A Quart of Ale± #105. On the craft journey with Wide Street, The White Hag, Whiplash, Larkins

A Quart of Ale± #105

On the craft journey with Wide Street, The White Hag, Whiplash, Larkins 

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Wide Street Vienna Lager 4.9%, 440ml can Bradleys

It’s a Vienna Lager, so it is from the darker hemisphere of the style, opaque orange with an off white soft slow-sinking head. Some rich malt in the aromas but spicy and floral elements from the hops also prominent. And so it continues, malty, floral, spicy, an engaging combo on the palate. But nothing extreme, all in moderation and the result is an excellent beer with great depth of flavour. It has perfect balance and a good finish.

Lip-smackingly refreshing, nice bit of cutting in this one. The medium bitterness comes from the Magnum hops while a finish of Saaz keeps it spicy and floral. The majority of the malt is Vienna and Pilsner with a tiny amount of dark crystal giving even more colour plus a slight malt richness. For all that, you don’t immediately jump to the conclusion that this is a lager.

Wide Street, who are Longford based, say they love experimenting with alternative and wild fermentation methods. “We use traditional brewing processes with open top-fermenters. Our beers are unfiltered, unpasteurised and can-conditioned which means that beers are re-fermented in the can with a champagne yeast strain. Most of our beers are very dry and fully fermented with a final gravity below 1.003.”

In previous Quarts, we have reviewed their Cashmere IPA here, their Peach Berliner Sour or Sweet here, and their Mills Pils Farmhouse Pils here. 

The White Hag Little Olcan Brett Session IPA, 4.2%, 330ml can Bradleys 

This little White Hag is a hazy light yellow colour with a soft slow-fade white head. Not too sure about the claimed “white wine bouquet” but certainly it is citrous, even a little on the funky side. And that funky bit continues on to the palate, nothing too far out mind you. Fruity, floral and herby and dry on the finish. A refreshing little number for sure..

They have put a lot of work into it: Little Olcan is the baby brother of our original brett IPA, Olcan. This Farmhouse-style session IPA is fermented with our house Brettanomyces blend, in French wine barrels specially sourced from the Bordeaux region. This beer is matured for up to 12 months to allow the Brett to develop its bright, unique character. Then, just before canning, we dry hop in steel tanks with Mosaic and El Dorado to further accentuate the complex and fruity character of the yeast.

Whiplash Got To Keep On Pale Ale 5.3%, 440ml can Bradleys

There’s a burst of aromatic hops as you pull the tab on this one. It pours a light hazy orange in the glass with a soft bubble-laden head that hangs around for a spell. Citrus (they suggest lemon drops and I could agree, no problem) leads the fruit in the aromas and turns up again on the palate which is beautifully balanced, no extremes whatsoever, just very smooth and extremely drinkable. Perfectly acceptable finish also with just enough bitterness to keep it on the rails.

Web: Our #IWCBD beer is here! Got To Keep On was brewed for #IWD and had input from the whole team – like all our beers. A beer created by a team that features our talented female brewers is not a special occasion, it’s any day of the week and any of our beers, and we wanted to highlight that as part of the Unite Celebration theme. We landed on a Pale Ale as we wanted something pint-able and crushable and we’re pretty sure we’ve done that!

By the way, #IWD stands for International Women’s Day. I’ll leave you work out what #IWCBD stands for, something to do as you sip this gorgeous beer! 

Geek Bits

Malts: Golden Promise, Oat Malt, Carapils, 

Hops: Aus Vic Secret (Passion fruit, resinous, pineapple), NZ Azacca (Mango Tropical Orange), USA El Dorado (Apricot, Tropical, Citrus).

ABV 5.3%

440ml cans and kegs

Artwork by @sophie_devere

Released: March 2022.

Larkins Judge Fudge Imperial Stout 8.5%, 440ml can Bradleys

Close to black with a tan head that stays around. A hint of nutmeg and cinnamon in the otherwise toasty aromas. Maple syrup steps to the front in the flavours where there is a lot going on, maybe too much. After all, ingredients include Barley, Lactose, Cinnamon, Fudge brownie, Oats, Hops, Water, Yeast, Cacao Nibs, Sea Salt, Nutmeg, and Maple Syrup. Much too sweet for me though.

The label says this is a “spiced salted maple fudge brownie imperial stout” and is best served warmer than chilled. They are obviously happy with it: “..feckin delicious! Not sure there's much more to say on this but when we sat down together with @dot_brew, we decided we wanted to achieve layers of flavours that balance where it's not overly sweet and no one flavour is overpowering.”

Beer of the Year 2021. The Reveal!

Beer of the Year 2021

Very difficult to separate the contenders but the nod for my Beer of the Year goes to the Brehon Brewhouse Oak & Mirrors Cask Aged Imperial Porter. Brehon: "Whiskey-aged porter from a collaboration with our good friends at TWO STACKS using their freshly emptied single malt cask to mature our brew. Of course, getting it right took a few tastings with the lads. This is a superior whiskey cask-aged imperial porter that will please the most discerning of whiskey-loving palettes. Limited edition.."

1 - Cask-Aged Brehon Brewhouse Oak & Mirrors Two Stacks Whiskey Cask Aged Imperial Porter

 2 (joint) - Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale

                  Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter

4 -       Mescan Brewery Old Brown 

5  (joint) -   Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA 

                 - Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose

                 -  Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale

8 - Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner

Mescan's Old Brown

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Below are more of my favourites from the past 12 months. I'm lucky to have a great supplier here in Cork City and virtually every brewer in the country will know of Bradley's in North Main Street. There's a wall of beer there but I'm conscious that quite a few others don't make it this far south and so I've used various online shops to broaden my scope. If you feel, your beer is missing out, do please let me have a DM with info as to where I can buy it.

Category favourites 2021

Pale Ale:  White Hag “Magic Mist” Juicy Pale Ale (from a very competitive section)

IPA (also very competitive!): Blacks St Tropez IPA Summer IPA 4.8%

Session: Eight Degrees Seisíun IPA 4.5%. No shortage of competition here.

Lager: Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner 4.9%, from a crowded field

Less competitive categories, even sub-categories

Coffee and Oatmeal Stout: Dungarvan Brewing.

Cask-Aged: Brehon Brewhouse Oak & Mirrors Two Stacks Whiskey Cask Aged Imperial Porter 7.5%; 

Porter: Whiplash The Sup

Rauchbier: Kinnegar 20÷2 Anniversary Rauchbier 5%

Barleywine: Eight Degrees Irish Oak-aged Barleywine 12.2%

Old Brown: Mescan

Spon: Land & Labour Crimson Kriek Framboise

Baltic Porter: Whiplash Melodie Noir Baltic Porter

Wheatbeer/Witbier/Wheat: Curious Society Wheat Beer

DIPA: Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA, 9.45%

Black IPA: 9 White Deer Black Lightning; 

Rye Pale Ale: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

Bitter: Lough Gill Five Candles Extra Special Bitter

Stout: Ballykilcavan Blackwell Stout.

Kolsch: Rye River Grafters Clocking Off Kölsch Style

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

Gose: Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose

Non Alcoholic: Stonewell 0% Cider

Amber Ale: Kinnegar Devil’s Backbone 

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

Brown Ale: Whiplash “The Ocean Wide” 

NEIPA: Heaney New England.

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Favourite beer in brew pubs:

Crew “Polly” IPA.

Also enjoyed:

Cotton Ball "Lynch’s" Stout (Cork City); Elbow Lane's "Angel" Stout (Cork City); and Tom Crean's "Six Magpies" Stout in Kenmare.

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Favourite Cider 2021: 

Stonewell Cask

Also enjoyed:

Johnny Fall Down Rare Apple Cider 2019. Longueville “Mór” Cider 8%.

Others to note:

Mac Ivors Traditional Dry Cider; Viking Orchard Cuvée; Con’s Irish Cider; Viking Hop It Craft Cider; Highbank “Proper Irish Cider” 2016. 

Irish Perry

Cockagee Cider Piorraí Irish Sparkling Perry

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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.