A Quart of Ale± #70. On the craft journey with a session of Galway Bay, White Hag, Hope and Dungarvan

 A Quart of Ale± #70

On the craft journey with a session of Galway Bay, White Hag, Hope and Dungarvan

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Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner 4.9%, 440 can Bradleys

Safe to say, this Pilsner from Galway Bay has seen more hops than all the bunnies in the county. And the hop doing the business here is the Kiwi Motueka, an impressive performer in both bittering and aroma. I’ve been looking it up on Hoplist and it seems this was bred from Saaz and an unnamed New Zealand breeding strain and lends itself well to Lagers, Pilsners and Belgian Ales. It sure does a good one.

They say: “..a Motueka dry hopped Pilsner. Decoction mashed with Pilsner and spelt malt. Hopped in the boil and whirlpool with Motueka hops to 60IBU before a long cool fermentation with our favourite lager yeast. Then dry hop with more Motueka before packaging…a beautiful simple beer. A delicate lemon and grapefruit profile bolstered by a little bread crusts with a refreshingly crisp & bitter finish. Cheers! 

Colour is light gold, a slightly hazy one. Nice head but doesn’t hang about too long. Aromas are of the tropical and citrus variety and so too are the flavours. This is a Pilsner that starts well, carries itself well and finishes well. Another one to note from the prolific brewery in Oranmore.

White Hag Duo Series Idaho 7 & Citra Pale Ale 5.5%, 440 can CraftDirect

This White Hag ale has a pale gold cloudy colour with a fluffy white head that doesn’t rush away. Citrus and mango feature in the sweetish aromas. And that sweetness is evident too on the palate, tangerine the carrier here but don’t worry, there’s a decent balance at play in quite an impressive beer.

The brewers are also at play here: this Idaho 7 and Citra is first pair of hops used in the Duo Series. The second is El Dorado and Cascade which “has a grapefruit, tangerine and citrus aroma, with a smooth, slightly bitter zesty Grapefruit, Mango, and Citrus flavour. The Duo Series allows us to explore the best combinations of our favourite hops, in one beer, two per time”

They have a mixed case available: “the perfect ‘paint by hops’ mix and comes with 24 beers made up from 2 different styles. The styles in this box will allow you to explore the best combinations of our favourite hops.”

Hope Grunt Citrusy Wheat Beer 4.8%, 440 can

Light orange is the colour, slightly hazy but you can plainly see a myriad soft bubbles rising; soft white head stays a spell. Aromas are citrusy but you’ll also note some banana and juniper. Grunt is very refreshing though, straight from the bone-dry citrusy intro to the bitterness in the middle to the dry finish with a touch of juniper. It is a very pleasant beer, easy-drinking. 

They say: “ … citrusy and spicy ale inspired by Walloon farmhouse brewers that’s packed with flavour and refreshment.” And they also suggest some food pairings. Grunt is an excellent accompaniment to most food, in particular fish, to replace a traditional dry white wine, but also spicy food, where the strong flavours and refreshing quality of the beer can hold its own where a wine could not. It is also good with both strong cheese, and creamy cheese. EBU, the bitterness count, by the way, is 21.

And the name? If a Howth fisherman didn’t fancy going to sea after a heavy night’s drinking he would tie a pig to the ship’s mast. With it’s devil-like cloven feet, the sheer mention of the word pig was thought to bring forth gales and storms. Only a brave captain would set sail, unless he fancied a rasher sandwich!

Dungarvan Brewing Greenway Waterford Pale Ale 4.5%, 440 can Bradleys

A day out walking or cycling by the Waterford coast and this Greenway Pale Ale is your reward. Colour is tending towards amber, the hazy variety, perhaps there was a drift of fog out by Bunmahon. 

Anyways, we’re sitting down as the white head is creeping down. Citrus is strong in the aromas and indeed quite robust on the palate. A good sip though and refreshment immediately seeps across the mouth and soon the restorative effect spreads deeper. Just the job!

This is the most recently Dungarvan beer to be canned. They say: Celebrating the Waterford Greenway, we are delighted to announce the 2019 launch of our Greenway Waterford Pale Ale. First launched in the summer of 2018.., this refreshing beer has been generously hopped with Simcoe, Citra and Amarillo to give a lively citrus flavour which we think is the perfect restorative beer after a (long or short!) trek on our coastal route.

The Waterford Greenway opened in 2017 and is a 46km scenic coastal walking and cycling rail along the old railway line from Waterford to Dungarvan. Sandwiched between the Comeragh Mountains and the Copper Coast, it hosts unparalleled views and wonderful features such as the Durrow Tunnel, Ballyvoile Viaduct and Mount Congreve Gardens.

A Quart of Ale± #67. On the craft journey with Ballykilcavan, Trouble Brewing and White Hag.

A Quart of Ale± #67

On the craft journey with Ballykilcavan, Trouble Brewing and White Hag.

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Ballykilcavan Blackwell Stout 4.4%, 440 can CraftDirect

This prize contender is black, black as a moonless night in the deep wood. And there’s a soft fluffy milky-coffee coloured head of the slow sinking variety. Coffee and chocolate in the aroma plus toasty stuff as well. And it’s pretty traditional on the creamy palate also, coffee and caramel and toasted notes too plus hints of smoke and spice in the background. Good dry finish in this pretty faultless stout, redolent of ages past - remember those threshings - but well capable of holding its own on the current palate. IBU: 45

The Griffin is the symbol of the Walsh family, who have been farming at Ballykilcavan for 13 generations. “We have lived and worked here since 1639, and diversification has always been important to keep our farm viable for future generations. When I took over Ballykilcavan from my father in 2004, my motivation was to try to sustain it so that someone else would be able to take it over from me.” And the brewery is one way of doing that. Already, they are exporting.

The brewery is installed in the original stone grainstore for the farm, which was built in around 1780. In previous centuries, the building was used to store barley and oats after harvest, and then to mill them for bread making, feeding animals and maybe even making beer. Like most of the buildings in the 240-year-old farmyard, it is too small for modern farm equipment, but it is the perfect size to fit a small craft brewery.

The brewery have been boosted by some good news on this stout: “Great to see our Blackwell Irish stout has made it into the @BlasNahEireann final. All eyes on Dingle on the first Sunday in October.

Ballykilcavan Clancy’s Cans #5 Farmhouse Ale 4.8%, 440 can CraftDirect

This farmhouse ale comes in a deep opaque pink with a white head. Aromas are, not surprisingly, fruity. After all, it does contain adjuncts of Hibiscus and Grapefruit. It is light and bright on the palate, a beer for the summer, one to start a session perhaps. Fruity all the way until the dry finish.

This limited edition can series is named after the five generations of the Clancy family who have worked at Ballykilcavan Farm. As it happens, this is the 5th in the series and was issued last May. Serve between 7 and 11 degrees.

Trouble Brewing Love Below Micro IPA 3.2%, 440 can CraftDirect 

The hazy orange body is topped by a frothy white head that hangs about a bit. No shortage of hops as you can smell from the aromas, where tropical fruits are prominent plus a touch of pine. Perhaps a bit light on the body (feather-weight, they say themselves) but it does pack a hoppy flavour punch, crisp, refreshing and then very dry on the finish.

Hops used are Citra and El Dorado and the brewers recommend enjoying it with barbecue skewers, fish and chips or prawns. Not in the top rank of IPAs but a very noteworthy one at this abv and one for which there will be plenty of opportunities, including at sessions.

White Hag Keltoi Kolsch Style Ale 4.8%, 330 can CraftDirect

Light gold is the colour of this Kolsch style ale from White Hag. And millions of little bubbles weave their way quickly towards the soft white head that slowly sinks. Floral and fruit aromas are subtle rather than intense. Clean and crisp on the intro, the body somewhat heftier than you’d expect, the malt making an impact on the way to a very refreshing finish indeed. Quite an impressive beer.

They say: Keltoi is one we’ve made once before, with our friends from Mont Hardi, in Brittany, France making a double collab at both breweries last spring. We swapped some samples to understand the differences, and we sent some of the spare beers out to our Clann subscribers for feedback. They loved it, and demanded it be put back on the schedule – so here we are!

A Quart of Ale± #66. On the craft journey with Hope's "Classic Gose", White Hag, Tom Crean and Whiplash

A Quart of Ale± #66

On the craft journey with Hope's "Classic Gose", White Hag, Tom Crean and Whiplash 

Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose 5.00%, 440 can

This Gose is Number 25 in Hope’s ever-growing range of limited editions. Gose, as you probably know, is a German sour beer, traditionally brewed in Leipzig and named after a local river.

Got a nice white head when I poured this but it didn’t last long. Colour is a cloudy lemon, with quite a few micro-bubbles racing up through the haze. Aromas are lemony, with a hint of sourdough starter. And that strong citrus element is also found on the palate, a  tangy and very refreshing palate indeed. And very enjoyable too!

They say: Gose is a sour beer, traditionally soured with lactic bacteria, but we actually used a special yeast strain that produces lactic acid as well as alcohol. While many modern Goses have fruit additions, we opted to keep it classic and let the simple mixture of acidic and mildly salty flavours shine on their own. …It goes really well with strong soft cheeses such as goats cheese as well as seafood.

Now where’s my St Tola?

By the way, the first Gosé I came across (at the 2014 LitFest), was made by the Brown Paper Bag Project, Irish brewers without a brewery but who travelled at home and abroad and hiring out or collaborating with existing brewers.

That beer, Fano Bryghus, was made in partnership with the local brewery on the Danish island of Fanoe. Sea salts and coriander were added to the wheat and barley. It had cider like characteristics and the acidity and salinity were prominent. That one was very good with oysters!

Geek Bits

Colour: 6 EBC

IBU (bitterness): 6

Serve at: 6 to 8 C.

Who are Hope? Hope Beer started out in 2015 when the brewery was founded by four friends with a passion for beer and business. What began as a series of late-night kitchen table discussions is now a state-of-the-art brewery, producing an extensive range of award-winning premium craft beers.

Hope produces a core range of five distinct beer styles which are available all year round as well as two seasonals and a wide range of limited-edition beers.

All Hope beers are brewed, bottled, canned and kegged at Howth Junction on Dublin’s Northside and are crafted to be the perfect accompaniment to food. Each beer has its own distinct name, story and taste experience.

White Hag “Magic Mist” Juicy Pale Ale 5.0%, 440 can CraftDirect

Always a bit of magic attached to the White Hag. Here it’s of the misty variety, hazy under a white foamy hat. And aromas enough to wake the spellbound, citrus in there with the mango and passionfruit and a basket of other lovelies. And all the exotic flavours burst onto the palate in a stream of oozy bitterness, soft and juicy. Play misty for me. Again. And again. 

The Label explains:  The tribe of the water goddess Danu, the Tuatha De Dannan enshrouded themselves in a mystical fog rendering their presence invisible to human eyesight.

Tom Crean Druids Wheat Beer 4.2%, 440 can Brewery Sales

The unmistakeable aroma of smoked bacon rises from the lemon coloured body, the head already vanished. You’ll notice quite a crowd of bubbles rising through the slight haze. The aroma continues but not a trace of the clove or banana usually associated with wheat beer as the liquid spreads cool across the palate. Brewer Bill is his own man; he has eased up on the hops and allowed the grain and the yeast the leading roles here. The route may not be the usual one but the result, refreshment, is certainly there. And the smoky aspect diminishes as you sip.

They say: A beer that gives acknowledgement to our rich local ancient history, we used delicately smoked oak malted barley, the reduced hop bill allows the full wheat and yeast flavours to dominate…We use just a tiny amount of hops here in this refreshing beer… let the grain and the yeast do all the work.”

Everyone at the tasting was surprised by the “smoky” ambush but all seemed to enjoy the refreshing element of this Kerry wheat beer.

By the way, if you’re heading towards Kenmare you could do worse than make Tom Crean’s your base camp as you’ll score highly on three fronts: B&B, restaurant with bar/brewery. And even higher on the hospitality front as the brewer Bill and chef Aileen are terrific hosts.

Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8%, 330 can Bradleys

This was session beer of the year last time and this most recent tasting confirmed it’s as likeable as ever.

Pale yellow colour with a  short-lived white head over a hazy body. Citrus fronts the aromatics. And the quartet of hops dominate the palate. Amazing that this has so much hops and still weighs in at less than 4.00% abv. Quite a concentration of hops then, before a lip-smacking finalé.

They say: Same hop rate as our DIPA’s, less than half the alcohol. A very heavily hopped Session IPA: this comes at you with buckets of Simcoe, Ekuanot, Citra and Mosaic hops with a light touch of malts and an easy crushable body. Unfiltered, hazy, hoppy and juicy – Rollover is a New England inspired IPA without the heavy alcohol in tow.

A Quart of Ale± #24 Moving on over to craft. Red Ale Part 2

A Quart of Ale± #24

Moving on over to craft.  

World Champ. You'll never beat the Irish. 

Red Ale (Part 2)

Is Red Ale an Irish style? In the 1970s, beer writer Michael Jackson is credited with giving the tag to Smithwicks. According to World Atlas of Beer, American beer competitions started awarding prizes for the category and smaller Irish breweries started to “launch highly-hopped higher strength or even barrel aged versions”. As you can see below, Eight Degrees gave as good as they got in recent competition with their dry Sunburnt. Indeed, the four below are each very enjoyable.

The recent Brew Dog books mention only the American Red, in fact they barely mention the Irish scene at all. Sláinte (2014) acknowledges that there is some “dissent” about Red being an Irish style but say some local breweries have “evolved the style”. More recent examples include Porterhouse who have “banished the sweet”.

Looks like the style is still evolving. We had some very good reds in Part 1. Check it out here.

Eight Degrees “Sunburnt” Irish Red Ale 5.0%, 440ml can via No 21 Cork

In September 2020, Brewing's Sunburnt Irish Red was named World's Best Pale Amber at this year’s World Beer Awards. The verdict on the beer from a panel of international respected judges was: "Dry, a distinctly deep coppery red in colour, and full-bodied with a good head. There are some bitter, burnt raisin aromas, and it’s distinctly hoppy but with malts still present. Very assertive on the palate, with light carbonation and multi-layered flavours”.

Eight Degrees founders Cam Wallace and Scott Baigent were delighted. “Sunburnt Irish Red is the second beer that we ever brewed - back in 2011 - and it’s been a core part of our range ever since.”  

Coppery red for sure but that head vanished quickly. That palate though is something else with its edgy melange of hop and malt, bitter and toasted, making it both assertive (as they say) and distinctive. A new kind of Irish red perhaps! The winning kind, I surmise, as the gently bitter finish fades away.

They say: Like an Irishman on holidays in the Canaries, this beer has a red glow with a chilled out mellow feel. A traditional Irish style with a twist,  – orange marmalade on toast – with a gentle bitterness, 

the distinctive caramel notes balanced with a bitter orange hoppy aroma. 

It wouldn’t be Eight Degrees without a food tip: Goes really well with roast pork, lamb burgers or a venison stew and don’t miss a chance to try it with an Irish washed-rind cheese. But beware: keep out of direct sunlight.

Web: Short description: traditional, with a twist – orange marmalade on toast – gentle bitterness

Style: Irish Red Ale
Malt: Irish pale malt, Cara, Munich
Hops: Nugget, Pacifica, Cascade
Strength: 5% ABV
Bitterness: 69 IBUs

Tasting notes
Colour/appearance: pours a rich red colour with a light tan head.
Aroma: burnt caramel notes and a hint of hoppy citrus.
Flavour: toasty caramel flavours are balanced with a soft hop bitterness. Think orange marmalade on toast.
Aftertaste: gentle bitter finish.

Cotton Ball Velvet Red Ale, 5%, 500ml bottle via Cotton Ball off licence

A very dark red indeed with a coffee coloured head (which departs pretty quickly leaving just a lacy hint or two remaining on the top). Aromas are moderately intense, floral and fruity (citrus). No shortage of character even if pretty much in the classic mode (though it is gluten free) but there’s a refreshing tangy, even exotic, fruitiness and a touch of clean pine in there as well. 

A well-made beer, nicely balanced between the various hops, the bitter and flavour, nothing extreme and the malt sweetness. With its caramel and toffee notes, it makes a pleasant smooth drink on its own and I expect it makes a good companion at the table. Might go down well with one of those tasty Wild Boar burgers from Ballinwillin Farm or perhaps a pizza in the Cotton Ball when it reopens.

Hops used are Herkules and First Gold with a dry hopping of the versatile Mosaic. They have (or at least did have) a nitro draught version in the bar. They brew quite a range of beers and the core ones are all on draught in the bar and indeed in lots of other bars. And there’s a handy growler service as well.

They say: “We are brewing our beers in the true spirit of our Great Grandfather Humphrey J Lynch, an American civil war veteran and cotton mill foreman. Three wives later, Humphrey returned to his native Cork in 1874, to set up his very own public called the Cotton Ball. The pub and the family are still here today and three generations later we are finally brewing our very own selection of craft beers in his honour.”  The brewery was founded in 2013.

The White Hag “The Fleadh” 6.8%, 330ml can via Bradley’s of Cork

Some years ago, I was in a brewery. Well, I’m in at least one brewery every year! But this was different, a big sporting occasion in The Kiln at Murphy’s Brewery in Cork. Lots of gossip going on, lots of beer being poured. The guest of honour came in and you knew it, the minute he walked in the room, even if you had never heard of Charlie Hurley, the Cork born Irish international who has had a stand named after him in Sunderland. He just had this presence and the room unanimously acknowledged it.

It’s a bit like this with The Fleadh. You go through the preliminaries. The deep dark red colour, the last stop before black. The aromas. And then comes the big intro. On the palate. The hubbub stops, tastes buds turn and you concentrate as the personality of this strong beer takes over. Not in an overbearing way, mind you.  But there’s a firm handshake from the earthy malts and the fresh hops, caramel and fruit and a youthful freshness. A superb red ale. One you cannot ignore. Quite possibly your beer of the year.

They say about An Fleadh: A celebration of legendary festivals in Irish Mythological society, an ancient cultural event of music, dance, story and song. Our Red IPA is a symphony of complex earthy malts and fresh forward hops that play the lead in this ensemble. The resulting performance is a seamless combination of fruits and caramel, complimented by the distinctly fresh pine tones.

Just like the legendary Charlie Hurley, this is a strong one at 6.8% ABV and the IBU is 55. The minute he walked in the room…. into that same room, just like Noel Cantwell and Frank O’Farrell.

Cheers #24: Blacks Distillery. Teeling Masterclass. Waterford's Organic Spirit. White Hag Smash. Austria's Sweet Wines.

Cheers #24: Blacks Distillery. Waterford's Organic Spirit.

White Hag Smash. Teeling Masterclass. Austria's Sweet Wines.

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Blacks Distillery Hitting Milestones

Cask No. 100 was filled this week! It's great to meet this first major production milestone ! It feels like we have been filling casks for years until a reminder like this comes along. The distillery is in full swing with both the  finest single malt and single pot still spirit  flowing well. To reach cask 100 this week really does feels great! Thanks to all the founders for your support in helping us reach this historic milestone. Founders with cask numbers 100-200 will be contacted over the course of next two weeks to confirm your inscriptions! More on Blacks Brewery and Distillery here.

IRELAND'S FIRST CERTIFIED ORGANIC WHISKY IS AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE FROM 12TH OCTOBER

The Arcadian Series represents our otherworldly garden of delights. We sought out maverick farmers, inspirational growers, iconoclasts whose ethos & way of life respects the land & the old ways in the pursuit of pure flavours over yield imperatives. Gaia, the neopagan goddess of yore, a personification of Mother Earth herself, is a fitting custodian to bring forth Ireland’s first whisky distilled from certified organic Irish barley. More info from Waterford Distillery here

White Hag's Brand New Union Series

Union is the unification of two or more things, for a common purpose. SmaSh stands for “Single malt and Single hop”. Our Union series looks to expose our fans to some of the exciting hop varieties that we use here in our brewery . Each beer consists of only one malt - Irish Ale malt, and one hop; in this case we’re showcasing Australia’s famous Galaxy hops, and the Strata hop from Oregan, US. We use the hop throughout the entire brewing process, from kettle to dry hop, to showcase every aspect of the variety. It's an expensive beer to make, but a one off we want you to taste, so we're doing a 10% discount on the double mix case for the next 5 days - stock up in case the off licenses close! More here. 'A Taste Of Dublin 8' with Teeling Whiskey Join Master Distiller, Alex Chasko, Head of Operations, Iain Wood & Global Brand Ambassador, Robert Caldwell for a live exclusive masterclass on November 5th, where they will be tasting a premium selection of our Distillery Exclusive and Dublin Distilled Whiskeys. The masterclass will be streamed virtually via Zoom and attendees will be treated to A Taste of Dublin 8 Pack including 30ml samples of our next Fill Your Own Experience (launching soon), our 1996 Rum Cask ‘Fill Your Own’ Release available exclusively in our distillery gift shop, our Distillery Exclusive Chinkapin Oak Whiskey and our soon to be released Peated Single Malt that is fully Dublin distilled in the Teeling Distillery. The pack will also include our Dublin Pale Ale Beer collaboration with DOT Brew. T&Cs Apply. Tickets here PROTECTION OF ORIGIN FOR SWEET WINES FROM AUSTRIA'S LAKE NEUSIEDL Sweet gold from Rust (pictured) and the winegrowing region Neusiedlersee enjoys protection of origin. © AWMB/Marcus Wiesner As one of Austria’s most tradition-steeped wines, Ruster Ausbruch can look back on centuries of history. After in-depth deliberations within the region, this world-famous sweet wine has now been given legal protection of its origin as Ruster Ausbruch DAC, creating the first DAC regulation exclusively for sweet wine. With this, the number of Austria’s protected designations of origin in the DAC system has grown to sixteen. “Ruster Ausbruch is a unique and distinctive part of our Austrian heritage,” emphasises Chris Yorke, CEO of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB). “The fact that it has now been legally protected by the DAC regulations is an important step on our way to promoting regionally typical wines.” More here.

John Wilson's Selection. Chateau Feely Harvest. White Hag Magic. Wines of the World Double. And more on wine, beer and spirits in Cheers #23

John Wilson's Selection. Chateau Feely Harvest. White Hag Magic. Wines of the World Double.

And more on wine, beer and spirits in Cheers #23 

Wines Direct Talk Wine With John Wilson.

 And Come Up With A Great Selection!

Renowned Irish Times wine critic John Wilson knows a thing or two about great wine, so when he gives any of our wines the nod our customers take note. We recently had a chat with John and decided it would be cool to share with you a selection of wines he has recently featured and that we think you'll also find worthy of attention. Click here to see the selection.

HARVEST WHIRLWIND

AT Chateau Feely

In this post Caro Feely shares some photos and impressions of harvest 2020.

"We started almost a week earlier than ever and finished a week earlier than ever. Whirlwind is the best way to describe this harvest.

The photo below is the harvest kickoff hurrah! Merlot for Feely Sparkling Brut Rosé.

We started 24 August and finished 11 September." More details here

AUSTRIA'S 2019 VINTAGE AMONG THE VERY BEST

The 2019 vintage in Austria aroused great expectations right from the start. Now, reviews from experts throughout the world have confirmed it: the wines of this vintage are truly among the best that Austria’s winegrowers have been able to produce in recent decades. More here Get Your Pumpkin Magic from the White Hag We've done it - after years of thinking about it, talking about it and looking at it, we've gone and made a Pumpkin Pie inspired beer! Pumpkin Ale is a huge seasonal favourite in the US, where a bunch of our brew team grew up making and drinking these beers. While there have been a fervent few in Ireland who have committed to making seasonal celebration beers popular, the pumpkin ale has been neglected until recently. … See More Wines of the World  Two offers to consider: The Top Varietals Mix (Case of 6) is a mixed case of our top varietals and top sellers - a mix of the old world and new world, the best of both. Check details here. The Celebrity Mixed Case (Case of 6) is a mix of Graham Norton and Kylie Minogue Wines from the New World and Old World. More here.