Showing posts with label O'Hara's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label O'Hara's. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

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. 







Sunday, May 30, 2021

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’



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


Tuesday, May 11, 2021

A Quart of Ale± #49. On the craft journey with Wheat/White, an Irish and German mix here.

A Quart of Ale± #49

On the craft journey with Wheat/White, an Irish and German mix here.


Heaney Irish White Ale 4.8%, 440can Bradleys


Heaney’s Irish White Ale is hazy; colour is a pale yellow and the white head doesn’t hang about. Hints of pine and a burst of citrus fruit. The malt, which also gets a show in the aromas, is prominent in the mouth where it matches up well with hop bitterness. Lots of late hop additions for a lively citrusy punch in this fresh and zesty white. 


They say: A versatile beer that pairs well with many foods. Try with a Fritto Misto. 

Other suggestions include lighter curried dishes, chilli or game, like pheasant or duck. Dim Sum could be added to the list too.


The label tells us this is a Wit Beer with orange peel and coriander. 


Wheat or white beers originated on the continent and many have prominent clove and banana in either the aromas or palate or both. Not too prominent here though, certainly not banana, clove has more of a presence. Heaney have put their own stamp on this White. And quite a good one. And there is certainly room in Ireland for a good one.




O’Hara’s Curim Gold Celtic Wheat Beer, 4.3%, 500ml bottle via Radical Drinks


Colour is gold, tending towards copper, with an attractive white head steady on the top, and shoals of little bubbles rising though a slight haze. A touch of fruit, including banana, in the aromas. O’Hara’s promise a “slight tart residue” and that is the case on the palate leaving the fruity flavours still in the picture but in a diminished role. The banana, peach and plum though are still there at the finish while the usual clove seems to more or less out of the picture all through.



Quite a good robust beer that has been on the O’Hara list for a long while now but it is indeed some distance from your typical German wheat beer, which is a somewhat gentler experience. Check it out sometime against the Ayinger Weizenbock (below) and your senses will soon inform you.


Geek Bits

Style- Celtic Wheat Beer

ABV- 4.3%

Plato °- 10.75° 

IBU- 20

Fermentation- Top fermentation

Availability- Keg (carbonated), Bottle 50cl (occasional 41L cask)

Serving Temperature- 6-8°C

Food Pairing- Truly refreshing, Curim Gold is an excellent accompaniment to hot and spicy dishes. A few years back, I enjoyed it with Porcini Mushroom Ravioli in a game broth with shredded duck leg and celeriac remoulade. Glass- Curim Gold Wheat Beer glass.



Rothaus Hefe Weizen, 5.4%, 500ml bottle via Bradleys



Muddy amber is the colour of this Rothaus beer from Germany’s highest brewery by elevation, at 1,000 meters above sea level. Situated in the beautiful Black Forest, the brewery was first established in 1791. Today, Rothaus claim to be one of the most successful breweries in Germany, largely due to the high quality of their products.


There’s a soft foamy head, white, above the haze, and it stays around for a spell. Aromas are intriguing: clove, honey, as well as the ripe peach. Some mix, and you meet much the same on the palate. Quite fruity then but no sense of sweetness and this fresh beer hints at summer days in the garden, in the beer garden (hopefully) rather than just in the back garden.


The label icon, “Biergit” (beer girl), a Black Forest girl holding two glasses of beer, first debuted in 1956 and is now the defining symbol for all beers made for the Rothaus Brewery.


The brewery points to “the best ingredients” as the big factors here:  Noble wheat malt, the purest spring water from the Upper Black Forest and mild hops with our aromatic hops from Tettnang and Hallertau ensure this”.


Ayinger Weizenbock, 7.1%, 330ml bottle via Bradleys



Pale yellow, hazy, with quite a decent white head. Expected aromas of clove and banana. Smooth on the palate, again with clove and banana, now with fresh bread added and a background of tropical fruit. Rich and vibrant and harmonious all through. Didn’t see an IBU count but bitterness feels modest and there is a refreshing dry and long finish. A very satisfying beer indeed.


They say: Our winter specialty is brewed with four different malts and wort separation method. The result is an alcohol degree of 7.1% by vol. and the Original gravity is 16.5°plato. Ayinger Weizenbock is a top fermented and unfiltered wheat bock beer. Available in 0.33l Vichy bottles.


The weizen-bock style is relatively uncommon, even in Bavaria: they are wheat ales (weissebeer or weizen beer) that are brewed to be as strong as a bock - with corresponding fuller body, and enhanced flavours. They can be pale ("helles") or dark ("dunkles"), and Ayinger Weizenbock is pale in colour.

Try with hearty German cuisine - smoked pork chops, sauerkraut and sausages; full-flavored game or duck; Weizenbock can pair beautifully with spicy Mexican or Indian cuisine. A memorable digestif or nightcap, Weizenbock is also a very nice match with apple strudel for dessert. Serve in the classic Ayinger 17-ounce "weizen swirl" glass, or an oversized wine glass.



 

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

A Quart of Ale± #47. On the craft journey with Stout and Porter

 A Quart of Ale± #47

On the craft journey with Stout and Porter


O’Hara’s Irish Stout 4.3%, 500ml bottle via Radical Drinks



The 2014 edition of the Beer Handbook acknowledges the O’Hara’s family expertise in stout such as this “medium-bodied, drier end, near-black..”  But gives the big thumbs up to their Leann Folláin.

O’Hara’s, trading as Carlow Brewing, were part of the first wave of Irish craft brewing. They started in 1996 before expanding into a new brewery in Bagnalstown in 2009. 

They say of this stout: The flagship of the O’Hara’s brand, this uniquely Irish stout brings one back to how Irish stouts used to taste. First brewed in 1999, it has since been awarded prestigious honours for its quality and authenticity. The combination of traditional stout hops with an extra pinch of roast barley allows us to stay true to Irish tradition, recreating a taste so often yearned for by stout drinkers.

The Handbook may say near-black but its black as far as I’m concerned, black with a fluffy cream-coffee coloured head. Aromas too of coffee, rich and complex. And that follows to the mouth, with sturdy roast flavours it flows smooth and full-bodied on the way to a dry tart finish, again with that coffee prominent. A classic that leaves me looking forward to trying the Leann Folláin (which is in my queue, not a very long one!).

Geek Bits

StyleTraditional Dry Irish Stout

ABV: 4.3% 

Plato °10.75°

IBU36

FermentationTop fermentation

AvailabilityKeg (nitrogenated), Bottle 50cl and 33cl, occasional 41L cask.

Serve: 6-10°C.  For our bottled version, some enjoy this stout served in the traditional way in southeast Ireland at room temperature “off the shelf”. 

Food Pairing: Excellent with seafood particularly shellfish and smoked salmon. Also pairs well with strong flavoured cheeses and dry cured meats such as Parma ham.

Glass: O’Hara’s tulip glass


O Brother “The Nightcrawler” Milk Stout,  4.5%, 440ml via beercloud.ie 


O Brother introduce The Nightcrawler as “our darkly delicious Nitro Milk Stout. Spreading darkness into the beery world from today! Dark brown to black in colour.” 

From my can, colour is more black than brown with a coffee-dust coloured head that hangs around for a spell. Not at all thick and creamy as you might read in the blurb (perhaps they’re talking draught). And there’s a touch of lightly roasted coffee about the aromas. On the palate it is mildly smooth coffee, chocolate and vanilla notes and a lightness in the body that is more typical of porter. Pretty good balance and nothing too bitter at all in the finish. 

You’ll sometimes see this billed as a Nitro. But O Brother themselves clear this up on their Facebook page: “We can't get the nitro effect in cans or bottles so it's draught only I'm afraid.”  Pleasing enough from the can though.

They say: We’ve been working hard, pushing ourselves to get even more fresh, interesting and exciting beers out the brewery door. We've been having an amazing time working with some of our fellow brewers and a host of talented artists on our 'Off The Wall' beer series too...



Porterhouse “Plain Porter”, 4.2%, 500ml bottle via Bradleys



Black is the colour. Head? What head? Aromas are plain enough: coffee and chocolate. Flavours are just as obvious and the mouthfeel is smooth on the way to a dry and slightly bitter finale.  


I reckon Scaldy (by Dublin’s Whiplash) and Liberty (by Cork’s Elbow Lane) are among the top porters at present though I’m always aware of the old saying: different strokes for different folks. And this beer has gold medals to its name!


And the name? Well, when “…no rashers grease your pan / A pint of plain is yer only man.”


They say: Our Plain Porter – porter is a lighter version of stout – is a double gold medal winner. We brew for taste and in the brewing we look carefully at how we do it


Geek Bits

Food Pairings: Beefy Stew, Roast Lamb

Malts: Roast barley, Black Malt, Flaked Barley

Hops: Galena, Nugget, East Kent Goldings



Galway Hooker Irish Stout 4.5%, 500ml bottle O’Donovan’s



Galway hooker Irish Stout is available on draught and in 50cl bottle. My bottle poured black with a short-lived off-white head. Aromas are coffee dominated. Coffee too on the palate along with dark malt flavours and it stays strong all the way to the finalé, dry on those lips.  


This one may well find its place at the table. They recommend matching with hearty meat dishes, hard cheeses or as an after dinner drink.


Quite a tradition in this country of people drinking lighter beers (mainly lager) in summer and the darker ones in winter. Galway Hooker maintain a blog and have a post on the subject: 

Darker beers usually contain slighter higher carbohydrate levels and perhaps that is the reason our primordial brains seek out this additional nutrition at a time when food was historically hard to come by. Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that stouts and darker ales become more popular at the expense of paler lagers and ciders during the winter period.

More at Galway hooker Blog: http://www.galwayhooker.ie/blog.html.

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

A Quart of Ale± #46 On the craft journey with IPA, hazy, tropical and session.

A Quart of Ale± #46

On the craft journey with IPA, hazy, tropical and session.


Blacks The Session IPA 3.5%, 330can Bradleys


It’s a light yellow colour and the haze seems well populated by bubbles. Aromas are floral from the hops. And it is refreshing immediately on the palate. Light and crisp, excellent play between malt and the hops, citrus character and good dry finish. They recommended trying it with Spicy Chicken wings. Reckon it could do much more than that.


And for sure, you’ve got to put this on your session shopping list, ideal for those relaxing spells in the back garden or the beer garden. As they say themselves, “A taste of summer that’s available all year round!”


Between lockdowns last year, we had been driving around West Cork and were feeling the July heat. A cool glass of water, from reception, helped immediately on arrival at the Celtic Ross Hotel and our order for a couple of Blacks Brewery Session IPAs was soon delivered to our room and we enjoyed them! Revived, we took a short walk in the direction of The Warren. Enjoyed that beer and enjoyed this one as well.


They say: Packed full of hoppy goodness, and at 3.5% abv, it’s the ideal beer for days when you’re in the mood to drink a few. A Session Ale that’s light and crisp in character with a streamlined malt structure, and the addition of new world hops bring floral, grassy and orange zest aromas to life. 


IBU 60

Hops: Cascade, Citra

Released: 2014

Available: 500ml bottle, 330ml can


Rising Sons Fandango Hazy IPA 5%, 440ml can, The Poor Relation hatch



I’d possibly be missing out on the cans from Rising Sons but for the hatch outside the Poor Relation pub on Parnell Place. Down town the odd weekend evening to collect Take-outs, it is easy to spot the hatch (and not too easy to pass by). As Rising Sons and Poor Relation share ownership, they sell the cans here and it was here that I got my Fandango.


It is the third of the brewery’s beers to be canned and is a 5% hazy oatmeal IPA. Colour is a yellow/gold and, through the haze, you can see quite a lot of bubble activity. The white pillowy head is not very long-lasting. Citrus seems to lead the aromas which are quite modest. Flavours in the palate are more exotic and include passionfruit and grapefruit along with smooth and juicy mango. This well balanced beer has a lovely soft mouthfeel and it is very easy drinking, a very pleasant drink indeed.


Brewery GM Judy tells me they’ll have added the 5th Horseman, a low ABV session pale ale, by the time you read this. And the initial quartet will be joined in mid May by the return of Mayhem, a hoppy saison. Think you’ll be seeing me at that hatch again!


  • We reviewed Changeling and Dreamcatcher, their first two cans, here.   Of course, the two were bought at that hatch!


Whiplash Ratio IPA, 6.2%, 440ml can* 



Very hazy lemon is the colour of this Whiplash and the bubbly head is short. Quite a bitter nose on this one, including citrus and pineapple, even savoury hints.


Flavours follow along the same lines on the pretty dense palate and, in addition, “the dry hopped to hell” Sultan and BRU-!bitterness, kicks in. Quite a mouthful, not to be rushed, as a sip will go a long way with this complex customer. Leave the last sip or two though - some lurking sediment! Their beers are unpasteurised, unfiltered.


They say: Not like us not to pepper your week with some big hoppy bangers so here’s Ratio. We’re pushing our mash filter to its limits here, packing this grist out with 50% Oats and Wheat while leaving just enough room for some Barley to really fluff and cream this silly thing up. Heavy additions of Columbus, El Dorado and Chinook in the Whirlpool, fermented on peachy and soft bodied London Ale III then dry hopped to hell with some favourites of ours – Sultana (formally Denali) and BRU1 at 20g/L….It’s a belter of an IPA. 


Geek Bits:

ABV 6.2%

440ml Cans

Artwork by Sophie Devere

Maris Otter, Wheat Malt, Oat Malt, Carapils, Sultana, BRU-1


 

O’Hara’s Tropical IPA, 7.2%, 500ml bottle via Radical Drinks



Amber’s the colour of this hazy IPA from O’Hara’s, an IPA with a 7.2abv.  Lots of hops here and you’ve also got oats, wheat and barley malts. Aromas have citrus and mango and more. And the palate overflows with flavours of citrus, mango, tangerine and papaya, as the beer lives up to its name, with a superb balance. And the finish is long, fruit and floral notes contributing all the way.


There’s the usual density associated with high ABV beers but this is no black hole, smothering everything. It has been well made, well orchestrated, allowing both malts and hops to star together, not the Planets by Holst exactly, more like Harmonies by O’Hara! No clashing extremes here, not with that superb balance.


They say: A golden, hazy, yellow coloured beer with a malt base due to the addition of oats, wheat and barley malts that is brewed using plenty of our favourite hops including Mosaic, Azaca, and El-Dorado. A juicy, malt,  sweetness is complimented by additional flavours from dry hopping with Citra and Mosaic hops.

Geek Bits

Style- IPA
ABV- 7.2%
Plato °-17°
Fermentation- Top fermentation
Availability- Bottle 50cl
Serving Temperature 6-8°C
Food Pairing- Works incredibly well with Tomato and Sourdough Salad and Blue Cheese.
Glass - O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer conical glass

 


* sample