Showing posts with label Eight Degrees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eight Degrees. Show all posts

Monday, March 1, 2021

A Quart of Ale± #37. Moving on over to craft with Euro-style Lagers!

A Quart of Ale± #37

Moving on over to craft with Euro Lagers!



Augustiner Edelstoff Münchner Bier (GAA), 5.6%, 500ml bottle via Bradleys


Put this in a tall slim glass as recommended and you get a head that looks like a fluffy ice-cream and below that a myriad little bubbles race upwards in the light gold liquid. Its attractiveness is enhanced by a hint of exotic fruit aromas. And that sweet fruit also pops up briefly on the palate but soon the hops have their say as this satisfying beer heads towards a full and persistent finish. Love the mouthfeel, the smooth full body and the flavour. No wonder this historic brewery (founded 1328) is a name well-known far beyond Bavaria and Germany. 


Serve at 5 - 7 ° C  and you’ll find it goes well with typical Bavarian dishes, such as white sausage with sweet mustard or with roast pork with sauerkraut. Its mildly bitter taste makes it a perfect beer for the sunny outdoors and can also be drunk with many other dishes.


It is said that the Augustiner Bräu is the oldest Munich brewery. Originally founded (1328) by an ecclesiastical order, it was privatised in 1829. The good quality of the historical recipes was retained and this has given the brewery a terrific base. Traditionally brewed according to the German Purity Law, as you’d expect, Augustiner Edelstoff is praised as one of the best beers from Bavaria.


Yellowbelly Kellerbier Lager 4.3%, 440ml can Ardkeen Store



A bit puzzled from the start with this one! They say: “A core beer, available all year round. A lager for lovers of good beer. Kellerbier (Cellar Beer) is a German style Lager that has not been conditioned to same extent as other lagers. The resulting beer is naturally cloudy with a rounder full bodied mouthfeel.”


Despite that description and the word “unfiltered” on the can, mine pours as clear as could be, a lovely bright amber with shoals of bubbles rising to the top. It is smooth, with that full bodied mouthfeel that they mention above, easy-drinking with a lip-smacking finish and a touch of sweetness. Cloudy or not (and this one is certainly clear), it is a damn good craft lager. 


Malts are listed, on the can, as Pilsner, Wheat, Munich, Cara Clair while hops used are Huell Melon and Hersbrucker.


Eight Degrees Bohemian Pilsner Lager 4.0%, 400 can



Colour is a pale, but bright, gold, with a mere disc of a head that persists. Hops influence the floral aromas. And a promise of refreshment from the first sip. And no shortage of flavour either as this light and crisp beer spreads smoothly, in fulfilment of the initial promise, across the palate and persists until the satisfying finale. Bitterness enough to keep the balance. A good one and sessionable!


They say: Treat as an aperitif, amazing with pizza and don’t miss trying it with Thai or Vietnamese food. A crisp and adventurous drop, just perfect for a chilled out session. Bliss!


Some Details:

Style: Pilsner lager
Malt: Two row base Irish malt.
Hops: Hallertau, Hersbrucker, Lublin.
Strength: 4% ABV
Bitterness: 33 IBUs


St Mel’s Classic Range Helles Lager 5%, 500ml bottle via St Mel’s online



Cloudy amber is the colour here, gazillions of little bubbles shoot up into an attractive white fluffy head that’s in no big hurry to depart. This is bottle conditioned and dry hopped. 


Brewers Liam and Eoin have come up with a great result here, smooth, and balanced well between the malt and hops, with the bitterness nicely judged. One of the best flavoured lagers around, good mouthfeel too. Moreish is a word the brewery uses and I would certainly agree. Put this on your lager shortlist!



They say: Lagered for 4 weeks in the tanks and re-fermented in the bottle using a second strain of yeast. St. Patrick's nephew, Mel, helped spread knowledge and learning through the Irish Midlands in the 5th Century AD. St. Mel's brewing company is an independent artisan brewery, whose mission is to brew the highest quality beers from the best possible ingredients, combining innovation, passion and tradition. We hope you enjoy this bottle and, if you haven't already, convert to craft beer.


Food pairing tips: Perfect companion to big brash flavours of chilli, Indian cuisine or ribs. It also works great with Swiss cheese or a cheeky Battered Sausage and Chips.

* Top pic via Pixabay

Previously in A Quart of Ale±

A Quart of Ale± #37.  Moving on over to craft with Euro-style Lagers!

A Quart of Ale #36 a quartet of Pale Ales. Blacks. Crafty. Dungarvan. Rascals.

A Quart of Ale± #33. Moving on over to craft with St Mel’s Brewery.

A Quart of Ale± #32. Moving on over to craft with Lambic and Geuze




Wednesday, February 10, 2021

A Quart of Ale± #34. Moving on over to craft with a session of lagers. Variety is the spice of life. Our craft brewers keep it coming!

A Quart of Ale± #34

Moving on over to craft with a session of lagers.  

Variety is the spice of life. And our craft brewers keep it coming!



Cotton Ball “Mayfield 5” Pilsner Lager 5.0%, 500ml bottle via Cotton Ball off licence

This lager, from my local, has a mid-amber colour, fountains of little bubbles, white head slims down rapidly but then hangs around for a good spell. A modest touch of hops in the aromas. The refreshment factor immediately appears on the smooth palate, spot on balance between the German hops and malts. Has more character going for it than many lagers, good mouthfeel too. A thirst cutting clean bitterness rounds off an excellent lager experience.


They say: This Pilsner Lager, like the Noble Northsider’s adventures, spans the Atlantic, brewed using 100% Irish malted barley, clean bittered with three U.S. grown hops followed by a late kettle addition of Noble Hops (Hallertau Perle and Hersbrucker). Pour is clean and refreshing with a subtle aromatic hop flavour arising from a bed of light caramel malt. The Classic brew to compliment party food. This inviting pilsner goes down smoothly with gourmet burgers, pizzas or wings. A perfect hit at BBQs a great choice for alfresco dining.


And the northsider they refer to on the label is Humphrey Lynch, who left Ballyvourney at 15 years of age and settled in an American town known as Byefield which he later used in naming his Cork estate house. After working for two years with Joseph Longfellow, cousin to the famous poet, he worked for a year in the ship yard at Newburyport until the American civil war in which he fought in a string of “engagements”. He returned to his native Cork in 1874 and set up in Mayfield, calling his newly-purchased public house The Cotton Ball. And the Lynch family are still here today, the brewery one of the latest additions to the family’s businesses.


Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Italian Pils 4.9%, 400 can, via brewery


Pilgrims, with some of its companions from the  #IRISHMUNROSeries

A light straw colour and a white head are the immediate attractions here. There is much more of course. This has been “dry hopped it to the heavens with Loral, the Super Noble hop with distinctive floral, herbal and peppery notes, making this beer a delightful sipper to savour” and when I think of it that was the very first thing I noticed, the instant I pulled the opening tab!  And Loral makes its presence felt on the palate as well, citrus, floral and herbal streams and that distinctive bitterness a factor both in the mouth and in the dry finish. A refreshing lager, Italian style, full of hops and character


This is their 3rd beer in the Irish Munro Series. The peak is Mount Brandon (3122 feet) on the Dingle peninsula. Brandon is named after Saint Brendan the Navigator and the Pilgrim’s Path takes you to the summit. Don’t forget to bring a can to quench your thirst when you reach the top.


Style is Italian Pils. ABV is 4.9% and IBU is 32. Loral is the hops and malt used is Irish Lager Malt.


St Mel’s “Ah Sure Look It” Spring Bock Lager 5.6%, 400 can, via St Mel’s Online



Bubbles galore rise through the light amber lager from Longford - St Mel’s produce a lot of lager here. They say: Do you want to treat your taste buds? If so I suggest you try "Ah Sure Look it" a Spring Bock Lager with a rich malty flavor complimented by a subtle noble hop bitterness. An explosion of flavor.


This “Ah Sure…” is part of a mini-series with other titles such as Go on so (a light lager) and I will, yeah, a juicy pale ale. 


A mild touch of light smoky toast in the aromas and soon the Mel’s typical crispness shines through on the palate, accompanied by a malty bodyguard. Excellent mouthfeel too and very satisfying finish indeed. 


Nice bit of Springbok muscle on this one. Joking! Nothing to do with South Africa of course. This is a bottle-fermented Maibock — the strong bock lager brewed in Bavaria to coincide with the start of Spring. I’ve read that Bock was brewed by Bavarian monks to sustain them during their (Lenten?) fasting. Joking aside, this is a very enjoyable lager indeed, well worth investigating.


The St Mel’s label reckons it pairs well with pork sausages, nutty cheeses like Gruyere (should be fine so with Hegarty’s Templegall, Irish beer with Irish cheese) and with cheese and ham toasties.


Wild Beer “Sleeping Limes” Lager? Gose? Sour? 4.6%, 330ml can via Bradley’s



Light straw is the colour of this beer without a nominated style, another with a head that makes a rapid exit. So what is it? A lager, a gose or a sour. If I had to shoehorn it into a style, then it would be lager, a limey one! Lime is prominent in the aromas and flavours and listed in the ingredients. 


Don’t know what kind of yeast has been used - the beer is not yet on their website - but I believe it’s a lager yeast. But you can see from the acidity why Gose (salt is listed as an ingredient) and Sour are mentioned. Quite a refreshing drink too by the way and should go well with Mexican (and similar) cuisine, particularly during an Irish summer.


They say: The label encourages us to “Drink wildly different”. What is it? A lager, a Gose, a sour.. All or none of the above.. put simply it is the most refreshing beer we’ve ever brewed. Ingredients: water, barley malt, wheat malt, hops, yeast, lime, salt.


Brewery is based on a farm in Somerset. Barrel-ageing and blending beer is at the heart of what they do at Wild Beer. Barrel ageing is a big thing here and they have over 600 barrels to take on the nuances of the previous inhabitants of the wood, where time can reveal complex layers and flavours that deserve to be savoured with friends or food - preferably both!


Previously in A Quart of Ale±


A Quart of Ale± #33. Moving on over to craft with St Mel’s Brewery.

A Quart of Ale± #32. Moving on over to craft with Lambic and Geuze




Thursday, January 21, 2021

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.


Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Festival Food & Drink Favourites #2. Eight Degrees "Devil’s Ladder" Belgian Tripel

 Eight Degrees Devil’s Ladder Belgian Tripel 11.5%



Of all these high ABV specials, of this and years past, some have promised much.  And now, at the end of this annus horribilis of 2020, I’ve found it, the nectar. Not perhaps the nectar of the gods - such a rambunctious bunch and not at all suited to social distancing - but the sweet nectar of the sweet angels. Ironically, it is called Devil’s Ladder. Luckily this ladder goes up.




It is a very special beer from Eight Degrees, a special that transcends the boundaries of the humble drink, because of the ingredients and the skill with which they are managed. This is one of best drinks, of any kind (wine, beer or spirit), that I’ve come across and one that could, in moderation of course, turn 2021 into an annus mirabilis.

They say: The beer is pale gold with a gentle Belgian yeast profile. Think soft banana esters, cloves and spice. We finish it in sherry oak butts, which add sweet vanilla, dried fruit and Christmas cake notes to this beautiful beast of a beer.



With Eight Degrees, there are, unfailingly, food pairing suggestions and we took serious notice on the big day and the Belgian Tripel straddled both sides of the Christmas meal. We began with a small serving in Sherry glasses with a selection of nibbles, most notably beautiful buttery low-sodium olives Snocciolate by Ponti and succulent dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil by Frantoio Bianco (both imported by Little Italy in Dublin). 


Good then but the beer, in slightly bigger but still small glasses, really came into its full glory with the Barnabrow House pudding. An absolutely amazing pairing. I could hear those angels humming as I sipped the exquisite liquid. Euphoria. Until someone stood on the dog's paw!


Festival Food & Drink Favourites #1: 

Fabulous Festive Feast from The Glass Curtain. "Deck The Halls" A Christmas Highlight