Beer of The Year 2021. The candidates, so far!

Beer of The Year 2021

The candidates, so far!

October: Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA

September: Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner

August: Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose

July: Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale

June: O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

May: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

April: Heaney New England IPA

March: Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter

February: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Lager

January: Lineman “Vesper" Pale Ale

Favourite beers in brew pubs:

IPA: Crew “Polly” IPA

Stout: Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout

Cider: Johnny Fall Down Rare Apple Cider 2019 (from October)

*********

October final selection

IPA: 9 White Deer Stag;

Wheat Beer: Clonakilty Inchydoney Blond;

Black IPA: 9 White Deer Black Lightning; 

Cider: Johnny Fall Down Rare Apple Cider 2019

DIPA: Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA

Session: Lineman Sundrops Table Beer, 3.3%; 

Pale Ale: Eight Degrees Kveik Pale Ale.

September Final Selection

Stout: Ballykilcavan Blackwell Stout

Session: Trouble Brewing Love Below Micro IPA 3.2%

Lager: Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner 4.9%.

Wheatbeer/Witbier: Whiplash Il Veliero DDZ Witbier 4.8%

Rye IPA: Kinnegar Bucket & Spade Session Rye IPA 4.2%

IPA: Hope Handsome Jack IPA 6.6%

Pale Ale: White Hag Duo Series Idaho 7 & Citra Pale Ale 5.5%

Beer of The Year 2021. The candidates, so far!

Beer of The Year 2021

The candidates, so far!

July: Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale

June: O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

May: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

April: Heaney New England IPA

March: Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter

February: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Lager

January: Lineman “Vesper" Pale Ale

July final

Hazy IPA: Blacks Ace of Haze Battle of the Tropics DDH Hazy IPA 5.5%

Lager: Boundary Very Serious Situation Pils 4.8%, Mescan “Seven Virtues” Lager 4.9%,

Red Ale: Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale 4.5%

Pale Ale: Rascals with Hopfully “Siamese Dream” Pale Ale 4.5%

Sour: Otterbank Brewing “Mates Rates” Tart Session IPA 4.9%

IPA:  Blacks Wild Atlantic West Coast IPA 4.5

Session: Blacks Ace of Haze DDH Cryo Hazy Session IPA 4.2%

Overall: Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale

Previously...

June

Stout: O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

Session: Brú Lager; Brú Cheep Flirt IPA

Pale Ale: Lineman Electric Avenue #2 Extra; Wicklow Brewery Hopknut; 9 White Deer “Stag Ban”; West Kerry “Blue Rose”; Whiplash Midnight Dipper;

Red Ale: Western Herd Atlantic

IPA: Brú IPA; O’Hara’s Hop Adventure Strata

Golden Ale: Sullivan’s Irish Gold

Non Alcoholic: Stonewell 0% Cider

Blond: Mescan Westport Blonde

Overall: O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

May Favourites

White/wheat/wit: Heaney Irish White Ale

Rye Ale: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

Lager: Western Herd "Loop Head" Pilsner 

Red Ale: Brú

Amber Ale: Kinnegar Devil’s Backbone 

IPA: O’Hara’s 51st State IPA

Session: Rising Sons “5th Horseman” session IPA 

Overall: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

April Favourites

Sour: Wide Street “Peach Berliner” Sour or Wheat?

Brown Ale: Whiplash “The Ocean Wide” 

NEIPA: Heaney New England

Session: Blacks The Session IPA 3.5%

German style IPA: Rascals Wunderbar IPA

IPA: O’Hara’s Tropical IPA,

Stout: O’Hara’s Irish Stout,

Overall: Heaney New England

March Favourites

Lager: Wide Street “Mill Pils”

Session: Eight Degrees Bohemian Pilsner Lager

Red Ale: O’Hara’s Irish Red Traditional Ale, 4.3%

Baltic Porter: Whiplash Melodie Noir Baltic Porter

Overall: Whiplash Melodie Noir Baltic Porter

February Favourites

Lager: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path”

Pale Ale: Blacks Kinsale KPA

Session: Rascals “Fruitropolis” Pale Ale, 4.3%

Overall: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path”

January Favourites 

Pale Ale - Lineman Vesper

IPA - Hopfully Graciosa

Session: Whiplash Northern Light

Lager: Kinnegar Brewers at Play Rye Lager

Porter: Elbow Lane “Liberty”

Overall: Lineman Vesper

No lists kept for 2020 but the “winners” were

Stout: Brehon Brewhouse “Ulster Black” Oatmeal Stout 5.0%

Belgian Tripel: Eight Degrees Devil's Ladder Belgian Tripel 11.5%

Golden Ale: West Kerry Brewery “Béal Bán” Golden Ale, 5.0%

Imperial Stout: Lough Gill Dark Majik Imperial Oatmeal Coffee Cream Stout 11.0%

Pale Ale: Trouble Brewing Ambush Juicy Pale Ale, 5.0%

Session: Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8%

Lager: White Gypsy Munich Lager, 5.8%

American IPA: Kinnegar “Crossroads” American Style IPA 6.2%

Saison: Third Circle “Unsocial Creatures”  Dry Hopped Saison 4.4%

White/Wheat: Mescan “Westport White” 5%

Cider: Highbank “Proper Irish Cider” 2016 6%

Sour: Yellow Belly Castaway Passionfruit Sour 4.2%

Red: The White Hag “The Fleadh” 6.8%

Hybrid: Hope Underdog Hoppy Lager 4.8%

Non Alcoholic: Highbank’s “Drivers” Cider

Overall: Eight Degrees Devil's Ladder Belgian Tripel 11.5%

The Beer of The Year 2021. The candidates, so far!

Beer of The Year 2021

The candidates, so far!

June: O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

May: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

April: Heaney New England IPA

March: Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter

February: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Lager

January: Lineman “Vesper" Pale Ale

June

Stout: O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

Session: Brú Cheep Flirt IPA

Pale Ale: Lineman Electric Avenue #2 Extra

Red Ale: Western Herd Atlantic

IPA: Brú IPA

Golden Ale: Sullivan’s Irish Gold

Non Alcoholic: Stonewell 0% Cider

Blond: Mescan Westport Blonde

Overall: O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

May

May Favourites

White/wheat/wit: Heaney Irish White Ale

Rye Ale: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

Lager: Western Herd "Loop Head" Pilsner 

Red Ale: Brú

Amber Ale: Kinnegar Devil’s Backbone 

IPA: O’Hara’s 51st State IPA

Session: Rising Sons “5th Horseman” session IPA 

Overall: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

April

Sour: Wide Street “Peach Berliner” Sour or Wheat?

Brown Ale: Whiplash “The Ocean Wide” 

NEIPA: Heaney New England

Session: Blacks The Session IPA 3.5%

German style IPA: Rascals Wunderbar IPA

IPA: O’Hara’s Tropical IPA,

Stout: O’Hara’s Irish Stout,

Overall: Heaney New England

March

Lager: Wide Street “Mill Pils”

Session: Eight Degrees Bohemian Pilsner Lager

Red Ale: O’Hara’s Irish Red Traditional Ale, 4.3%

Baltic Porter: Whiplash Melodie Noir Baltic Porter

Overall: Whiplash Melodie Noir Baltic Porter

February

Lager: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path”

Pale Ale: Blacks Kinsale KPA

Session: Rascals “Fruitropolis” Pale Ale, 4.3%

Overall: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path”

January

Pale Ale - Lineman Vesper

IPA - Hopfully Graciosa

Session: Whiplash Northern Light

Lager: Kinnegar Brewers at Play Rye Lager

Porter: Elbow Lane “Liberty”

Overall: Lineman Vesper

No lists kept for 2020 but the “winners” were

Stout: Brehon Brewhouse “Ulster Black” Oatmeal Stout 5.0%

Belgian Tripel: Eight Degrees Devil's Ladder Belgian Tripel 11.5%

Golden Ale: West Kerry Brewery “Béal Bán” Golden Ale, 5.0%

Imperial Stout: Lough Gill Dark Majik Imperial Oatmeal Coffee Cream Stout 11.0%

Pale Ale: Trouble Brewing Ambush Juicy Pale Ale, 5.0%

Session: Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8%

Lager: White Gypsy Munich Lager, 5.8%

American IPA: Kinnegar “Crossroads” American Style IPA 6.2%

Saison: Third Circle “Unsocial Creatures”  Dry Hopped Saison 4.4%

White/Wheat: Mescan “Westport White” 5%

Cider: Highbank “Proper Irish Cider” 2016 6%

Sour: Yellow Belly Castaway Passionfruit Sour 4.2%

Red: The White Hag “The Fleadh” 6.8%

Hybrid: Hope Underdog Hoppy Lager 4.8%

Non Alcoholic: Highbank’s “Drivers” Cider

Overall: Eight Degrees Devil's Ladder Belgian Tripel 11.5%

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± #56 Another session on the craft journey with Lager, Pale and Dark Ale and Stout.

A Quart of Ale± #56

Another session on the craft journey. 

O’Hara’s Nitro Stout 4.3%, 440ml can Bradleys

Great visuals with this one. After the sound effects of the widget, you pour, at the 45 degrees of course and slowly, and then it clears, upwards, from a muddled mess to a shiny black mass with a steady and creamy head. The roasted aromas confirm the familiar feeling. Am I back in the bar or what? The magic continues on the palate, full bodied and impressively smooth and all the while that superb roast flavour, a hint or two of smoke there too. And then that traditional dry finish. 

Like the few words on the label: Chill Pull Pour Pause Enjoy. Pretty accurate! By the way, we finished (rather than started with this beauty!)

So what’s this nitro? Nitrogenation was used in stouts to approximate the smooth carbonation typical of cask conditioned ales and has become the norm for kegged Irish stout, giving a smooth creamy texture to the head.

And stout itself? While the term stout is reputed to have been applied to higher abv porters in Britain, it is said that the “stout” style that evolved in Ireland originates from the use of heavily roast malts introduced in Irish breweries after the famine in hardened economic times. While not strong in terms of abv the stronger roast flavoured malts lends a more robust flavour to the style giving a dry finish – hence the term Dry Irish Stout.

Geek Bits 

Plato °

10.75°

IBU

36 

Fermentation

Top fermentation

Availability

 (nitrogenated), Keg 50cl and 33cl, occasional 41L cask Can 44cl

Serving Temperature

6-10°C.  

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

Brú Lager 4.2%, 330ml can Bradleys

Very clear light gold colour.  Aromas are malty and on the palate it is the malt that comes through more than the hops (their website describes it as their love song to malt). It’s a light and refreshing lager, certainly more for recreation than meditation, more for a multi-person session than a solo hour. Enjoyable.

Details:

Hops: Tradition

Malts: Lager, Carapils, Munich, Crystal

They say: You can find BRÚ beers on the shelf or at the bar across Ireland in many pubs and restaurants and in your local independent off licence. We’re also stocked nationwide in some of Ireland’s finest retailers.

Lineman Electric Avenue #2 Extra Pale Ale 5.3%, 440ml can Bradleys

Treat this one fairly roughly at the start and you are rewarded with a big white head, with a bit of staying power. Colour is an almost totally clear light gold with many fountains of bubbles finding their way upwards. Take a sniff over that slowly shrinking head and you get the freshness of the hops. Dip your finger into the foam and you get a hint of what’s to come, a bit of bitter orange, as if you’d eaten a piece of the peel. That orange is still there on the palate but now there is a balance, a crisp and refreshing harmony all the way through to the finish. The label promises a bright crisp Pale Ale designed to let those delicious hops sing. I reckon they got it spot-on. By the way, after all that smelling and tasting, the head is still there but barely half a finger’s worth - no matter.

This March issue is the second in the Electric Avenue series which uses the freshest hop combinations on a base beer that allow them to shine. Hops used here are Talus and Hallertau Blanc. Talus is a new proprietary hop from the USA. 

They say: Hallertau Blanc has been a firm favourite here at the brewery but we hadn't got our hands on Talus before now. It didn't disappoint. We think this is a great pairing.

A relatively simple beer. Simply superb.

Their story: Lineman had been a long-planned project of founder/owner/brewer Mark Lucey. Having been obsessed with beer and heavily involved in homebrewing for all his adult life, it was always an ambition to open a brewery or have a commercial brewing project that would allow him to produce a diverse range of beer: Stouts, Belgians styles, IPAs and Mixed Fermentations.

It soon became a proper husband and wife team when Vivienne joined shortly before the first beers were released. Being a graphic designer with lots of commercial experience she was able to bring the look for Lineman together just in time for their beers to be released. Vivienne produces all the artwork and looks after the marketing side of things.

West Kerry “Cúl Dorcha” Dark Ale 5.0%, 500ml bottle Bradleys 

The name Cúl Dorcha comes from a local shore and means dark back (probably no lightbulb out the back). Dark red is the colour of this Kerry beer with its soft white head that reduces soon enough.

All’s dark then. Roasted malts on the nose, hints of smoke. The malt runs deep, caramel, chocolate, smoky peat; complex palate also has a sourish aspect and slightly bitter too towards the finish.

It is indeed a distinctive beer as we’ve come to expect from West Kerry where sculptor Adrienne is also the owner and brewer at Tig Bhric, the public house where the West Kerry brewery is based.

They say: Cúl Dorcha is a dark ale, with a deep maltiness that includes hints of dark chocolate. Hopped with English hops for an easy-drinking beer with a slight spice note to the finish.