A Quart of Ale± #48. On the craft journey with Pale Ale

A Quart of Ale± #48

On the craft journey with Pale Ale.

Trouble Brewing Lucky Pale Ale, 4.4%, 440 can Bradleys

A very pale yellow is the colour here with a white head that shrinks rapidly. Hazy too. Citrusy hoppy aromas are quite intense and the hoppy element follows through to the smooth palate. Oats and wheat are listed here but hardly a wheat ale. It is in fact crisp, flavoursome and well timed for late spring and summer.

Citra, Talus and Simcoe are the hops.

The Brewery: Trouble Brewing was founded in 2010 by three friends: Paul, Tom and Stephen. Tom had been homebrewing for years 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.

Whiplash Jupiters Pale Ale, 5.1%, 440ml can*

Jupiters, described by the producers as a “light, bright spacey beer”,  has a pale yellow, almost lemon, colour, very very hazy, with a soft white head that fades away quickly enough. Aromas are hefty and hoppy, a hint of pine, with citrus prominent. And the hops, reinforced in the whirlpool, dominate the palate with mango, passionfruit and pineapple singing their exotic song right though to the lip-smacking finalé. It is among the “hoppiest” of pale ales, not the one to start your craft journey with.

Label: Maris Otter, Wheat Malt, Oat Malt, Carapils, Galaxy, Denali. 

Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale, 4.3%, 500ml bottle O’Donovan’s

Dark amber (burnt amber, I’m told here) is the colour and there’s a white head that sinks slowly enough. And you notice a light citrus-y aroma, more blossom than fruit. Actually you have to give the label writer credit here as the words are more or less bang-on. It is fresh and tangy, a perfect balance between malt (biscuity) and hops (citrus) that gives its a crisp dry finish.  Maybe not exactly a perfect balance; in my opinion, it’s slightly tilted in favour of the malt but no big deal.

Recommended food pairings are barbecued meats, seafood and mature farmhouse cheeses.

They say: Our ethos is to brew natural, full flavoured, high quality and preservative free beers. The results are beers that have received numerous awards, including Gold Medals at the Irish Food Awards in 2014, 2015 and 2016 – the only Irish brewery to have achieved this distinction. Furthermore, our Irish Pale Ale and Amber Lager were Gold medal winners at the 2018 World Beer Awards. 

I’ve enjoyed a few pints of this on draught in its native county and it’s also widely available in 50cl bottle.

Brú “Tutti Frutti” Tropical Pale Ale, 5.5%, 440ml via beercloud.ie

This is part of the Meath brewery’s Urban Jungle series celebrating their “adventurous side”. An explosion of sweetness and a silky soft body make it an easy-drinking beer to delight the senses with every sip. Adventurous?

A gorgeous pale cold colour, slightly hazy, and a soft white slowly-sinking head are what you see. And there’s quite a lot of exotic fruit aromas to sniff. And then to savour on the palate, with Mango showing through along with grapefruit and pineapple.  

Brú say it is “inspired by the classic sweets” and  indicate that Tutti Frutti should remind you of those juicy fruity treats you enjoyed as a school-kid.

There’s real fruit purée and extracts in the mix here but it’s not all sweetness. The Enigma and Centennial hops provide enough backbone to give a reasonable balance and a bitter edge, especially towards the end. No problem sinking one of these, especially in a beer garden or a back garden on a summer’s day.

* - sample

BeoirFest 21 Kicks Off With Stout And Porter. Experts from Dungarvan Brewing, Kinnegar and Trouble onstage.

BeoirFest Kicks Off With Stout And Porter.

Experts from Dungarvan Brewing, Kinnegar and Trouble onstage

Dungarvan's Cormac took time off to go online last Saturday

Coconuts on a Donegal beach! That idyllic image was floated by Rick from Letterkenny based Kinnegar Brewery during the early stages of last weekend’s online Beoirfest.  Rick was joined "onstage" by Cormac of Dungarvan Brewing and John of Trouble Brewing.

Stout and Porter was the subject of the hour-long discussion and it threw up some very interesting points. Kinnegar’s Yannaroddy Porter is rich in traditional dark roasted malt flavours laced with an exotic streak of coconut and no, they don’t turn up on the local beach.

Clockwise from top left: Brian (moderator), Cormac (Dungarvan),
Johnny (Trouble Brewing) and Rick (Kinnegar)

Organiser Brian had started the ball rolling by asking what was the difference between Stout and Porter as he, like many of us, are regularly puzzled. Johnny quickly declared it was nebulous. Rick: “We don’t stick to historical definitions but Yannaroddy is more akin to porter.” He also said that being classed as porter takes it out of the shade of Guinness stout. Johnny remembered: "Yannaroddy was one of my first tastes of craft beer… super rich."

Coconut, plus a question from the "audience", quickly led to talking about other additions. Cormac warned that the use of adjuncts must be subtle. “Barley gives plenty of flavour.. you don't want additions to take over.”

Where Kinnegar started: K1

Johnny agreed and indeed all three spoke about small margins and trail and error. Not too much trial and error with Trouble’s Dark Arts Porter, one of their original recipes and “still going strong”. “No roast barley, it is porter, on the lighter side, great for a session.”

Rick said he was a big fan of Dark Arts. “Both versions drink nicely..classic easy-drinking..very enjoyable.”

Rick added that Stout and Porter accounts for 5% or less of the Irish craft market. “The general Irish interest in Stout doesn’t translate to the craft sector.”

 Cormac agreed: It’s not going to be the biggest seller in the range. But as a brewery, you like to have the full range to keep it interesting. It’s part of a huge variation. Very boring if we all went for fashion. Keep it interesting!”

Rick agreed: “it would be a very meagre landscape if it was just IPAs.” 

Cormac then told us about his winter stout, the rich Coffee and Oatmeal Stout that they’ve been producing for the past ten years. "We get the oatmeal from our neighbours Flahavan’s for its creaminess. The coffee, and it’s a different one each year, comes from Badger & Dodo roasters. There’s usually a bit of trial and error as we try to find the sweet spot. The beans that produce a nice cup may not necessarily work well in the stout blend."

Johnny really loves this one: “The oatmeal is spot on ..not too much coffee.”

Rick said balance is so important: “You don't want overwhelming flavours - happens a lot at festivals. Of course you do want a flavour experience but you also want a social experience - you don't want to be kicked in the head all the time!”

Then Cormac told us that Dungarvan were experimenting with cans (even can conditioning!). They started by bottling everything, then added cask and, locally, keg. Now it seems it's time to go canning. “Cans are huge… let us try can conditioning and see how it goes. Interesting!”

Seems to be going well. Rick had one of their very first cans and declared it tastes wonderful.

Next week Brian has Canvas, White Hag, and Black Donkey lined up for a chat about yeasts and sours. If you want to sample of the beers they'll be bringing, get your hands on Liminal Barrel 26, Púca, and Sheep Stealer.

Later weeks will feature Wicklow, Hopfully, Dublin City, Crafty Bear, Blacks, FourProvinces as well as a Cider event featuring Tempted, Legacy and Stonewell.

Brian is using a platform called Airmeet that also allows a lot of interaction so remote punters can ask questions and win beer and kit. Check it all out here.

A Quart of Ale± #16. Moving on over to craft. Stout & Porter.

A Quart of Ale± #16

Moving on over to craft. 

Stout/Porter 

Starting off with a couple of excellent Irish porters and finishing with a pair of equally excellent stouts. In between, I take a look at the Founders Porter though not as impressed with this as I was with their Breakfast Stout .

By the way, the terms Porter and Stout are interchangeable according to the latest World Atlas of Beer. Craft Beer for the Geeks say stout is a stronger version of porter.

Trouble Brewing “Dark Arts Porter” 4.4%, 440ml can Bradley’s of Cork

Pours black as you’d expect and you can get quite a head (coffee coloured) if the pour is more rapid than usual. Chocolate, caramel and coffee among the aromas. And they also feature in the flavours. Indeed this lighter bodied black reminds me of those well made light dry red wines that have become very popular in recent years. A very decent porter indeed (though I still retain a preference for stouts).

Trouble Brewing are very happy with the early success of this one, and why not. Their Facebook: Dark Arts is the second beer we ever brewed here in Trouble and has stood the test of time to become one of Ireland's outstanding porters. 

I’m regularly amazed as to how often brewers get things right from the get-go. Howling Gale by Eight Degrees and Black’s KPA are early examples and Trouble say they’ve never touched the Dark Arts recipe since the initial production.

Kinnegar Yannaroddy Porter 4.8%, 440ml can Ardkeen Store

Where did they get the name? Sounds Australian to me. But no, they found it in their own little corner of Donegal where they get all the names for their beers. A stone’s throw from the brewery is a field with the intriguing name Yannaroddy.

Ever wondered about those mad illustrations on the Kinnegar cans under the theme “Follow the hops”. “Kinnegarland” is illustrated by the inimitable Dermot Flynn www.dermotflynn.com 

They say: Yannaroddy Porter is rich in traditional dark roasted malt flavours laced with an exotic streak of coconut.

Hadn’t known about the coconut when I tried it but certainly the coffee and caramel are there in the aromas and on the flavour-packed palate. Black, of course, is the colour and the coffee coloured head is slow enough to vanish. It is velvety smooth, good acidity too on the way to a lip-smacking finish.

Not surprisingly, Yannaroddy is one of their core beers. The others are Scraggy Bay India Pale Ale, Limeburner Pale Ale, Devil’s Backbone (Amber Ale), Rustbucket Rye Ale, and Crossroads American Style IPA. By the way, they don’t filter or pasteurise, and let their industrious little friends, the yeast, carbonate the beer naturally during fermentation.

Founders “Porter” 6.5%, 355ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Co-Founders Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers opened the doors to the 9800 square foot Founders brewery in downtown Grand Rapids in 1997. But the years that followed were tough before the Michigan brewery’s rise to be one of the top rated in the world began in the opening years of this century.

Black is the expected colour of this “robust” porter and the head is coffee coloured. Sweet nose of malty chocolate and caramel. Silky on the palate, richly flavoured, sweetish, yet dry in the finish. Dark, Rich and Sexy, the label proclaims. Dark, Silky and Sweet, methinks. Perhaps a little too sweet for me. ABV is 6.5 while the IBU is 45.

By the way, you might like to try their Dark n’ Stormy cocktail, based on this porter. “This cocktail may look complicated, but rest-assured, even the least kitchen-savvy among us could recreate this with ease. Impress your friends and family this holiday season with this beauty.” All the details here 

Heaney “Irish Stout” 4.3%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

This stout is from the Heaney Farmhouse Brewery in Co. Derry. It is black, with a coffee coloured head that loses volume pretty quickly. 

Stick your finger in the head and taste the coffee and chocolate which are more or less what you’ll get from the aromas. No oatmeal here but the palate is rich and smooth, caramel and chocolate and that roasted malt finish, a dry one also. Competition in the stout arena is quite stiff and this one is well up to the average.

Heaney’s always come up with food pairings and here they suggest slow-cooked meat dishes or a rich chocolate dessert.

White Gypsy “Old Smoke” 5.4%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Old Smoke was the nickname of John Morrissey, a boxer from Templemore (Co. Tipperary) - the home of White Gypsy - who gained fame and infamy for his exploits both in and out of the ring in the US during the 19th century. 

Is there much smoke here? Not really, but you certainly notice it in the malty aromas which mostly feature coffee and chocolate. Colour is a shade or two short of a solid black; nice head (cream/coffee in colour) but doesn’t hang around. Lovely beer though with mellow roasted flavours, with malt more to the fore. Not like your usual stout but I could easily go through a session with this very distinctive one!

They say:  Traditionally, beers made in the midlands would have had a slight smokiness due to the malt being dried from peat fires, this stout brings out that combination of smoke & roast while remaining light on the palate. Beer is a fantastic ingredient to use in cooking (and baking). A family favourite is an Old Smoke Stout Stew. 

Wikipedia: Smoked beer (German: Rauchbier) is a type of beer with a distinctive smoke flavour imparted by using malted barley dried over an open flame. The Rauchbiers of Bamberg in Germany, Schlenkerla in particular, are the best-known of the smoked beers.

A Quart of Ale± #7. Moving on over to craft with a classy quartet

A Quart of Ale± #7

Moving on over to craft with a classy quartet.

Here, and in #8, we'll be trying a few pale ales that could well help a beer drinker make the move from mass produced stuff to a really good beer. As it happens, the quartet are Irish, and each is very approachable indeed. If you're a bit unsure as to where to start, why not try the Ambush and then move on back up to the Howling Gale (my favourite of the four).

Eight Degrees Howling Gale Pale Ale 4.5%, 440ml can, Bradley’s of Cork

With its familiar label statement of Fresh Citrus and Grapefruit, Howling Gale blew into our lives about nine years ago. We’ve changed a lot since then but not this superb ale, one they got more or less correct from the off, and is still their most popular beer.

You get a smack around the gills, they say, when you sup this refreshing ale. But nothing fishy about this Ballyhoura hero, perfectly formed from day one. Pleasant citrus aroma from the Cascade and Simcoe Hops, these hops and sweet malt harmonious on the palate and the bittering hops are waiting for you at the finalé. No shortage of carbonation in this mid-amber ale and no regrets when you pull that tab and pour. Enjoy - you’re in good company.

They say: This Irish Pale Ale delivers a refreshing crisp smack around the gills. With a pleasant grapefruit citrus aroma from Cascade and Simcoe hops, it has a biscuit malt sweetness, followed by an attractive bitter finish.

Style: Irish Pale Ale
Malt: Irish pale malt, Carapils, Munich, Cara
Hops: Nugget, Cascade, Simcoe
Strength: 4.5% ABV
Bitterness: 38 IBUs

As always, Eight Degrees come up with Food Pairings:  Pale Ales are traditionally seen a great foil for spicy food – there’s a little bit of sweetness there that will cut the chilli burn – but don’t miss the chance to have Howling Gale with fish and chips (or in the batter for the fish!). It’s well worth trying with a Cashel Blue and Broccoli Gratin, the bright citrus notes act like a squeeze of lemon with smoked salmon or pair it with semi-soft, washed rind cheeses like Milleens, Durrus and Gubbeen.

12 Acres Pale Ale 4.6abv, 500ml bottle, SuperValu

This golden Pale Ale is the flagship beer from the 12 Acres Brewery in County Laois. Our Land to Your Glass is the logo here, based on the fact that all of the water used and some of the barley comes from the family farm.

Mid-amber is the colour, slightly hazy and not that much carbonation going on. The white head stays for a while but soon contracts to a thin disc. Aromas are modest. 

Their own plus “a small quantity of three other European speciality malts” add texture and a sweet caramel flavour on the palate before the three American hops (Cascade, Willamette and Citra) get their say towards the end.

They say the beer has more emphasis on the malt flavour than a traditional APA, has a distinctive American Pale Ale bitterness and citrus flavour. “Our pale ale is also dry hopped to give a lovely tropical fruit aroma to the finished beer. Best served 6-8 degrees. It goes great with spicy foods!”

Wicklow Wolf Elevation Pale Ale 4.8%, 440ml can Bradley’s of Cork

Nice bright amber colour with bubbles rushing to the white head that soon fades away. A mildly hoppy aroma. The hops edge it on the palate, good flavour overall and a very easy-drinking beer, welcome as a once off or for a session. Another excellent effort, a more or less perfect Pale Ale, from the Wolf.

They say: An incredibly drinkable Pale Ale bursting with juicy fruits of pineapple and grapefruit from an abundance of hop additions. Refreshing.

Food pairings: roasted or grilled meat.

Cheese Mild or medium cheddar.

Serve at 8 degrees. It is unfiltered, unpasteurised and the IBU is 40.

Hops: Mosaic, Mandarina Bavaria, Calypso

Malt: Pale, Cara Ruby, Melano, Wheat.

Trouble Brewing Ambush Juicy Pale Ale, 5.0%, 440ml can, Bradley's of Cork

This is a hazy beer (little evidence of carbonation) with a light straw colour, and a soft white head that slowly sinks. Exotic fruit aromas, mango and pineapple, hops too, in the mix. And then much the same fruits combining delightfully on the palate, this juicy pale ale, with its moderately hoppy backbone, makes you stop and take notice. 

You’ve been ambushed. So, sit back and relax with each silky juicy mouthful (make that each sip - you’ll want to let the magic linger), as you’ve got one of the best of class in your hand.

Malts used are Irish Pale, Oats (credited with imparting the smoothness), Carapils and Crystal while hops are Mosaic, El Dorado and Citra. 

They say: Trouble Brewing is a craft brewery based in Kill, Co. Kildare, set up in 2009 by three close friends Paul, Thomas and Stephen. Trouble Brewing is one of a small number of Irish breweries producing quality craft beer in order to offer people an alternative to the large multinationals, that spend more money on advertising than on ingredients, and specialise in bland.

A Quart of Ale± #4. Ales from Ireland's East Coast

A Quart of Ale± #4

Whiplash “Body Riddle” Pale Ale 4.5%, 33cl can, Bradley's

Pale straw colour, hazy with a short-lived white head. Citrus and pine in the aromatics. And the duo also feature in the soft easy-drinking body. Lots of hops but no domination - IBU is a very presentable 26 - making sure you get flavour galore without scaring away the newbies. Absolutely enjoyable, start to finalé. Not too much more to say about this gem but, with me, that’s often a good sign. I’ve made up my mind early and the verdict is a major thumbs up.

Alex Lawes and Alan Wolf, the founders, are the men behind Dublin’s Whiplash. They went full time in 2018, brewing at facilities across Ireland and Europe. In 2019, came the announcement of their new brewery. Whiplash beers are now exported to the UK, Italy, Spain, France, Finland and the Netherlands too with more coming up. Quality is always and will always be the focus.

Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8%, 330ml can, Bradley’s

Whiplash Artwork by Sophie De Vere

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. “Now, that’s a beer,” my tasting companion declared (having “suffered” earlier through a Radler and a sour). 

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.

Trouble Brewing Vietnow  IPA, 5.5%, 440ml can, Bradley’s

Vietnam is a fairly cloudy one when it pours. If you have time and peer closely enough though the haze, you’ll see fountains of bubbles rising. The white head soon settles down to a fraction of its original size. Hoppy aromas with a lash of citrus notes. I like the character of this one, quite a stern contrast to the gentleness of American style ales which seem to be currently multiplying on the Irish scene like yeast at a sugar fest. A quintet of hops would suggest total hop domination but there’s nothing as extreme as that and the beer is very well balanced indeed, the malt doing its job.

Aficionados who enjoy the American style may not be wholly pleased with this one which has been brewed in partnership with and available exclusively on draught from Dublin pubs Blackbird, Cassidys, and P. Macs.

Hops used are Centennial, Chinook, Simcoe, Amarillo and Mosaic while the malt end is well represented by Crystal Rye which adds a touch of spice and helps darken the colour to amber.

Trouble Brewing Sabotage IPA, 5.5%, 500ml bottle, Bradley’s

Amber is the colour here and a cloudy enough one at that. The white head is short-lived. Aromas are malty, toasty. A terrific balance of hops (no less than five varieties apparently - really wish they’d get that website up and running) and malts on the palate, before a lip-smacking bitter finish. Not too much more to say about this one but that’s often the case when the beer is entirely satisfactory. Trouble Brewing is based in Kildare.

Wicklow Wolf “Elevation” Pale Ale 4.8%,  440ml can O'Briens Wine 

Nice bright amber colour with bubbles rushing to the white head that soon fades away. A mildly hoppy aroma. Nice balance of malt and hops on the palate, good flavour overall and a very easy-drinking beer, welcome as a once off or for a session. Another excellent effort, more or less perfect Pale Ale, from the Wolf.

They say: An incredibly drinkable Pale ale bursting with juicy fruits of pineapple and grapefruit from an abundance of hop additions. Refreshing.Mosaic, Mandarina Bavaria, Calypso Malt, Pale, Cara Ruby, Melano, Wheat.

Food pairings: roasted or grilled meat.

Cheese” Mild or medium cheddar.

A Quart of Ale±. #2 Featuring Blacks Brewery, Yellowbelly, Trouble Brewing and Wicklow Wolf

A Quart of Ale± #2
Featuring Blacks Brewery, Yellowbelly, Trouble Brewing and Wicklow Wolf

Number Two in a new series on beer. I'll be doing the best I can to cover a broad range but, if I'm missing out on your brewery, just let me know. While the focus will be mainly on Irish craft beers (and ciders), I'll also dip into the best of imports. Today's selection roams over the range, with beers from Blacks of Kinsale, Yellow Belly of Wexford, Trouble Brewing Dublin and from the Wicklow Wolf brewery.

Blacks “Ace of Haze” DDH Cryo New England IPA, 4.2%, 440ml can, Bradleys Cork

We came to this one, our lips still wet from drinking a bottle of Blacks KPA during a meal at the excellent Cornstore in the heart of Cork City. I have to say straight up that we agreed that this New Englander is a lovely beer, very drinkable, but also agreed that the KPA is our favourite of the two.

Okay. KPA stands for Kinsale Pale Ale, so a pale ale. But what’s a New England IPA? Blacks say: Characterised by juicy, citrus and floral flavours and a smoother less piney taste than some other IPAs you might be familiar with, New England IPA is a style that became popular in Vermont USA in the 2010s. Hazy in appearance with a soft mouthfeel, NEIPA's are brewed without adding hops to the boil and with the use of specific yeast strains to achieve the desired result. Often described as a more fruit forward IPA with lower perceived bitterness but massively hop forward with flavours and aromas derived from the use of dry hopping techniques.

This NEIPA (hardly an abbreviation!) is a hazy yellow. It weighs in at 4.2% (as against 5 for the KPA) so it certainly a session contender. No shortage of hops in the mix but it’s the fruit, citrus and exotic, that makes its mark rather than any bitterness (which is there, in the background). Very drinkable though and sure to gather up lots of fans. By the way, Blacks have at least one other Haze edition.

They say: This banging beer was brewed with passion and an absurd amount of cryogenically frozen Mosaic, Citra and Simcoe hops not forgetting a touch of inspiration from some rock classics that are commonly heard on the brewery floor on brew days. The malt bill of Barley, Oats and Wheat gives plenty of body and character but we have kept the ABV on the lower end for IPA's so you can enjoy more than 1 or 2 in a sitting.

Yellowbelly “Citra Pale Ale” American Pale Ale, 4.8%, 440ml can, Bradleys Cork

Hazy yellow is the colour here, a white head (size and length depends a lot on how you pour, probably best if on draught). You’ll probably de-juice that Citra Hops are used here. Head Brewer Declan Nixon has also employed German and Belgian malts. I think he’s judged this to a “T” and has come up with a really well-balanced beer.

A hint of pine in the aromas and this smooth drinking beer has citrus flavours, is very pleasant on the palate and, with all that, plus the help of a modest enough alcohol count of 4.8%, has that second glass appeal for sure.

Let us hear what the Wexford crew have to say for themselves: Our Citra Pale Ale is brewed with the finest German & Belgian malts, fermented with a super clean American ale yeast and dry hopped to the gills with Citra. The resulting beer should be enjoyed as fresh as possible to appreciate the grapefruit and pine aroma and super clean finish.

They regard it as a flagship beer. Citra Pale Ale can be enjoyed year-round on draught or in can from your favourite bars, restaurants and off-licences. It was voted Best Beer in Ireland 2019 – Beoir Awards

Trouble Brewing “Dark Arts” Porter, 4.4%, 500ml bottle, Bradleys Cork

Pours black as you’d expect and you can get quite a head (coffee coloured) if the pour is more rapid than usual. Chocolate, caramel and coffee among the aromas. And they also feature in the flavours, balanced by a freshness, almost like acidity in wine. Indeed this lighter bodied black reminds me of those well made light dry red wines that have become very popular in recent years. A very decent porter even if I still retain a preference for stouts.

Trouble Brewing are very happy with the early success of this one, and why not. Their Facebook: Dark Arts is the second beer we ever brewed here in Trouble and has stood the test of time to become one of Ireland's outstanding porters. 

I’m regularly amazed as to how often brewers get things right from the get-go. Howling Gale by Eight Degrees, Black’s KPA are early examples and Trouble say they never touched the Dark Arts recipe since the initial production. Eight Degrees also started with a porter but that has been sidelined and replaced with their Knockmealdown Stout. Perhaps there’s a message there. 

Wicklow Wolf Mammoth IPA, 6.2%, 440ml can, O'Briens Wines

Colour of this West Coast IPA is close to amber with a nice fluffy head that sinks quite slowly. It gets its name because a mammoth amount of Simcoe, Chinook, Cascade and Eureka! have been used to pump up the fruit. And the hops take the lead in the aromas as well. Very much floral and citrus in the palate as you’d expect but no shortage of malt either (Pale ,Cara Ruby the varieties used). Rather a muscular beer (compared, say, to Trouble Brewing’s Ambush) but the muscle’s not out of control and the Mammoth will find a welcome in any good beer circle.