Showing posts with label Galway Bay Brewery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Galway Bay Brewery. Show all posts

Monday, September 21, 2020

A Quart of Ale± #13. Moving on over to craft. Brewdog. Kinnegar. Galway Bay. Roadworks.

A Quart of Ale± #13
Moving on over to craft. 


India Pale Ale

Brewdog Punk IPA 5.6%, 330ml can Bradley’s of Cork

 “Punk IPA began with us brewing a beer we wanted to drink and ended up starting a revolution. It is our flagship - assertive, bitter and with an explosion of tropical fruit.” James Watt, Brewdog. The beer was inspired by the hoppy pale ales of the US. It was released in 2007 and in 2011 they “changed it up” by adding “the benefits of dry-hopping”.

From the can, it pours light gold, clear almost. White head gives a brief nod and sinks. A fairly intense whiff of tropical fruits. And tropical fruit galore spreads out on the palate. They use words like riot and anarchy yet this beer is amazingly balanced, well made, well bred, not quite the spiky clanging punk the PR implies. Quite a beer though. I could go along with the tag on the label: Post Modern classic. I’d love to try a pint of draught!

The IBU is 40 (35 in the book) and Extra Pale and Cara are the malts used. 
Hops are: Ahtanum, Amarillo, Cascade, Chinook, Nelson Sauvin, Simcoe.

Kinnegar Scraggy Bay IPA 5.3%, 440ml can Bradley’s of Cork

This IPA from Donegal has a gold colour and a friendly enough white head that doesn’t shrink the minute you look at it. It is hazy, unfiltered and naturally carbonated. 

Aromas, hoppy, are modest enough but nothing shy about it when it reaches the palate. A hoppy uppercut makes those taste buds stand up and take notice. But no need to worry, this is a balanced IPA, a friendly fecker from the friendly farmhouse brewers.

The Punk may have been first out of the traps, but this Donegal bunny is the cutest thing, knows her hops and Scraggy is a worthy competitor in this space.

They say: Lough Swilly’s natural and cultural history is beautifully captured in the Irish and English place-names that mark its coastal features. Beneath the Knockalla Hills lies Scraggy Bay, giving us a local name for a style of beer with a great maritime past.

Galway Bay Full Sail IPA 5.8%, 330ml can Bradley’s of Cork

Straw is the colour and the head is an off white. Aromas are a touch on the sour side. Hops are prominent on the palate but the malt has a decent say as well and the beer is balanced. Hops are added  through the process, including dry hopping, and I can agree that the beer is “as fresh as can be”. Another excellent beer from Galway Bay.

The hops used are of American origin, Colombus, El Dorado and Cascade (45 IBU). With multiple generous additions in the kettle and further dry hopped before it reaches you as fresh as it can be.
Food: The acidity and hop bitterness in this beer makes it great for standing up to most spicy dishes, such as Indian and Mexican dishes. The freshness of the beer makes for a great companion to grilled meats and barbecues.
They say: The simple malt bill gives an ABV of 5.8% which carries the flavour and really allows the hops to shine through. Serve at: 6-8 °C

Roadworks “Caution Hops Ahead” IPA 6.5%, 500ml bottle Aldi

This Aldi beer is produced by Pearse Lyons in Dundalk. It has a hazy light gold colour. Look closely and you’ll see plenty of bubbles rising up to the creamy white head. A mild mix of tropical fruit in the aromas. And mild enough too on the palate. Hoppy enough too at this stage. Easy drinking and refreshing with a satisfying dry finish.

A decent enough body that they partly credit to the Golden Baked Oats. Not too much detail on the label and no website found. It is a flavoursome US style IPA. It would be nice to see a bit more info and the way Aldi play with labels (not just the Lyons beers) is confusing to say the least.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

A Quart of Ale± #9 Moving on over to craft. American Pale Ale.

A Quart of Ale± #9
Moving on over to craft.
American Pale Ale

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 5% abv, 12 fl. oz. bottle, Bradleys of Cork
The Pale Ale that sparked the American craft beer revolution in 1980!

You may be familiar with the Brewdog book: “Craft Beer for the People”. They talk a fair bit about how people come to craft beer and have a feature on what they call “Gateway Beer”. And the one they highlight is this very Sierra Nevada Pale, the gateway par excellence, “not only a gateway but a true pioneer”. “First brewed in November 1980, it has inspired countless brewers… (not least ourselves). A stone-cold classic…”. Classic because it has the 3 ‘A’s: accessibility, approachability and availability.

It’s got a mid-amber colour. A big white head that soon sinks to a lacy cover. Aromas are quite intense, fruity, cut through with pine notes. And you find all that too in the bold flavours but it’s a bit more complex than that. Lots of flavour for sure but the whole-cone Cascade hops bring much more to the party, “introducing a generation to the glory of hops”. But the beer is so well balanced that it seems nobody was turned off and the craft scene got up and running accompanied by an anthem of citrus and pine notes. And, 40 years later, we all march on! If you haven’t tried it, then you should!

Galway Bay “Althea” Pale Ale 4.8%, 330ml can, Bradley’s of Cork


Galway Bay’s Althea, is named after the head brewer’s favourite Grateful Dead song. You’ll have no problem catching this widely available beer which is a straight take on a modern American Pale Ale. 

You get quite a large white head on pouring but not for long! The nose, with its bunch of tropical fruit aromas, is quite hoppy, very pleasantly so.  And so it continues on the palate, rich fruits from the hops and barely a peep from the malts. 

Galway Bay are one of the Irish breweries that suggest food pairings and here the tips are: chicken, lamb, and other light meats. 

Bitterness, by the way, is measured at 48 IBUs. And that number confirms the dominance of hops and the downplaying of the malt, fairly typical of the modern American Pale Ale style, but there are many variations as there are in all beer styles. Nothing stands still as innovative brewers keep your taste buds on full alert.

Malts: Golden Promise, Vienna, Melanoidin
Hops: Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe


The White Hag “Ninth Wave” New World Pale 5.4%, 330ml can, Bradley’s of Cork


This New World Pale Ale is named after the (mythical) Ninth Wave that formed a formidable barrier for anyone wishing to cross over to New York and Boston. 

Hard to believe that the IBU here is 15 IBU, a lager like reading, while that of the Althea is 48! Pity I started this quartet with the Galway Bay and finished it with this one. Must taste the two together sometime! Sierra Nevada, by the way, is 38 IBU.

Colour is a clouded amber, topped with a short-lived white head. Aromatics are mild also, apricot, mango and citrus, all from the hops, in there. 

Quite a greeting on the palate though, creamy feel and insistently fruity (citrus to the fore) from the American hops, but all is kept in check as this balanced effort makes its way towards a very satisfactory finalé indeed.  Lively, flavourful and very drinkable. Another for that second glass, or should that be can, designation!

They say: “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 brew a good lot of them! The able and masterly brewers here ensure a lot of them are good.

Western Herd “Siege” Pale Ale 5.1%, 440ml can, Bradley’s of Cork

Two of the same three hops feature in this County Clare beer and again they make the running. Cascade, Citra and Amarillo are in the mix, along with water from their own farm.

Colour is touching amber, again a big head, deflating rapidly. You notice the hops straight away in the aromas, fruity and bitter, a touch of citrus also. Flavours too feature the hops though perhaps the malt gets more of a look-in here compared to the earlier beers. Still there’s no hiding the bitterness from the Cascade hops though I get the impression (after one of each) that the Siege has more character.

Good name too isn’t it? They say: “Anywhere else, Siege is a battle cry but around here, it’s a call to dance. This modern version of the classic American pale ale has distinctive hoppy aromas of grapefruit and orange, perfectly balanced with the distinctive spiciness and bitterness of the Cascade hops.”

Western Herd suggest the following food pairings: Sharp cheese, Thai Curry and Steak (not all together, now!)


White Gypsy “Woodcock” American Pale Ale 5.8%, 500ml bottle, Bradley’s of Cork.


Colour here is amber. Head is off white and inclined to hang on for a bit more than the earlier beers. Hops and malt in the aromas, the hops not as dominant as in the Althea. Fruity and refreshing with the hops and malt in excellent balance, each contributing to the pleasant journey through to the dry finish. 

Hops used are Citra and Mosaic, both American, yet this beer has more character than many American ales, both east coast and west. That probably goes down to the malts and, indeed, the Marris Otter Malt is “world renowned for its deep rich flavour.”

The superb harmony of the Woodcock is a pleasure to enjoy and the ace Tipp beer would be difficult to top in any company.

The Gypsy invites you to follow your fortune to this independent Irish craft brewer in Tipperary and the ale is named after a local legend: “The Woodcock Carden”.

Did you know that White Gypsy make a food pairing range of beers in 75cl bottles. Well worth checking out, more info here.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Oslo Bar Galway. Great Spot For Lunch and Craft Beer. And a distillery up the stairs!


Oslo Bar Galway. Great Spot For Lunch and Craft Beer
And a distillery up the stairs!
Cod Sandwich

Galway Bay has just moved its brewery from “mothership” Oslo Bar in Salthill to Ballybrit. But fear not: the bar is still serving up the iconic Galway Bay brews such as Full Sail, Bay Ale, Stormy Port, Buried at Sea, Of Foam and Fury, and Althea as we found out this week when we visited for lunch and a tour of the Micil Distillery that has replaced the brewery at the rear of the premises.

The Galway Bay website: “The Oslo was the start of Galway Bay Brewery and remains our flagship pub based in Salthill; our owners Jason O’Connell and Niall Walsh added a brewery on site in 2009, making The Oslo one of the country’s first brew pubs. Since then Galway Bay Brewery has expanded operations to 11 bars based in Galway and Dublin and have grown and re-positioned the Brewery just outside of Galway in Ballybrit.

The well positioned bar serves food, lunch and evening meals, every day of the week, mainly in the front half. The rear is more like a beer hall with a huge screen, apparently the biggest in Galway, where all kinds of sporting events are shown. Upstairs and to the rear is where you will find the Micil Distillery, producing Poitín and Gin and about to lay down their first whiskey.

After a two and half hour trip from Cork we were ready for grub when we arrived in Salthill. Parked up near the aquarium and headed around the corner to Oslo. A big warm welcome and soon we had the lunch menu in our hands.

As you might expect, there are a few burgers on the menu, also fish and chips. There is also a Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad, Beer Braised Beef Cheeks, and a kale Superfood Salad.

With a big dinner booked for the evening, we didn’t want anything major so settled for the sandwich menu. There was a Goats Cheese and Chorizo offer with all the trimmings (including chips) for €8.50. But I picked the Grilled Cod Sandwich (with creamy slaw and tartar sauce on a multiseed ciabatta). Excellent. Fish tasted as fresh as could be and good value for €9.50.

CL’s Black Wrap came in at a euro less and was also well worth it. This Spinach infused tortilla with black beans, avocado, sweetcorn, black olives, leaves, salsa, and coriander with chipotle and lime yoghurt was packed with great flavour and texture. Other sandwiches on offer included Cajun Chicken and Chorizo, Baked Ham and Smoked Gubbeen, Fried Chicken Wrap.

After that and a chat or two with the friendly and helpful staff we were good and ready for our tour of the Micil Distillery. Staying overnight? Why not try the Nox Hotel who have a great offer for January?

* We’ll have to ORSO by night sometime and get stuck into that amazing beer list