Showing posts with label BeoirFest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BeoirFest. Show all posts

Monday, March 22, 2021

Brewers Chat About Hops and IPA on Beoirfest

Brewers Chat About Hops and IPA on Beoirfest

Cris (left) and Will


Ronan Russell of Blacks Kinsale, Cris Gasporoti of Hopfully and Brian Kelly of Wicklow Brewery had a great chat, moderated by host Brian O’Connell, on a recent Beoirfest edition where the subject was IPA and hops. And a further distinctive flavour was added to the conversation when hop expert Will Avery joined in as guest.


Will: “I don’t claim to be an expert but I like hops and have acquired a lot of knowledge over 15 years in the business. There is a historical conundrum in that a secondary aspect of hops, its disinfectant properties, brought it fame. But there has to be something to balance the sweetness in beer and hops did the trick, before that there were herbs. That the alpha acid of hops was a deterrent to various bugs was an extra bonus.”


Ronan Russell took on a request from host Brian to explain IPA, a task getting more difficult by the day with so much variation around. “The term has been expanded away from the original meaning over the past 10 to 15 years. IPAs are not what they used to be and now there are many sub-categories not focused on the bitterness. But IPA should be a juicy smooth ale that lets the hops shine through the malt, more than is the case in stout for example. You can write IPA on virtually any can or bottle these days, some do it so the punter will pick it off the shelf.”

Home on the range. Ronan relaxes (for a mo) in Blacks. Pic by Blacks

Cris said there are different styles such as West Coast and New England and craft drinkers know what to expect. “There are lots of choices but it is good to be aware of the styles.. and the label should mean something.”


Ronan agreed that the label should be accurate, “should point you in a certain direction. The front of the can just wants to grab you but there should be a few hints on the back.” He grew up in Belgian - “lots of sweet beer there”. Now he likes the hazy beers, which Kinsale do well. “Lots of malted wheat and oats.. a richer mouthfeel…juicy and full-bodied… aromatic including floral.”

Hops


Not too sure Will would fully agree! Later in the discussion, he said he was tired of drinking beers with Citrus and Mosaic “…. A lot of New England IPA are just sweet,.,. start well but finish flat… You gotta have contrast (Amarillo or Comet). If all you get is juice, you don’t really appreciate it, you gotta have contrast to lift it!”


And there is no shortage of hops. Will said there are dozens of well-known ones but hundreds of others “you’ve never heard of”. Like Comet (which Cris uses well in his beers, eg Quicksand and Shinebright); this is an old-school hop that can provide a lot of flavour and can complement the likes of Citra.


Cris agreed but there is much to understand, the amount of oils and what they do in the brew. “I have done a lot of pilots but there is a bundle of complex stuff that is important to understand.. a lot to learn ...”



Will emphasised that farmers “will plant what they can sell” and will quickly shift to what is in demand. And that could mean certain old-school hops, even more recent ones, could fall out of favour (for instance, you get 8 bales an acre from Citra, 13 to 16 from Cascade or Centennial). Prices could rise for the popular ones and the less popular ones would be even harder to get. And so he underlined the importance of brewers continuing to use a range of hops.


Ronan confirmed the trend towards newer hops.”New varieties, eg Strata, are very popular and it is hard to look past them.” But he agreed that “old” varieties must not be neglected. And Cris nodded: “our job is to use old-school hops.” Hopfully, by the way, have all their beers produced by Waterford’s Metalman. They earn great praise (I’ve enjoyed them here in the Quart of Ale series), not least from fellow panel-members at BeoirFest.


After messing up the home kitchen more than once, Brian Kelly  “jumped at the chance” when the opportunity came up to work in Wicklow Brewery in early 2016. “I quit my job and, I have never been more excited to clean floors in my life. Eventually I began brewing and my passion became a job. In May 2017 I became Head Brewer and I oversee all operations from grain to glass.”



Brian was comparing making beers with fruit additions with the others brewers with Will warning that “doing Mango is not for the faint-hearted!”


Wicklow make a full range including a WB-40 Dank IPA that sounds more or less West Coast to me. Don’t think I’ve had one of their beers since a visit to Brooklodge in 2015!  Haven’t seen their bottles in this neck of the woods, must keep an eye out.


The next Beoirfest presentation is down for 3.00pm on April 3rd and will feature Craft Cider with Stonewell, Tempted and Legacy providing the speakers. Put that in your diary!

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Cheers on Beer, Spirits and Wine. With Galway Hooker, Wicklow Wolf, Greenes, Shelbourne Bar, Wines of the World, BeoirFest.

Cheers on Beer, Spirits and Wine. With Galway Hooker, Wicklow Wolf, Greenes, Shelbourne Bar, Wines of the World, BeoirFest. #210319



15 Year Anniversary Double IPA is here
 
As promised, we would be making this Double IPA available to our online customers, and newsletter sign ups as soon as we could. This beer will be canned next week (25th of March) and will be sent out the very same day. There are only 30, 12x440ml cases available. Of course we've got a discount code for you loyal few! 
 
Use code DOUBLE15 , for 15% off. 
 
 
Bar that, we just wanted to say a heart felt thank you, to all of you that have supported our little brewery over the last 15 years. We appreciate it more than you know. 
 

The Wicklow Wolf Locavore Project...


Before they became Wicklow Wolf, two friends, Quincey and Simon, Influenced by their time spent in California, a passion for home-brewing and a thirst for craft beer, they began the journey in setting up a brewery in Wicklow. Simon’s background is in horticulture and he wanted to plant hops on his farm in the Wicklow hills. A seed was planted and Wicklow Wolf was born thanks to the coming together of two friends wanting to start a brewery and the desire to plant a hop farm (the first commercial hop farm in Ireland in over 25 years). 

Time moved on and now to  To celebrate Wicklow, our terroir, the provenance of this great landscape and to push our commitment to brewing beer in a sustainable way. With this in mind, The Locavore Project was born. The Locavore Project epitomises the core philosophy that Wicklow Wolf was founded upon, provenance and pride. The Locavore Project allows us to celebrate the terroir of Wicklow, our home and champion it with small batch, local, experimental beers.  

Read more about the Wicklow Wolf project here and check out their beers while you are there!



Frank, the somm in Greene's has been in touch:
"Really looking forward to our 'Meet the Winemaker' online zoom tasting on Friday 19th March at 8pm We are teaming up with & This event will sell out very fast so get your orders in now! greenesrestaurant.com/menus #winetasting #supportlocal"

Shelbourne Bar Will Serve You...


Missing the genuine Irish Whiskey Bar experience?
You can now gather your friends for a personalised Online Whiskey Tasting. We supply the whiskey, the whiskey expert and we can even supply the glass!
Visit

Wines of the World - Join the Club!


Did you know that we can deliver specially selected wines to your door each month?
€70.00 every month for 1 year

The perfect subscription for you - The Wine Lover!

Our wine experts select 6 delicious wines from around the world and send to your door each month.

Includes:

  • A mix of 6 different wines

  • Free Delivery Nationwide

  • Tasting Notes for each wine

  * Please note subscription plans will dispatch between the 19th-22nd of each month *


BeoirFest Continues this Saturday

This Saturday we have another great Brewers Roundtable organised. We're going to look at lagers and reds, which should make for a nice comparison. And a great chat as usual of course!

We'll have Dublin's Liberator, Four Provinces Poddle, and Craft Bears Imperial Red so feel free to pick one up in advance if you want. Of course you can also just turn up, enjoy the chat and get involved.

We'll have spot prizes as well. See you on Saturday at 3pm at Beoirfest.com!

Monday, March 1, 2021

BeoirFest 21 Kicks Off With Stout And Porter. Experts from Dungarvan Brewing, Kinnegar and Trouble onstage.

BeoirFest Kicks Off With Stout And Porter.

Experts from Dungarvan Brewing, Kinnegar and Trouble onstage

Dungarvan's Cormac took time off to go online last Saturday


Coconuts on a Donegal beach! That idyllic image was floated by Rick from Letterkenny based Kinnegar Brewery during the early stages of last weekend’s online Beoirfest.  Rick was joined "onstage" by Cormac of Dungarvan Brewing and John of Trouble Brewing.


Stout and Porter was the subject of the hour-long discussion and it threw up some very interesting points. Kinnegar’s Yannaroddy Porter is rich in traditional dark roasted malt flavours laced with an exotic streak of coconut and no, they don’t turn up on the local beach.


Clockwise from top left: Brian (moderator), Cormac (Dungarvan),
Johnny (Trouble Brewing) and Rick (Kinnegar)


Organiser Brian had started the ball rolling by asking what was the difference between Stout and Porter as he, like many of us, are regularly puzzled. Johnny quickly declared it was nebulous. Rick: “We don’t stick to historical definitions but Yannaroddy is more akin to porter.” He also said that being classed as porter takes it out of the shade of Guinness stout. Johnny remembered: "Yannaroddy was one of my first tastes of craft beer… super rich."



Coconut, plus a question from the "audience", quickly led to talking about other additions. Cormac warned that the use of adjuncts must be subtle. “Barley gives plenty of flavour.. you don't want additions to take over.”

Where Kinnegar started: K1


Johnny agreed and indeed all three spoke about small margins and trail and error. Not too much trial and error with Trouble’s Dark Arts Porter, one of their original recipes and “still going strong”. “No roast barley, it is porter, on the lighter side, great for a session.”

Rick said he was a big fan of Dark Arts. “Both versions drink nicely..classic easy-drinking..very enjoyable.”


Rick added that Stout and Porter accounts for 5% or less of the Irish craft market. “The general Irish interest in Stout doesn’t translate to the craft sector.”



 Cormac agreed: It’s not going to be the biggest seller in the range. But as a brewery, you like to have the full range to keep it interesting. It’s part of a huge variation. Very boring if we all went for fashion. Keep it interesting!”


Rick agreed: “it would be a very meagre landscape if it was just IPAs.” 


Cormac then told us about his winter stout, the rich Coffee and Oatmeal Stout that they’ve been producing for the past ten years. "We get the oatmeal from our neighbours Flahavan’s for its creaminess. The coffee, and it’s a different one each year, comes from Badger & Dodo roasters. There’s usually a bit of trial and error as we try to find the sweet spot. The beans that produce a nice cup may not necessarily work well in the stout blend."


Johnny really loves this one: “The oatmeal is spot on ..not too much coffee.”


Rick said balance is so important: “You don't want overwhelming flavours - happens a lot at festivals. Of course you do want a flavour experience but you also want a social experience - you don't want to be kicked in the head all the time!”



Then Cormac told us that Dungarvan were experimenting with cans (even can conditioning!). They started by bottling everything, then added cask and, locally, keg. Now it seems it's time to go canning. “Cans are huge… let us try can conditioning and see how it goes. Interesting!”


Seems to be going well. Rick had one of their very first cans and declared it tastes wonderful.


Next week Brian has Canvas, White Hag, and Black Donkey lined up for a chat about yeasts and sours. If you want to sample of the beers they'll be bringing, get your hands on Liminal Barrel 26, Púca, and Sheep Stealer.



Later weeks will feature Wicklow, Hopfully, Dublin City, Crafty Bear, Blacks, FourProvinces as well as a Cider event featuring Tempted, Legacy and Stonewell.


Brian is using a platform called Airmeet that also allows a lot of interaction so remote punters can ask questions and win beer and kit. Check it all out here.



Thursday, February 11, 2021

Cheers - Beer, Wine, Spirits. With Red Nose Wine, Bradley's, Wicklow Wolf, Waterford Whiskey Society, BeoirFest, Whiplash, Teeling

Cheers 211202
Beer, Wine, Spirits
with Red Nose Wine, Bradley's, Wicklow Wolf, 
Waterford Whiskey Society, BeoirFest, Whiplash, Teeling

Its Spring(ish) & more wines just in 

"Thank you for your patience as we have had the shop on a partial closure ( i.e. take orders for collection and in some cases delivery ). We felt it was the right thing to do with the numbers so high. 

The good news is that the bare shelves have been restocked and a few new wines have arrived including a big winter Malbec Gran Reserva. 

We hope to open up again properly soon but for the moment we will keep the the call/email to order for collection model. You can pay over the phone and we can drop it out to your car without any contact when you collect. In some instances, for our more vulnerable customers, we can arrange to drop it to locally. 

You can email brendan@rednosewine.com with an idea of what you want or alternatively call 085-8889045 and we will get back to you with options asap. Ideally we plan to facilitate collections twice a week as the shop won’t be manned at regular hours." 


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Wicklow Wolf Strikes Again


Apex Espresso 

Endangered Species No. 16 

 

We have taken our delicious Oatmeal Stout, Apex and let our brewer’s imagination run wild. The result? An Espresso Oatmeal Stout. We enlisted the help of our friends in Java Republic to add over 2,500 fresh shots of AA Single Origin Costa Rican Dota espresso to the brew.

Apex Espresso is a delicious, 6.5% oatmeal stout that is packed full of fresh dark fruits, chocolate, honey and of course a strong burst of fruity espresso. These flavours are all supported with a hint creamy sweetness and a smooth, lingering finish leaving you wanting more.

Read More...

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WHIPLASH AND THE
FAKEY CAKE MAKER
Here you have it, our very own silly stout. Fakey made a brief appearance on draught back toward the end of 2019 when we’d just commissioned our new brewhouse and we’ve been wanting to put this very silly beer to can for some time now. A nice counterbalance to the no frills Fatal Deviation, Fakey Cake Maker sees us frill it up with a very complex grist of Pilsner, Carabohemian, British Dark Crystal, Chocolate malt and molasses rich Muscovado Sugar to lay the thick engine oil, soupy soupy groundwork for more messing in tank. Fermented on Coconut Puree for a creamy and thick Bounty Bar mouthfeel consistency before a heavy coffee addition of bright single origin Ethiopian coffee from our friends at 3FE and the final addition of roasted hazelnuts to garnish this sauce with more decadence.
We’d considered the addition on a fine brogue but were unsure of how to fit it in the mash filter, but we won’t be annoyed if anyone sends us their best pic of this being poured lavishly from a shoe.
2/3 new beers launching this evening on the webshop.
ABV 11.0%
440ml Cans
Artwork by Sophie Devere

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Bradleys Have It In The Bag For You
Bags of love in Bradley’s this week! #ValentinesDay #Champagne #wine #craftbeer #whiskey #chocolate





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BeoirFest Tasting Tables

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Beer mug
Interested in Irish Craft Beer? Check out our series of tasting tables. Each week we'll have 3 brewers (& a beer each) getting together to compare, contrast, discuss and just generally chat.

Starting Feb 27.
BeoirFest.com #craftbeer #irishbeer
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021 AT 7 PM UTC

Teeling whiskey tasting

Online Event - Waterford Whiskey Society is delighted to announce that their second tasting for 2021 will take place over ZOOM on Tuesday the 22nd February at 7:00pm.
At the start of the tasting we will be guided through a virtual tour of the distillery itself, its history and location.
The event will feature the Teeling Whiskey Distillery and the tasting will be led by Chris Hayes their European Brand Ambassador.
Get all the details here but don't delay!