A Quart of Ale± #128. On the craft journey with Farringtons, Bradleys, DOT, ALDI, Roadworks and Outer Place

A Quart of Ale± #128

On the craft journey with Farringtons, Bradleys, DOT, ALDI, Roadworks and Outer Place

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A couple of good session beers here.

Farringtons Clever Plucker Session NEIPA, 4.5% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys

Trading for 200 years, Farringtons Mill has sold many varieties of beer over the counter and now they are very proud to be brewing on site. Based on their organic farm in Co.Kildare, the brewery sits alongside Farringtons Mill Pub & Restaurant.

This Clever Plucker New England IPA has a mid-orange colour with a soft white head. Both the aromas and flavours tend towards the tropical, passion-fruit and mango, along with citrus of course. Nothing too extreme in the flavours though and the bitterness is also mid-range (perhaps a little higher) so this could well be a popular beer. It is certainly very drinkable, ideal for a session.

The Farrington Beers, and it is a relatively new venture for them, “include some of the popular craft beer palate as well as appealing to the regular beer lover who wants something refreshing. Not everything needs to be high in alcohol and we are enjoying experimenting with beers that you can drink without worrying how you will feel the next day….Farringtons Brewery is all about fresh, crisp wholesome brew that can be shared amongst friends and family.”

DOT Brew Spin Off Series Session IPA, 3.2% ABV, 440ml can Aldi

Lovely soft head atop a gold hazy body. Exotic fruit prominent in the aromatics. Pretty tropical too on the palate, a delightful mixed bag of orange, passionfruit, peach, citrus, mango, apricot too and all present. Mouthfeel is soft and the bitterness levels are low making it pleasant and easy-drinking, just what many prefer for a session.

Geek Bits

Ingredients: malted barley / pale wheat / flaked & malted oats New England style yeast. 

Hops are Centennial (US) and Galaxy (Australia) round drinking. Exclusive to Aldi.

Roadworks Early Start Non-Alcoholic IPA, 0.5%,  500ml bottle Aldi

Amber to dark gold is the colour of this non-alcoholic beer from Roadworks called Early Start. Lots of bubbles make up the white head and no shortage of replacements as herds of them rush to the top. Aside from a touch of malt, the aromas are on the shy side. And it is the pleasant contribution from the malt that gives the palate its flavour.

This 0.5% non alcoholic option is the first in the Roadworks range and is best served chilled. Water, Malted 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐲, Rolled 𝐎𝐚𝐭𝐬, Malted 𝐎𝐚𝐭𝐬, Hops and Yeast are the ingredients. It is brewed by the Pearse Lyons Brewery Dundalk, Co. Louth. Exclusively for Aldi who promote it as having a food-friendly finish.

An Examiner tasting (of quite a few non-alcoholic beers) concluded that it was great value and a good barbecue beer. Maybe so but, for me, the search for a really good Irish beer in the n/a segment continues.

Outer Place Perpetual Dawn IPA, 6% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys

Perpetual Dawn IPA is a new IPA from a relatively new brewery.

And it is not a clear dawn. It is quite hazy with a small-bubbled white top and a mid-orange colour. Aromas hint of mango, citrus and pine. The beer is smooth on the palate but it is here that the more exotic flavours, including mango, exert an undue influence, edging away from my preferences. 

No bother in acknowledging that it’s not the worst strip of Mango-land I’ve been in and that many drinkers will be be quite happy in this over-saturated space. Different strokes for different folks and thanks to the craft beer movement for giving us the choices.

Citra, Simcoe and Cascade are the hops here; ingredients also include oats, and it is juicy and moderately bitter.

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A Quart of Ale± #127. On the craft journey with Brehon, Full Circle, Farringtons, and Outer Place. Plus BeoirFest Special!

 A Quart of Ale± #127

On the craft journey with Brehon, Full Circle, Farringtons, and Outer Place

Brehon Shanco Dubh Porter, 7.7% ABV, 500ml bottle Bradleys

Black, as you know, is the colour of this porter. The coffee coloured head is not for hanging about. And there’s strong chocolate, maybe some roasted malt, drifting up towards your nostrils. 

The taste buds are soon in overdrive, sifting enjoyably through the chocolate flow and, among the sweet stream, picking out hints of wood, blackcurrant perhaps, wet flowers, and resin. Pretty rich stuff but it gets somewhat less sweet, more coffee than chocolate, towards the satisfying finish. 

An amazing porter from a brewery that seems to be at its best when operating on the dark side. More good things to come as the nights grow shorter. And, by coincidence, Brehon just announced on social media that they have something special lined up for this winter.. “..we’ve tasted the first trial and it tastes amazing already and we can't wait to get it on the shelves for you to enjoy!!” Neither can I!

They say: A full bodied Porter with strong notes of dark chocolate roasted malt and liquorice. Hopped with Magnum (German) and Williamette (USA). Best enjoyed slightly chilled, they suggest.

Always a yarn with Brehon brews. Brewer/farmer/drinker Seamus McMahon: “My grandmother always offered this..wisdom. ‘Never marry a man with Duff in his name or address.’ The reason? Chances were that he had poor land…land sure to produce a bad harvest. It’s probably why she ignored the advances of her neighbour from Shanco Dubh with its black hills that never saw the sun rising. At least, that’s what she always said, but maybe she just didn’t fancy him.”

Full Circle Hoop APA, 5.5% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys

Thought this was Irish when I bought it but, no, it comes from Newcastle. Waste not want not, though, even if I can’t include in the rankings of Irish beers. 

It has an inviting golden colour, topped by a foamy white head. Aromas are moderate, pretty much on the citrus side. Crisp and citrusy on the palate where you find a good balance between hops (Cascade and Chinook) and malts. Not bad at all.

Farringtons Bohemian Pils, 4.4% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys

Light gold is the colour of this beer by new Kildare brewery Farringtons. Aromas are slightly spicy with floral, hay and herbal hints there too. The malt makes an impressive entrance on the supple palate, balancing the classic bitterness of the Saaz hops before a crisp and refreshing finish. This is a Pils with a bit of heft and a very impressive debut effort.

Farringtons have been working on it for a while. “We are delighted to be launching our new range of beers. After several months of trialing beers in our pub it’s exciting to finally have our recipes locked down and available in 440ml cans to sell to a wider audience.”

And they have an invite for you. “Join us for a bite in our bar and restaurant. Our chefs specialise in dishes based on seasonal vegetables and herbs grown here on our 40-acre farm.” Might well take them up on that!

Other Farringtons beers include a Pale Ale, an Amber, a NEIPA and a Lager. I have the NEIPA in the queue!

Outer Place Mini Mini Session Disco IPA, 4.4% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys

“Mini Mini Disco is our new Session IPA. Big on aroma and flavour but small in ABV so you can have a few…Soft and juicy and unfiltered..” That is how producers Outer Place introduce this session IPA. 

It has a light orange colour and is indeed cloudy. Aromas are maybe less strong than you’d expect but still quietly complex with tropical, citrus, and floral notes all in a light dank envelope. Dank and tropical also on the soft and pleasant palate and the hop-led finish is decent as well. Confidently and easily fits the bill as sessional.

The hops are the American trio of Columbus, Azacca and Cascade and the other ingredients are water, barely, wheat and yeast. ABV is 4.4 while the IBU count is 27.

 

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BeoirFest this coming Saturday!

Brian: "This Saturday I have another great mix of brewers to chat with, including our first Hungarian brewery.

• Dealbreaker is our first ever Hungarian Brewery. A ghost brewery founded by 2 leaders of the Budapest beer scene who are also responsible for Budapest Beer Week.
• Spybrew describe themselves as a secret microbrewery based in Hvidovre, Denmark. They've been brewing since 2014 and this is our opportunity to make them just that little less secret.
• Crooked Spider from The Netherlands are joining us for the second time. Based in Wassenaar they are also a microbrewery founded in 2014, though they upgraded the facilities in 2021.

This is a really interesting mix of brewers with lots of different experiences. It should be a good chat."

Top Families. Top Wines. From Torres and Hugel.

Top Families. Top Wines. 

From Torres and Hugel.

Torres, a Spanish family, dedicated to wine for five generations and the Hugel family, that started making wine in the Alsace in 1639, produced our two excellent wines today.

Torres Altos Ibéricos Rioja Crianza (DOC) 2018, 14% ABV

While Torres is synonymous with wine in Spain, it was only in 2005 that they first purchased land in Rioja. This wine, first produced in 2007, is 100% Tempranillo and has spent 12 months in French and American oak. It bears the red crianza sticker (see below).

Not surprisingly, it is regarded as a modern interpretation of Tempranillo. Its amicable aromas, intense and fragrant, draw you in, more so than its 20th century counterparts.

Yours truly with
Miguel Torres.

That “lighter touch” continues on the well-rounded palate, where soft red fruits and sweet spices combine smoothly with the effects of its time in oak. The finish is long with a light spicy aftertaste. Very Highly Recommended.

The Tempranillo grape is Spain’s top variety. Best known for its Rioja expressions but grown in many regions of the country. Older Tempranillo goes well with the likes of steaks and burgers while fresher styles like this are best matched with “baked pasta and other tomato based dishes” according to Wine Folly.

Rioja red wine stickers:

The green label (cosecha) indicates less than one year in oak, less than one in bottle.

The red label (crianza) indicates 1 year in oak, 1 in bottle.

The burgundy (reserva) indicates 1 year in oak, 2 in bottle.

The royal blue (gran reserva) indicates 2 years in oak, three years in bottle.

• This Rioja was a gift. The wine, imported by Findlaters (as is the Gentil), is widely available, including at Bradleys, North Main Street, Cork for €14.95.

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Top Wines 2022. With Reviews & Irish Stockists. 

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Hugel Gentil Alsace (AOC) 2020, 13% ABV, €14.95 Bradleys.

Pale yellow with green tints is what you see in the glass. There are attractive aromas (including fruit, citrus and peaches, and floral elements). On the palate, it has a soft and supple feel, is full of flavour, dry and absolutely refreshing, with a great finalé. 

Lots of attractive features yet it is very versatile at the table, doesn’t overpower your food. Natalie MacClean recommends seared scallops, sushi, vegetables, herbed chicken, pork dishes, excellent too as an aperitif says our retailer Michael of Bradley’s. Very Highly Recommended.

Gentil is an Alsace tradition, made from all the white grapes of the estate. And it is done carefully, to a very high and controlled official standard.

It is Hugel’s only blend, dry and the ideal introduction to Alsace wines. It combines the elegance of Riesling, the richness of Pinot Gris, the fruitiness of Gewürztraminer and Muscat with the freshness of Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner. They are all here: “All the Alsace grapes in one glass”.

I’ve been very partial to Gentil in general for quite a few years now (the Hugel one is on sale in Bradley’s). I met Jean Frédéric Hugel in Cork a few years back and he told me it is their best seller. “It is produced from six different grapes. These are blended after the wine-making stage to balance it better. It is super versatile and works well by the glass in restaurants.” I thought that was interesting as I cannot recall seeing it offered around this area. Maybe there’s an opening there - it is delicious and, as Jean Frédéric said, super versatile.

Other Gentils available locally include Meyer-Fonné and Trimbach.

Hugel & Fils, founded in 1639 in picturesque Riquewihr, Alsace, France, is still 100% family owned and managed by the 12th consecutive generation of the family.

Alsace enjoyed a very good year in 2020, so much so that “No late harvest wines were produced due to the ‘too good’ sanitary conditions which forbid the development of botrytis. “A cool and long growing season gives this unique dry wine great finesse and unequalled drinkability.” And that is well confirmed by this bottle, by the way, closed with DIAM “the cork without the risk of cork taint”.

• More here on DIAM closures.

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Best Value Wines 2022. With Reviews & Irish Stockists. 

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Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt. A Whiskey Fest in Cork next March. Cocktail Competition from Killowen

Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt. A Whiskey Fest in Cork next March.  Cocktail Competition from Killowen. ********* Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt 46% ABV I stood up quickly. Had just smelled smoke. Where was the source? Looked at the sockets. Though it wasn’t that kind of smoke. Opened the windows. Nothing burning out front. Back door. Nil again. Back in. Saw the empty Liberator bottle. The empty glass. The empty jigger. Smoke source! On my armchair table. So, sometimes, the old nose gets the aromas. The Liberator was the Port 'n Peat. No problem getting the aromas with this Teeling Blackpitts, their first peated whiskey. They are dominated by peat though I’d call it turf (which is a whole lot different to BBQ smoke). You really have to probe well with the proboscis to smell anything else under the blanket of peaty smog. The turf continues impressively on the palate, reinforcing the spice, and there’s a sweetness too, presumably from the Sauternes casks. Yet, the maturation somehow has rounded down the smoke effect and the finish is a good balance between the turf and the casks. That Liberator Storehouse Special Port ’n’  Peat (it's deliberately limited) had the properties to edge me along the old smoky road, but this one makes me pause. Not too sure how far I want to travel beyond that smoke threshold. There may be one particular reason for encouragement and I have seen it mentioned in a few places. It seems the triple distillation process that Teeling employed here (and normally employ) ”reduces some of the medicinal character you would get from a traditional Scottish Peated Single Malt…”. And then I had Take Two where, without the initial smoke-shock of the first tasting, myself and Blackpitts got on much better together! Hope for the future then! The Blackpitts is a non chill filtered, peated, single malt whiskey, aged in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sauternes wine casks. As you probably know, Sauternes is a highly regarded sweet wine from the Bordeaux region though there is a huge array of prices, ranging from under twenty to many hundred euro per bottle. They don’t say if the casks used here had been filled with the more expensive or the less expensive Sauternes! * I got mine via the Hip Flask Service at Bradleys of Cork. The general retail price per bottle seems to be in the mid to high 50s. ********* Subscribe to www.corkwhiskeyfest.com for ticket & event updates ********* Killowen Pangur Poitín Cocktail Competition

Having declared '2022 - The Year of Poitín' Killowen have decided to run a competition to help promote poitín as a premium spirit for quality cocktails. Pangur Poitín, which you will use for the competition, has been developed with the cocktail makers of today in mind. So, are you a budding mixologist or looking to add to your experienced repertoire of cocktails, and want to win £500 in cash? Then this is the competition for you!

Details for the competition can be found on our website on the following link:   Killowen Pangur Poitín Cocktail Competition Be sure to share this with any budding cocktail makers you know and best of luck to those entering. We can't wait to see what you come up with. *********

Beer of the Year 2022. New contender added!

My Favourite Irish Beers of the Year 2022

So far!!

(just two months to go!)

Contenders to end of September

September: Bradleys with Dot Brew Nice One IPA

August:12 Acres Pale Ale

July: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Summer 2022 Foraged Elderflower Saison

June: Wicklow Wolf Mescan Wit or Without You Belgian Wit

May: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Spring 2022 Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale

April: Whiplash True Love Waits Dry Hopped Pils

March: Lineman Schadenfreude Schwarzbier

February: Wicklow Wolf  “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout.

January: Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel

December: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut

Best of September Short List

IPA: Bradleys with Dot Nice One.

Helles/Pils/Lager: Hope Limited Edition No. 27 Munich Helles. 

Session: Third Barrel Day Drinking Part Deux Citra Strata; 

Belgian Style Pale Ale: Wide Street Sound by Design 

Pale Ale: Post Card Ha’penny Bridge

Here's a plea  for info (for a forthcoming podcast) from Brian O'Connell of Beoirfest: Any brewers out there who want to tell how the energy prices are affecting them can do so quickly and in their own words at https://event.beoirfest.com/e6d59220  

A Quart of Ale± #126. On the craft journey with Wide Street, Bradleys, White Hag, Post Card

 A Quart of Ale± #126

On the craft journey with Wide Street, Bradleys, White Hag, Post Card

Wide Street Coolship Spontaneously Fermented Ale, 5.5% ABV,  330 ml bottle Bradleys.

Light gold colour with a short-lived shallow head. Aromas are sharp, tangy (grapefruit), almost funky. And then that “tangy” liquid crosses your lips and it’s wake-up time. You think: this is approachable and could be something else other than a sour. And so it proves to be. An amazing concentration of citrus-y fruit and refreshment is at hand, just take it sip by sip all the way to that dry lip-smacking, lip-licking finalé. Different class.

“A single barrel one-year aged beer using traditional turbid mash method and aged hops in the boil followed overnight in the coolship to finally unleash an amazing wild beer with a true sense of terroir. Oak, grape skin and citrus aroma and flavour contribute to this delicate wild ale.”

Spontaneous fermentation? Back before Louis Pasteur, this happened in beer but it was something of a mystery. After Pasteur’s 1857 discovery, brewers knew there was a reason, that indeed there were many of them, yeasts and bacterias arriving in the large pan-shaped vessels (coolships) overnight. The mystery was gone but the risk remains as it can go bad quickly. When it works though, the results are amazing. See much more about the process in The Beer Bible (2nd edition) by Jeff Alworth.

The Bible will also enlighten you more on the Turbid Mash Method which is a labour-intensive process and involves taking the mash through multiple temperature rests through infusions of hot water and the removal of 'turbid' starchy wort that is not fully converted. It is a technique associated with brewing lambic style beers.

Wide Street are naturally happy with this one: “We’re so excited to finally showcase what our terroir has to offer with this wild fermented unblended beer. It's brewed in the cold winter night in an open vessel, a coolship and left to cool down overnight. It has no added yeast and takes on the unique characteristics of the air and microflora of where it was brewed. …Oak, grape skin and citrus aroma and flavour contribute to this delicate wild ale…It has spent the past year in barrels and here is the result, enjoy!”

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Oktoberfest Celebration Festbier Box  <<<<<Click here

Bradleys put together a special selection of German beers to celebrate Oktoberfest ... Prost!

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White Hag Little Fawn Session IPA 4.2% ABV, 4x330ml Can pack

I’ve come across Little Fawn quite a bit the last year or so on draught across the country and I’m always glad to see it, always glad to see any White Hag beer in a pub or restaurant. I was pretty certain I had included it in this long-running Quart of Ale± series but, when I checked, I found that I hadn’t. So I managed to sneak one from a 4-pack that someone in the house had bought and this is it.

“We are a modern independent craft brewery from Sligo, on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. We brew innovative and groundbreaking beers, inspired by ancient and classic styles.”

 

They use ancient tales in selling their many and varied beers including this Little Fawn yarn. He was discovered “as a child on the slopes of Ben Bulben by Bran & Sceolan, this young and sprightly warrior spent his summers foraging and hunting the mountains and woodlands. These local flavours are reflected in the taste experience – an easy-to-drink American-style session IPA.”

Colour is a light gold with a slight haze. No shortage of bubbles rising to a soft white head. Citrus-y in the aromas with a hint of something softer as well. And it is also fruity on the palate, refreshingly so as befits its touting as a session beer, and a decent slightly bitter finish to boot.

White Hag say it is an easy-to-drink American-style session IPA. “Brewed with 100% Irish malt for a pale, very clean base; layered with Mosaic hops, famous for their ever-changing fruity aroma.”

 

White Hag West Coast to West Coast IPA, 6.8% ABV, 330ml Can Bradleys. 

This collaboration with Bagby of California has quite a posse of all-American hops onboard: Mosaic (Tropical, Berry, Stone Fruit), Cascade (Grapefruit, Floral, Pine), Chinook (Grapefruit, Pine, Spice), Columbus (Dank, Pepper, Pungent), Simcoe (Pine, Grapefruit, Berry), Citra Citrus, Mango, Melon), Centennial (blossom, Orange, Resinous). 

Seven hops, seven per cent ABV! Bagby, like White Hag, have quite a varied portfolio, including an Irish-style dry stout called Asphalt Jungle!

It’s a hazy mid-orange colour with a soft white head that soon starts to flop. Aromas, with those all-American hops are, as you might expect, rather intense with a united dank front. And that dankness continues on the palate though you’ll find hints of pine and citrus, some tropical stuff too, seeping through.

The White Hag take: “This West Coast IPA is a truly global one. Created by two giants of craft IPA – Joe Kearns of The White Hag on the West Coast of Ireland, and Jeff Bagby of Bagby Beer, Oceanside, California. Jeff took the long-haul hop, and a massive haul of hops from one West Coast to another.” 

I reckon Jeff wasn’t going to bring any of those hops back again and everything got used. Sometimes less is more. Still, a pretty good drink.

Post Card Irish Summer 1 Pale Ale, 4.8% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys

“..perfect on a hot Irish summer’s day,” they say. That kind of limits its potential a bit. But there is no great need to confine a beer or a wine to limits that are more often suggested by marketeers and critics. Anyhow, the summer has lingered on well this year.

Actually, talking about marketing reminds me that the label of the can has a bit of info about the illustration and then just weather talk, as if we haven’t enough of it, nothing much about the beer. The can art by the way is based on Portmarnock Bay Summer Light by Sarah Magee.

The beer itself is a light gold in colour with just a hint of haze. Citrus notes in a bright palate, with a good streak of bitterness from the undisclosed hops, all well balanced by the malts. Easy drinking and certainly refreshing and one you can produce on a warm Autumn day,  though I think I’d prefer to have the their regular Ha'Penny Bridge Pale Ale as my standby, summer or autumn.

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loughgillbrewery

 Gose Again: Gose IPA
This tropical sour IPA blends together Idaho 7 and El Dorado, Kettle soured with Lactobacillus plantarum.
Expect very tropical notes of pineapple and stone fruits.
Hitting all good retailers this week 

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2022

Beer of the Year 

Confirmed to date

September: ???????

August: 12 Acres Pale Ale

July: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Summer 2022 Foraged Elderflower Saison

June: Wicklow Wolf Mescan Wit or Without You Belgian Wit

May: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Spring 2022 Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale

April: Whiplash True Love Waits Dry Hopped Pils

March: Lineman Schadenfreude Schwarzbier

February: Wicklow Wolf  “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout.

January: Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel

December: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut

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