish ale malt. We hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we love it. Be big, be bold, Bí Dána”

Very Highly Recommended.

 

O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale, 4.3% ABV, 500 ml bottle, Dunnes

O’Hara’s has quite a dark red robe and an off white head that hangs about for a bit. They say the red colour is intensified by the finest roast barley, while subtle hop additions in the kettle give just the right bitterness and aroma to craft this distinctive Irish Red Ale.

Roasted caramel stands out in the aromatics. And you get that caramel and toffee flavour on the palate as well, thanks to the addition of a “pinch of roast barley during the brewing process”. The sweetness of the malt and traditional hop flavour combine well. A terrific example of the style gets a major thumbs up from this quarter.

 

The Carlow Brewing crew is naturally quite proud of their red ale: “This Red stands out in this beer style category. The malt body is as impressive as a bock, albeit in a uniquely Irish way….is much more complex than its mainstream rivals.”

Excellent balance and Very Highly Recommended

 

For the Geek

Style: Traditional Red Ale

ABV: 4.3%

IBU: 34 

Fermentation: Top fermentation 

Availability: Keg (carbonated), Bottle 50cl and 33cl (occasional 41L cask)

Serving Temperature: 6-8°C

Food Pairing: Pairs well with baked and roasted main courses from the oven such as beef hotpot. Also excellent with winter soups. A delicious accompaniment to mature cheddar or soft goat cheeses.

Lough Gill Shaka Session IPA, 3.8% ABV, 440 ml can, Higgins SuperValu

This light gold coloured IPA comes from the excellent Lough Gill Brewery in Sligo. 

It is hazy. Look hard and you’ll note fountains of bubbles rising up to the soft white head.  At 3.8% ABV, it limbos comfortably under the session bar. Aromas are moderate, are of the tropical kind and very pleasant. And so it continues smoothly on the palate with more tropical notes, also some citrus, and an almost creamy mouthfeel that “has been amped up with the addition of oats and Dextrin malts”. 

Another well-balanced beer with a refreshing finish and well suited to a session.

Highly Recommended.

BEER OF THE WEEK: 9 White Deer Stag Stout

BEER OF THE WEEK

9 White Deer Stag Stout, 4.2% ABV, 500 ml bottle, O’Donovan’s

This gluten-free Stag Stout, from Ballyvourney’s 9 White Deer, weighs in at 4.2% ABV. It is a glossy black colour with a soft tan head. 

Aromas are rich and rammed with chocolate promise, which is fully delivered in the mouth. Here the chocolate and Madagascan vanilla play quite the most pleasing duet as the rich and smooth beer finds its way around. The chocolate is never over the top though and the stout is distinctive and delicious. Smooth and creamy, all without any nitro! And it is also gluten-free.

Very Highly Recommended. Beer of the Week

They say: Stag Stout is a medium-bodied traditional dry Irish stout at 4.2 % ABV. It is designed to appeal primarily to traditional stout drinkers, who remember how creamy the pints used to be. The complex recipe we developed brings back to life characteristics that are long forgotten. However this stout is like no other, Stag Stout also happens to be gluten-free, the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

I first came across this black beauty in Blairs Inn (near Blarney) in the winter of 2017. Richard Blair, one of two brothers then running the gastro pub, told me of a satisfied customer of a few days earlier. A coeliac, the man hadn’t drunk stout, his favourite tipple, for twenty years but, having sampled the Stag, left Blair's Inn with tears of gratitude.

Then Richard’s mother Anne guideed us to our fireside table. We began with some stout-infused brown bread! Delicious stuff and, of course, the Stag is one of the ingredients. Then I got to enjoy a pint with my Venison Casserole and it proved a great match for the rich dish of Wicklow venison. That ritual would be repeated in some form or other almost every winter thereafter.

The combination of the medium body, low carbonation and low hop bitterness makes Stag Stout a dangerously drinkable stout that tastes every bit as gorgeous as it looks. The promise from 9 White Deer is that as you enjoy a pint of Stag Stout you will agree with them in their assertion that it is the “Smoothest Stout in Ireland”.  It certainly is a good one!

This is a double chocolate and Madagascan vanilla stout, with cocoa and vanilla in the ingredients list, as well as green barley and oats.