A Quart of Ale± #58. On the craft journey with a mixed session from Mescan, Brú, O'Hara's and Whiplash..

A Quart of Ale± #58 

On the craft journey with a mixed session from Mescan, Brú, O'Hara's and Whiplash.

Mescan “Westport Blond” 4.8%, 330ml bottle O’Briens Wine

Not my first time enjoying a Westport Blond (without the “e”). And like the first time, it’s the golden colour that first impressed and there’s a lingering soft head as well. You know what they say about first impressions. 

Hops are modest but have enough to perfectly balance with the malt flavours and it is harmony all the way  (even if the fruitiness is slightly ahead of the bitterness) with this clean, crisp and flavoursome beer, so very well made.

Blonde or Golden Ales “are the ultimate European session beer and a great opening to the pale ale pathway” according to Craft Beer for the People. Yet many of these are more than easy-drinking and this is one of the outstanding ones. Recommended serving temperature is between four and six degrees.

This blond was the first beer from Cillian and Bart and has become a firm favourite with the public. Blond beer, with its accessible character, combines well with most dishes. Mescan recommends steaks, burgers, chicken, sausages, also  noodles, pasta Bolognese, and Salade Niçoise.

So a superb beer from a couple of veterinarian friends who started off as amateurs on their beer journey in 2010. Then, Bart  (a Belgian) welded together their first brewery -  a 50 litre set up. "For three years, we brewed each week in Cillian's garage, creating recipes and learning from our mistakes. The real work started when we set about converting a farm shed on Bart's farm,  building a 1000 litre brewhouse from scratch. All great until all the paperwork hit:  warehousing legislation, VAT, Excise and setting up companies. Many expansions later, we’ve now lost most of our hair, but, on a good day, we wouldn't swap it for anything.”

Brú Cheep Flirt Session IPA 3.8%, 440 can Bradleys

Colour of this County Meath IPA is lemon, a hazy one with a good up-flow of bubbles and lots of hoppy aromas (it has been dry-hopped) even as you pull the tab. Nice frothy head that doesn’t vanish immediately. Citrus and floral notes in both the aromas and the palate. Refreshing and satisfying and well geared for a session in the sun. Sun or no sun, I reckon I’d get on very well with this well-built well-flavoured Cheep Flirt (vegan-friendly).

They say:  A hazy session IPA that’s lower in alcohol but packs a flavour punch. Cheep Flirt showcases three star ingredients: Golden Promise malt, oats and Centennial hops, which come together for a nutty and biscuit backbone, a silky and full mouthfeel and an abundance of citrus and floral notes.

Brú, who have been popping up in my selections quite regularly, are using this Urban Jungle series to celebrate their “adventurous side” with bold, modern beers while their Core range showcases traditional and classic Irish styles with a contemporary twist. I was recently very impressed by their Red Ale.

O’Hara’s Double IPA, 7.5%, 500ml bottle via Radical Drinks

This is a complex piece of work from O’Hara’s. Colour is between amber (day) and copper (night). Intense aromas are a melange of fruit and floral. Generously hopped and dry hopped the complexity continues on the palate, rich of flavour, orange, floral, a caramel sweetness with the malt making its mark right to the finale. Lots of elements here, yet harmony has been achieved. And yet, I wouldn't want more than one of an evening. Perhaps too much has been packed in here for my taste yet I have little doubt that double IPA aficionados are more than happy with this O’Hara’s effort.

They say: A full-bodied, full on Double I.P.A. combining caramel and malt flavours with a well-balanced and substantial bitterness.  Light carbonation allows the full flavour of this Double IPA to shine through. At 7.5% abv, the high alcohol content is balanced with a caramel sweetness and a full bodied malt character. Generously hopped and dry hopped, it is a true treat for fans of the style.

Geek Bits
Style:

Bold Double IPA

ABV:

7.5%

Plato °:

19.50°

IBU:

44

Fermentation:

Top fermentation

Availability:

Keg (carbonated), Bottle 50cl (Oct 2013) (occasional 41L cask)

Serving Temperature"

6-8°C

Food Pairing:

Perfect with spicy foods such as Thai or Indian. Excellent with strong cheeses.

Glass:

O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer conical glass.

Whiplash Midnight Dipper Pale Ale 5.2%, 440 can Bradleys

A soft fluffy head crowns the hazy lemony body of this Pale Ale, the brewery’s “latest love letter to Idaho 7”. Aromas are quite intense with exotic fruit such as mango and guava in the melange. The mouthfeel is quite plush. As you drink, and if you are taking note - you may well be chatting (and why not) - you’ll note those exotics again, all in beautiful harmony, no jarring extremes here. Get it. Quick.

They say: Our latest love letter to Idaho 7, a hop we prize for its versatility and how well it gels with other varieties. 

Details: Vienna Malt, Melanoidin Malt, Wheat Malt, Oat Malt, Idaho 7 hops.

Here's a little more about the Whiplash brew crew:

We were lucky enough to celebrate five years since our first ever commercial release in March, five years since Scaldy Porter was let loose on the world. In that time we have released 68 more beers and grown from a team of 2 to a team of 12. We were also really proud to be awarded International Independent Brewery of the Year 2021 by HonestBrew members. This win coming a few years after we won Best Breakthrough Brewery really made it all the more special.

We wish we could have celebrated this big birthday with the sesh to end all seshes, maybe a tap takeover here and there so you could meet the team, but for obvious reasons that wasn’t a runner. Hopefully we can mark the occasion (maybe for our 6th birthday!), but in the meantime we snapped some portraits and interviewed the team for our social media channels.

More info and lots of pics here..

A Quart of Ale± #22 Moving on over to craft. Golden/Blond.

A Quart of Ale± #22

Moving on over to craft.  Golden/Blond

Golden/Blond

Golden Ales “are the ultimate European session beer and a great opening to the pale ale pathway” according to Craft Beer for the People. Yet many of these are more than easy-drinking as you can see by tasting some of the selection below.

Mescan Westport Blond 5.50%, 330ml bottle O’Briens

This Mescan Westport Blond pours a lovely golden colour, quite an eye-catching white head too that tends to linger. One of the most refreshing beers around, its soft fruit and floral notes combining so well with the modest hops, all getting on very well with the malt in the background. All this harmony continues through the crisp and clean finish. They recommended serving at between four and six degrees - take heed!

 

“We only make beer that interests us,“ Mescan’s Cillian told me three years ago, “Beers that we like and find interesting. So no IPA, no Irish Red Ale. It is against our philosophy to follow a popular trend.”

That doesn't mean they don’t make popular beers! Their Blond was the first they brought out and has become a firm favourite with the public.

And one more thing about these beers, these mostly strong beers. The bottles carry a warning for lovers: “Our beer adds to the desire but may take away from the performance”. Caveat emptor. 

Blond beer, with its accessible character, combines well with most dishes. Mescan recommends steaks, burgers, chicken, sausages, also  noodles, pasta Bolognese, and Salade Niçoise. 

Heaney’s “Irish Blonde” 4.3%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Heaney’s Irish Blonde (not all blonds have an “e” by the way) pours a mid gold with plenty of bubbles rising and a white head that lingers a bit. Citrus in the aromas, floral notes too and a mild spice. A finger test on the head - just dip and taste - reveals a slight bitterness and that, along with a touch of malt, is evident on the palate where the experience is generally crisp, clean and dry, dry right to the finish.

They recommended serving at 6 degrees, a degree or two down on the usual, and pairings suggested are with seafood and also a “refreshing partner to a hot curry or rich burger”. Enjoy!

They say: “Our beers are for after the graft. Rural thirst quenchers” They fulfil that task very well indeed.

Brehon “Blonde” 4.3%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Refreshing, hoppy, citrus, malty, biscuity are the descriptors you’ll hear most in the chat about this beer. It has an inviting mid-gold colour and a white head that keeps it company for quite a while. Mild citrus elements in the aromas. Immediately refreshing, deeply so, just the job, superb mouthfeel as well all the way to the malty end. Another cracking beer from the Brehon.

They say: A refreshing, pale golden beer with a malty biscuity finish. Fabulous with white fish, shellfish, barbecue chicken or food from the Med, but equally as enjoyable on its own. Best served around 8 degrees. Our brewer has created a range of well balanced and flavoursome ales that reflect the changing face of the beer market in Ireland.

Refreshing, hoppy, citrus, malty, biscuity are the descriptors you’ll hear most in the chat about this beer. An impressive easy-drinking beer from a very impressive brewery.

Chimay “Gold/Blond” 4.8%, 33cl bottle Bradley’s of Cork

This Chimay, an authentic Trappist beer, has been made since 1966. The usual ingredients are used, plus the addition of sugar. Sugar? “All the sparkle of our beers comes from the transformation of sugar by our yeast, as has always been done traditionally. The refermentation in the bottle is a guarantee of quality.”

Colour is a light gold; it is clear, with plenty of that carbonation (thanks to the sugar).  Soft white head with staying power. Aromas hoppy and spicy, even notes of clove. When you drink, you immediately notice its refreshing qualities, deeply so, its terrific balance, its soft mouthfeel and the hoppy finish. They brew in the heart of Scourmont Abbey and the beer was for long reserved for the monastic community and its guests and staff. Now it’s all yours to try. Serve at 6-8 degrees.

If you are lucky enough to visit the brewery, you’ll find plenty of food to match the beer in their nearby restaurant. With travel restricted at present, you could do worse than try this recommended recipe: “ARTFUL SALAD WITH SCAMPI, TOMATO AND FENNEL”.  All the ingredients and method here. 

West Kerry “Béal Bán” 5%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Gold is the colour of this magical ale from West Kerry. Its big soft white head is slow to go. Creamy rather than crisp, yet light and refreshing with malt sweetly prominent early on, the hops making a show towards the lip-smacking finish. A distinctive beer indeed, very impressive.

Gold is the colour of this superb Kerry beer with its big slow-moving white head. It is a light and refreshing golden ale with that slight malty sweetness and a bitter finish, imparted by a generous helping of hops.

Paul and Adrienne (Ireland’s first female brewer) use water from their own well to brew the beers, both cask and bottled. The malt is predominantly Irish and the beers are brewed naturally, with no additives or preservatives. 

Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne is the Irish name for the brewery in the Dingle peninsula. It was established in 2008 to make traditional yet progressive beer. You’ll find them in their brew pub: Tigh Bhric (which also offers accommodation). 

A Quart of Ale± #18 Moving on over to craft. Wheat Beers

A Quart of Ale± #18

Moving on over to craft. 

Wheat Beers (Part 1)

Click here for Part 2

The most famous wheat beers come from Germany and Belgium where the refreshing drinks are known as Weissbier and Witbier both of which translate as white beer, hence the Westport and Kinnegar whites in this and the following post. The style normally contains a large proportion of malted wheat. Like all beer styles, Wheat Beers are on the move. Just when you think you know something about it, your brewer thinks of a variation and, according to Craft Beer for the Geeks, “fruited wheat beers are the new normal”.  San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery has the ultimate: Hell or High Watermelon! I was wondering if there were any Irish contenders and then along comes Hope’s Grunt (Part 2).

Mescan “Westport White” 5%, 330ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Malts, hops and yeast for this Wheat Beer come from Belgium and the water (holy water?), comes from the slopes of Croagh Patrick where the brewery is situated.

Pale gold is the colour. Frothy white head atop the hazy body. Plenty of carbonation noticed even in the cloud. Aromas mild, clove is a modest element. Crisp is the first tactile sensation, the clove again and then citrusy and floral notes before the lingering dry finish. A terrific beer, well balanced, refreshing with a lip-smacking finalé.

They say: Yeast in suspension in wheat beer is at the origin of its trademark haze but may eventually settle at the bottom. A gentle swirl near the end of the pour will restore the beer’s traditional appearance.

The suggested serving temperature is a lower than usual at 4 - 6 ° C. The Belgian style beer comes, as Belgian beers normally do, with food pairing recommendations. In short, light dishes such as fish and salads are just the job. Also recommended as a thirst quenching aperitif! For the full details check here. 

Mescan Brewery is named after Mescan the monk who was St. Patrick's friend and personal brewer. It is situated on the slopes of Croagh Patrick and is owned and operated by Bart Adons and Cillian Ó Móráin, two Westport vets, who have been friends and colleagues for nearly 20 years. The pair spent four years perfecting their original recipes inspired by the beers of Belgium, Bart's homeland, before starting to brew commercially in 2013.

 

The water for Mescan beers comes from deep underneath Croagh Patrick via a spring beside the brewery. Malts, hops and yeast for the beer come from Belgium. 

Weihenstephaner “Hefe Weissbier” 5.4%, .5l bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Weihenstephaner are proud of this wheat beer: a veritable classic – and the star of our beer ensemble. And I can happily agree. It has a light gold colour, hazy, with a fluffy pillowy head. Typical clove aromas and banana flavours. Superb refreshing flavours and a delight on the palate along with an excellent dry finish. Reminds me of why I so enjoyed wheat beer early on but wheat beers are in a minority in Ireland and you don’t come across them that often. A classic indeed.

This Weihenstephaner is made according to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. Drink at 6-8 degrees. It has a mild IBU count of 14 and they recommend pairing it with Obazda (a Bavarian cheese spread) - I’m sure we could rustle up something similar around here. What we cannot magic up is a brewery as old as Weihenstephaner - they’ve been at it since 1040! Other food pairings noted are with fish and seafood, and especially with the traditional Bavarian veal sausage.

Kiuchi “Hitachino Nest” White Ale, 5.5%, 330ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Hazy mid-gold colour with a white pillowy head that’s in no rush to get away (perhaps the torrefied wheat has something to do with that!). And, yes, those clove aromas and banana flavours. We’re on solid wheat beer ground even if this one, all 11.2 fluid ounces of it, comes all the way from Japan’s Kiuchi Brewery. It has been brewed with additions of spices, coriander and orange and there’s certainly a hint or two of citrus on the palate and spice notes (nutmeg) too of course. Nicely rounded soft flavours, well-balanced. Easy drinking, easy to like. Another one for the short list!

They say the style is Belgian White Ale and suggest serving it at 6-9 degrees. The IBU is 13. Hops used: Perle, Celleia, Amarillo, Styrian Goldings while Malts are Larger, Wheat. The adjuncts listed are Flaked Wheat (to promote fuller body and haze), Torrefied Wheat, Coriander, Nutmeg, Orange Peel, Orange Juice.

The Hitachino Nest Beers are brewed by the Kiuchi family (now in its 8th generation) who have been brewing Sake since 1823

Click here for Part 2

The Mescan Brewery Wheel Makes Food-Pairing Easy!

Mescan Food-Pairing Wheel – the matchmaker for beer and food

Each beer has its own wheel. Check them out here

The innovative Mescan Food-Pairing Wheel is designed to take the angst out of matching beer and food. It’s an easy way to pair each Mescan craft beer with the foods that complement it. It’s available on the website and is easily printable from a pdf format. It’s a useful resource for all the home chefs who are exploring new options in their kitchens during the lockdown.

The Mescan Food-Pairing Wheel was developed by Inge Roels, a Belgian expert in food-pairing who has worked with the brewery since its early days. She has produced a guide for nine Mescan beers so far – Mescan Blond, Westporter Stout, Mescan White, Mescan Red Tripel, Mescan Extra, Mescan Saison, Mescan Special Reserve, Seven Virtues Lager and Seven Virtues Lambik.

“Mescan craft beers are exceptionally suited to enjoying with food”, said Cillian Ó Móráin of Mescan Brewery, “We were inundated with queries as to the best pairings from consumers and from restaurants and bars. We wanted to create something simple yet effective that would help people enjoy our beers with the optimum foods – hence the Mescan Food-Pairing Wheel was born”.

According to the Food-Pairing Wheel, Mescan Blond is a safe bet for many dishes including steaks and sausages on the BBQ, full-bodied Red Tripel finds a match in rich stews or a weighty cheeseboard, Saison suits a curry while Westporter Stout is the tipple of choice for anything chocolatey.

All Mescan beers are brewed in the Belgian style, using very traditional methods, resulting in a broad range of rich and flavourful beers eminently suited to pairing with food. They are vegan friendly and 100% natural.

Mescan Beers are currently available in off licences in Connacht, Dublin, Cork and increasingly around the country. They are also available directly through the website www.mescanbrewery.com. 

press release

An Irish and Belgian Beer Quartet play a pretty tune on a Friday evening.

An Irish and Belgian Beer Quartet

play a pretty tune on a Friday evening.
#1

The monks (Trappists, not Thelonius) in hot form, once you serve it at 12-14 degrees.

Elbow Lane “Jawbone” Pale Ale 5%, 500 ml bottle and on draught in the Market Lane group of restaurants.

The glass fills up with a cloudy amber. Jawbone is the name but this Pale Ale from the Cork city-centre micro-brewery has quite a bit of backbone and harmony reigns between the malts and the hops. Very well made ale and terrific with food, especially if you get it on draught in the five Cork restaurants owned by the Market Lane group.

They say: A strong English style Pale Ale brewed with Maris Otter Ale malt which imparts a rich malt flavour and balanced with the hop varieties Pilgrim and Fuggles.

All the Elbow Lane beers are named after lanes in Cork City. Jawbone Alley (now Ballymacthomas Street) was/is located off Glen Ryan Road close to Blarney Street. They also produce an Ale (Wisdom), a Stout (Angel) and a Lager (Elbow).

Hopfully Brewing’s “Graciosa” Tropical IPA 5.3%, 300 and 400ml can

They say: Brewed in Waterford by Metalman for Hopfully. The label warns: drink fresh, do not age! It is unfiltered and unpasteurised. Indiscreetly charming and full of character. 

Dublin based Hopfully match art with the beer and the colourful cartoon on the can is by Albert Terre.

Bet you’d like to know about the beer now…

Colour is close to a Citron Pressé, cloudy. Citrus and more exotic notes too in the aromas. The beer has been dry-hopped with Citra and Chinook. Overall, a very pleasant and a satisfying hoppy mouthful, full of flavour and refreshing. Thumbs up for the lip-smacking beer. Maybe not so much for the hype. Indiscreetly charming? Is that like, kiss and tell?

Orval Trappist Ale 6.2% ABV, 0.33l bottle

Served this at the unusually high recommended temperature of between 12 and 14 degrees.

Dark amber/orange is the colour, hazy in the chalice with quite a foamy and long-lasting head. Aromas are complex, yeast and hops plus orange notes and herb-y hints also. Complex too on the palate but all’s in harmony as the fruity and hoppy elements smoothly amalgamate, a creamy feel in the mouth, sip it slowly and savour the complexity before the long and dry finish reaches a slightly bitter finalé. This amazing beer has been quite a while in the making, so take your time and contemplate its many pleasant qualities. Not too many like this around!

The Brasserie d'Orval, located inside the Abbey, was created in 1931 to finance the huge construction site for the reconstruction of Orval. From the start, it hired labor, including the first master brewer, Pappenheimer, who created the manufacturing recipe.

Pappenheimer, originally from Bavaria, adopted the English method of raw hopping to give it a variety of aromas while maintaining its level of bitterness.

The Guardian Angel, with it is a superb view of the still functioning Abbey, is a quiet and welcoming place where time seems to have stood still. This tranquility is shared by visitors who come with family or friends to taste the two flagship products of Orval: cheese and Trappist beer. The cheese story started long before the beer. 

The website by the way is well worth looking up and includes recipes made with the beer or designed to be eaten with it, like this Fish Soup. Various recipes, using the beer, on the site, including this for the Fish Soup; https://www.orval.be/fr/page/507-recette-de-cuisine-a-l-orval . A fascinating story.

Mescan “Westport Extra” No 67 9.3%, 330ml bottle

Mescan may not have had an abbey but he was St Patrick’s right hand man and personal brewer so may well have brewed up a potion that forced the snakes to hightail it out of Ireland. The new Mescan beers are more likely to keep people here!

This Belgian style beer is extra in many respects, the label tells us: extra malt, hops and time to condition. So extra had to come into the name of this Strong Golden Ale and do give it the extra care it deserves. All Mescan beers are bottle conditioned and note too that the recommended serving temperature is a cold 3 - 6 C.

Gold is the colour, as you might expect, but a bit hazy, like Croagh Patrick on a misty morning with the sun coming through. The extra malt pumps up the alcohol, warming yes but there is no burn here, all’s in balance. 

Carbonation is high too and you notice that immediately on the palate along with concentrated fruit and yeast, a touch of caramel also. Wave after wave of flavour all the way to the finish. Belgian style and Irish finesse earn a Formidable! See photo for food pairing.

The brewery is situated on the slopes of Croagh Patrick and is owned and operated by Bart Adons and Cillian Ó Móráin, two Westport vets (veterinarians, not veterans!), who have been friends and colleagues for nearly 20 years. The pair spent four years perfecting their original recipes inspired by the beers of Belgium, Bart's homeland, before starting to brew commercially in 2013.

All the beers above were bought in Bradley's, North Main Street, Cork.

Their Belgian Selection box (12 bottles) costs €45.00.

Their Irish Selection box (14 bottles/cans) costs €65.00. 

More details here.

Mescan, the artisan beer for St. Patrick’s Day

press release

Mescan, the artisan beer for St. Patrick’s Day

Named after the monk Mescan who was St. Patrick’s friend and personal brewer, Mescan is surely the perfect beer to choose for St. Patrick’s Day. Appropriately, the Belgian-style beer is brewed on the slopes of the holy mountain Croagh Patrick, near Westport in Co. Mayo. The stylised Mescan logo is a simple, creative representation of the mountain and the curved swirl represents the water flowing from the holy mountain which is used to make all the Mescan beers, via a spring well beside the brewery. In medieval Europe it was common for monks to make and drink beer as an aid to sustenance during periods of fasting and prayer. We are sure Mescan's brew would had helped the saint during his Lenten devotions on the mountain.

Founders, owners and brewers are ex-veterinary surgeons Bart Adons and Cillian O’Moráin. Bart hails from Belgium and before launching, the pair spent four years perfecting their original recipes for beers inspired by Bart's homeland. Mescan produce artisan Belgian-style beers brewed in small batches with craft, care and attention to detail. They are matured for months before they reach perfection and are released for sale. The water for Mescan beers comes from deep underneath Croagh Patrick via a spring beside the brewery. Malts, hops and yeast for the beer come from Belgium.

The Mescan core stable of beers is: Mescan Blond, Mescan White, Mescan Red Tripel, Mescan Saison, Mescan Extra, Westporter Stout and Mescan Special Reserve. They also produce a seasonal Christmas Beer ‘Beoir na Nollag’ and Mescan ‘Seven Virtues’ which is a series of one-off brews taking the taster on an eclectic voyage for the palate. Seven Virtues Baltic Porter will be available later in the year. 

Mescan Blond beer is the flagship brew. It is a 5.5% golden ale with pear and floral notes and restrained hop bitterness perfectly balancing the malt flavours. Crisp, clean on the palate and flavoursome it is an excellent match for most foods making it the perfect beer to have on hand.

Mescan have produced an innovative Food-Pairing Guide, an easy way to match Mescan craft beers with the foods that complement each beer best. It is available in a printed format and also via the website. A simple click on a QR code brings you to the webpage. The Mescan Food-Pairing Guide was developed by Inge Roels, a Belgian food-pairing expert in who has worked with the brewery since its early days.

Mescan Beers are available through Faherty Wholesale in Connacht and Alpha Beer and Cider Distribution nationwide. 

There won’t be any green beer flowing at the Mescan Brewery on St. Patrick’s Day – but there certainly will be beer.