A Quart of Ale± #87. On the craft journey with a session of Whiplash, Journeyman, O Brother, Trouble Brewing

A Quart of Ale± #87

On the craft journey with Whiplash, Journeyman, O Brother, Trouble Brewing

Whiplash Immolator Triple Decoction Smoked Dopplebock 8.6%, 440ml can Whiplash Online

This lager, for that’s what it is, has a red colour, thanks in part to the treble decoction. Treble what? Look decoction up here. And this dopplebock is also smoked! And that means you get quite a bit of bacon in the flavours! According to the ever enthusiastic, ever inventive crew at Whiplash this is the lager you need but don’t deserve this winter! Not your common garden lager. One to enjoy though.

That smokiness is down to the Beech Smoked Malt, straight from the German town and beer pilgrimage site of Bamberg. 

I’ll let the Whiplash gang tell you the story: A simple base of Light Munich and Beech Smoked Malt straight from Bamberg, this one is a homage to a Bamberg classic. We’ve brought our own flair to the party by lashing this one into our dedicated decoction vessel not once, not twice, but thrice. The benefit of which has added colour and caramel malt richness to this one without incorporating any cloying sweetness. A touch of Magnum in the boil, a ferment on our house lager yeast WLP833, and a very long cold maturation has delivered something that’s both huge and strangely nuanced and all the while is like living in smokehouse, supping big German lagers in the middle of a bacon fight.

Geek Bits

Malts: Smoked Malt, Munich Malt.

Hops: Magnum

Yeast: WLP833 (house lager yeast)

Artwork: @izzyrosegrange

After opening on the red colour, you may well sniff out a little bacon in the modest aromas. Modest then goes out the window on the intense palate. Intense but not at all overly so. That caramel malt richness is certainly there.  And the bacon is there but not a dominating factor. Overall, there’s a good balance, a Marzan style richness, between the main actors, the malt and smoke, right through to the finish. Be sure and try one for this is a beer to shift you from the routine.

Better again, try this along with Kinnegar’s Rauchbier, Galway Bay’s Marzen to the Fire Smoked Marzen and Wicklow Wolf’s Ranchero. Could be quite a session especially if you add the Bamberg classic Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen (fairly widely available in Ireland).

Wikipedia describes an immolator as “One of a sect of Russian fanatics who practised self-mutilation and sacrifice”. Would the lash of a whip have anything to do with that self-mutilation? Don’t see anything on the can’s small print emoticon!!! In any event, I’m up for a can of this Whiplash anyway!

Journeyman Session IPA 4.5%, 500ml bottle, X-Mas present

Pale orange colour, a hazy one, but lots of bubbles visible. Nice soft head is not for hanging around. Aromas are fresh and tangy, citrus led, hints of pine. Fruity enough on the palate and here too the malt shows up well and then a bitter-sweet finish. Refreshing with good balance, easy-drinking and well fitted out for that session.

Based at the Station Works in Dundalk, the Pearse Lyons Brewery is known for The Foxes Rock range of Irish Craft Beers. Foxes Rock is produced alongside well known Irish brands such as our Journeyman and Brown Bear. Lots of brew specials hit the bars and shops throughout the year. Station Works and the Pearse Lyons Distillery (near St Jame’s) are part of the family owned Alltech Beverage company that is also brewing and distilling in the USA.

O Brother The Chancer APA 5.4%, 440ml can O’Briens Wine

“The Chancer is our American-style pale ale, a bold and fresh one.” 

It has a straw/orange colour, a soft white head with little staying power. More pleasant than bold in the aromas with citrus leading the way, pine notes in there too, the hops having their say.  And the grapefruit flavours, now with more exotic companions, are found on the palate but quite a bit of balance there too thanks to the light malt base of Irish Pale and Cara Malt. All in all quite a refreshing thirst quencher, with a clean crisp finish. Go on and take a chance!

The hops are Galaxy and Cascade. The American Cascade gets much of the credit for the Grapefruit and floral notes while the Cascade (from Oz) shows its paces with Passionfruit and Peach and also some citrus.

Trouble Brewing Park Life, Helles Lager 4.9%, 440ml can O’Briens Wine

Light amber is the colour of this Helles Lager from Kildare’s Trouble Brewing; the white fluffy head is quick to vanish. Aromas are light, just a touch of citrus. It is though full-bodied on the palate with malty biscuity-flavours, very refreshing. Pretty true to type and one of their core beers.

Helles is a type of lager, traditionally produced around Munich in Germany. The Trouble version was originally brewed in collaboration with The Taphouse in Ranelagh

Ingredients – Water, malted barley, hops & yeast

A little bit on Trouble, in their own words: When we started making beer ten years ago, there were less than ten craft breweries in Ireland. From the get-go we set ourselves apart by brewing styles that no one else was producing. Take our now legendary Pumpkin Ale, a first for Ireland and brewed with pumpkins grown by our founder Paul’s mom Deirdre. We were also at the forefront of bringing the east coast pale ale style to these shores and we continue to push the boundaries with new styles. We mainly brew hop forward, session beers to be enjoyed by all, but we’re always happy to experiment — only a few ideas are too dumb.

A Quart of Ale± #85. On the craft journey with Whiplash, Lineman, Lough Gill and ToØl.

 A Quart of Ale± #85

On the craft journey with Whiplash, Lineman, Lough Gill and ToØl.

Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut Brown Ale 5.5%, 440ml can O’Briens Wine

The team at Lough Gill admit to having hand-toasted “trays upon trays of macadamia nuts” for this brown ale in its early days. No doubt about the colour here, a rich dark reddish brown (though you can spot the Christmas tree lights through it!) And a foamy tan head. Rather handsome overall from the introduction that deposits bags of flavours. It has an excellent body and a nice balance of hops and malt.

Macadamia nuts, by the way, are native to Australia and are full of healthy fats. Lough Gill, having roasted the nuts, soon found that thanks to top quality malts and hops they had a luxurious brown beer, with a rich nutty flavour, on their hands.

The current edition has a nose packed with nuts, cocoa, caramel milk, and a dusting of cocoa. More of the same on the smooth palate, fruit and chocolate too with enough of a contribution from the hops to enable balance.

I first came across this tempting easy-drinker back in 2017 and was very impressed. Glad to report that the lover affair is resumed. 

Whiplash Das Model Vienna Lager 4.8%, 440ml can Whiplash Online

Vienna Lagers, according to the producers of Das Model, are wonderful for their allowance of generous malt aroma, flavour, full body and balance. Das Model is no exception.  An amber/orange colour, like Tanora for the Cork readers, greets you in the glass, a soft foamy head slipping away. 

And speaking of Cork… it is now to be the base of Jake, the man who made this beer for Dublin’s busy Whiplash. It is, they say, a fine addition to this year’s lager series. “We've been lucky to have him as part of team Whiplash for the last 10 months but he's now on to adventures anew... To Cork! We're already planning a Whiplash invasion down there to visit. Be warned. Sancho Forever.”

Let us know folks when you make that visit and we’ll join with Jake in the welcome! 

 

Malts are key in Vienna lagers and here Jake and Co have used Melanoidin and Carapils and they help give that striking colour plus the aromas of honey sweetness and  an expected light touch of bread and toast.

Whiplash were on guard against too much cloying and so more hops were enlisted to get the balance right. That secret weapon was the Bruce Blend, a combination hop blend of “our favourite New Zealand hops like Nelson, Motueka, Pacific Jade and Pacifica.”  And Mr Bruce enlivens the malt base with lime zest, citrus and floral character, even notes of Sauvignon Blanc. So there you are. Generous malt aroma, flavour, full body and balance. What’s not to like?

And there’s more! Das Model gets their house lager yeast, WLP833, treatment during its “good cold lagering for a pleasantly crisp finish that rounds out this stylish modern lager, bringing it back to session-ability among all that heft”.  Sounds more or less perfect. Tastes that way too!

Lineman Fluid Dynamic Extra Pale Ale 4.8%, 440ml can O’Briens Wine

Lineman has been getting some serious attention recently and they keep up the good work with this Extra Pale Ale. It is named Fluid Dynamic and the hops chosen were the all American trio of Citra (citrus, mango, melon), Idaho 7 (pineapple, pine, berry) and Chinook (grapefruit, pine, spice).

I’ve included their characteristics in the brackets above and the beer follows through and delivers across the range of aromas and flavours from citrus to mango to pine with a little spice thrown in for good measure. This unpasteurised and unfiltered beer is a soft and pleasant one on the palate, brewed deliberately using barley and wheat malts to make it light and clean and let the hops take centerstage but without taking over.

Colour is a bright yellow/gold, almost totally clear, with no shortage of bubbles. Besides, the  pale ale (not quite certain why the extra is employed here) is both very satisfying and sessionable in a style that could well have wide appeal. Well done to the crew at Lineman.

ToØl Implosion Non Alcoholic 0.3%, 330ml can O’Briens Wine

Colour is a hazy yellow. Aromas hint of the yeast, a hint too of fresh pine. No explosion of flavours on the crisp palate but quite a pleasant balance and a good dry refreshing finish.  Doesn’t seem that much has changed since a late 2020 tasting.

They then sympathised with drinkers stuck with lack-lustre non alcoholic beers. So, they threw out the rule book away to make Implosion beer. “We used a yeast that, when it ferments, doesn't create alcohol but still gives off amazing, ale esters. We then added hops to create a delicate, aromatic profile - and therefore didn't need to boil off the beer at the end of the process and risk losing all those amazing flavours.”  Still some work to do, I’d say.

Irish non alcoholic beer versions - at least those that I’ve tried - are also falling that bit short while the German Weihenstephaner “Original Helles” <0,5% abv, is worth a try. If you fancy cider, the Stonewell (Zero) and Highbank (Driver’s) are very satisfactory indeed.

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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Beer of the Year 2021 - the short list!

Beer of the Year 2021

- the short list!

Cheers!

Not very short but shorter than it was! It is going to be a blanket finish. List below is in alphabetical order. Final result next week.

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

Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner

Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose

Mescan Brewery Old Brown

Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA

Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter 

Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale

 

A Quart of Ale± #84. On the craft journey with a session Whiplash, Porterhouse, Whitefield and Eight Degrees

 A Quart of Ale± #84

On the craft journey with an excellent session of Whiplash, Porterhouse, Whitefield and Eight Degrees

Whitefield Brewery “Woodville” Session Pale Ale 4.3%, 500ml bottle Bradleys

This pale ale from Tipperary has a light amber colour with a soft suds head that’s inclined to hand about a bit (the malt used may have something to do with that stability). There’s a lemony aroma with herbal notes and that “Mediterranean twist”. It is also found on the palate with a touch of green tea. Quite a flavoursome beer, nicely balanced with a little malt sweetness and the judicious use of the hops. An impressive session beer for sure.

For the Geek:

Hops: Styrian Fox (Slovenia).

Malt: Eraclea (Italy)

As you may know, the brewery formerly named White Gypsy has rebranded to Whitefield; the rebrand is still ongoing. Drawing all the names from their Templemore (County Tipperary) locality, even some of the beers have been renamed. This particular ale was Gladiator and is now named after a downland in Templemore.

Whiplash Blue Ghosts German Pils 5.2%, 440ml can Whiplash Online

Pale yellow is the colour of this German Pils from Whiplash who say: We’ve fermented Blue Ghosts on our favourite lager strain WLP833 - giving it all that great mouthfeel and malt complexity that the strain provides without interfering with that hop profile before allowing it the long cold sleep it deserves before packaging. …has fast become a team favourite. Grab it before we drink it all.

It is a clear beer with plenty of bubbles on view. The hops, Saaz and Hersbrucker, also bring something to the party and you’ll notice herbal hints, even grassy notes, along with the influence of Bergamot in both aromas and palate. They didn’t spare the hops using 10g/l of Saaz and Hersbrucker and say it is unique in that it is heavily whirlpool hopped, not dry hopped. Perfect for outdoors in the sun but not bad by the fireside either.

The Blue Ghosts are given some bodily heft by the use of Pilsner and Carapils malts. By the way, that yeast strain, WLP833, is regarded as ideal for German style lagers and that certainly seems to be the case here with yet another well executed beer, a really excellent lager, from the busy Whiplash team.

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Porterhouse Rambler Juicy Pale Ale 4.6%, 440ml can O’Briens Wine

The Rambler has a light orange colour in the glass with a white head. “One for the juice heads,” say Porterhouse, based on the three hops used at whirlpool and hop. Well, it is juicy, moderately hoppy also, with a good dry finish.

The three hops added to the basic Magnum are: El Dorado (Apricot, tropical, citrus), Enigma (Grape, Berry, Melon), Eukanot (Mandarin, Melon, Mango). Their individual characteristics are in the brackets so you can see how they contribute to the result with a mild enough citrus and mango to the fore. 

Dextrin, Ale, Wheat, Oats, and Crystal keep the malt end up, noticeable in the fuller body and a touch of caramel. Quite a delicious and easy drinking fruity ale to be fair, well made, and worth a try for sure.

Eight Degrees Full Irish Single Malt IPA 6.0%, 440 ml can

Gold, with an amber streak, is the colour of this Single Malt from Eight Degrees. Like the “Full Irish”, this has everything!

A lovely white head that sinks away, eventually. Lots of citrus-y aromas (grapefruit, mango ) from the four strong team of All-American hops (Amarillo, Citra, Simcoe and Cascade), floral notes too. And hops galore on the palate but not having it all their own way as the pale malt finds ways of having its biscuity say as the juice flows across. And it is bitterness and sweetness in lockstep that take you through to the end of the aftertaste, ready to go again. Not surprised that this hoppy fruit bomb has a string of awards to its credit.

Geek Bits

Style: Single malt IPA
Malt: 100% Irish pale malt
Hops: Simcoe, Cascade, Citra, Amarillo
Strength: 6.0% ABV
Bitterness: 65 IBUs

Food pairings
This single malt ale will pair beautifully with simple grilled fish and barbecued chicken kebabs, the sweet malt flavours working well with anything that’s been caramelised on the grill. Don’t miss an opportunity to try it with something spicier, like barbecued piri-piri prawns and it is also an exceptionally good match with smoked duck, the hops cutting through the rich meat. To finish, get a slice of carrot cake alongside a glass of this and revel in how the beer balances out the cake’s sweetness.

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Beer of the Year 2021 - the long list!

 Beer of the Year 2021 - the list!

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

Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Lager

Eight Degrees Irish Oak-aged Barleywine 12.2%

Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner

Heaney New England IPA

Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose

Land & Labour Crimson Kriek Framboise

Lineman “Vesper" Pale Ale

Mescan Brewery Old Brown

O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro

Trouble Brewing Lights Out DIPA

Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA
Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter

Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale

- Will be "working" on this long list of my favourite beers in 2021 over the Christmas break. Soon, a short list will be published and then my champ!

Will also name a selection across the various style.

December (short list)

Coffee and Oatmeal Stout: Dungarvan

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

Porter: Whiplash The Sup

Session: Eight Degrees Seisíun IPA 4.5%

Rauchbier: Kinnegar 20÷2 Anniversary Rauchbier 5%

Barleywine: Eight Degrees Irish Oak-aged Barleywine 12.2%