A Quart of Ale± #125. On the craft journey with Dot Brew, Bradleys, Lough Gill, Blacks, Stone Barrel, Yards & Crafts

A Quart of Ale± #125

On the craft journey with Dot Brew, Bradleys, Lough Gill, Blacks, Stone Barrel, Yards & Crafts

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Bradleys with Dot Nice One IPA, 6.00% ABV, 440ml Can 

Colour is a nice light gold, topped by a white bubbly top, one with a bit of stamina. Aromas of grapefruit and granadilla sweetness plus a hint of pine resin. Much the same on the palate, the fruit and pine still there plus a touch of peach and apricot right the way to the satisfying finish. 

Quite a combination, nothing out of synch here, good mouthfeel too. Excellent on all counts. Just might restore my faith in collaborations!

Geek Bits: Barley, Oats (flaked and malted), and Wheat are all included in the ingredients. And you have a healthy helping of US hops Simcoe and Amarillo.

Michael at Bradleys tells me they are now working with a new Irish delivery courier who use zero emission vehicles: “So whether it's the latest craft beer, fine wine or luxury whiskey, you can shop our online store and have it delivered anywhere in Ireland for just €5.” 

Lough Gill Sligo Bay American Pale Ale, 4.6%, 440ml can Bradleys

Colour is a light gold, hazy, with a soft white head. Aromas are moderate, led by citrus. Well balanced, as the makers indicate, between hops and malt, refreshing with a dry finish.

Lough Gill are happy with this one: “This American Pale Ale has a stunning bright golden colour. We've brewed it with a mix of cereals & American hops for a hop-forward yet malt-supported flavour. A bit special!”

The independent family run brewery is nestled close to the shores of Lough Gill, Co. Sligo and was established in 2016 by James Ward. Since opening their doors, the team have continued to produce high quality, exciting beers, ranging from bold stouts to brave sours.

The water, along with the name, come from nearby Lough Gill and that was also the name of the old brewery. It is not the first brewery for James and wife Valerie. Their initial venture, the White Hag, was the first brewery in Sligo for the best part of a century. After a couple of years, he sold it to its investor group and launched Lough Gill, with Anderson’s Ale, in November 2016.

Stone Barrel Boom Session IPA 4.5%, 440ml can Yards & Crafts

Colour is a mid-gold with a big soft white head.  Aromas are citrusy, with more exotic notes as well, such as Mango. The exotic flavours from the American hops are immediately apparent in the mouth all the way to a satisfactory smooth dry finish. Haven’t seen the hops detailed anywhere though they do mention on the web shop that they’ve used a “blend of American hops balanced by the delicate yet complex malt bill”. 

Stone Barrel beers are brewed by Third Barrel in Dublin. So, who are Stone Barrel?

“Well, what can we say, we’re two home-brewers who brew bigger.

Niall Fitzgerald and Kevin McKinney are the founders, brewers and driving force behind Stone Barrel Brewing. We both have a huge passion and appetite for all things in craft beer, from making to drinking and everything in between.

We launched Stone Barrel in November 2013 with one simple aim, to brew the kind of craft beers we love drinking. The good thing is that we love them all!

Like most home-brewers, we dreamed of one day opening a brewery. So, after a lot of planning, stress, blood, sweat, tears and hugs, we’re here. We’re living the dream and dreaming of beer!

It’s all good!”

Blacks Mango & Mosaic IPA, 5.0% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys

Summer drink with a summer colour, shiny gold, and a white crown. Fruit aromas, with mango (which is included as an ingredient) heading the exotic posse. And so it goes onto the palate, those mango flavours surfing across with the Mosaic catching up towards the finish to give you something of a refreshing crisp and bitter finalé. Not a bad outcome at all! If you like Mango a lot. 

Beer of the Year. My favourites so far.

Beer of the Year 2022

Rye River

My nine favourites to date.

Wicklow Wolf are having a great year, at least in my neck (of the woods). As you can see below, they feature at the top in four of the nine months so far (December '21 is counted). Whiplash have two number ones.  And that points up the fact that the more productive breweries are more likely to get the nod than those who have a great core range but who, for whatever reason (and I'm sure they have good ones), don't go in as much for seasonals and specials. I'll have started to try and balance that! Any ideas? Anyone! 

Confirmed to date

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: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut

Best of August Short List

Pale Ale: 12 Acres Pale Ale

Aged Stout: Porterhouse Slvr Skin Barrel Aged Coffee Stout 13% ABV. 

Brown Ale: Lineman Big Calm 

Single Hop IPA: 8 Degrees Citra 

Oatmeal IPA: Galway Bay Goodbye Blue Monday

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

Belgian Stout: Wide Street Monksland 

Hopfenweisse: Wicklow Wolf Jeff Bezos

Cider: Cockagee Irish Keeved Cider 5% Simply outstanding

Pints in Bars:

The Maritime, Bantry: 9 White Deer Kölsch

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

Merry’s, Dungarvan: Wicklow Wolf Ale

The Shelbourne, Cork: Beamish

The Cotton Ball, Cork: Lynch’s Stout, Indian Summer

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

Elbow Lane: Angel Stout

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A Quart of Ale± #115. On the craft journey with Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash, Lough Gill, O Brother and Kinnegar.

 A Quart of Ale± #115

On the craft journey with Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash, Lough Gill and O Brother.

Wicklow Wolf Locavore Summer 2022 Foraged Elderflower Saison 6.5%, 440 ml can Bradleys

In introducing Locavore Summer 2022, Wicklow Wolf tell us it is a Foraged Elderflower Saison brewed with elderflower foraged right on the hop farm and our very own malted barley and wheat.

There is a slight and short-lived white head and the colour is a clear amber/gold. The Elderflower is immediately noticeable in the aromatics with herbal and floral notes, and hints of resin in the background. Quite a current of tropical fruit and orange comes through on the palate of this light and crisp beer, deeply refreshing and with a lip smacking finish. Pretty unique and another worthy effort from the Wolf pack, another cub to be proud of.

And that uniqueness owes much to Wicklow. The brewers: “In early June we made a trip to the hop farm to forage some elderflower for this year’s Locavore Summer 2022.For our Summer Locavore release, we forage the wild landscape of Wicklow for flavours that will allow us to experiment and champion the local terroir. We hand picked some vibrant elderflower from the hedgerows that border our hop farm. It is these native Irish hedgerows that provide a picturesque backdrop, increases biodiversity and that will give this Elderflower Saison a taste of the Wicklow hills.

Pic by Wicklow Wolf

For the brewing of this season’s locavore release, we brewed a saison using our very own malted barley and wheat. The elderflower was hand picked and added straight to the brewhouse at 15g/l. Our Locavore Project epitomises the core philosophy that Wicklow Wolf was founded upon, provenance and pride. The Locavore Project allows us to celebrate the terroir of Wicklow, our home and champion it with small batch, local, experimental beers.” 

Geek Bits

Hops: Mosaic, Centennial, plus15g/l Foraged Elderflower

Malts: Wicklow Wolf Pilsner, Wheat & Munich Malt

Whiplash Ephemeral Table Beer 2.6% ABV, Whiplash Online

Whiplash’s first table beer comes in a hazy lemon colour with a soft white head that sinks slowly enough. It has an ABV of just 2.6, hence the table beer designation. Don’t let that put you off. There’s a genius at work here, well in Dublin 10.

I did the old foam finger test (as I was once shown by the Belgian beer sommelier Marc Stroobant) and what do I get but basil or “bays-il” as one prominent chef terms it. There is much more of course, after all the ever inventive Whiplash crew are driving this one. As well as basil, they have added lemon zest and that too comes through on the pleasing palate.

You’ve got a full team of malts here and Whiplash rely on the Hersbrucker hops to add noble spice notes. And you certainly get that. Indeed, there is quite a lot going on here, so much that you (well, “I”) don’t notice the modest ABV or should I say the lack of a higher rate. Fine by me. At a table this summer, indoors or out. Worth a check for sure!

The Brewery say: Introducing our first Table Beer, Ephemeral. Traditionally, this style is for everyone at the table, low ABV, great with a meal and something to take you through the evening & beyond. However, the exact style would have differed from place to place. We've gone for the continental interpretation. It's then fermented on our Belgian yeast with fresh lemon zest and basil added for a brief time before crashing and canning. The sum of all these parts results in a beautiful beer that's just perfect for sipping on these long summer nights.

Geek Bits:

Pilsner Malt

Wheat Malt

Oat Malt

Carapils

Hersbrucker

Lemon Zest

Basil

WLP410 (yeast).

Pic via Lough Gill

Lough Gill Wild Irish Gose 4.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Poured this into a glass that is shaped like a can. And the “can” helped show off the nice big soft white head over a mid-gold colour and lots of bubbles racing up towards the top.

The added ingredients, salt and coriander, can be detected in the aromas. The head has just about vanished as I take the first sip; vaguely salty now but most definitely refreshing, tartily so, as many of these goses are. 

Should be good with oysters! Refreshing for sure but I don’t think I’d be calling for a second can on the night but would have no problem starting the next night with one and a couple of Harty’s oysters.

Gose is a sour beer, usually soured with the lactic bacteria that is included here. It is a German beer, traditionally brewed in Leipzig and named after a local river.

Ingredients: Lough Gill Water, Malted barley and wheat, hops, yeast, sea salt, coriander and Lactobacillus Plantarum.

O Brother Social Proof Amarillo Mosaic IPA 6.5%, 440 ml can Bradleys

The O Brother philosophy: Take the first step and you’ve the hardest part done. OBB started with 3 lads who left their jobs to pursue a passion and we haven’t looked back since! A person’s journey toward their dream can begin at any time, you just need to take that leap of faith.

Top tip: Enjoy a nice cold one now and again to calm the nerves, it helps.

The first step here is to take a look at this IPA in the glass. It’s a murky orange with a soft and fairly quick shrinking head. Aromas are on the citrusy side with hints of resin in the background. Tropical flavours abound on the palate, stone fruit too (such as peach and nectarine). Quite a strong showing in the mouth before a good dry finish.

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WORLD BEER CUP AWARDS PRESENTATION

Understandably not many European breweries make their way to America for the World Beer Cup Awards ceremony in May. The American Brewers Association very nicely throws a party for them a little while later in conjunction with the German Brewers Association annual Brauertag, held this year in Berlin. This was a sweet coincidence for Kinnegar’s owner duo, Rick and Libby, who spent the best part of a decade in this fascinating city directly after the fall of the Berlin wall. Returning to their old stomping ground to collect a 2022 World Beer Cup gold award for Black Bucket was a very proud moment.

The above, including pic, is just a little extract from the current Kinnegar newsletter, one of the very best I've come across.

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Beer of the Year Contenders and July's Favourites

Favourite Beers of July

(The long list, from a longer list!)

Best of July (long list)

Session: Kinnegar Brewers at Play #24 Summer Ale. Whiplash Ephemeral Table Beer 2.6%. Dot Brew Loose Session IPA 3.5%; 

IPA: Wicklow Wolf West Side Story West Coast Kveik IPA; Dot Go Go IPA

Witbier: Whiplash Alma Witbier 

Saison: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Summer 2022 Foraged Elderflower Saison Red Ale: Clonakilty Foxy Red Ale. 

Gose: Lough Gill Wild Irish Gose. 

Beer of the Year Contenders  to date:

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: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut

Pints enjoyed in bars:

The Maritime, Bantry: 9 White Deer Kölsch

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

Merry’s, Dungarvan: Wicklow Wolf Ale

The Shelbourne, Cork: Beamish

The Cotton Ball, Cork: Lynch’s Stout, Indian Summer

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.

A Quart of Ale± #113. Going for a Paddle on a Rough Wave to The Other Side. Lough Gill at Aldi

 A Quart of Ale± #113

On the craft journey with Lough Gill at Aldi

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Going for a Paddle on a Rough Wave to The Other Side.

In the local Aldi recently and I picked up three beers: Going for a Paddle, Rough Wave and On The Other Side. The info on the can label is sparse to say the least but all three are by Lough Gill Brewery in Sligo.

On the same shelf, there were beers (in the Brown Bear and Roadworks series) by the Pearse Lyons Brewery and O’Shea’s by Carlow Brewing Company. Oddly enough, these Aldi beers aren’t even mentioned on the Lough Gill and Carlow websites.

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Lough Gill Rough Wave New England Session IPA 3.8%, 440ml can Aldi (Mayfield)

Started my session on the water (sorry beer!) with this session New England IPA. It pours an opaque lemon colour with a bubbly white head that sinks quickly enough. Hops come through on the citrusy aromas. Citrus too on the flavours, not really bitter, not overly assertive, just modest. Modest refreshment also. Pleasant enough to drink and should pass the session test, though maybe not the New England one. Well ahead of the mainstream though and probably a good starter for a craft newbie.

Lough Gill On The Other Side East Coast IPA 4.6%, 440ml can Aldi (Mayfield)

Colour of this IPA is closer to orange than lemon, still hazy (opaque again) with a pillowy white top that is slow enough to sink. Aromas more tropical than citrus. Flavours of orange and mango get through, slightly more bitter, dry rather than juicy. Fairly refreshing and easy-drinking. Nice one for a hour or two in the back garden if that feckin’ sun ever shows up again this summer.

Lough Gill Paddle Citra Single Hop IPA 4.7%, 440ml can Aldi (Mayfield)

Orange is the colour, a little cloudy, nowhere near as hazy as the others. Head goes quickly enough. Aromas are, as you would expect, citrusy, nothing overly assertive. Citrus too on the palate and the bitterness factor is higher. Doesn’t quite reach the heights but not bad at all. Would be fine with a decent sandwich or a bag (sorry carton, nowadays) of fish and chips, sitting on a low wall on a hot summer’s night. Could be easier though to get your your hands on the beer than the hot summer’s night.

The Citra characteristics - Citrus, Mango, Melon - are here. If you want a more advanced example or even a comparison, try the Citra Single Hop by Eight Degrees (5.7ABV). Seeing that Aldi’s prices are about half what you’d pay for regular craft beer, this Lough Gill trio, which all have relatively low ABVs, would all serve well as a stepping stone on the craft trail.

* The three labels list the same ingredients: Malted Barley, Oats, Hops, Yeast, Lough Gill Water.