A Quart of Ale± #31. Moving on over to craft with Stout & Porter. Elbow Lane - Whiplash - Eight Degrees - Cloudwater.

 

Scaldy Artwork by Sophie De Veres

A Quart of Ale± #31

Moving on over to craft. 

Stout/Porter. Elbow Lane - Whiplash - Eight Degrees - Cloudwater.

What's the difference between stout and porter?

I think Beer FAQ (Jeff Cioletti) sums it up pretty well. Porter is a very close cousin to stout... aficionados are hard-pressed to describe the exact differences between the two. Generally, porters are a bit lighter in body and a little less opaque than stouts...

... Stouts are very roast-forward and coffee-like and have even more variations than porter.

Elbow Lane “Liberty” Porter 4.8%, 500ml bottle via NeighbourFood

This "robust" Cork porter is black as a blacksmith’s hands and the soft coffee coloured head soon is just a thin trace across the surface. The aromas are fresh, chocolate and toffee off the roasted malts. The hops in the kettle are Pilgrim and Fuggles and then the dry-hopping in the cellar tank with “Styrian Dragon” emphasise the hoppy aroma and also ensures a dry hoppy finish.

Quite an amazing porter, one that makes me reconsider my long held opinion that stout is best. If you are inclined at all towards the black stuff, then do please give this one a try and let me know what you think.

Elbow Lane say it pairs nicely with richer warming dishes like roast or smoked meats and stews or strong cheeses. And they should know as all their beers here are crafted to go well with the food they serve in the company’s various restaurants that now include the original Market Lane, Castle Cafe, Orso, Elbow Lane and, most recently, Goldie’s. “This beer for these strange times is aptly named after Liberty Street in Cork city.” And, if you like the porter, you’ll also enjoy their Angel Lane stout. All their beers are named after lanes in the city (some of which no longer exist, though their names endure via plaques on the footpath surface of various streets - you’ll see quite a few in North Main Street).

Whiplash “Scaldy” Robust Porter 5.5%, 400ml can via Bradley’s

Black is the colour of my scaldy porter from Whiplash. Scaldy? You may well ask. Well Scaldy is that baldy crank sitting on the high stool by the bar counter. You’re hoping he doesn’t notice you, that you just might get away to the far corner with your pint of porter without a word from yer man. But he’s on guard, looking for an opening to start an argument.

Best avoided. But no need to avoid this fine porter with its dense black colour and its fast-fading head. I’ve always, rightly or wrongly, associated fast-fading heads or virtually no head at all with porter. 

Goes back to the very early 60s in Kelly’s pub/grocery in Belderrig on the north coast of Mayo. You asked for a pint. The lady behind the counter grabbed the white jug, cracked enamel and all, ducked down behind the counter and rose up to fill your glass with the black stuff and nary a sign of a head. You didn’t complain then - she still had that big jug in her hand! 

Strong coffee in the Scaldy aromas and also on the palate, milky chocolate too and sweet toffee also, not a million kilometres from a pint of Beamish. Dry on the lips and a touch of smokiness in the mix as well.  Smooth, soft and malty, thanks to no less than seven malts. Dry too in the long finish.

They say: Scaldy Porter is an old homebrewing recipe and has been a favourite amongst the scaldys for some years now. A porter that doesn’t give a shite about what abv you reckon it should be, its focus is on pushing a big malt bill to your nose and bringing you back to your scaldy days if you’ve settled down by now. 

Details:

ABV – 5.5%

 IBU’s – 61

330ml bottle

Artwork by Sophie De Veres

Malts: Pale, Munich, Brown, Smoked, Chocolate, Columbus, WLP007. 

Must admit the positive verdict wasn’t unanimous here. Offered a taste to CL and this was the response: “I’d take the pledge if that’s all I had to drink.” Scaldy, the adjective, came to mind but I didn’t dare voice it.

Eight Degrees Knockmealdown Irish Stout 6.0%

Black is the colour and the head - won’t be there for long - is like my wet suede shoes (they didn’t last too long either). Aromas speak of chocolate powder, rather loudly. On the palate, it is smooth and rich, full of the expected coffee, chocolate and caramel. Smooth and rich as in the traditional style and the finish is dry with enough bitterness to keep the pleasing balance.

They say: Like tackling the Knockmealdowns in a blizzard, this beer is not for wimps. A robust malt-driven ale, this is our evolution of a traditional Irish stout. Makes a beef stew taste that bit beefier, contrasts beautifully with blue cheese or go sweet and enjoy with an intense chocolate cake.  

Food is never faraway from Eight Degrees and here’s the detailed advice on this one: For something completely different, hang on to the stout for the end of the meal; bold chocolate and espresso flavours make it a good accompaniment to a dense, dark chocolate cake or contrast the sweetness of the stout with the saltiness of our local Cashel Blue cheese. Well worth trying in a chocolate cake or these Double Chocolate Knockmealdown Irish Stout Brownies.

Details:

Style: Dry Irish stout
Malt: Pale ale malt, chocolate malt, wheat malt, roast barley and Crisp 400.
Hops: Nugget.
Strength: 6% ABV
Bitterness: 24 IBUs

Get social Hashtag: #KnockmealdownStout

Cloudwater and Rock Leopard “Step Up”  Stout 5.0%, 440 via Bradley’s

Colour’s black as can be with a flimsy head. The brewers give the aromas as roasted malt, coffee and light smoke - no problem agreeing with that.  And you get more of the same on the palate with caramel and some fruit flavour thrown in. Decent enough, it is easy-drinking all the way with this medium bodied beer, finishing dry with more of that coffee and caramel.

They say: Cloudwater and Rock Leopard combined for this one, stepping up to help charity with 5% of the takings donated to help. An easy-drinking delicious stout for chilling together, hanging out, great food, good times.

A Quart of Ale± #25. Moving on over to craft . Another round of IPA

A Quart of Ale± #25

Moving on over to craft 

Did you hear? Fidelity, with Whiplash, is back in 2021. Dates, ticket details here.

Another round of IPA

12 Acres “Make Hay” Session IPA 3.8%, 440ml can Ardkeen Store

When I was making hay, it was usually a bottle of the black stuff that was produced, more than just a bottle if we were threshing. But either way that was for the older fellows - we pale pioneer-pinned youths had to make do with tea and scones (pretty good too!). This County Laois farm do it differently.

This “Make Hay” session IPA from the 12 Acres Brewery has a lemon colour, a herd of bubbles galloping up through the haze. Aromas are citrus with a touch of clean pine. On the palate, it is assertively hoppy with a mix of peach, mango and the citrus enveloping that malt body and the finish is also hoppy.

This flavoursome easy-drinking IPA has more bite than you’d expect from a 3.8 abv, due to late hops additions (Citra and Amarillo). Other ingredients include their own pale ale malt, some oats and Munich malt. Put it on your session list!

Another well-made beer from the Co. Laois brewery where Our Land to Your Glass is the logo, based on the fact that all of the water used and some of the barley comes from the family farm. “The 12 Acres field on our farm is where we have been growing malting barley for the brewing industry for generations. Now we are craft brewing our own beer and we’ve named it after one of the fields where the barley is grown”.

Kinnegar Bucket & Spade Session Rye IPA 4.2%, 440ml can Ardkeen Store 

Colour is a foggy gold, white head fades away to a the barest of covers in no time, leaving the merest lacing on the glass. This easy drinking Rye IPA is unfiltered and naturally carbonated. You notice the rye influence in the aromas (touch of spice too) and also as you sip this fresh fruity (citrus) session beer from the Donegal brewery who have more than one rye on their portfolio. Fruit and bitterness are well balanced here and the malt too keeps its end up making it one of my favourites from the list, though not one of their core beers. 

Nice little extra time bonus as the Ireland v Slovakia continues past the 90th minute and, after extra time, into the shootout. And then, suddenly, there was a little more bitterness than previously! C’est du sport.

Wicklow Wolf Eden Session IPA 3.8%, 330ml can via Ardkeen Store

This easy-drinking session IPA is pale and hazy. Pine and tropical fruit in the aromas. Those fruits along with bitterness in the palate and here the malts play a part in making this a well balanced beer. Under 4 per cent but a session beer with a flavour packed punch. Pretty much a perfect session drink.

This  is unfiltered and unpasteurised. Hops are El Dorado and Chinook while malts are Pale, Cara Ruby, Flaked Oats. IBU is 35 

They say:Wicklow, because that is where we opened our brewhouse. Wolf, because the last one ranged freely across the Wicklow countryside, and because the hops we plant on our farm takes its name ‘humulus lupulus’ from that wild and proud creature.

Firestone “Easy Jack” IPA 4.0% , 12 fl ozs Bradley’s

“Hoppy goodness with even more drinkability.”  Easy Jack’s got a light amber colour and a white head that reigns briefly.  It’s clear, so you see a myriad of bubbles rising. The bubbles don’t get get up your nose but the hop aromas do. Excellent balance in this can, terrific harmony between hops and malt, and a full body to enjoy as well. A good one but plenty of Irish IPAs are as good and quite a few better.

A few figures: 4% abv, 40 IBU, 5.5 colour, 120 calories.

They say: Easy Jack is a different breed of IPA, brewed and dry hopped with a globetrotting selection of newer hop varieties from Germany, New Zealand and North America. 

Hops

 Kettle: CTZ, Amarillo, Simcoe

 Dry Hops: Mosaic, Mandarina, Melon, Citra, Amarillo

Malts: Two Row, Wheat, Cara Pils, Oats, Munich, Crystal Light

The story: Firestone Walker Brewing Company began innocently enough: two brothers-in-law—Adam Firestone and David Walker—debating the subject of good and bad beer. Their search for a decent local ale finally led them to brew their own starting in 1996. The original Firestone Walker brewery was located in a converted shed on the family vineyard.

Black’s Totally Tropical IPA 5.0%, 440ml can Ardkeen Store

This 2020 release from Blacks of Kinsale is billed as a “beer with a totally tropical taste”. It “brings mango and pineapple to the party” and it does, for sure, certainly with the tropical aromas. 

Perhaps, late in year, this IPA “perfect for a chill summer session”, is out of season. 

IBU is listed as 55. While I was writing that last sentence the white head had vanished, leaving a slightly hazy golden liquid with bubbles crowding up towards the top.

Food pairings recommended are BBQ Chicken skewers, Moroccan Tagine, Tipsy Cake with rum.

A Quart of Ale± #23 Moving on over to craft with Red Ale

A Quart of Ale± #23

Moving on over to craft

Red Ale (Part 1)

Is Red Ale an Irish style? In the 1970s, beer writer Michael Jackson is credited with giving the tag to Smithwicks. According to World Atlas of Beer, American beer competitions started awarding prizes for the category and smaller Irish breweries started to “launch highly-hopped higher strength or even barrel aged versions”. As you can see below, Eight Degrees gave as good as they got in recent competition with their dry Sunburnt.

The recent Brew Dog books mention only the American Red, in fact they barely mention the Irish scene at all. Sláinte (2014) acknowledges that there is some “dissent” about Red being an Irish style but say some local breweries have “evolved the style”. More recent examples include Porterhouse who have “banished the sweet”.

Looks like the style is still evolving. We  have four good ones below for you and another handsome trio (Eight Degrees, Cotton Ball and White Hag) to come in Part 2.

Porterhouse “Red” 4.2%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Porterhouse, a pioneering Irish craft brewery, are the producers of this red ale. Darkish red/brown is the colour here, and the off white head has a brief span. Both Malt and Hop figure in the aromas and also on the engaging palate, engaging because of exuberant fruit and a small streak of malty caramel. Fresh and fruity, with  superb caramel finish (almost stout like), I suspect (even at this early stage in the group) one of the better ones.

They say: Irish red ales? Yes, we know. Sweet, a bit cloying and, well, no thanks. So, it was brave of us (we say bravely) to put the words “red ale” after our own moniker. Why the hell would we do that? Because this is a real red ale, ….But sweet? No way. Balanced, yes. Fresh, yes. Aromatic, yes. In fact, we say yes, please.

Details

Malts: Pale Ale Malt, Crystal Malt, Wheat Malt, Chocolate Malt

Hops: Galena, Nugget, East Kent Goldings

ABV: 4.2% IBUs: 33 

9 White Deer “Stag Rua” 4.2%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Made with a mix of ale, crystal and chocolate malts, Stag Rua pours a very dark red indeed, with a soft off-white head. Chocolate, coffee and caramel in the aromas and also on the smooth palate. A really balanced beer with no single ingredient dominating. Quite a satisfying mouthful indeed. Easy-going as they indicate and also Gluten Free (since 2018).

They say: Stag Rua has an aroma that is rich and malty with little hops, although we use a considerable amount of hops their presence is behind the malt but there none the less. It will pour with a off white rocky head and should last all the way down the glass leaving a lacing behind. Stag Rua, an Irish Red Ale is a favourite style of our head brewer and we hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we love it. Be big, be bold, Bí Dána.

Wicklow Wolf Wildfire Hoppy Red Ale 4.6%, 440ml can Ardkeen Superstore

Colour is a dark red mix with an off-white head that doesn’t last too long. Malt plus a sniff of coffee in the aromatics and the same combo, with a stronger showing from the coffee, shows in the palate. Here too, the Sorachi and Sabro hops also figure, rather mildly though.

Indeed, “mild” is perhaps the most apt descriptor, though not in a pejorative manner. Touted as a modern red ale, I’m well pleased with it (nothing to do with its modernity or otherwise) and would love to try it in a direct joust with other reds like Roaring Ruby (from West Cork Brewing), Kinnegar’s Devil’s Backbone, Copper Coast (from Dungarvan Brewing), White Gypsy’s Ruby Red, the award winning Sunburnt Irish (8 Degrees), Costello’s Red Ale and more (including the newish Velvet Red by the Cotton Ball). Could be a long session. And I’d need food as well!

A few details:

Serve at 8 degrees.

IBU: 28

Hops: Sorachi Ace, Sabro

Malt: Pale, Cara Ruby, Melano, Oats, Roasted Barley

West Cork “Roaring Ruby” Dark Red Ale 4.4%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

This Dark Red Ale from Baltimore is indeed a dark red with a head that soon diminishes to a thin lacy disc. Aromas are caramel and toasty. And you get much the same on the palate, toffee, caramel and coffee. All a bit stout like, yet this has its own distinctive flavour and texture with its malt bill prominent. Perhaps a bit more traditional than some of the other Irish ones but none the worse for that.

They suggest pairing with Roast meats, BBQ, strong cheese, roast veg.

It is Unfiltered and Vegan friendly as only whirlfloc (carrageen moss) is used to aid in clarification. Free from fluoride, chemicals, preservatives.

Malts: – pale ale malt, flaked oats,  amber malt, caramel malt, wheat malt, roasted barley.

Hops – Bramling Cross and Liberty.

Brewed using their own spring water.

Their story. Bacchus and Dionysus get some credit on the West Cork Brewery website but it is the yarns built around founders Kevin, Henry and Dominic that catch the attention. Read about the three founders here.  

A Quart of Ale± #21 Moving on over to craft. Sour.

A Quart of Ale± #21

Moving on over to craft.  

Sour

So, what is a sour? It is perhaps the style of beer most likely to put someone off with a single sip. But, according to Craft Beer for the People, “they are hugely rewarding for those who can get past the initial shock.” Think of lemons, sauerkraut, pickles and Citron Pressé (the French non-alcoholic thirst quencher) as that essential first step. “Once you gain a taste for them (sours)…. there’s no going back!” And I can tell you, hand on heart, that the conversion can come as early as the third sip. Stick with it and try some of the beers below - you won’t be sorry!

Crooked Stave “Sour Rosé” 4.5%, 355ml can Bradley’s of Cork

Colour is a deep pink that in some lighting might pass for orange; it is cloudy, with lots of bubbles rising; the head doesn't hang about. Fruit plus yeast notes in the aromas. Refreshing and effervescent on the palate, this is the most delicious sour, ideal for a summer’s day in the garden with a salad at hand, perhaps one with fish. Yet, as they suggest, it’s probably perfect for all seasons. Just a few sips in and I’m delighted with this one which is going to be hard to top in this section. Put it on your short list.

The American brewery says: Showcasing bright effervescent characteristics, Sour Rosé is the perfect sour beer for all seasons and occasions. Unfiltered and naturally wild, we package each can with a small amount of yeast to maintain maximum freshness for wherever life’s adventures take you.

Beer Specs

• Serving Temperature: 8-12 degrees
• Alc/Vol: 4.5%
• Cultured in Yeast

Pairings: 

Cheese, Jasper Hill Cellars Harbison with Washed-rind;
Chicken Liver Mouse & Pancetta;
Ceviche with Raw Fish and Shrimp, Aji, Onion, Salt and Cilantro, all Cured in Citrus Juice

Saltimbocca with Veal lined Prosciutto & Basil

Kinnegar “Olan’s Tart” Apple Sour 5.0%, 440ml can Bradley’s of Cork

This unfiltered, naturally carbonated Apple sour from Donegal’s Kinnegar Brewery looks a little like a cloudy pale apple juice once the short-lived head vanishes. I was expecting more of a crab apple but, while certainly sour,  this, one of the better Irish sours, is very drinkable indeed, quite refreshing too.

The style is “Kettle sour with apple” and it tastes clean and crisp. It is  labelled as ”a year-round reminder of summer” and is “fermented with freshly pressed apple juice from our friends at Dan Kellys Cider.”

They say: A bunch of rabbits and their mates having the craic and making good beer Yep, that's pretty much our branding in a nutshell. A big thanks to one of our twitter fans for putting it so simply and succinctly. Nothing in life is however quite that simple…..

Yellow Belly Castaway Passionfruit Sour 4.2%, 440ml can, Bradley’s

Yellow Belly like their sours, so be prepared!

Cloudy light amber is the colour. Not so much fruit in the aromas; yeast seems to be the main element. Once it reaches the palate though, the face puckers as promised and the Belgian malts, aided by the passionfruit sweetness, begin to calm it all down a bit. Just a little bit! This is after all a sour, and a pretty good one at that. Quite a thirst-quencher!

They say: The perfect sour. Our house Berliner Weisse recipe (soured with our, continuously evolving, barrel stored lactobacillus culture) conditioned on a small tropical islands worth of passionfruit. Expect a lovely fruity aroma, more fruit on the tongue, and even more fruit on the finish all rounded with a gentle acidity from the souring process. Brewed with only the finest Belgian malts and our House Lactobacillus Culture under the careful watch of our Head Brewer, Declan Nixon.

 

It is a seasonal beer – mostly found during the Summer months, but from time to time as a limited release. It is unfiltered and not pasteurised.

All the artwork you see across their Tap Badges and Cans features their fictional hero ‘YellowBelly’. He’s the “Dr. Who” of Beer; travelling through time and space to find new recipes, discover ingredients and to fight the bad guys trying to destroy good beer. Creative Director, Paul Reck, creates all the artwork and is the mastermind behind the ‘YellowBelly Tales’ Comic Book Series, which can read for free on the site.

Lervig “Passion Tang” 7%, 330ml can Bradley’s of Cork

The eye-catching can pours an orange and gold colour while this Norwegian sour holds its head just for a few seconds. Mainly fruity aromas. And the Passionfruit is your main man on the tangy palate. Perhaps not as sour as some or perhaps I’m getting used to the style. Either way, not quite on the same level as the Crooked Stave. Easy enough to forget, with all that Passionfruit, that this is 7% abv.

Lervig is an independently owned and operated craft brewery located in Stavanger, Norway. They produce a wide range of beers from easy-drinking pilsners and pale ales to bold and complex barrel-aged stouts, barley wines, and sours.

They say: We fermented an oat rich sour ale with our house ale yeast, then add brettanomyces trois in the secondary fermentation along with passion fruit. Grains of paradise were also into the mix, giving this beer a tropical, floral yet woody character. This beer bridges with those who don’t really like beer to craft beer.

Malts: Pale, Munich, Caramalt.

Hops: Ella, Victoria Secret.

Yeast: American Ale, Brettanomyces

Additive: Grains of Paradise.

Passionfruit extract also listed in ingredients.

A Quart of Ale± #19 Moving on over to craft. Wheat Beers (Part 2)

 A Quart of Ale± #19

Moving on over to craft. 

Wheat Beers (Part 2). Check out Part 1 here

The most famous wheat beers come from Germany and Belgium where the refreshing drinks are known as Weissbier and Witbier both of which translate as white beer, hence the Westport and Kinnegar whites in this and the previous post. The style normally contains a large proportion of malted wheat. Like all beer styles, Wheat Beers are on the move. Just when you think you know something about it, your brewer thinks of a variation and, according to Craft Beer for the Geeks, “fruited wheat beers are the new normal”.  San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery has the ultimate: Hell or High Watermelon! I was wondering if there were any Irish contenders and then along comes Hope’s Grunt below. 

St Bernardus Wit 5.5%, 33cl bottle Bradley’s of Cork

This famed Belgian, a classic, has a hazy golden/yellow colour, not too easy to see the bubbles but they are there; nice head at the start but won’t be around for long, a lacy veil is all that remains. 

Audaciously aromatic with clove notes standing out, touch of orange and coriander too. Very refreshing, your perfect thirst quencher as herbs and fruit mingle merrily in this traditional unfiltered Belgian white beer. 

It was developed in collaboration with Pierre Celis, the legendary master brewer who founded the Hoegaarden brewery, brewing their signature beer that was the driver of the resurgence of white beer in the 1950s.

They say: This incredibly versatile beer can be paired with almost any recipe from anywhere in the world. Its most outstanding role is perhaps that of a refreshing contrast when served with creamy dishes - a risotto for example - or in combination with shell fish and white fish. Do you serve a slice of lemon with your fish? You can echo that or a lemon sauce or dressing with this beer with its strong hints of citrus.

Note:

The unusual lower serving temperature of 2 - 6 °C.

Bitterness: 15 EBU.

Elbow Lane “Arrow Weisse” 5.0%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Brewed according to the German Purity Law, this Cork wheat beer has an amber robe with a fairly ample white head that stays full for a minute or two, then shrinks to a narrow disc. Typical aromas of clove and banana and those flavours also on the palate which has a refreshing citrus-y streak. Apparently the clove and banana come from the special yeast used to brew this satisfying beer. No artificial preservatives or additives are used and they indicate it is best served at 7-8 degrees.

Somewhat heavier on the palate than both the Japanese and the German (in Part 1) but do remember that Elbow brew their range of beers to match the dishes in the group’s five restaurants in Cork City. The Arrow Weisse was the critics’ choice  recently to pair with ox tongue and kimchi salad. By the way, you’ll note that the staff in the various restaurants are well versed in the merits of each of the beers. 

Elbow Lane is one of the smallest breweries in Ireland and you’ll find it in the restaurant of the same name. All the beers are called after lanes (some of them no longer exist) in the city. Market Lane is the “mothership” restaurant and the others are ORSO, Castle Café, Goldie and Elbow Lane itself.

Kinnegar White Rabbit Session White IPA 4.5%, 440ml can Ardkeen Store, Bradley’s of Cork

Citrus leads here and there is little enough evidence of the clove and banana that is prominent in some wheat beers in this cloudy lemon coloured IPA, a very well made one, from the innovative Donegal brewery. There’s a generous fluffy white head that lasts a fair bit. 

No let-down in the mouth where the malt and hops get together in an impressive juicy fruity amalgam. A lovely balance indeed and an excellent dry lip-smacking finish with a slight bitterness in evidence. Second can appeal for sure.

They say: This is a classic American wheat beer that blends fruity malt with fruity hop flavours and opens them up with a voluminous, puffy white head.We don’t filter or pasteurise, and we let our industrious little friends, the yeast, carbonate the beer naturally during fermentation.” 

There may be a bit of sediment, so pour this cloudy beer carefully but if some ends up in the glass, don’t worry about it. “It’ll put hair on your chest,” as my mother used to say when she spotted someone’s reluctance to try something new.

Hope Grunt Citrus-y Wheat Beer 4.8%, 440ml can Ardkeen Store

Craft Beer for the Geeks say “fruited wheat beers are the new normal”. Well, here’s an Irish one, so let us see what’s going on in the tin. On the tin itself, there’s  rather fanciful yarn as to how the beer got its name.

The beer  though is not fanciful though the short-lasting head is a bit of a tease. The liquid  is a slightly hazy light gold. It is quite assertive on the palate, bone-dry, citrusy and a little spicy, the citrus coming from the hops plus the adjuncts lemongrass and bergamot. Good refreshing finish too though you have to concentrate hard to find the notes of juniper, the other addition. An excellent beer but I’m not sure I’d be guessing its style correctly in a blind tasting.

EBU, by the way, is 21 and they say Grunt is an excellent accompaniment to most food, in particular fish, to replace a traditional dry white wine, but also spicy food, where the strong flavours and refreshing quality of the beer can hold its own where a wine could not. It is also good with both strong cheese, and creamy cheese.

Had I not known about wheat as an ingredient (listed on their website, but not on the can), I’d have been inclined to class this as an IPA rather than  wheat beer. In any case, it’s a very decent drink indeed.

Ingredients: Water.

Malts: Pale Ale, Wheat, Acidulated

Hops: Citra, Cascade

Yeast: European Ale Yeast, American Ale Yeast

Spices: Juniper, Lemongrass & Bergamot

Check out Part 1 here