A Quart of Ale± #112. On the craft journey with Third Barrel, Kinnegar, Clonakilty and Trouble Brewing

 A Quart of Ale± #112

On the craft journey with Third Barrel, Kinnegar, Clonakilty and Trouble Brewing

Third Barrel Day Drinkin Simcoe Session IPA 4%, 440 ml can Bradleys

Day Drinkin is the first of a series of “summer slammers” by Third Barrel. It’s a hazy lemon colour with a soft bubbly head that loses volume slowly. And with Simcoe taking the solo hops role, you can expect aromas of citrus and pineapple. 

And it starts with the nose, pineapple and orange zest popping out of the glass. And more of the duo on the palate as the engagement gets a little more serious (in a good way!). No letting go now, as Wayne Wonder might have sung. Well he did sing it:

Got somebody she's a beauty

Very special really and truly

Take good care of me like it's her duty

Want you right by my side night and day.

Not too sure about night and day but Day Drinkin, at the 4% abv, would certainly make for a good session, night or day. As they say themselves: “be sure to pick up a few for your next bbq, camping trip or even just sitting on your own in the kids paddling pool.”

Kinnegar Brewers at Play #24 Summer Ale 4%, 440 ml can Bradleys

Colour is close to lemon, topped by a soft foamy head that sinks slowly. And a soft citrus breeze wafts up from your glass. This is summertime and the soft and supple citrus continues its merry way on the palate.  

You deserve refreshment at the end of a hard hot day and this Donegal Summer Ale opens the door to a relaxing interlude whether in the newly opened Kinnegar taproom or in your own back garden. And, at four per cent, you and your buds could well have a summertime session. It’s a won won situation as someone might say.

One thing that is not immediately apparent, not that anyone is trying to hide it mind you, is that this beer, number 24 in the excellent Brewers at Play series, is a wheat ale. But be aware too that this is a once off. You get one chance. Jump aboard and sip in that rounded citrus experience.

They say:“Brewers at Play presents new beers designed to keep our brewers on their toes and our customers on their tenterhooks.” I say: “Keep ‘em coming!”

Ingredients: Water, barley, wheat, hops, citrus peel, yeast. 

(No bergamot then?)

Clonakilty Foxy Red Ale 5.0%, 500ml bottle O’Donovan’s

Clonakilty’s “fierce” independent brewery are the producers of Foxy, a Red Ale. They have stopped short of proclaiming it as an Irish red ale. 

Colour is a murky red brown with a bubbly white head that won’t keep you company for long. Aromas are pleasant and mildly malty; they have oats in here as well as barley. And it continues on its modest way on the palate, smooth of texture and smooth of flavour, the malt, with the slightest hint of sweetness, leading the way to a refreshing and satisfactory conclusion. One to note, methinks.

Ingredients: Well water, Irish malted barley and oats, hops, yeast and lots of passion.

Just one hop used, the East Kent Golding, brewer Frank Fredriksen told me. 

He had bad news: It’s was a seasonal beer last autumn, only did a few batches of it, you might still find it a few places, but we're not stocking it at the moment. 

And he had good news: Might brew it again in a few months though as many are asking for it.

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

Clonakilty is at the centre of such a positive mix of beautiful scenery, amazing food, interesting characters, quirky local stories and strong town spirit. We consider ourselves hugely lucky to be able to make our beer here and become part of the tapestry of this place. It also pushes us to brew beer that stands with the best and make the town proud of what we do.

Trouble Brewing Trick Of Light IPA 6.3%, 440 ml can Bradleys

This recent Trick of the Light IPA from Trouble pours a hazy orange in the glass and there’s a soft white head that stays around for a spell. Tropical aromas rise up to greet you. And there’s a tropical posse on the palate also, along with the none too subtle spice of the rye, no shortage of citrus either, as all the hops contribute. Quite a forceful palate actually before a lip smacking finish.

The Kildare brewery, who also added oats here, say: “…Trick Of Light, a 6.3% IPA that has been dry hopped with Azacca, Cascade & Idaho 7 to deliver a big fruity blast of orange & grapefruit pith. The Idaho 7 gives a hint of pine that balances beautifully with the spiciness of the rye malt.”

Trouble Brewing was founded in 2010 by three friends: Paul, Tom and Stephen. Tom had been homebrewing for years (there’s always one!) and insisted on sharing the fruits of his labour with Paul and Stephen.  On nights out, he dragged them to drink pints of various styles and flavours at pubs like the Porterhouse and the Bull and Castle beer hall, both Mecca’s for great beer in Dublin.  

Paul soon developed an interest in brewing himself, and it wasn’t long before he realised making beer was a relatively inexpensive process and buying it was quite the opposite.  With this in mind he approached Tom and Stephen with the idea of setting up a brewery of their own. It could provide an income for the three and get them out of the unfortunate situation of working for “the man”. They gathered up all the money they could (about €45k between them) and borrowed the same from the bank with the help of a well prepared business plan. Then they set about putting together a functioning brewery.

And they are functioning very well indeed, thank you!

A Quart of Ale± #107. On the craft journey with Third Barrel, Kinnegar, Wicklow Wolf, Mescan, Larkin's

A Quart of Ale± #107

On the craft journey with Third Barrel, Kinnegar, Wicklow Wolf, Mescan, Larkin's 

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Third Barrel Some Dance To Remember Extra Pale Ale 4.8%, 

440 ml can Bradleys

Beautiful gold/amber colour, hazy of course, with a soft head that takes its time to say goodbye. Exotic fruit as expected in the aroma with Mango and Passion Fruit leading the dank charge. Those flavours also feature on the well-balanced palate along with the tart gooseberry from the Nelson. Another excellent well-executed beer, a slam-dunk, from the Third Barrel crew.

They say: We're kicking off the slamming season with an absolute slammer of a pale ale. This little beauty was brewed with our favourite hops. Strata and Nelson Sauvin.. All this, with a simplified malt bill leaves a crisp and fruit forward extra slammable extra pale ale.

Who are Third Barrel? Initially formed in 2016 as a collaboration between two gypsy brands who wanted their own space. Third Barrel has now grown to be one of the most respected brands in Irish craft beer. Brewing everything from the most wholesome Pils to Triple IPAs and everything in-between. “Our one and only passion in life is making savage beer and we love sharing that passion with you.”

  

Some Dance to Forget is the name of a companion to this one - it takes two to tango. “Big, Bold and in your Face is how we describe this beer. A Triple IPA brewed with 25g/l of Mosaic and Idaho 7. With a trimmed back malt bill to let the hops shine. You can expect a HUGE punch of Grapefruit, Pineapple with a touch of fruit candy.”

Kinnegar Brewers at Play 23 Mango Gose 4.3%, 440ml can Bradleys

This Mango Gose from Kinnegar Brewery comes in a hazy lemon robe with a head that is something of a shrinking violet.  Aromas indicate the expected sourness, mango in the background, yeasty hints too.  The mango gets its chance to shine on the palate, where the beer is now confirmed as tart and refreshing. No big finish but the refreshment came earlier.

Kinnegar say: “Brewers at Play presents new beers designed to keep our brewers on their toes and our customers on their tenterhooks. .No 23 in the series, Mango Gose does pretty much what it says on the tin…If this tart refreshing beer balanced with bright mango doesn’t herald the arrival of Spring, surely nothing will.”

Spring has started but this well balanced gose, with gentle salt and mild sourness, and its refreshing tartness, will also shine during the summer.

Ingredients: water, barley, wheat, oats, mango, hops, yeast. 

This once-off comes in a 440ml can with an ABV of 4.3%. 

Wicklow Wolf Mescan Wit or Without You Belgian Wit 5.0%, 440 ml can Bradleys

For the latest in the brewery’s Crossbreed Series, Wicklow Wolf collaborated, very successfully as it turned out, with Mayo’s Mescan Brewery:

“We are delighted to welcome our good friends from Mescan to brew something special. Cillian is a wizard (he even looks like one) when it comes to brewing Belgian inspired Irish beers, so when we discussed brewing a beer together, it was always going to be a Belgian style. Wit or Witout you is a perfect summer beer.” 

This is indeed a light and refreshing Belgian style Witbier and pours a hazy lemon with a white head that soon sinks. Of course you’ll immediately note that banana heads up the aromatics. The palate is more complex, the banana still there along with traces of the fresh orange peel and herbal notes as well. A very pleasant beer indeed with a touch of sweetness evident, low carbonation and light with a malty sweetness and excellent flavour. A big thumbs up!

This unfiltered and unpasteurised natural beer contains Indian C coriander, orange zest, and black peppercorn. No banana!

Larkins with Dot Brew American Breakfast Stout 8.5%, 440ml can Bradleys

Billed as “Our north American interpretation of their breakfast stout classic, with vanilla ice cream and maple syrup”. They named it, well, American Breakfast Stout.

It is black, so far so good. The off-white head vanishes quickly. And coffee heads up the aromatics. As you drink, the coffee continues in the aromas while the Maple Syrup (and vanilla to a lesser degree) get showtime on the palate. Sweet for sure, no denying that, but there is something of a balance here, something of a saving grace but hardly a stairway to beer heaven.

At least I can finish this one, one of a trio Larkins produced in collaboration with Dot Brew. But I should have paid much more attention to the labels when buying, especially the list of ingredients: Barley, Lactose, Coffee, Oats, Hops, Water, Yeast, Maple Syrup and Vanilla. American yes but not the Full Irish! 

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A Quart of Ale± #98. On the craft journey with Third Barrel, Rascal's, Boundary, Whiplash

A Quart of Ale± #98

On the craft journey with Third Barrel, Rascal's, Boundary, Whiplash

Third Barrel Shut Up Juice Juicy Pale Ale 5.0%, 440ml can Bradleys

Third Barrel had a lot of success previously with this Pale Ale: It’s back! Our biggest selling beer of 2018 is back with a 2020 hop bill. Loaded with Vic Secret, El Dorado and Citra. Seriously Juicy, Seriously fruity, Seriously crushable!

Colour is a light orange with a white foamy head. Aromas, not quite as big as expected, feature pineapple and citrus. But the flavours are seriously exotic, passionfruit, pineapple, and mango, a delicious melange that take you all the way to a refreshing finish, dry enough and with bitterness present to confirm the use of New World hops.

By the way, the hops packed in here are the US pair of Citra and El Dorado plus Vic Secret from Australia.

Dublin based Third Barrel claim to be “a unique concept, a collaboration brewery between Stone Barrel Brewing and Third Circle Brewing who have combined their experience, resources, love for brewing and absolute passion for beer to create one of Irelands most cutting edge breweries. Thye make lots of beer and sell it in 11 countries: Ireland, Spain, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Portugal, Switzerland, UK and Italy.”

Rascals Rude Girl Black IPA 6.0%, 440ml can Bradleys

Rascals introduce this as “A top ranking mash-up featuring citrusy hops and dark roast malts”. Good, but not quite that good methinks.

Pour it, a little robustly perhaps, and you get the black topped with a tan head, a head than hangs about a bit. The old finger test into the foam give hints of roast from the malts and a bite of evergreen from the hops. That roast also discernible in the aromas with a faint hint of pine in the background.

The malty background holds it steady in the mouth but is balanced out by contributions from the international hops (floral and spicy from the US Cascade, tart gooseberry from the Kiwi Nelson Sauvin, pepper and resin from the German Magnum). Still that roast comes on, certainly more than the “citrusy” hops, both on the lips and in the aftertaste. They say: One step beyond. I say: Hardly. One step short (which is pretty close, actually).

Geek Bits:

Malt: Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Chocolate Wheat Malt, Melanoidin, Carafa 2 Malt

Hops: Cascade (grapefruit, floral, pine), Nelson Sauvin (gooseberry, grape, passionfruit), Magnum (cedar pepper resin)

Yeast: LAX

ABV: 6%

Rascals reflect on the can design: “We’re big into our music here at Rascals and we thought a really complementary way to put a design to these new beers would be to use the iconic black and white chequered motifs of ska culture. Our designer Rachael has some lovely attention to detail on the can design, such as the female character’s distinct ska hairstyle forming the ‘G’ on the Rude Girl can, as well as speaker stacks forming the letter ‘i’. They really are class designs.”

Boundary Trees We Didn’t Plant Pale Ale 4.0%, 440ml can Bradleys

This Belfast pale ale has quite a pale colour, tending towards lemon. It is also hazy with a soft white head that sinks away soon enough. Melon leads the aromas but there’s also a hint of orange. On the palate, it is clean, crisp and light, no shortage of tropical flavour though. It is well balanced and properly refreshing with just enough bitterness at the finish. 

A pretty decent example of the style and definitely one for your session. Quite a backbone to this one for a four per center. Certainly worth a try.

Ingredients include Barley, Oats and Wheat while hips used are the US pair of Citra and Azacca.

There’s been some good news for the Belfast Brewery (a cooperative) recently and they are happy. ”At very, very, very long last, we are opening Northern Ireland’s first Taproom right next door to our Brewery & we need YOU to help make it happen! Come Join Us.” See the video here. 

Whiplash Loud Places Pale Ale 5.0%, 330 ml can Bradleys

Loud Places comes in a light orange colour, a hazy one. The white top doesn’t hang about for long. Hop aromas, with apricot prominent, rise up in the glass to greet you. 

Juicy for sure on the smooth palate, with melon and orange flavours, the hop aromas continuing in the mouth, with some slight sweetness also present but there’s a good balance here. Pretty creamy mouthful on the way to a slightly bitter finish but no shortage of fruit. As they say themselves: “It's a big hazy hoppy sup.”

Not a great deal of info on the can; it doesn’t include the usual malts and hop details. Ingredients do include oats though and that possibly accounts for the smoothness of this very pleasant pale ale. It is unfiltered and unpasteurised.

A Quart of Ale± #63 On the craft journey with a session of IPA and a Tom Crean traditional

 A Quart of Ale± #63

On the craft journey with a session of IPA and a Tom Crean traditional

Blacks St Tropez IPA Summer IPA 4.8%, 440 can

It’s summer and those brewery magicians at Blacks have bottled St Tropez for you in a gold colour and with a flirtatious white head that, like the summer, has no plans to hang around. Plenty of little bubbles in the cloud and, being Blacks, the personality is hops.

So okay, the party is not in the south of France. But a sunny garden on this island will do nicely. Bright citrus Cascade and resinous Simcoe hops have come to the party bringing grapefruit and mango both in the aroma (along with pine) and on the fresh palate and yes, that hop one two combination is quite a knockout. Fruit in the aromas and palate and no shortage of bitterness at the finalé.

They say: Maybe it’s the alcohol fumes, but crazy flavour fusions and quirky combos are constantly coming to us. We love nothing more than to experiment in the brewery to create craft beers with lots of personality and that pack a punch. Get them while they’re hop, our experimental brews aren’t around forever.

Hope Hop On Session IPA, 4.3%, 440 can Dunnes Stores

Attractive mid-gold colour on this one, lots of bubbles rising in a light haze. Hop-on is not the hoppiest beer you’ll taste but there’s enough bitterness there, with the mainly citrus fruit to balance the malty sweetness. It is indeed, as claimed, an easy drinking session IPA.

They say: Great with a cheeseboard or even a spice bag.

Geek Bits:

Malts: Vienna Malt, Oatflakes, Acidulated
Hops: Citra, El Dorado, Azacca
Yeast: American Ale

Tom Crean Kerry Surf & Turf Traditional Ale 4.2%, 440 can Brewery Sales

Came across this for the first time during a tour of the brewery in Kenmare on July 2nd (2021). Brewer Bill Sheppard: “… another new beer...A traditional ale with a real taste of Kerry, fusing the majestic mountain landscape and the crashing Atlantic surf, we infuse a combination of seaweed and peaty turf flavour to give a taste of ancient Kerry.” 

The smoker yields the peaty flavour while the seaweed is foraged kelp. There’s a natural nuttiness and sweetness here as the brewer attempts “to transition people to go to the second bottle". Ingredients are: barley malt, wheat, hops and yeast.

Colour is a dark amber, close to red, cloudy to be sure, and then there’s those peaty aromas. And on the palate, there’s no great evidence of the hops but there’s a tangy streak, perhaps from the kelp. Quite close to a red ale, methinks, and not a bad one at all. Looked like they drank well in ancient Kerry!

They say: The first commercially brewed beer in Kenmare for nearly 200 years and the first purpose built brewery in Kerry for probably the same length of time. All our craft beers are natural products, free from preservatives, additives and colouring.

Third Barrel Mr Blue Sky IPA, 7.0%, 440 can Bradleys

Hopped with 20g/l, this IPA is a hop monster. Hopped first with Citra and Simcoe to give a HUGE base of Grapefruit and Pineapple then hit again with a hefty tropical dose of Nelson and Mosaic. Malted barley, wheat and oats are also in the mix.

This is how Third Barrel introduce their orange coloured (more or less) Mr Blue Sky. Fluffy head doesn’t hang about. Citrus in the aromas, herbal notes too. Pretty intense (pineapple, grapefruit) on the palate, quite a concentration of the hops, one to sip rather than slug.

Curious Society “Atlantic 353” West Coast IPA 5.5%, 440ml can Bradleys

A light amber with a soft white head is what you see in the glass when you pour the Curious Society IPA, first produced by Larkins in Wicklow last March. Atlantic 353 is the name, after an old radio station and, if you like the artwork, they invite you “to check out Marconi’s radio station in Clifden”.

Citrus and pine show in the aromas. The first sip reveals a clean and flavoursome beer with a super texture and, despite what you might anticipate given the line-up of classic West Coast hops Magnum (bittering), Chinook, Centennial and Amarillo, this is not at all overly bitter. Very quaffable indeed with a long aftertaste. Best served cold, they advise; still I wouldn’t leave it too long in the fridge, think you’ll get more of the flavour if it’s not stone cold. 

A Quart of Ale± #39. Moving on over to craft with a session of IPA.

A Quart of Ale± #39

Moving on over to craft with a session of IPA.

Western Herd “Magic Road” IPA, 5.8%, 440ml can via Bradleys

Clare’s Western Herd bill this as a New England style IPA “brewed using experimental hops from the Charles Faram development program, so new to Irish brewing, they don’t even have names yet”.  They are acknowledged though via numbers on the can label.

Colour is a hazy lemon. Quite a bit of citrus (lemon) in the aromas along with a touch of pine. And you again meet the citrus and pine on the palate, nicely balanced here all the way through to the satisfactory finalé of this quite distinctive IPA with its dry and satisfying bite.

The instigators and leads of the Western Herd are the brother and sister team of Michael Eustace and Maeve Sheridan. “Our great, great, great, great, great, grandfather farmed the land where our brewery now stands.  Every time we would visit the farm growing up we would think ‘if only we could bottle this’!!!  We aspire to brew beers that embody the charm and character of this idyllic hilltop farm on the west coast of Ireland.” Bridger Kelleher is the brewer. He’s from Montana where they know their beer.

Label tale: Those privy to the holiday episode of Father Ted will have heard about the “Magic Road” - a place on the mainland where the laws of gravity have no meaning. A physics-defying wonder where cars roll up it. So, it’s a sort of a “mad road’, according to Dougal.

Notes for the Geek:

Style
New England IPA

Hops
CF160 (Mystic), CF184, CF185

Malts
Pale, Malted Oats, Flaked Oats, White Wheat, CaraPils

Rascals Yankee White IPA, 5.0%, 330 can via Bradleys

Rascals introduce this “hybrid” as: American IPA meets Belgian Witbier. Yankee is a hybrid of the two styles, hopped like an American IPA with the malt bill of a wheat beer and fermented with Belgian Wit yeast. 

Mid-amber, slightly hazy, is the colour; bubbles galore and it comes with a big fluffy head that is inclined to hang about. Aromas, as you might expect from the hops used and the addition of orange peel, are heavily in the citrus spectrum, some pine and herb also in the complex mix. And you get much the same on the palate as the soft hop-loaded beer moves gently across. Soft and light but with a refreshing and crisp finish. While the touted contribution of spice from the Belgian yeast is barely noticeable, Witbier does have some presence here; however, the complex hop flavour is centre-stage and I’m happy enough to place this under an IPA heading.

FOR THE BEER GEEKS!

Style: White IPA
Malts: Lager, Wheat, Oats, Acid
Hops: Magnum, Mandarina Bavaria, Mosaic, Citra, Amarillo 

Other: Orange Peel

Bitterness: Medium

Label: IPA meets Belgian Witbier and orange peel. Unfiltered. Unpasteurised. 

Porterhouse “Yippy” IPA 5.0%, 500ml bottle via Bradleys

Mid-amber is the colour of this heavy-on-the-hops American style IPA from Dublin’s Porterhouse. Aromas are fresh, pine and citrus. And the hop bill too plays a prominent role in the mouth with citrus and pine to the fore. Quite an impressive presence actually and the nicely judged bitterness is another plus from this refreshing drink.

Hops are Cascade, Amarillo, Mosaic and Citra plus Nugget and centennial.  Malts are Ale Malt, Wheat Malt, Dextrin Malt, Oat Malt, Vienna Malt and the brewery’s suggested pairings are the old reliables Burgers and Chicken Wings

Quite a few of the newer craft breweries are keen to tout their environmental credentials and Porterhouse have quite a list to their credit.

• Our spent hops are collected by mulch (http://mulch.ie) and are used for composting.
• Our effluent treatment system ensures waste water is safe to release to the water supply. Regular testing both by the brewery and Dublin water ensures this.
• Our modern brewing equipment is designed with energy efficiency in mind, heat exchangers reclaim energy in the form of heat and an extensive insulation system ensures the efficient use of our refrigeration system.
• The Brewery is a verified member of Origin Green (https://www.origingreen.ie/), a Bord Bia initiative enabling Ireland’s food/Drink industry to set and achieve sustainable food/Drink production.
• Our spent grain is collected by a farmer south of Dublin and used as cattle feed.

Third Barrel “Break from the Haze” West Coast IPA 8.5%, 440 Bradley’s

Don’t always get along with high ABV beers but Break from the Haze is highly compatible. It is, though, quite hazy in the glass, colour is close to orange and there’s a slight head that hangs around (though briefly). Aromas are fruity (of the exotic kind), along with citrus and gooseberry.

The “stupidly big dose” of New Zealand Bruce (for the dry hop) makes an immediate impact on the palate but the tropical fruit stands out too. Dense, like most high ABV beers, but the balance works well here as heft and harmony combine to the satisfying finale. One to sip and savour as you try and work out the design on the can. Looks a bit like the fingerprint I use to sign in to the Apple!

They say: This big ass double West Coast IPA is brewed with Loral and Idaho 7 hops in the whirlpool and a stupidly big dose of New Zealand Bruce for the dry hop.

So who are They? Third Barrel is a unique concept, a collaboration brewery between Stone Barrel Brewing and Third Circle Brewing who have combined their experience, resources, love for brewing and absolute passion for beer to create one of Ireland’s most cutting edge breweries. They can be found in Bluebell (D12).