A Quart of Ale± #72. On the craft journey with a trio of ciders: Viking, Johnny Fall Down, and Con's Irish.

A Quart of Ale± #72

On the craft journey with a trio of ciders: Viking, Johnny Fall Down, and Con's.

Viking Orchard Cuvée Cider, 5.5%, 500 bottle Bradleys

This is a medium dry cider from Waterford’s Viking Cider. We’ve already tasted a couple of their bottles in previous Quarts here.

Colour is a mid-gold with bubbles galore rising. Aromas are gentle, just like a bunch of ripe apples in your hand. It is a blend of quite a few varieties and is smooth and mild, perhaps more dry than medium. Quite round and soft all the way to its bitter sweet lip-smacking finish. Well made and in my case well appreciated.

Viking Irish Drinks at Dennison’s Farm was set up as a company in 2017, with cider production commencing in 2019. At the heart of the company is three unique craft cider styles, based on old farm recipes, including Medium Dry Orchard Cuvée, the immensely popular Harvest Blush and Ireland’s first Hop flavoured cider, Hop-IT.

The story of this cider: Apple varieties used for Medium Dry Orchard Cuvée are Dabinett, Michelin, Yarlington Mill, Foxwhelps, Kingston Black, Harry Masters, and some Bramley for acidity. Harvest time for these apples is usually mid-October, except for Foxwhelps, which is harvested earlier but blended back in.  Medium Dry Orchard Cuvée is fermented slowly on its natural occurring yeasts for up to six months. Gluten Free and Coeliac Friendly.

Technical - 5.5% ABV | Acid – 4.2 Grams per Litre | Sulphur – 0.3 trace of So2 | Calories - 55 per 100 ml

Food Pairing: Serve with traditional roast chicken/ pork and light game meats. Plus, a cider gravy adds to the flavour of the trimmings. Also try Medium Dry Orchard Cuvée with grilled Salmon and parsley butter, steamed mussels in their shell. To finish, accompany with some more-ish cheeses, like Durrus Cheese or most Irish farm-house cheeses. Best served 10 degrees.                                                                       

Johnny Fall Down Rare Apple Cider 2019, 5.5%, 500 bottle Bradleys

Amber gold is the colour of this multi-apple blend from the benign south facing slopes of Killahora, situated close to Glounthaune village, and on a slight rise above the backwaters of Cork Harbour. Uncountable little bubbles rush towards the top of the glass, this from the 2019 vintage. This is100% apple juice using wild yeasts for fermentation and is matured over 12 months.

The aromas are mild but this superb cider is intense and complex on the palate. Look out for tropical, smoky and nutty notes and a long complex finish, they advise. And that is what you get, amazing from first taste until the lingering aftertaste.

They say: We grow over 100 apple varieties and this year are including some of the best of our ciders into one fine bottle. We have also included some oak and the barrel aged ciders from 2018 to add depth to the freshness of the 2019 harvest. This cider may ruin your ability to enjoy commercial ciders. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

It is produced from the entire range of their apple harvest, a bit like a Gentil wine from Alsace. And just like that delicious and complex wine, this Glounthaune cider is more or less perfect, not too sweet and not too dry.

Pairings suggested by the producers are Pork, Chicken, spicy food, cheese and oily fish.

Con’s Irish Cider, 5.5%, 500 bottle at the Apple Farm

Real cider, it says on the label. And real cider it is. A small batch medium dry cider, “made from seasonal Irish Apples hand-picked on our family farm in Cahir… where visitors are always welcome”.

The natural imprint of the orchard is all over this one, from the golden colour, reminiscent of an Autumn sunset, to the fruity aromas and flavours, its lovely mouthful and satisfying finish. No shortage of oomph. Cider doesn’t get any more real than this tip top Tipperary bottle.

They say: For us at The Apple Farm, where we make Con’s, Real Irish Cider is made and bottled in its entirety in Ireland using the juice of Irish-grown apples, without the routine addition of either water or sugar…..

Buyer beware though, as the term Real Cider is not legally defined, and it is possible that someone adding much more sugar and water could hijack the term.

To see more of their thoughts on real versus not real cider see what owner Con Traas has to say here.  Just a short read but well worthwhile.

Con has helped quite a few Irish cider makers over the years and the 2013 Cider Celebration was held at the Apple Farm and a great day it was too with cider makers from all over the country displaying their produce! Would love to see that revived.

* Don't forget that coming up this Saturday (16th) Brian and BeoirFest have 3 brewers, 4 breweries, and 5 countries!

• Third Barrel are one of the pioneers of brewing in Ireland and have created 3 brands to differentiate their different offerings in the marketplace.
• Brew & Roll brew Metallica-inspired beers in Navarre.
• Both Solo from Crete and Axiom from the Czech Republic have Norwegian Kjetil Jikiun as their head brewer.

It's a great mix of brewers and breweries for a chat. Their experience should provide some great insight and stories into the state of brewing across Europe. More details here.

Thinking Outside The Bottle With Stonewell Cider. This cidermaker successfully uses hops in his product. Even rhubarb!

Thinking Outside The Bottle With Stonewell Cider

This cidermaker successfully uses hops in his product. Even rhubarb!

Daniel Emerson - more than a cidermaker😉😋

Let us start with the hops. At a recent discussion featuring three cidermakers on BeoirFest, Stonewell’s Daniel Emerson was asked how his stunning Tawny came about. Through a collaboration with local brewer/distiller Sam Black was the answer. “El Dorado hops added complexity and helped balance the extra sugar. “ The initial cider, made with Dabinett and Michelin apples, was bitter and the extra sugar came via capitalisation where sugar was added after fermentation, bringing the ABV to 15%.

The final product is an opulent, complex cider, and has been compared to sweet wine and sherry. Stonewell advise using it as “a slightly chilled aperitif but equally cheese or dessert accompaniment”. At the Ballymaloe LitFest 2016, expert Pete Brown (author of World’s Best Cider) was impressed after tasting it and said it reminded him of a Canadian Ice Cider, “beautiful’.

Daniel explained: "At the end of the process, the cider is very sweet, like an apple ice-cider. We decided to counteract this by passing it through Eldorado dry hops. The result was very good and the Tawny has proved remarkably successful.” And we could all see why. And you can still see why as it is still going strong. I’ve got the 2018 vintage on my desk here!

Cidermakers are regularly experimenting but Davy of Tempted, also on that Beoirfest talk, cautioned about doing it too soon as a producer. “You’ve got to put decent roots behind you and then move on to more refined products like Tawny.” 

I first came across Davy’s excellent ciders in Cahir in 2013 where his dry won out in its class (very competitive, as many cider makers were showing that day). Davy is now getting a name for his barrel-aged ciders and praise too. “Fantastic, incredible character,” enthused Daniel as he tasted the latest bitter-sweet from the Lisburn man.

So back to the story of apple and rhubarb. Back to 2016 where Stonewell’s Rós Cider beat off stiff competition from food and drink producers all over the island of Ireland to be awarded the coveted Supreme Champion title of the 2016 Blas na hEireann, the Irish Food Awards.

Geraldine Emerson from Stonewell Cider at the time: “We use all natural ingredients. The Rós cider has a very pure, clean taste. This award is great because it is recognition for all the work that goes into making it. We’re delighted.” By the way, Davy’s Tempted were also winners on the day!

Rhubarb was and is used in Rós. A local producer offered a lot of it to Daniel. He began to wonder what to do with it and decided to incorporate it in cider. But “extracting juice from rhubarb is a nightmare”. Still, he persevered and it too is still going strong. “You got it right,” declared Liam of Legacy, another cider-maker on the BeoirFest discussion. By the way, Davy is having success using Elderflower in his cider. No wonder himself and Daniel have a great respect for each other!

Recently I got a delivery of tins and jars of tuna from Donegal’s John Shine. I had read somewhere about tuna being used with Mozzarella and that became our focus. Yellowfin Tuna belly in olive oil was the chosen can. A quick trip to the local Dunnes Stores saw us get the Macroom Mozzarella. And then I thought that I had, thanks to my support of the Beoirfest show, a couple of bottles of Rós. One was quickly produced. Well, the Rós got on so well with the tuna and the cheese you’d have sworn they were made for each other. 

It isn’t all about the booze at Stonewell where Daniel and his team produce a really excellent non-alcoholic cider called Stonewell 0%.

I was delighted with the 330ml bottle that I recently bought in the local O’Donovan’s Off Licence. Light gold colour, no shortage of bubbles rising up. And there’s a fresh fruit aroma. The first thing you notice in the mouth is that this is refreshing, it is dry, crisp, and very much a real cider, a terrific drink after a long walk or a drive. And, of course, you can have a few of these and still drive. They have used typical bittersweet apples here so it’s not lacking in flavour, on the contrary. Very drinkable and very acceptable. Fit for purpose, for sure.

So how do they do it? “Traditionally we’ve been an alcoholic beverage maker, namely cider. So in order for to us to produce a non-alcoholic beverage we’ve had to go back to the drawing board and return to our studies to find out what was the best way to square this circle. Instead of simply trying to make a concoction with fresh apple juice, we opted for the more complex route of removing alcohol from a normal cider.

We fermented a cider using typical bittersweet apples. Once fermented we then used a process of osmosis, or to be precise reverse osmosis to extract the alcohol from the cider. This leaves a lot of the characteristics created by the fermentation process but with the added bonus that there’s no alcohol. At this stage of the process the cider is still “dry” in other words contains no sweetness, so to finish off this blend we add a small amount of apple juice which broadens the mouthfeel…. Made and blended by us in Cork, Stonewell 0% is a refreshing alternative for all those looking to avoid the sickly sweet mocktails or fizzy rock shandys at a social occasion.”

I have tasted quite a few non-alcoholic Irish beers and Irish ciders at this stage and it seems to me that the cider-makers, with Stonewell and Highbank (with their Drivers Cider) showing the way, have made a better fist of the "style" than the beer makers!

* It's not just "exotic" ciders at Stonewell, by the way. They also make classic dry (dry was reported by all three on the Beoirfest as the best seller) and a medium dry along with various specials. More info on their website here.

Irish Malt and Brewers Best in World

Fergal of Dublin City

Irish Malt and Brewers

 Best in World

BeoirFest 20.03.2021

Lager and Red Ale

It didn’t quite show on the screen but Craft Bear’s Phil must have been blushing during the recent Online event organised by Brian of BeoirFest. Lager and Red Ale were the subjects discussed and when Phil’s Red Ale “Bimbos” came up for tasting, the other two dished out the highest possible praise.

Dublin City’s experienced Fergal and Brendan of Four Provinces combined in the gush: “ ..gorgeous.. great beer..amazing.. doesn’t taste like 8%, it’s got the body, it’s got the velvet texture”. There was a suggestion that this stunning beer could be even better with longer conditioning.

Phil, who admitted his beer names are “a bit out there”, said he created it in August. “I latched onto Cashmere.......... there is very little bittering............and the conditioning is 7 weeks.” Earlier Phil told us he started brewing properly in 2018. Before that it was just a hobby. The transition was quick and something of a roller coaster. “The hobby got out of control and before I knew it I was head over heels - in debt! But the results in the kitchen were good and getting better. I got a tap at a wedding and that was a good indicator. Did an IPA first, a West Coast style. I gave it a right go and it became very popular, so popular it tied us up for a full year.”

Just highlighting the praise for Bimbos there, as quite often Irish brewers are somewhat shy in pushing their own beers and breweries. Fergal, who has worldwide experience, said we should be proud of our brewers. “We’re as good as any market in the world, outstanding. And I have judged around the world.” And still there was some frustration in his remarks. “We can make the best beers on the planet but we can’t get in the door here because of the system.”

Funnily enough, Fergal had great praise for the brewers in James Gate. “I got great training in James Gate, the Harvard of beer.” And Brendan too acknowledged that mainstream brewers and beers have their place. “In our pub, we do our best to support all local brewers and distillers. You do need them to lure customers in and they’ll move to craft but they won’t start with craft. You also need to have a beer similar to what they are used to drinking.”  

Brendan

I myself saw much the same going on when the local pub Cotton Ball began brewing and earlier in places like Franciscan Well and Brewhaus - but you do need to have your staff trained to help customers take that first and crucial step.

Fergal said we have a supply of the greatest malt here. “You don’t have to compare yourself with Munich, Prague, or Denmark. I make two of the best lagers in the world here (and he is prepared to prove it in any head to head!). With the greatest malt here and the best brewers, make your own lager and call it Irish Lager.”

Moderator Brian O’Connell ventured that “lagers don’t get the respect they deserve” and asked why. Brendan suggested that “lagers are associated with the past, a period when there wasn’t much of a choice”.

Next session, today 3rd April 3.00pm

Dublin City’s lager, Liberator, was now being sipped. Fergal: “Liberator is a light lager, hard to do, all the things that can go wrong. But this is simply to satisfy your thirst on a summer’s day in the garden, a session drink, a sit back and relax one, refreshing with a tiny hop character to balance.”

Lagers are like that in general, have two or three and enjoy the atmosphere. “Brewing is finding out what your customers want”. And he repeated what I heard a few years back from Eoin Lynch of the Cotton Ball, that seven of ten drinks consumed are lager. Eoin took his own advice of course!

Four Provinces

Brendan of Four Provinces: “Our lager was the one that sold, nothing wrong with that (not that anyone challenged him!). To be honest, I’m more comfortable with our lager and putting out the odd IPA. People can be easily persuaded to drink our lager.”

And Fergal agreed: “You don’t have to do something extra special but you gotta have the one that delivers the money. Then, once a year, throw out a seasonal or a special.”

Moderator Brian asked about IPAs and hops and queried if there’s a little niche there that talks to itself. Can that be a bit off-putting to potential drinkers of craft? Phil did agree there was  a certain fashion in hops, that they have their season, that Cashmere for instance was all the rage in the months before Christmas. But “it’s great to see labels with fuller descriptions to encourage people to know their beers.”

Fergal urged “..be a bit cautious and careful. Exotic drinks sound great but may not sell. And Brendan emphasised that the margins on IPAs are significantly lower. Phil pointed out that lager is harder to make and takes longer while Fergal pointed out that “stout is never easy to do”. 

Three straight-talking brewers shared their insights and kept us well informed throughout the hour or so. A session on cider today (3rd April) and then the next event on beorifest.com is April 10th with Lineman, Killarney Brewing and Bullhouse.

Cheers on Beer, Spirits and Wine. With Ballykilcavan, BeerCloud, BeoirFest, Irish Distillers, Wines of the World, Clonakilty Distillery, Larkin's Brewery, Bierhaus

 Cheers on Beer, Spirits and Wine. 

With Ballykilcavan, BeerCloud, BeoirFest, Irish Distillers, Wines of the World, Clonakilty Distillery, Larkin's Brewery, Bierhaus

Ballykilcavan Farm and Brewery: Tour Online!

It looks like it could be a while until we're welcoming visitors back inside the brewery, so we're moving our tours online.

If you're organising a group event over the next few months, we can now run a private, virtual tour of Ballykilcavan for you. It's the same tour as if you were here, so I'll share the stories of the family and workers over the 13 generations that we've been here, show you around the 18th century farmyard and 21st century brewery, and we can even send out some beers in advance and do a guided tasting.

If you're interested, please just message me here or send an email to david@ballykilcavan.com and I'll go through the details with you.

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Tempting Mixed Case Offer from BeerCloud!

To celebrate St Patrick's Day (don't worry, it's definitely not too late to celebrate the feast day of our patron saint), we've taken one of our newest boxes and lashed on a HUGE 17% discount!

An Bosca Beorach is a collection of beers that celebrate the Irish language and all carry Gaelige on the label. It includes wonderful beers from White Hag, Four Provinces, Reel Deel and Eight Degrees.

This offer is strictly while stocks last and expires on March 31st, 2021 @ 11:59pm

To celebrate St Patrick's Day (don't worry, it's definitely not too late to celebrate the feast day of our patron saint), we've taken one of our newest boxes and lashed on a HUGE 17% discount!

An Bosca Beorach is a collection of beers that celebrate the Irish language and all carry Gaelige on the label. It includes wonderful beers from White Hag, Four Provinces, Reel Deel and Eight Degrees.  

An Bosca Beorach €28.60 View

This offer is strictly while stocks last and expires on March 31st, 2021 @ 11:59pm *********

BeoirFest Roundtables Back on April 3rd

We're taking break from the roundtables for a week. But we'll be back on April 3 with a fantastic schedule....

Apr 03:

Tempted Irish Craft Cider

,

Stonewell Cider

,

Legacy Irish Cider

Apr 10:

Lineman

,

Bullhouse Brewing Company

,

Killarney Brewing Company

Apr 17:

Trouble Brewing

,

Peak Beer

,

Dundalk Bay Brewery

Apr 24 & May 1: A very special event with Lars Marius Garshol and Simonis Gutautas from

Dundulis

in Lithiuania.

Join us April 3rd...

#irishbeer #irishcraftbeer #homebrewing #craftbeer #lithuanianbeer #irishcider #irishcraftcider

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Irish Distillers Tasting Club

Welcome to the Irish Distillers Tasting Club. This six part series examines everything from the impact of different casks to the exploration of flavour and aroma. Each week you'll join an Irish whiskey masterclass with the people who know it best. Check in here on You Tube.

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Wines of the World - Virtual Private Tasting

Fancy booking a private virtual wine tasting for yourself and your colleagues?

Drop us a DM or email sales@WinesOfTheWorld.ie for more information .

We can cater for small and large groups all across Ireland.

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Larkin's Brewing Company Seek Lead Innovation Brewer

Job Description

This is a great opportunity for the right brewer The pandemic has pushed Larkins to evolve fast and with that has come new opportunities for growth We have two ranges - core range of approx. 9 beers and the innovation range which will comprise 4 - 6 new small batch beers per month The headlines of the role: Based just outside Dublin close to the sea in Wicklow In charge of wort production for core and innovation ranges. Recipe creation for innovation range. Typical beer styles for us would be ipa, dipa, stouts including impy, barrel aged beers etc etc CIP of brewhouse and wort-forward line Co-ordination with packaging and cellar team for cellar management and overall beer quality International travel for festivals as soon as possible! More details here

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Cork's Bierhaus announces another Haus Flies Live
FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021 AT 7 PM UTC+01

Haus Flies Live Episode 5 - Larkins Brewing Company

Free  · Online Event Details: here