A Quart of Ale± #71. Craft session in the south-west with Killarney, Clonakilty and 9 White Deer

A Quart of Ale± #71

On craft journey to the south-west with Killarney, Clonakilty and 9 White Deer

Killarney Full Circle IPA, 5%, 500 bottle O’Donovan’s

Colour is close to amber. All American hops are used here and the aromas make that clear from the moment you flip the cap. The soft head collapses soon enough onto the slight hazy body. The hops are not identified on the label but the ensemble brings quite a current of deep flavour with dry bitterness (IBU is 42) clearly displayed at the finalé. Easy to see why it is now part of their core range. No pairings seen but I found it very compatible with a mature cheddar (Kilmeaden, I think!),

Full Circle? Emigration has forever been at the heart of Irish history.  From the mid 1800’s onwards, generations left these shores destined for the land of opportunity.  Over a century on, life’s journey has come full circle and their progeny are returning home.  This is a story held by our Head Brewer Mike, who with his wife and daughter, have brought back to Kerry this USA branch of their family tree.

The big news though is their new facility (brewery and distillery) out in Fossa is looking more impressive every day. “The team are working hard and know we are one step closer every day. As Tim O’D, one of our founders, would say we haven’t been drinking a lot of beer, just a lot of coffee!' Make sure to stay tuned on our journey by watching our Distilling the Dream Vlogs on our YouTube channel!"

The new building includes salvaged red brick imported directly from the Windy City of Chicago. If they could talk, no doubt an Irish accent could be heard in the original laying. They now take pride of place in the main stairwell of the new visitor centre.

Clonakilty Inchydoney Blond, 4.5%, 500 bottle O’Donovan’s

An inviting cornfield gold is the colour of this Witbier from Clonakilty Brewing Company. It starts with a big soft white head. And no shortage of carbonation. A gentle citrus in the aromas and also on the palate. Perhaps the most striking thing on initial contact is the refreshment factor which is high, right through to the lip-licking finish. Good mouthfeel too.

The brewery recommends it as an excellent accompaniment to fish dishes, Summer salads and light cheeses. And I can confirm that it went very well a few months back with my superb John Dory dish in the Liss Ard Estate (not a million miles from Clon).

The label recommends pouring this light and crisp Belgian Wit slowly for a smooth creamy head. Contains yeast sediment. Enjoy chilled. Ingredients do, of course, include wheat (no mention of orange peel or coriander though).

They say: “We are passionate about making beer with no compromise, brewing small batches with big personality. Using locally sourced grains, the best hops and water from our own well, our beers are handcrafted with care in our brewhouse in Clonakilty by head brewer ‘Thirsty’ Frank Fredriksen and his team.”

Inchydoney Island is steeped in history. From the Battle of Clonakilty in 1642, when fleeing Irish forces drowned while trying to find refuge on the island. No longer an island but joined to the mainland by causeways, Inchydoney’s golden beaches are a haven for surfers and inspired our crisp blonde refreshing beer for long Summer days and BBQ’s

9 White Deer Black Lightning Black IPA 6.5%, 500 bottle Bradleys

Black as the middle of a vat of Follain blackberry jam, with a head coloured like a cappuccino. There’s a roasty toasty edge to the aromatics. And that edge continues onwards to wake up any sleepy taste buds. Now the fully engaged palate can appreciate the posse of hops here. Brewer Gordon: “This Black IPA is triple hopped with huge hop volumes of all the American hops expected of the style.” 

So hops galore as the malt plays a background role. The IBU is a high 52. But for all that, there is quite a balance and the brewery gives credit for that to the fact that they adjusted the water profile “to make the hops seem more rounded rather than sharp and harsh which can easily happen when using so much hops”.

Does the name tell us something? “Black Lightning is hopped from the mash to the fermentor. We use Willamette, Chinook, Cascade, Summit and Centennial hops in very large volumes, about 100% more than a regular beer, but we don’t make it too bitter. It is an intensely hoppy and powerful beer. Like the legendary motorbike Vincent Black Lightning 1952, this beer needs to be handled with care.”

The brewery 9 White Deer is nestled in the heart of West Cork making the highest quality Irish beers. “We have a range of uniquely crafted beers; our renowned pale ale, a beautiful Irish red ale, an award winning black IPA, the best stout you’ve ever tasted, our balanced IPA and seasonals such as our Pilsner Ól-e. Everything we do is 100% gluten free.”

A cracking beer, well balanced, like the Euro football game that has just finished: Leicester 2 Napoli 2. Should have taken it to Kinsale for a head to head!

9 White Deer Stag IPA, 5%, 500 bottle O’Donovan’s

Amber is the colour of this gluten free IPA (the first GF produced in the country) from West Cork. There’s a frothy white head that sinks slowly when the beer is poured from the bottle. Aromas (citrus and floral notes) hint of malt and hops. 

It is an immediate and big presence on the palate, full of flavour, some from the late hop usage in the boil, but there’s no long lasting bitterness here, just a well balanced easy drinking IPA with engaging flavour and aroma and a lip smacking refreshment factor.

“Vast quantities of hops” no doubt but the malt holds its end up well too in this excellent beer.

A Quart of Ale± #65. On the craft journey with Eight Degrees, Heaney's, Sullivan's and Tom Crean.

A Quart of Ale± #65

On the craft journey with Eight Degrees, Heaney's, Sullivan's and Tom Crean

Eight Degrees Original Gravity Juicy IPA 6.5%, 440 can O’Donovan’s

This new juicy IPA from Eight Degrees has a colour like a field of ripe barley in the July sun. There’s a slowly sinking soft white head on top and 2.11 zillion (margin of error ± 2.5%) micro bubbles rushing upwards through a slight veil of haze. Aromas are quite intense, citrus and tropical. On the palate, the feel is like a Rolls Royce drive with all the add ons, soft, smooth, beautifully balanced, more than enough to brighten up your journey. So go on and take it for a test drive. Lift your jour out of the ordinaire. As my Cajun friend might say (or sing): Laissez les bons temps rouler.

They say: This juicy IPA was brewed with Irish pale ale, wheat and oats before being lightly kettle hopped with Enigma. We used Sabro and experimental hop HBC 630 in the whirlpool, triple dry-hopping with the same hops for added aroma. This beer has intense tropical fruit and coconut aromas and flavours, with a soft body and smooth mouthfeel. Just what we need for brighter days.

As always, Eight Degrees come up with food pairings:
This is the summer of outdoor dining, much of which will be taking place in your own back garden, so pair the Original Gravity Juicy IPA with a homemade pizza cooked on the barbecue – it’s well worth checking out Donal Skehan’s recipe: Thin Crust Barbecue Pizza. Try topping the pizza with thinly sliced new potato, artichoke and rosemary or Gubbeen chorizo with roasted red peppers and Toonsbridge mozzarella for a couple of pairings that will showcase this juicy IPA to perfection. Finish with some grilled apricots, topped with mascarpone and chilli honey or a summery peach melba: poached peaches, a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with raspberry coulis to make the stone fruit flavours in both beer and food sing. 

Laissez les bons temps rouler. Encore!

As you may know, Eight Degrees had a serious competition for the design on their Original Gravity cans and this, the first, was designed by John Culhane of Graphic Jam. “The most luminous of all the colours of the spectrum, yellow reflects happiness, optimism, enlightenment and sunshine. My design is based on the concept of humans flourishing and the joy of knowing that better times are coming. CARPE DIEM!” He could have had added: Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Okay. Forget the foreign languages for a sec. What is this Original Gravity thing? I’ll let the Brewer’s Friend explain: Original gravity (OG) measures how much sugar is present in the wort before it is fermented. The final gravity (FG) is how much sugar is left over when fermentation is done. For a beer to fit into a certain style, each of these numbers must be within the specified range as the chart depicts. A lower final gravity indicates a dry or crisp flavor, while a higher final gravity indicates a sweet or malty flavor.

Heaney’s Irish Stout 4.3%, 500 bottle Bradleys

Not my first time having this stout from the Heaney Farmhouse Brewery in Co. Derry. It is black, with a coffee coloured head that loses volume pretty quickly. Stick your finger in the head and taste the coffee and chocolate which are more or less what you’ll get from the aromas. No oatmeal here but the palate is rich and smooth, caramel and chocolate and that roasted malt finish, a dry one also, a good bite at the finish. Satisfaction guaranteed!

Competition in the stout arena is quite stiff and this one is now, as it  was last time, well up to the average. Then again, virtually everything the Heaneys produce is in the top bracket.

Heaney’s always come up with food pairings and here they suggest slow-cooked meat dishes or a rich chocolate dessert.

Sullivan’s Black Marble Stout 5.1%, 500ml bottle O’Donovan’s

Black as the famed marble of the county is this stout by Sullivan’s of Kilkenny. The off white head doesn’t hang about. An exploratory finger into that head confirms that this has quite a bitterness and  that same quality is tasted on the palate, with roast coffee prominent and fruit notes also in the mix. And there’s a good long lip-smacking finish.

They say: Enjoy the true taste of traditional Irish stout brewed with roast barley, chocolate and wheat malts and choicest hops. A generous stout with extra depth of flavour. The hops are Admiral, Magnum, and Goldings.

With the many changes in the mainstream Cork brewing scene over the decades, Beamish Stout has maintained an enduring respect even among those who have turned to craft. And if you spot similarities to Beamish here, then well done. 

The brewer of this Kilkenny stout regularly walked past the Cork brewery in his youth and enjoyed the smell of the hops and, after some 15 years producing Guinness in Africa, his aim on the banks of the Nore was to produce a traditional Irish dry stout, to give us more taste, more balance, more roast, more character, more flavour, to make it more balanced, more velvety.

That brewer is Ian Hamilton who has accumulated in total over three decades of brewery and packaging experience in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Africa. He is experienced in production of world-class lagers ales and stouts. Hamilton is widely considered to be one of Ireland’s most experienced technical brewers.

Now where did I go wrong? For many years, I drove home daily past Murphy’s Brewery, opening the car windows to take in those tempting aromas. But I never thought of making a career out of it!

Tom Crean Scurvy Dog IPA 4.2%, 440 can At the Brewery

A clean light gold is the colour of this Tom Crean IPA which has an incredible low abv of 4.2% which puts it into the session category. Micro bubbles galore. Head retention is close to zero but no matter. Aromas are citrusy and that continues on the palate where this crisp and light beer provides refreshment enough. Easy to enjoy this one. Or two.. or three…

They say: A session IPA known to convert wine drinkers to beer drinkers!  Crisp and light with a refreshing after taste, not over bittered, relying on the aroma hops to do all the work.

And they add: A session IPA known to convert wine drinkers to beer drinkers.

Tom Crean Expedition Red Ale 4.2%, 440 can At the Brewery

This was the name that, contract brewed in 2015, launched the Tom Crean family brewery in Kenmare. “Now modified into a different ale, pushing a balanced malty sweetness, with chocolate malts giving rich colour to complement our combination of American and European hops. The beer is named after Tom’s three Antarctic expeditions and our 2016 Centenary expedition to South Georgia.  See the shop and the book Honouring Tom Crean.”

The brewer's book!

It has that rich amber colour with an off white head. The malt makes its first impression in the aromas and continues to lead the way on the palate where you’ll meet caramel flavours in a clean and refreshing flow. Quite a simple drink but quite often less is more and that is the case here.

You may visit the little brewery in Kenmare for guided tours and tasting sessions with the brewer himself, the witty Bill Sheppard. Find out Bill’s methods and hear the fascinating story of explorer Tom Crean.

Red Ales are usually pretty good with food and they suggest pairing it with: grilled or roast meats, mature cheese and goats cheese, cheese cake and caramel or toffee based dessert. That last option is an interesting one - must keep it in mind!

A Quart of Ale± #57 On the craft journey with a session of ales and a zero% cider.

 A Quart of Ale± #57

On the craft journey with a session of ales and a 0% cider.

Hard to beat variety from Sullivans, 9 White Deer, West Kerry and Stonewell.

Sullivan’s “Irish Gold” Golden Ale 5.2%, 440ml can O’Briens Wine

Colour of this Kilkenny contender is a mix of copper and gold; if you say there’s amber there, I won’t disagree.  I’ve seen it described as a tastier ale with a gentle bite and wouldn’t disagree with that either.

The label reveals it, modestly, as “traditionally brewed With Lightly Roasted Cara Malt And Finished With First Gold Aroma Hops.” And I must say, the result is pretty good, a rather unique beer, rich with roasted flavour from the malt and with a dry finish thanks to the hops. Goes to show, a modern beer doesn’t have to be an IPA of either coast to hit the spot.

They say: The beer we craft today is inspired by traditional Kilkenny recipes and brewed the way the family has always brewed – the way real Irish beer should be brewed – by local experts, by hand, in small batches, with enormous heart and the finest locally sourced ingredients. Brewed by a true master, the beauty of this ale lies in its balance, sessionability and subtle apricot & tangerine tasting finish. 

The barley used to produce Sullivan’s Golden Ale is sourced from four local Kilkenny farms ensuring the utmost quality and flavour. Pizza is the suggested match but I’m sure this ale, with an almost plush mouthfeel, can do better for itself.

Malts: Irish Ale, Vienna, Cara.

Hops: First Gold, Admiral.

9 White Deer “Stag Ban” Pale Ale 4.5%, 500ml bottle O’Briens Wine

Mid amber is the colour of this dry refreshing Pale Ale from the West Cork Gaeltacht. This is the first ever beer from 9 White Deer in Ballyvourney and one they more or less got spot-on from the beginning (2014). It has been gluten free since 2018.

Soft white head here and a finger taste of this will tell you that the spicy citrusy hops are key. But it’s not a “hop bomb”. This is about balance. They say they designed this beer with summer in mind and the hops used (First Gold, Admiral and Cascade) emphasise that. It is a harmonious drink with citrus, floral and spice notes all combining well in the golden glass. The result is a top end Pale Ale.

Basically, it’s an easy drinking beer, brewed at lower temperatures to create a cleaner profile; the malt profile is uncomplicated, neither heavy nor cloying. It is a dry and refreshing beer with a light malt body mixing well with the contribution from the hops.

They say: Throughout the world a white deer is seen as sacred and something very special and 9 White Deer Craft Brewery holds the same view. In Baile Bhuirne the people of the community greatly respect the holy and historical value of the well and the stories of St Gobnait. Determined to honour the local landscape and folklore, we craft beers from native barley and the purest of water sourced from the Cork and Kerry mountains.

Long may the 9 White Deer continue brewing beers like this!

West Kerry “Blue Rose” Pale Ale 5.1%, 500ml bottle Bradleys

A light bright amber is the colour of this “Blue Rose” Pale Ale from the West Kerry Brewery, the original and first microbrewery in the county. It’s got a soft white head and fountains of little bubbles rising through that bright amber. It has a soft mouthfeel and that gentle feeling goes right through to the long finish, a very satisfactory refreshing one. 

A beautiful easy-drinking ale with muted citrus in both aroma and palate - it has been dry-hopped with Cascade. Don’t let the summer go by without trying one or two of these.

And if you get really serious about these beers, why not go to the source. Paul and brewer Adrienne have rooms to let in Tig Bhric, located in the beautiful in the Dingle Peninsula.

The brewery, established in 2008, is still at its original base at Tig Bhric where the portfolio continues to expand with “traditional yet progressive beers”. “These include the Renegade Series, Limited Collectors Edition and the Riasc Range, named after the town-land of our location. These are seasonal beers where we add both local and garden botanicals.”

Stonewell 0% Non-Alcoholic Cider, 330ml bottle O’Donovan’s, Bradleys

Light gold colour, no shortage of bubbles rising up. And there’s a fresh fruit aroma. The first thing you notice in the mouth is that this is refreshing, it is dry-ish, crisp, and very much a real cider, a terrific drink after a long walk or a drive. And, of course, you can have a few of these and still drive. They have used typical bittersweet apples here so it’s not lacking in flavour, on the contrary. Very drinkable and very acceptable. Fit for purpose, for sure.

So how do they do it? “Traditionally we’ve been an alcoholic beverage maker, namely cider. So in order for to us to produce a non-alcoholic beverage we’ve had to go back to the drawing board and return to our studies to find out what was the best way to square this circle. Instead of simply trying to make a concoction with fresh apple juice, we opted for the more complex route of removing alcohol from a normal cider.

We fermented a cider using typical bittersweet apples. Once fermented, we then used a process of osmosis, or to be precise reverse osmosis to extract the alcohol from the cider. This leaves a lot of the characteristics created by the fermentation process but with the added bonus that there’s no alcohol. At this stage of the process the cider is still “dry” in other words contains no sweetness, so to finish off this blend we add a small amount of apple juice which broadens the mouthfeel…. Made and blended by us in Cork, Stonewell 0% is a refreshing alternative for all those looking to avoid the sickly sweet mocktails or fizzy rock shandys at a social occasion.”

I have tasted quite a few non-alcoholic Irish beers and fewer Irish ciders at this stage and it seems to me that the cider-makers, with Stonewell and Highbank (with their Drivers Cider) showing the way, have made a better fist of the genre than the beer makers!

A Quart of Ale± #54. On the craft journey with a quartet of IPAs

A Quart of Ale± #54

On the craft journey with a quartet of IPAs

 Brú IPA 5%, 330ml can Bradleys

This is a bright light gold IPA from Brú, lots of bubbles spouting up towards the quickly diminishing white head. By the way, the longer it was out of the fridge, the hazier it got. Strata has, in recent years, become the darling of craft brewing. It brings tropical fruit notes to the aroma and flavour mix, citrus too, and you can see here how well it combines, as you’d more or less expect, with Centennial and Cascade. It’s a mouth-watering package indeed, zesty and hoppy. 

According to Brú’s own notes,  this “bold and pleasing beer” scores  33% for “malty” while “hoppy” hits the 100 mark. Not too sure it’s that bold but certainly its very pleasing indeed. The blue lady you see on the labels is Anna Danu, the Celtic primordial goddess. As a tribute to her (and for more practical reasons too, more than likely) only the highest quality ingredients are used. A good policy and, clean and bitter, is a very good beer indeed.

Hops: Strata, Centennial, Cascade
Malts: Pale, Maris Otter, Arome

Wicklow Locknut Kveik IPA 5.2%, 330 can O’Donovan’s

An orange/gold colour with a dense haze and a soft floppy head that hangs about for a bit. Aromas aren’t intense at all, a little citrus-y, perhaps a tiny hint of salinity in there as well. Quite a mouthfeel to this one across the palate. Bitterness is modest and it is quite juicy; as well as the Mosaic hops, “a large addition of pineapple and mango” has been added and is listed among the ingredients.

No Kviek in that list but it is prominent on the can. What is it? A Norwegian farmhouse yeast that throws off citrus and tropical esters. Kviek, also one of the Norwegian words for yeast, is now widely used in the beer world.

Its distinguishing factor is that, at very higher temps (c. 104 degrees F), Kveik can ferment the same 5% ABV beer in as little as 48 hours—three to five days sooner than a typical ale yeast. And it also throws off those citrus and tropical esters.

Quite a juicy little number then, one that will satisfy many, though not perhaps the hop heads!

Bradleys in collaboration with DOT Brew “The Real Capital” IPA 6.2%, 440 can

This Real Capital IPA has a colour a bit like the city at sunrise on a foggy day, a hazy orange. There’s a soft white head on top that thins down quickly enough. With a “healthy helping” of Idaho-7 and Amarillo hops on board, you’re guaranteed pretty intense aromas (tropical, citrus plus floral also) and so it goes also on the palate but there’s also more than enough bitterness, a bitterness though that is light and lively, so that it’s harmony all the way, like a happy version of After All by the Frank and Walters. Capital stuff, really.

 

This well muscled beer (6.2%) is a collaboration between Bradleys (founded 1850) and  the much younger DOT Brew (from the unreal capital). It is exclusive in store and online to Bradleys Cork. Flaked and malted oats and a healthy helping of Idaho-7 and Amarillo hops are the key ingredients.

O’Hara’s Hop Adventure Strata IPA, 5.0%, 500ml bottle via Radical Drink 

This edition in O’Hara’s Hop Adventure showcases Strata – a brand new hop cultivar that has received wide-spread acclaim, and for good reason! Strata has a complexity that lends itself perfectly to a single hopped beer, the same Strata in the Brú above.

This comes in a light to mid gold colour, a soft white head. Lots of bubbles rising too. Aromas are lively enough, bright fruit with citrus to the fore, also a herb-ie touch. Very impressive balance on the palate, hops and malt in active unison, soft and juicy and refreshing right through to the very pleasing finalé. Thumbs up folks.

Details:

Style- IPA

ABV- 5.0%

 Plato ° -13.0°

 IBU- 45

 Fermentation- Top fermentation

 Availability- 30L Keg (carbonated) and 50cl Bottle

Serving- 6-8°C

 Food Pairing- Perfect for matching with a spicy, diavolo Pizza, Fish and Chips and blue cheese.

Glass- O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer conical glass

Slainte, the 2014 guide to Irish craft beer, classed Carlow Brewing, along with Porterhouse, Franciscan Well, Whitewater and Hilden, as being in the first generation of Irish craft brewers. Not an easy station back then (1996) but Carlow successfully entered the export market to gain experience and sales and eventually a firm footing at home, their hard-won achievements underlined when they left their original premises behind and moved to a smashing new premises in Bagnalstown in 2009. 

A Quart of Ale± #53 On the craft journey with a handy quartet of IPAs.

A Quart of Ale± #53

On the craft journey with a handy quartet of IPAs. 

O’Hara’s Irish Pale Ale,  5.2%, 500ml bottle via Radical Drinks

Colour of O’Hara’s Irish Pale Ale is a light and bright copper with a soft white head that soon thins down. It may be an Irish Pale Ale in title but their description is “A Contemporary style IPA with an Irish twist. Combining the balance of European IPAs with the generous dry hopping of American pale ales (APAs), this beer is everything an IPA should be and more.”

Aromas, a mix of floral and fruit, are fairly intense. And that citric zestiness is more pronounced in the palate. Excellent body and the refreshing bitterness persists all the way through to the satisfactory finish. Quite a beer with inputs from both sides of the ocean, rich, smooth and balanced, one that I very much enjoyed. Mid-Atlantic? 

 

Most of you probably know how IPA came about but just in case:

The term "pale ale" originally denoted an ale that had been brewed from pale malt. During the British colonial period in the late 1800s demand grew for export pale ales and a strongly hopped pale ale was developed, hops being a natural preservative and a higher abv lending the beer style better suited to the long voyages, particularly to India, hence the style name IPA.

For the geek:

Style

Contemporary Style IPA

ABV

5.2%

Plato °

13.5°

IBU

45

Fermentation

Top fermentation

Availability

Keg (carbonated), Bottle 50cl and 33cl (occasional 41L cask-conditioned)

Serving Temperature

6-8°C

Food Pairing

Works incredibly well alongside the BBQ, with spicy food and shellfish.

Glass

O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer conical glass

The Brewery:

Carlow Brewing Company, also known as O’Hara’s Brewery, is an independent, family-owned business established in 1996 and one of the pioneers of Irish craft brewing. Located in the heart of Ireland’s traditional malt and hop-growing “Barrow Valley” region which has strong historical linkages to the Irish brewing industry, “we are proud to have been at the forefront of the new wave of Irish craft brewing for 25 years. As a craft brewery we brew our beers true to the tradition – with taste and flavour.”

O’Hara’s 51st State IPA, 6.0%, 500ml bottle via Radical Drinks

Colour of this “attack on the senses” is a mid-gold, with a long-lasting white head. Bubbles galore rise through a light haze. Aromatics are intense, exotic fruits leading the way. The big aromas continue with the big flavours in a smooth sensation right to the finish. Citrusy and soft and very very quaffable indeed.

They say: Bursting with bold tropical flavours of grapefruit, passion fruit, apricot and peach, this unfiltered IPA, which takes its inspiration from the New England IPA style, is an attack on the senses. A carefully chosen hop blend provides an intense citrus aroma while adding a well-balanced yet mild bitterness. Malts are combined to deliver a smooth mouthfeel.

The addition of lots of different hop varietals late in the boil help achieve the big aroma and flavour. Further enhanced by later dry hopping with Citra and Amarillo while “generous additions of wheat, crystal and caramalt make this beer very smooth on the pallet (also on the palate!)”. They also make a session version of this, with a 4% ABV.

For the geek:

Style - IPA

 

ABV - 6.0%

 

Plato ° - 15.0°

 

IBU - 40

 

Fermentation- Top fermentation

 

Availability- 30L Keg (carbonated) and 50cl Bottle

Serving Temperature - 6-8°C

 

Food Pairing- Perfect for matching with spicy chicken dishes, steak, Eton Mess and Stilton cheese.

 

Glass- O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer conical glass

Dundalk Bay Brewmaster Irish IPA 5.6%, 440 can O’Donovan’S 

Amber is the colour of this one, couldn’t even tell you about the head as it vanished so quickly. Checked it with a robust second slash later on and it is (barely) off white and with some little lasting power.  Aromas are reticent, a vague hint of tropical fruits. It is soft in the mouth and soon you know you have a pleasant ale, one without extremes. Passionfruit and grapefruit flavours are moderate and there’s a slightly bitter finish but the balance is superb, harmony all the way.

I like this one, an excellent beer for an evening when the conversation is pleasant, not boisterous nor cranky, the kind of evening most of us like.

Food suggested by the maker: Pair with salty or fried foods. Recommended with red meat.

They say: At Brewmaster we develop unique recipes with a modern brewing style to create sessionable and refreshing premium quality beers. Dundalk Bay Brewery and Distillery is a family company that started from a vision and passion for building breweries and distilleries. The idea came about when one day we decided to take a leap of faith and build our own showcase living and breathing brewery and launched our premium Irish beer, Brewmaster.

The journey has continued since when they developed a Gin Distillery and subsequently Ravenrock Premium Distilled Irish Gin was born in January 2020. The expansion continues…

Rising Sons “5th Horseman” session IPA 3.8%, 440 can Bradleys

Light gold is the colour of the 5th Horseman, a session IPA from Cork City centre brewery The Rising Sons. Nice white head’s not for staying and you’ll see plenty of bubbles rising in the slight haze. The aroma signalled that this is decently hopped and so it proved and the lower strength does not mean less flavour. Aromas (fruit and hints of pine) are rather intense and the palate follows suit more or less, lots of flavour (citrus, melon) in a lively background, the finish also good and hoppy. A very friendly beer indeed and should take you through a session comfortably. Glad they’re selling their beers in cans. While they have a dozen or pubs scattered across the city, not always easy to get down and sample the draught.

They say: 5th Horseman is a low ABV session IPA. Hopped with Amarillo, Centennial, Huell Melon and Idaho 7 hops. Notes of pine , orange , lemon and grapefruit