A Quart of Ale± #115. On the craft journey with Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash, Lough Gill, O Brother and Kinnegar.

 A Quart of Ale± #115

On the craft journey with Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash, Lough Gill and O Brother.

Wicklow Wolf Locavore Summer 2022 Foraged Elderflower Saison 6.5%, 440 ml can Bradleys

In introducing Locavore Summer 2022, Wicklow Wolf tell us it is a Foraged Elderflower Saison brewed with elderflower foraged right on the hop farm and our very own malted barley and wheat.

There is a slight and short-lived white head and the colour is a clear amber/gold. The Elderflower is immediately noticeable in the aromatics with herbal and floral notes, and hints of resin in the background. Quite a current of tropical fruit and orange comes through on the palate of this light and crisp beer, deeply refreshing and with a lip smacking finish. Pretty unique and another worthy effort from the Wolf pack, another cub to be proud of.

And that uniqueness owes much to Wicklow. The brewers: “In early June we made a trip to the hop farm to forage some elderflower for this year’s Locavore Summer 2022.For our Summer Locavore release, we forage the wild landscape of Wicklow for flavours that will allow us to experiment and champion the local terroir. We hand picked some vibrant elderflower from the hedgerows that border our hop farm. It is these native Irish hedgerows that provide a picturesque backdrop, increases biodiversity and that will give this Elderflower Saison a taste of the Wicklow hills.

Pic by Wicklow Wolf

For the brewing of this season’s locavore release, we brewed a saison using our very own malted barley and wheat. The elderflower was hand picked and added straight to the brewhouse at 15g/l. Our Locavore Project epitomises the core philosophy that Wicklow Wolf was founded upon, provenance and pride. The Locavore Project allows us to celebrate the terroir of Wicklow, our home and champion it with small batch, local, experimental beers.” 

Geek Bits

Hops: Mosaic, Centennial, plus15g/l Foraged Elderflower

Malts: Wicklow Wolf Pilsner, Wheat & Munich Malt

Whiplash Ephemeral Table Beer 2.6% ABV, Whiplash Online

Whiplash’s first table beer comes in a hazy lemon colour with a soft white head that sinks slowly enough. It has an ABV of just 2.6, hence the table beer designation. Don’t let that put you off. There’s a genius at work here, well in Dublin 10.

I did the old foam finger test (as I was once shown by the Belgian beer sommelier Marc Stroobant) and what do I get but basil or “bays-il” as one prominent chef terms it. There is much more of course, after all the ever inventive Whiplash crew are driving this one. As well as basil, they have added lemon zest and that too comes through on the pleasing palate.

You’ve got a full team of malts here and Whiplash rely on the Hersbrucker hops to add noble spice notes. And you certainly get that. Indeed, there is quite a lot going on here, so much that you (well, “I”) don’t notice the modest ABV or should I say the lack of a higher rate. Fine by me. At a table this summer, indoors or out. Worth a check for sure!

The Brewery say: Introducing our first Table Beer, Ephemeral. Traditionally, this style is for everyone at the table, low ABV, great with a meal and something to take you through the evening & beyond. However, the exact style would have differed from place to place. We've gone for the continental interpretation. It's then fermented on our Belgian yeast with fresh lemon zest and basil added for a brief time before crashing and canning. The sum of all these parts results in a beautiful beer that's just perfect for sipping on these long summer nights.

Geek Bits:

Pilsner Malt

Wheat Malt

Oat Malt

Carapils

Hersbrucker

Lemon Zest

Basil

WLP410 (yeast).

Pic via Lough Gill

Lough Gill Wild Irish Gose 4.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Poured this into a glass that is shaped like a can. And the “can” helped show off the nice big soft white head over a mid-gold colour and lots of bubbles racing up towards the top.

The added ingredients, salt and coriander, can be detected in the aromas. The head has just about vanished as I take the first sip; vaguely salty now but most definitely refreshing, tartily so, as many of these goses are. 

Should be good with oysters! Refreshing for sure but I don’t think I’d be calling for a second can on the night but would have no problem starting the next night with one and a couple of Harty’s oysters.

Gose is a sour beer, usually soured with the lactic bacteria that is included here. It is a German beer, traditionally brewed in Leipzig and named after a local river.

Ingredients: Lough Gill Water, Malted barley and wheat, hops, yeast, sea salt, coriander and Lactobacillus Plantarum.

O Brother Social Proof Amarillo Mosaic IPA 6.5%, 440 ml can Bradleys

The O Brother philosophy: Take the first step and you’ve the hardest part done. OBB started with 3 lads who left their jobs to pursue a passion and we haven’t looked back since! A person’s journey toward their dream can begin at any time, you just need to take that leap of faith.

Top tip: Enjoy a nice cold one now and again to calm the nerves, it helps.

The first step here is to take a look at this IPA in the glass. It’s a murky orange with a soft and fairly quick shrinking head. Aromas are on the citrusy side with hints of resin in the background. Tropical flavours abound on the palate, stone fruit too (such as peach and nectarine). Quite a strong showing in the mouth before a good dry finish.

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WORLD BEER CUP AWARDS PRESENTATION

Understandably not many European breweries make their way to America for the World Beer Cup Awards ceremony in May. The American Brewers Association very nicely throws a party for them a little while later in conjunction with the German Brewers Association annual Brauertag, held this year in Berlin. This was a sweet coincidence for Kinnegar’s owner duo, Rick and Libby, who spent the best part of a decade in this fascinating city directly after the fall of the Berlin wall. Returning to their old stomping ground to collect a 2022 World Beer Cup gold award for Black Bucket was a very proud moment.

The above, including pic, is just a little extract from the current Kinnegar newsletter, one of the very best I've come across.

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Beer of the Year Contenders and July's Favourites

Favourite Beers of July

(The long list, from a longer list!)

Best of July (long list)

Session: Kinnegar Brewers at Play #24 Summer Ale. Whiplash Ephemeral Table Beer 2.6%. Dot Brew Loose Session IPA 3.5%; 

IPA: Wicklow Wolf West Side Story West Coast Kveik IPA; Dot Go Go IPA

Witbier: Whiplash Alma Witbier 

Saison: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Summer 2022 Foraged Elderflower Saison Red Ale: Clonakilty Foxy Red Ale. 

Gose: Lough Gill Wild Irish Gose. 

Beer of the Year Contenders  to date:

June: Wicklow Wolf Mescan Wit or Without You Belgian Wit

May: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Spring 2022 Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale

April: Whiplash True Love Waits Dry Hopped Pils

March: Lineman Schadenfreude Schwarzbier

February: Wicklow Wolf  “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout.

January: Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel

December: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut

Pints enjoyed in bars:

The Maritime, Bantry: 9 White Deer Kölsch

The Lake Hotel, Killarney: Ale and Lager by Killarney Brewing Co.

Merry’s, Dungarvan: Wicklow Wolf Ale

The Shelbourne, Cork: Beamish

The Cotton Ball, Cork: Lynch’s Stout, Indian Summer

Mellet’s Emporium, Swinford: Reel Deel Jack the Lad, Mescan Seven Virtues Lager.

Keenan’s, Tarmonbarry, Co. Roscommon: White Hag Little Fawn; Kinnegar’s Scraggy Bay.

A Quart of Ale± #114. On the craft journey with Dot Brew, Wicklow Wolf, Rye River, Abbot's Ale House, and Whiplash

A Quart of Ale± #114

On the craft journey with Dot Brew, Wicklow Wolf and Whiplash, Rye River and Abbot's Ale House.

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Dot Brew Loose Session IPA 3.5%, 440 ml can Bradleys

Dot are happy with this one:  ”A perfect all year round thirst quencher.” Think I could go along with that.

A light orange colour with a fleeting white head. Citrus-y aromas, notes of pine there too. And the bold hoppy stuff marches on through the palate. Low ABV yet mid to full bodied with high refreshment values. One to look out for when organising a session.

Dot indicate there’s a place for Loose Session as a “new core”. “Full thundering hits of fresh stone fruit, built with flaked & malted oats / low rider yeast whirlpool & dry hop additions of Idaho7 & Centennial.”

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Dot Go Go IPA 6.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Closer to orange than lemon is the colour of this Dot Brew IPA. It is of course hazy and is classed by some, though not the brewery (at least not on their limited social media info), as a New England IPA.

Used my usual finger in the (short-lived) foam to test for flavour, and citrus was the first to show. But there’s more as we progress to actual drinking including mango and other sweet fruits. The reinforcements lift the Go Go from a middle of the road beer and it chugs amiably, if not over impressively, but never really threatening the leaders of the IPA pack.

Geek Bits:

Hops: Mosaic, Citra and Centennial (all USA)

Suitable for vegans.

Ingredients included malted and flaked oats.

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Wicklow Wolf West Side Story West Coast Kveik IPA 6.6%, 440 ml can Bradleys

Wicklow Wolf seem to be on quite a run this year and this West Coast IPA, featuring the popular Kveik yeast, is another quality beer.

Colour is an amber/orange, hazy of course. Aromas on the dank side, citrus and pine. Strata is one of the hops used and has been described as described as “Passion fruit meets pot.” So maybe I’m on the money with dank.

And that dank quality is found on the palate also, along with citrus-y traits and floral notes. It is bitter but not overly so, as any extremes are smoothed down by the dank influence. 

The other hops used by the way are Idaho7 and Talus and malts are listed as Golden Promise, Pilsner and Cara Clair.

American Ale Yeast and the British Brett may be tops of the pops in yeast but Kveik is coming up fast, another illustration that “brewers and beer drinkers owe everything to these single-celled fungi”, that quote from Craft Beer for the Geeks. Kveik is getting popular here: Eights Degrees, Metalman, and Wicklow Brewery have been among its users in recent times.

The endangered species brews (this is #29) are a series of small batch, limited edition crafted beers from Wicklow Wolf. "These beers are so rare that only a lucky few will get to experience them in the wild before they become extinct.”

By the way, Wicklow Wolf have been in touch about their taproom news. "We've just added a whole new list of tour dates for the rest of the Summer! Book in for your tour and beer tasting now. We're delighted to now offer flights of beer at the taproom, the perfect accompaniment to a pizza from our friends in the firehouse!" 

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Whiplash Alma Witbier 5.0%, 440 ml can Bradleys

Bright fresh lemon peel, tangerine, white wine, limes, white pepper and a hint of clove dominate the initial aroma while the body and flavour is airy, silky, fluffy, gently sweet and reassuringly citrus forward.

A Belgian style beer from Whiplash, a Witbier. Amarillo is the main hop and it is used in the dry hop while the other two,   Nelson Sauvin (gooseberry, Grape, passion fruit) and Moteuka (tropical, lime, lemon), both from New Zealand, are small additions to the brew at the whirlpool stage.  Just before finishing they add fresh lemon zest to the tank, “electrifying the whole affair and transforming this Wit into something extremely special.”

Colour is a light orange, hazy for sure. Aromas are zesty as is the first impression on the palate. The lovely and lively lemony zestiness continues strongly on the palate, with peach and pine there also. 

Whiplash say they “always approach our Belgian style beers in a less than traditional way” and the divergence continues throughout, though you may find little hints of clove in the aromas and at the end. Something different, something special as they say themselves. 

Geek Bits

ABV 5.0%

440ml Cans & draught

Artwork by @sophie_devere

Pilsner Malt

Wheat Malt

Amarillo

Lemon Zest

WLP550 (yeast)

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News from Cork's Abbot's ale house

@HouseAbbot

Event Alert!! We are proud to welcome our old friends Rye River for a tap takeover weekend!! This event will take place all weekend long from Thursday 11th August - Saturday 13th. There will be 9 taps pouring ! And free giveaways too!

Favourite Beer of the Year. Contenders 2022. And Brewdog Cork opening.

2022

Favourite Beer of the Year 

(Brewdog's Cork opening less than 3 weeks away - see below)

Confirmed to date

June: Wicklow Wolf Mescan Wit or Without You Belgian Wit

May: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Spring 2022 Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale

April: Whiplash True Love Waits Dry Hopped Pils

March: Lineman Schadenfreude Schwarzbier

February: Wicklow Wolf  “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout.

January: Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel

December: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut

June Short List

Wit: 

Wicklow Wolf Mescan Wit or Without You Belgian Wit
Pale Ale: 

Whitefield “Eastwood” 

Third Barrel Some Dance To Remember

Gose: 

Kinnegar Brewers at Play 23 Mango Gose

IPA: 

West Coast IPA: Lineman Green Light;
Stout:

Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout 4.3%
Session: 

Lough Gill Mo Chara Hazy Seisiún IPA 4.8%

May Short List

Barrel Aged: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Spring 2022 Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale with Brettanomyces 11.9% 

Amber Lager: Hope Limited Edition 26 Born To Be Free. 

NZ IPA: Wicklow Wolf Far Far Away. 

Rye Lager: Whiplash Melted Roggenbier. 

DIPA: Rye River Dam Buster Double IPA 

American Pale Ale: Otterbank Middle Lane American Pale Ale 

Single Hop Pale Ale: O Brother You’ll Pay With Your Souls Single Hop (Simcoe) Pale Ale - 

Vienna Lager: Wide Street Vienna Lager

Pale Ale: Whiplash Got To Keep On 

IPA: Rye River Big Bangin’ IPA 

American Wheat: Rye River Backwaters American Wheat 

Brewdog's Cork opening, on Friday 22nd July, is less than 3 weeks away. "We’ll have Brewdog’s finest alongside of a selection Corks local craft." It will be interesting to see what Cork beers make to their list!

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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