The Very Highly Recommended Beers for 2023

The Very Highly Recommended Beers for 2023

(in no particular order!)

January 2023

Strong Blond Ale: Mescan Westport Extra

Porter: West Kerry Carraig Dubh.

IPA: Cotton Ball Fury

Session: Whiplash Rollover.

Barrel Aged Beers: 9 White Deer Stag BA Export Stout; Brehon Oak & Mirrors BA Imperial Porter.

Lager: Kinnegar Brewers at Play #27 Black Lager

 

December 2022

Ales with Wild Yeast: Black Donkey Underworld Rua Amber Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Allta Farmhouse Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Savage Farmhouse /Saison Ale.

IPA: Third Barrel Electric Eyes Idaho & El Dorado IPA

Witbier: Whiplash Alma Witbier 

Stout: Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout; Dungarvan Coffee & Oatmeal Stout; Lineman (with Craic Beer Community) Pulse Irish Extra Stout; Whiplash The Wake Export Stout; 

CorkBillyBeers #7. Craft lager with Killarney Brewing, O'Donovan's, 9 White Deer, Kinnegar, Bradleys, Staropramen

CorkBillyBeers #7

Craft lager with Killarney Brewing, O'Donovan's, 9 White Deer, Kinnegar, Bradleys, Staropramen

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Killarney Devil’s Helles Lager, 4.5% ABV, 500 ml bottle O’Donovan’s

Pale gold is the colour of this Kerry lager, a lager that made a good impression when I first came across a few years back in the Cellar Bar of the lovely Cahernane House Hotel in Killarney.

Killarney Brewing say, fairly accurately as it turns out: we brew it with highest quality German ingredients to bring out a delicious malty and honeyed flavour with the perfect touch of noble hop aroma. Refreshing!

The aromas are mild with both the malt and hops sharing the spotlight. And that harmony continues right through the palate to the refreshing finalé, clean and crisp, balanced and subtly sweet (as a scone is sweet). 

It is a German style, often associated with the Munich area where it originated. Try this with a bowl of mussels from Cromane. By the way, if you’d like to try one from the source then the Augustiner Lagerbier Hel is the “textbook-defining Munich Helles” according to Mark Dredge in his Beer: A Tasting Course.

Killarney beers often come with a legend attached and this one concerns a fierce battle between Thor and the Devil. Thor cast down lightning bolt after lightning bolt upon the Devil, who retaliated by tearing up the earth and hurling it back. The resulting basin filled up with water and became known as the Devil’s Punch Bowl.

If you are in Killarney and visit the new premises of the Killarney Brewing and Distillery Company in Fossa, the Devil’s Punch Bowl is just half an hour’s drive away. Indeed, I’m thinking (I haven’t visited yet) that if you are upstairs in the new building you may be able to see it across the lake.

Highly Recommended

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9 White Deer Stag Kolsch, 4.2%, 500 ml bottle O’Donovan’s

Kölsch is a style of beer, of the lager family, originating in Cologne, Germany. In appearance, this 9 White Deer produced example is bright and clear with a yellow/amber colour. And a soft white head.

The Stag Kolsch, with its high carbonation level and gentle hop character, is palate friendly with an almost creamy feel. Easy to quaff and easy to see how this refreshing gluten free and flavoursome beer (more malty than hoppy) has become quite a seller, widely available in both bottle and draught.

The team in 9 White Deer have certainly cracked the style here. They have brewed with German Nobel Hops, Premium Irish and German Malt and German Yeast. Stag Kolsch gets “an extended lagering time where it can develop and mature into a classic premium European style beer”. 

Excellent when quietly sipped in a hotel lounge, or noisily dispatched in the club after a game, or shared while chatting with friends at a barbecue session, this West Cork lager impressively fits the bill.

The Ballyvourney based 9 White Deer Brewery was brought into being by two people, Gordon Lucey and Don O’Leary. They each have a passion for quality beer and, between them, they have a lot of experience in all aspects of beer from growing barley to front of house customer experience and everything in between. More details here.

Highly Recommended

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Kinnegar Brewers at Play #27 Black Lager, 4.7% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This is the first dark lager from Kinnegar and #27 in their Brewers at Play list. 

The brewers have been hard at it even though this series "is all about letting the brewers have some fun and to keep us drinkers on our toes”, and this release is no exception. Rich and dark, with a hearty roasted malt character, coffee, caramel, and molasses make this a serious tipple with its many similarities to stout and porter.

It doesn’t quite have the body of a stout of course but could well pass for a porter. Forget about style for a while and just enjoy this dark gem from the crafty coiníní in the north west. 

Very Highly Recommended

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Staropramen Lager, 5.00% ABV, 500 ml bottle O’Donovan’s

It’s got a beautiful bright pale gold colour with a pristine white and bubbly head, fountains of little bubbles racing towards the top. Aromas speak of malt, hoppy too with a slightly fruity character. And the malt, now somewhat less intense, is also the major feature of the palate. Softly malty with a gentle refreshing finish, that’s your Staropramen. 

I can see why I got to like it as I, more or less unknowingly, began making the switch from mainstream to craft. Well balanced, quite refreshing and engaging and a good introduction to better beers ahead. It may well again serve that purpose if you are going from mainstream on the way to craft. But, other than being a pleasant beer, it doesn’t have all that much for the more experienced craft drinker. 

The brewery was founded in 1869, according to Wikipedia, “and the brand name Staropramen, literally meaning old spring, was registered in 1911. It is owned by Molson Coors and its products are exported to 37 different countries, mostly in Europe and North America."

They say: Coming from a city of lovable sins that knows everything there is to know about great beer and enjoying life, Staropramen has many stories to tell you – stories about life well spent. Pairings: “Hamburgers are always a great choice for dinner and socialising. A classic is a classic! For an extra touch, add a bit of Emmental and we believe that your friends will be delighted.”

The brewers are quite proud of their barley. “Hordeum vulgare. That’s the Latin name for barley, but there’s nothing vulgar about it. In fact, it is a rather special malting barley we use. We have our own Barley Breeding Group, which works in close contact with our brewmasters. The group selects the barley with the best traits and grows it in our research fields, using only traditional breeding methods.  So considering that Staropramen is made from 100% pure malt—i.e. no adjuncts- it could take some years before we breed the necessary amount of barley. Probably worth the effort.”

The Big Beer Reveal! 2022 My Favourite Beers This Year. Two tie at the top!

The Big Beer Reveal!

2022 My Favourite Beers This Year

The Top Four

1 -  Wicklow Wolf Locavore Spring Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale

   -  Wide Street Coolship Spontaneously Fermented Ale

3 -  Kinnegar Rustbucket Rye IPA

4 -  Bradleys with Dot Nice One IPA

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Next, in no particular order (all good!) are:

Lineman Schadenfreude Schwarzbier

Wicklow Wolf Mescan Wit or Without You Belgian Wit

Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel

Wicklow Wolf Locavore Summer 2022 Foraged Elderflower Saison

Whiplash True Love Waits Dry Hopped Pils

12 Acres Pale Ale

Lough Gill If I was in LA Californian IPA

Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut

Wicklow Wolf  “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout.

Hope Limited Edition 26 Born To Be Free Amber Lager

Whitefield “Eastwood” Pale Ale

Hope Limited Edition No. 27 Munich Helles

Others to note

Session: Third Barrel Day Drinking Part Deux Citra Strata; Kinnegar Brewers at Play #24 Summer Ale; Lough Gill Mo Chara Hazy Seisiún; Boundary Love is Here Hoppy Table Beer Pale Ale; Boundary Trees We Didn’t Plant Pale Ale; Blacks The Session Pink Grapefruit IPA; Porterhouse Sundown Session IPA; Session: Whitefield Brewery “Woodville” Session Pale Ale 4.3%. No shortage of choice here. We are inclined to go for Whiplash Rollover but none of the others here will let you down.

Red Ale: Galway Bay Bay Ale Red Ale; Sullivan’s Maltings Irish Ale; Clonakilty Foxy Red Ale; Cotton Ball Red Velvet.

Gose: Lough Gill Wild Irish Gose; Kinnegar Brewers at Play 23 Mango Gose; Dot Brew When the Going Gets Gose;

Stout: Lynch’s Stout by the Cotton Ball; West Cork Stout X Stout West.

Brown Ale: Lineman Big Calm; Whiplash Smoke Stack Lightnin’ Oaked & Smoked 

Marzen: Kinnegar Leaf Kicker 2022 Marzen

Porter:Brehon Shanco Dubh Porter

Oatmeal IPA: Galway Bay Goodbye Blue Monday

Kolsch: Rye River (collab. with Old Street) Die Hundstage Köter Kölsch

Hopfenweisse: Wicklow Wolf Jeff Bezos

Weizenbock: Whitefield The Viscount Weizenbock 7.5% 

Black IPA: Rascals Rude Girl Black IPA

BA Stout: Bradleys & Dot Brew Shady Dealings

Milk Stout: Trouble Brewing Nocturne Milk Stout

Smoked Porter: Whitefield Old Smoke Smoked Porter; 

Bitter: West Cork Baltimore Bitter

Barleywine: Brehon Brewhouse Red Right Hand Barley Wine Beer

Brewery of the Year: Wicklow Wolf

Cider Corner

Cider: Cockagee Irish Keeved Cider 5% Simply outstanding

Ciders to note: Killahora Bottle Conditioned Dry Bittersweet Cider 2019, 5.9%, 750ml (champagne style) bottle; Longueville House Cider 5.9%; Longways Medium Sweet Elderflower Cider.

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Craft on Draught:

The Maritime, Bantry: 9 White Deer Kölsch

The Lake, Killarney: Ale and Lager by Killarney Brewing Co.

Merry’s, Dungarvan: Wicklow Wolf Ale and more

The Shelbourne, Cork: Beamish and more

The Cotton Ball, Cork: Lynch’s Stout, Indian summer and more

Mellet’s Emporium, Swinford: Reel Deel Jack the Lad, Mescan Seven Virtues Lager.

Keenan’s, Tarmonbarry, Co. Roscommon: White Hag Little Fawn; Kinnegar’s Scraggy Bay.

Finín’s Midleton: Black’s KPA

Franciscan Well: Original 7 Weisse and more

Elbow Lane: Angel Stout and more

The Mad Monk by Quinlan’s, Killarney: Killarney’s Casey Brothers Extra Stout and Golden Spear Blonde

Castlerosse Hotel Bar, Killarney:  Killarney’s Golden Spear Blonde

Celtic Whiskey & Larder, Killarney: Tom Crean St Brigid’s Lager and Rascals Black Horse Stout 4.4% and more

Café Pigalle Cork: White Hag’s Atlantean NEIPA (also White Hag lager)

Blairs Inn Cloghroe, Co. Cork: 9 White Deer Stout and Kolsch

Beer of the Year 2022. The Final Selection (16 of the best)

Beer of the Year 2022. The Final Sixteen

2022

Beer of the Year 

The Final Selection (16 of the best)

November: Kinnegar Rustbucket Rye IPA 

October: Wide Street Coolship Spontaneously Fermented Ale 

September: Bradleys with Dot 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 2021: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut 

Wildcards: 

#1

Amber Lager: Hope Limited Edition 26 Born To Be Free

#2

 Pale Ale: Whitefield “Eastwood” 

#3

 Belgian Pale Ale: Wide Street Spéciale 

#4 

IPA: Lough Gill If I was in LA Californian IPA

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November Short List

Rye IPA: Kinnegar Rustbucket Rye IPA

IPA: Lough Gill If I was in LA Californian IPA

Belgian Pale Ale: Wide Street Spéciale 

Session: Third Barrel Day Drinkin 111 Revenge of the Hops Session IPA

Stout: Sullivan’s Black Marble Stout.   

Black IPA: Wicklow Wolf Sirius Black IPA

IPA: Blacks Stratasbeer Intergalactic IPA. 

Marzen: Kinnegar Leaf Kicker 2022 Marzen

Export Stout: Whiplash The Wake Export Stout, 7.0% 

Red Ale: Galway Bay Bay Ale Red Ale

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A Quart of Ale± #133. On the craft journey with Kinnegar, Wide Street, Galway Bay, West Cork, and Bradleys

 A Quart of Ale± #133

On the craft journey with Kinnegar, Wide Street, Galway Bay, West Cork, and Bradleys.

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Kinnegar Rustbucket Rye IPA, 5.1% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys.

This old reliable, the Rustbucket, is well into its second decade now. The brewery tell us “it was inspired by an old friend - a real character and independent spirit, but always a faithful companion. This description also fits our friends at An Grianán Theatre for whom we originally developed this special beer.”

Amber is the colour and it has a big soft head. Malt heads the aromas with rye offering a little spice. And you meet that spice again in the mouth. And it’s all a little bolder, a little spicer, on the pleasing palate. The American hops come on with a citrus contribution. All’s in balance here though. It is an excellent beer. “A fresh and hoppy drink with a complex flavour profile that never disappoints”, they say themselves and I’ve no problem agreeing.

Once our wandering ancestors settled down, they began to grow grain to make bread and beer. Which came first? I’m not going that deep here. But, in any case, the kind of beer made depended on the local grain. Rye, which thrives on poor soil, was the local grain in much of northern Europe, especially in Russia and Scandinavia. Wonder if those early brewers made anything as good as this Rustbucket!

So how do Kinnegar humans (quite an inventive tribe) go from rye to rustbucket? Credit goes to a Donegal madra (his pic is on the can). “This is where the story gets obtuse, winding a thread around a beloved Irish Terrier, Rusty, or as he was affectionately called by many, Rustbucket. Irish Terriers are renowned for their intelligence. Some, like Rusty, are also very well-known for their tenacity and downright stubbornness. He was a great dog, but he sure did require a lot of patience!”

Quite a storied beer then, though many of the yarns might have never been written but for the crew at An Grianán Theatre calling for encore after encore (read can after can) on that Rustbucket opening night so many litres ago.

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Wide Street Spéciale Belgian Pale Ale, 4.7%, 440 ml can Bradleys

Longford brewery Wide Street introduce this Pale Ale: “S P É C I A L E is our nod to the Belgian Pale ales brewed in the Flemish provinces of Antwerp and Brabant. Traditionally amber in colour despite the Pale Ale name this beer is medium bodied and malt forward with medium bitterness. One of Belgium's session beer styles.”

Colour is a coppery/amber with a white pillowy head. It is more murky than hazy. Aromas and flavours are both fruity (apple and pear, even banana and orange). The first hit on the palate is the malt but this easy-drinking beer is certainly well-balanced, medium malty yes and with just enough bitterness to balance. A terrific alternative to IPAs and the brewers indicate it pairs well with poultry, pulled pork, curries or a cheeseboard.

Of course, the Belgians would argue that all their beers are spéciale. The two parts of the country may speak in different languages but that doesn’t prevent them having a common pride in their beers. Despite having a relatively short national history, it has one of the oldest brewing traditions in the world. And one of the characteristics of their beers is the extent to which they get the most from their yeast.

The label mentions fruity esters without elaborating (in fairness, there’s only so much you can print in a can). Esters are a fruity flavour produced primarily through the action of yeasts during fermentation and are influenced by the fermentation process. They are formed in beer by the “esterification” of ethanol which is the primary alcohol in beer.

Another excellent beer from Wide Street who can be found on a very wide street indeed in Ballymahon, County Longford.

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Galway Bay Bay Ale Red Ale, 4.4%, 330 ml can Bradleys

The crew in the brewery are very happy with this long-standing stalwart: Bay Ale is brewed with a complex malt bill and a savvy dose of subtle American hops for a modern spin on this traditional style. This beer has stood the test of time in our range and we are proud to see it still flying the flag for red ales.

Their Galway Bay “Bay Red Ale” has quite a strong red colour and a soft off-white head that slowly waltzes away. Aromas are mild and mostly malty. On the palate, you immediately note a smooth and well-balanced flavour from this well rounded ale. British and Irish malts get a chance to shine here and give this beer a strong backbone but the hops (European and American) get their share of the spotlight and the balance is excellent.

Irish Red ales are noted for their food-friendliness and this is no exception. Try it with salads, roast meats, cold meats, simple cheeses and salmon dishes.

Founded in 2009, Galway Bay is an independently owned and operated brewery based in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. “From classic styles to big barrel aged beers, we brew the full spectrum of beer with a passion for quality and innovation.”

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West Cork Brewing Cape Haze West Coast IPA, 4.7% ABV, 500ml bottle Ballymaloe Craft Fair

This comes in a gold orange robe, hazy of course, with a fairly big bubbly white head. Hints of orange and resin in the aromas (as you’d expect with the German pair of Mandarina Bavaria and Hercules in the recipe). And the duo of orange and resin also feature in the mouth, accompanied by a dank sensation and some vegetative input that I couldn’t put a finger on. Overall though, it is bright and fruity and quite a decent IPA, especially considering it weights at just 4.7% ABV.

By the way, the third hop is Yellow Sub (which as been described as “Amarillo on steroids”) is also of German origin. The brewery recommends food pairings for this beer as mussels, chicken & caramel cakes. 

Like all of their beers, this is brewed using their own spring water, is bottle conditioned, unfiltered and vegan friendly. Current brewer at West Cork is Terra Brookins. She grew up in San Diego "where you can’t swing a cat without hitting a craft brewery”.

A Quart of Ale± #131. On the craft journey with Lough Gill, Bradleys, Kinnegar, Whiplash.

A Quart of Ale± #131

Session anyone?

On the craft journey with Lough Gill, Bradleys, Kinnegar, Whiplash.

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Lough Gill If I was in LA Californian IPA, 6.8%, 440 ml can Bradleys

Probably safe to say that hoppy West Coast IPA, with its amazing aromatics, not to mention flavours, is the regions’s flagship beer. But before that, American hops were being rejected by brewers in Europe and the US.

And then, according to National Geographic Atlas of Beer, along came Bert Grant of the Yakima Brewing and Malting Company and he developed the Northwest’s first version of the IPA. Soon that developed into the West Coast IPA that so many love today.

Lough Gill do quite a bit of business in the US and this pale and hazy IPA is not their first with a hoppy nod to the states. You’ve got two US hops deployed here, Citra and Mosaic. And you’re expecting a lot of citrus and tropical. 

What you do get is a more or less perfect balance between bitter and fruit notes. Malted barley with oats and rye are included in the ingredients and brewer Francesco Sottomano has managed to get them all in harmony. Hop forward yes, yet the flavours, attractively rounded, are long lasting and this is one for my shortlist! Hope Lough Gill put it on their core list!

From what I can glean, this IPA is like those of the southern part of the West Coast of the USA, “the San Diego version” according to Jeff Alworth’s Beer Bible, with “stiff hopping”. From a northwest IPA, expect more malt, less bitterness, and more aromatics and fruity hops.

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Kinnegar Leaf Kicker 2022 Marzen, 5.9% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Most of us who have hosted and or attended weddings will no doubt have enjoyed a beer or two. Very few weddings have started a beer trend. But that’s what happened when a royal wedding between Ludwig (the future king) and Therese took place in Bavaria in October 1810. That party was so good and the couple so popular that another party was held the following year and so Octoberfest was established.

By 1819, the festival had become a 2-week event (beer was just one strand), now organised by the city of Munich, and kicked off, as it does now, in mid-September. Marzen was the main style of beer for the festival and its name came from the fact that it was brewed in March to be at its best in Autumn.

Märzen later became - still is - popular in Austria though their version is lighter in colour and maltiness than the Bavarian beer.  In both regions, it was, before refrigeration, brewed in the Spring for consumption in the Autumn and, according to the National Geographic Atlas of Beer in 2017, held 60 to 70 per cent of Austria’s beer market.

And here we have the right royal brewers of Kinnegar with their Märzen which they did bring out in September (its colour close to the leaves of its name). So I’m a little behind, not for the first time, hard to keep up with all the new beers out there.

“…here’s our new autumn special,” they said. ”Each year we’ll make a different classic beer style, beginning in 2022 with this German Märzen. A lager, Märzen, was originally served at Oktoberfest in Munich. Enjoy this 5.9% ABV rendition as life returns to a slightly slower pace for the autumn months.”

This is for sure more the Bavarian style. Its ABV is in the Märzen range of 5-6.5% as against 4.5% to 5.5% for Vienna Lager. Amber is the colour (fountains of bubbles rise up) and it has an almost creamy mouthfeel.  This supple beer leads with its rich malts, along with a sweetish bagel* flavour and a touch of caramel. It finishes clean and a little hoppy.

It is deeply refreshing and also well suited to food including BBQ, pizzas and tacos plus a chicken from the rotisserie. Octoberfest may be finito for 2022 but this Donegal beer can be enjoyed for another month or two. 

* I’m thinking of the bagel I regularly get from Cork’s Bread & Roses..

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Whiplash The Wake Export Stout, 7.0%, Whiplash online

Here's an excellent Export Stout from Whiplash. Black, like newly laid tarmac, with a soft tan head that’s slow enough to shift. Aromas of lightly roasted coffee and chocolate may be mild but they are persistent. And what follows on the impressive palate is not a million miles away, flavours of lightly toasted bread, plus a lick of cherry across those lips, coffee is never that far away as this quite hefty stout waltzes smoothly on its way to a merry, dry and rather marvellous finalé. May I have the next dance also, please!

That’s my immediate reaction to The Wake, (hardly a dancing occasion, getting my metaphors mixed up). The Whiplash crew, rarely slow to offer advice, are a tad shy here: “… while we don’t want to tell you how to drink your beer, we’d highly recommend this one on a cold evening in front of an open fire.” That could be arranged as could a case of this black beauty.

Thanks you Whiplash. Enjoy The Wake and Happy Christmas.

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Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8% ABV, 330 can 

Looking for a decent session beer. No shortage but my go-to is this Whiplash Rollover. Murky orange is the colour - no way you’re going to see through this haze! This was our session beer of 2020 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.