Beer of the Year 2021 - the long list!

 Beer of the Year 2021 - the list!

Brehon Brewhouse Oak & Mirrors Two Stacks Whiskey Cask Aged Imperial Porter 7.5%

Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Lager

Eight Degrees Irish Oak-aged Barleywine 12.2%

Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner

Heaney New England IPA

Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose

Land & Labour Crimson Kriek Framboise

Lineman “Vesper" Pale Ale

Mescan Brewery Old Brown

O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

Trouble Brewing Lights Out DIPA

Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA
Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter

Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale

- Will be "working" on this long list of my favourite beers in 2021 over the Christmas break. Soon, a short list will be published and then my champ!

Will also name a selection across the various style.

December (short list)

Coffee and Oatmeal Stout: Dungarvan

Cask-Aged: Brehon Brewhouse Oak & Mirrors Two Stacks Whiskey Cask Aged Imperial Porter 7.5%

Porter: Whiplash The Sup

Session: Eight Degrees Seisíun IPA 4.5%

Rauchbier: Kinnegar 20÷2 Anniversary Rauchbier 5%

Barleywine: Eight Degrees Irish Oak-aged Barleywine 12.2%

Beer of The Year 2021 The candidates, so far!

 Beer of The Year 2021

The candidates, so far!

November: Mescan Brewery Old Brown

October: Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA

September: Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner

August: Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose

July: Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale

June: O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

May: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

April: Heaney New England IPA

March: Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter

February: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Lager

January: Lineman “Vesper" Pale Ale

Toying with the idea of using Twitter polls to tie down

our beer of the year, maybe three qualifiers of four and

then a final poll of three. What do you think?

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Favourite beers in brew pubs

IPA: Crew “Polly” IPA

Stout: Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout

Favourite Cider 

Johnny Fall Down Rare Apple Cider 2019 (from October)

Stonewell Cask (November)

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November final

Tough decision here with the Land & Labour and the Trouble Brewing DIPA also in the field. Not to mention the Stonewell.

Old Brown: Mescan

Spon: Land & Labour Crimson Kriek Framboise

Lager: Eight Degrees Original Gravity “Hoppy Lager”

Session: Trouble Brewing Little Monster Pale Ale

IPA: Larkin’s Drench, Wide Street Cashmere,

Wheat: Curious Society Wheat Beer

Coffee Oatmeal Stout: Ulster Black Oatmeal Stout 

DIPA: Trouble Brewing Lights Out DIPA

Cider: Stonewell Cask

October final selection

IPA: 9 White Deer Stag;

Wheat Beer: Clonakilty Inchydoney Blond;

Black IPA: 9 White Deer Black Lightning; 

Cider: Johnny Fall Down Rare Apple Cider 2019

DIPA: Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA

Session: Lineman Sundrops Table Beer, 3.3%; 

Pale Ale: Eight Degrees Kveik Pale Ale.

September Final Selection

Stout: Ballykilcavan Blackwell Stout

Session: Trouble Brewing Love Below Micro IPA 3.2%

Lager: Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner 4.9%.

Wheatbeer/Witbier: Whiplash Il Veliero DDZ Witbier 4.8%

Rye IPA: Kinnegar Bucket & Spade Session Rye IPA 4.2%

IPA: Hope Handsome Jack IPA 6.6%

Pale Ale: White Hag Duo Series Idaho 7 & Citra Pale Ale 5.5%

Beer of The Year 2021. The candidates, so far!

Beer of The Year 2021

The candidates, so far!

October: Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA

September: Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner

August: Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose

July: Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale

June: O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

May: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

April: Heaney New England IPA

March: Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter

February: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Lager

January: Lineman “Vesper" Pale Ale

Favourite beers in brew pubs:

IPA: Crew “Polly” IPA

Stout: Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout

Cider: Johnny Fall Down Rare Apple Cider 2019 (from October)

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October final selection

IPA: 9 White Deer Stag;

Wheat Beer: Clonakilty Inchydoney Blond;

Black IPA: 9 White Deer Black Lightning; 

Cider: Johnny Fall Down Rare Apple Cider 2019

DIPA: Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA

Session: Lineman Sundrops Table Beer, 3.3%; 

Pale Ale: Eight Degrees Kveik Pale Ale.

September Final Selection

Stout: Ballykilcavan Blackwell Stout

Session: Trouble Brewing Love Below Micro IPA 3.2%

Lager: Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner 4.9%.

Wheatbeer/Witbier: Whiplash Il Veliero DDZ Witbier 4.8%

Rye IPA: Kinnegar Bucket & Spade Session Rye IPA 4.2%

IPA: Hope Handsome Jack IPA 6.6%

Pale Ale: White Hag Duo Series Idaho 7 & Citra Pale Ale 5.5%

A Quart of Ale± #70. On the craft journey with a session of Galway Bay, White Hag, Hope and Dungarvan

 A Quart of Ale± #70

On the craft journey with a session of Galway Bay, White Hag, Hope and Dungarvan

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Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner 4.9%, 440 can Bradleys

Safe to say, this Pilsner from Galway Bay has seen more hops than all the bunnies in the county. And the hop doing the business here is the Kiwi Motueka, an impressive performer in both bittering and aroma. I’ve been looking it up on Hoplist and it seems this was bred from Saaz and an unnamed New Zealand breeding strain and lends itself well to Lagers, Pilsners and Belgian Ales. It sure does a good one.

They say: “..a Motueka dry hopped Pilsner. Decoction mashed with Pilsner and spelt malt. Hopped in the boil and whirlpool with Motueka hops to 60IBU before a long cool fermentation with our favourite lager yeast. Then dry hop with more Motueka before packaging…a beautiful simple beer. A delicate lemon and grapefruit profile bolstered by a little bread crusts with a refreshingly crisp & bitter finish. Cheers! 

Colour is light gold, a slightly hazy one. Nice head but doesn’t hang about too long. Aromas are of the tropical and citrus variety and so too are the flavours. This is a Pilsner that starts well, carries itself well and finishes well. Another one to note from the prolific brewery in Oranmore.

White Hag Duo Series Idaho 7 & Citra Pale Ale 5.5%, 440 can CraftDirect

This White Hag ale has a pale gold cloudy colour with a fluffy white head that doesn’t rush away. Citrus and mango feature in the sweetish aromas. And that sweetness is evident too on the palate, tangerine the carrier here but don’t worry, there’s a decent balance at play in quite an impressive beer.

The brewers are also at play here: this Idaho 7 and Citra is first pair of hops used in the Duo Series. The second is El Dorado and Cascade which “has a grapefruit, tangerine and citrus aroma, with a smooth, slightly bitter zesty Grapefruit, Mango, and Citrus flavour. The Duo Series allows us to explore the best combinations of our favourite hops, in one beer, two per time”

They have a mixed case available: “the perfect ‘paint by hops’ mix and comes with 24 beers made up from 2 different styles. The styles in this box will allow you to explore the best combinations of our favourite hops.”

Hope Grunt Citrusy Wheat Beer 4.8%, 440 can

Light orange is the colour, slightly hazy but you can plainly see a myriad soft bubbles rising; soft white head stays a spell. Aromas are citrusy but you’ll also note some banana and juniper. Grunt is very refreshing though, straight from the bone-dry citrusy intro to the bitterness in the middle to the dry finish with a touch of juniper. It is a very pleasant beer, easy-drinking. 

They say: “ … citrusy and spicy ale inspired by Walloon farmhouse brewers that’s packed with flavour and refreshment.” And they also suggest some food pairings. 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. EBU, the bitterness count, by the way, is 21.

And the name? If a Howth fisherman didn’t fancy going to sea after a heavy night’s drinking he would tie a pig to the ship’s mast. With it’s devil-like cloven feet, the sheer mention of the word pig was thought to bring forth gales and storms. Only a brave captain would set sail, unless he fancied a rasher sandwich!

Dungarvan Brewing Greenway Waterford Pale Ale 4.5%, 440 can Bradleys

A day out walking or cycling by the Waterford coast and this Greenway Pale Ale is your reward. Colour is tending towards amber, the hazy variety, perhaps there was a drift of fog out by Bunmahon. 

Anyways, we’re sitting down as the white head is creeping down. Citrus is strong in the aromas and indeed quite robust on the palate. A good sip though and refreshment immediately seeps across the mouth and soon the restorative effect spreads deeper. Just the job!

This is the most recently Dungarvan beer to be canned. They say: Celebrating the Waterford Greenway, we are delighted to announce the 2019 launch of our Greenway Waterford Pale Ale. First launched in the summer of 2018.., this refreshing beer has been generously hopped with Simcoe, Citra and Amarillo to give a lively citrus flavour which we think is the perfect restorative beer after a (long or short!) trek on our coastal route.

The Waterford Greenway opened in 2017 and is a 46km scenic coastal walking and cycling rail along the old railway line from Waterford to Dungarvan. Sandwiched between the Comeragh Mountains and the Copper Coast, it hosts unparalleled views and wonderful features such as the Durrow Tunnel, Ballyvoile Viaduct and Mount Congreve Gardens.

A Quart of Ale± #69. On the craft journey with a session of Hope (on the double), Galway Bay and Ballykilcavan

A Quart of Ale± #69

On the craft journey with a session of Hope (on the double), Galway Bay and Ballykilcavan

Hope Handsome Jack IPA 6.6%, 440 can

This full-flavoured, citrusy and double dry hopped IPA has an orange colour with a touch of amber, hazy enough too, though you can see fountains of bubbles rising towards the quickly diminishing white head. Orange notes too in the aromas and onto the palate where you’ll find it a well-balanced and smooth juicy experience. The hop character is matched by the malty body and, even with the high-ish abv, the character of the beer shines through.

Recommended pairings are burgers and roast meat, pizza, Indian dishes, strong, salty cheese and carrot cake.

They say: Handsome Jack IPA is a balanced, smooth, intense and citrusy dry hopped IPA in the American west coast style.  It is well balanced between the high level of bitterness, thanks to unusual combination of American and Japanese hops, and the sweetness provided by Irish Pale malt.

A Tall Yarn: Jack Criss, the 17th century Irish pirate, was tall and handsome with blonde hair and eyes green as the sea. He set sail from Ireland, plundering his way to Spain and Italy. He didn’t die in battle but was stabbed to death in a Naples hotel. Probably by one of his four wives. Some bachelor!

The beer, by the way, has much more credibility than the yarn!

Geek Bits

Hops: Magnum, Cascade, Sorachi Ace, Simcoe, Citra

Yeast: American Ale

Malts: Minch Hook Head Ale, Weyermann CaraMunich II, Weyermann CaraPils, Weyermann Acidulated 

Hope Underdog Hoppy Lager 4.8%, 440 can

This modern hybrid style lager has a gold colour, lots of bubbles on show, with a delicate slow fading white head. Hops make their presence known in the nose. Very impressive introduction on the palate, with a terrific mouthfeel, richer than the normal craft lager, malt sweetness and hop bitterness get along very well indeed. It is deeply refreshing, full of flavour and persistent. 

The first tasting for me was at the back end of 2020 and I found it a big and pleasant surprise for me and one to note for sure. Not so much of a surprise this time and still one for the short list.

They say: The malts and the yeast we use are traditional, but the hops are not. We use lager malt and other European malt such as Munich malt for flavour, and we use a classic German lager yeast: a strain originally isolated from the oldest brewery in the world. We also use modern American hops for flavour, such as Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic, furthermore we use the dry hopping technique which is associated with IPAs rather than lager. Underdog hoppy lager is the result.

When it comes to food pairing it’s a brilliant all-rounder, great with BBQs, pizza, spicy foods like curries and for anybody who doesn’t like wine with their food.

Malts: Lager, Munich, Melanoidin, Carapils, Acidulated.

Hops: Magnum, El Dorado, Mosaic 

Yeast: German Lager

IBU 25

Galway Bay Slow Lives Helles Lager 5.0%, 330 can CraftDirect

Slow Lives comes in a hazy gold robe and an attractive head that is not for hanging around. Aromas are fresh and a bit yeasty, bread-y. First contact on the palate is malt influenced; it  promises refreshment and that is delivered. Clean and crisp, excellent body and some hop bitterness on the finish. Quite a mix of German tradition and Irish skill from the crew at Galway Bay. Very satisfying indeed, with second can appeal, and a lip-smacking finish.

They say: Brewed with German Pilsner malt, Saaz hops, Galway water and our favourite lager yeast. Beautifully clean and crisp with classic bready malt.

Helles, meaning light and bright, is a bottom-fermented beer of Southern Germany. Pilsner (pils) typically has a distinct spicy hop taste. The Saaz hops used here is named after a Czech village and, like the Germans, the Czech make some excellent Pilsners.

Ballykilcavan Millhouse Session IPA 3.5%, 440 can CraftDirect

Ballykilcavan introduce this as “A light, refreshing session ale, double dry hopped for maximum flavour.”

It has a slightly hazy orange colour with a soft white head that flops slowly, no shortage of bubbles underneath. Citrus notes prominent in the aromas. There is a punch from the hops on the palate and the finish itself is refreshing.

The Millhouse, a Session IPA, is Double Dry Hopped with Citra, Amarillo and Mosaic. Organic Oats from Merry Mill, a nearby farm, is also used.

A Quart of Ale± #66. On the craft journey with Hope's "Classic Gose", White Hag, Tom Crean and Whiplash

A Quart of Ale± #66

On the craft journey with Hope's "Classic Gose", White Hag, Tom Crean and Whiplash 

Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose 5.00%, 440 can

This Gose is Number 25 in Hope’s ever-growing range of limited editions. Gose, as you probably know, is a German sour beer, traditionally brewed in Leipzig and named after a local river.

Got a nice white head when I poured this but it didn’t last long. Colour is a cloudy lemon, with quite a few micro-bubbles racing up through the haze. Aromas are lemony, with a hint of sourdough starter. And that strong citrus element is also found on the palate, a  tangy and very refreshing palate indeed. And very enjoyable too!

They say: Gose is a sour beer, traditionally soured with lactic bacteria, but we actually used a special yeast strain that produces lactic acid as well as alcohol. While many modern Goses have fruit additions, we opted to keep it classic and let the simple mixture of acidic and mildly salty flavours shine on their own. …It goes really well with strong soft cheeses such as goats cheese as well as seafood.

Now where’s my St Tola?

By the way, the first Gosé I came across (at the 2014 LitFest), was made by the Brown Paper Bag Project, Irish brewers without a brewery but who travelled at home and abroad and hiring out or collaborating with existing brewers.

That beer, Fano Bryghus, was made in partnership with the local brewery on the Danish island of Fanoe. Sea salts and coriander were added to the wheat and barley. It had cider like characteristics and the acidity and salinity were prominent. That one was very good with oysters!

Geek Bits

Colour: 6 EBC

IBU (bitterness): 6

Serve at: 6 to 8 C.

Who are Hope? Hope Beer started out in 2015 when the brewery was founded by four friends with a passion for beer and business. What began as a series of late-night kitchen table discussions is now a state-of-the-art brewery, producing an extensive range of award-winning premium craft beers.

Hope produces a core range of five distinct beer styles which are available all year round as well as two seasonals and a wide range of limited-edition beers.

All Hope beers are brewed, bottled, canned and kegged at Howth Junction on Dublin’s Northside and are crafted to be the perfect accompaniment to food. Each beer has its own distinct name, story and taste experience.

White Hag “Magic Mist” Juicy Pale Ale 5.0%, 440 can CraftDirect

Always a bit of magic attached to the White Hag. Here it’s of the misty variety, hazy under a white foamy hat. And aromas enough to wake the spellbound, citrus in there with the mango and passionfruit and a basket of other lovelies. And all the exotic flavours burst onto the palate in a stream of oozy bitterness, soft and juicy. Play misty for me. Again. And again. 

The Label explains:  The tribe of the water goddess Danu, the Tuatha De Dannan enshrouded themselves in a mystical fog rendering their presence invisible to human eyesight.

Tom Crean Druids Wheat Beer 4.2%, 440 can Brewery Sales

The unmistakeable aroma of smoked bacon rises from the lemon coloured body, the head already vanished. You’ll notice quite a crowd of bubbles rising through the slight haze. The aroma continues but not a trace of the clove or banana usually associated with wheat beer as the liquid spreads cool across the palate. Brewer Bill is his own man; he has eased up on the hops and allowed the grain and the yeast the leading roles here. The route may not be the usual one but the result, refreshment, is certainly there. And the smoky aspect diminishes as you sip.

They say: A beer that gives acknowledgement to our rich local ancient history, we used delicately smoked oak malted barley, the reduced hop bill allows the full wheat and yeast flavours to dominate…We use just a tiny amount of hops here in this refreshing beer… let the grain and the yeast do all the work.”

Everyone at the tasting was surprised by the “smoky” ambush but all seemed to enjoy the refreshing element of this Kerry wheat beer.

By the way, if you’re heading towards Kenmare you could do worse than make Tom Crean’s your base camp as you’ll score highly on three fronts: B&B, restaurant with bar/brewery. And even higher on the hospitality front as the brewer Bill and chef Aileen are terrific hosts.

Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8%, 330 can Bradleys

This was session beer of the year last time and this most recent tasting confirmed it’s as likeable as ever.

Pale yellow colour with a  short-lived white head over a hazy body. Citrus fronts the aromatics. And the quartet of hops dominate the palate. Amazing that this has so much hops and still weighs in at less than 4.00% abv. Quite a concentration of hops then, before a lip-smacking finalé.

They say: Same hop rate as our DIPA’s, less than half the alcohol. A very heavily hopped Session IPA: this comes at you with buckets of Simcoe, Ekuanot, Citra and Mosaic hops with a light touch of malts and an easy crushable body. Unfiltered, hazy, hoppy and juicy – Rollover is a New England inspired IPA without the heavy alcohol in tow.