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± #6 Moving on over to craft. 4 good ones here: Kinnegar. White Gypsy. To Øl. Sam Smith.

A Quart of Ale± #6

Moving on over to craft.

Lagers are a joy to drink but tough to brew. According to the Brewdog book, Craft Beer for the People, there are four sub-styles: Lager (like the four reviewed below), Kölsch, Vienna Lager, and Saison. Lager is often the gateway for moving from mainstream to craft and this is Part 2 (See P1 here). We've a good quarter below, including two organic offerings. Next time, we'll be on Pale Ale, with eight examples - have you a suggestion? Then American style pale ale, next India Pale Ale (English style), American style IPA, British Golden Ale, Red Ale, Stout/Porter and on and on. Suggestions welcome!

He wasn't always a craft drinker!

Kinnegar Donegal Lager 4.5%, 440ml can, Bradley’s of Cork

So now, for Part 2 of this journey, we move onto the first of our modern lagers. With Kinnegar Brewing on the label, be prepared to be impressed.

And I was, both prepared, and impressed. No need to leave the island for your lager fix. With all due respect to the long traditions of the continent, the Donegal Lager is a champion. From a beer style point of view, DL is a light Helles. It's made with classic German hops in the traditional style.

It is refreshing as the best lagers should be and packs quite a flavour hit as well. Slightly less alcohol than the two continentals but the extra flavour more than makes up for that. 

They say: DL is a classic lager - light refreshing and crushable. And in this case proudly independent and proudly from Donegal. Always keep a few in your fridge.

Libby from Kinnegar: “We’re delighted with how it's being received. It's intended as a high quality but very accessible lager. We've always felt that Limeburner sits comfortably on a lager-loving pallet but the truth is that Limeburner has a tad too much flavour/character for some people. DL should suit everybody who's looking for a traditional lager and is prepared to take a chance on a small independent Irish brewery. We hope in time to see plenty of it pouring on draught, particularly in Donegal, but for now it's working well in its can.”

And if you buy this lager you’ll be helping a very good cause indeed, with a fixed amount from each batch going to the Donegal Hospice. Libby says they hope to continue the scheme “at least until the end of the summer and hopefully for a lot longer”.

White Gypsy Munich Lager, 5.8%, 500ml bootle, Bradleys of Cork

A bit more amber in the colour of this White Gypsy Munich Lager, thanks more than likely to the Weyermann Barke Pilsner malt. The head is not very large but does stay around for the duration, more or less. Plenty of bubbles too in the light haze.

Took a sip as I jotted down the first of the notes above and I immediately stopped “typing”, the better to savour this arresting Gypsy beauty. It has all the refreshment you’d expect from a lager but superb flavour as well and, yes, an excellent balance which keeps it in the easy-drinking category.

The label indicates that the hops used are Hallertau and Tettnanger plus a lager yeast. As well as maturation in cold storage, most lagers are also distinguished by the use of Saccharomyces pastorianus yeast, a "bottom-fermenting" yeast that also ferments at relatively cold temperatures. 

It is also a much slower process than top fermenting ales and ties up your equipment for longer, so not too many micro-breweries are inclined to produce a lager, particularly in their early years. White Gypsy are well beyond that stage now with a portfolio of distinguished beers to their credit.

To Øl 45 Days Organic Pilsner 4.7%, 44cl can, Bradley's Cork

Fountains of bubbles race up through the pale gold (very slight haze) of this pilsner. Nice soft head too and it stays there for quite a while. And what a pilsner. Superbly fresh and clean as promised, well-flavoured too and absolutely refreshing, reaching deep. 

The slower the fermentation, the better a pilsner tastes, they say, and the proof is on any palate lucky enough to be been washed in this Danish beauty. Not sure I’ve tasted anything better in this style. Crisp, complex and golden - do watch out for it!

Lager is always the slow-coach in the brewery but this one, the fourth product in their new Core Range, is an authentic German Pilsner, lagered for 45 days at -1 degree Celsius. It is also organic and the malts used are Organic Chit, Organic Golden Light and Organic Pilsner.

Samuel Smith’s Organic Lager 5.0%, 550ml bottle, Bradley’s Cork

Nice gold colour and no shortage of bubbles, maybe not as many as in the Danish one. Head neither as large or as fluffy but seems intent on hanging around for a spell. Slightly floral aromas. Good bite on this one, a bit more mouthfeel, and a little extra by way of the malt.

Serve this at 7 degrees is the advice. And take your time - after all you have an extra 50ml! And the label also tells us that the IBU is 25.

They say: Brewed with great care using only organic malted barley, organic hops,  medium-sot water, and a bottom-fermenting yeast; matured at low temperatures to bring out its delicate flavour and soft hop-character finish. The cold maturation allows the bottom-ferment yeasts to secondary ferment and improve the lager’s flavour, purity and condition.

The English brewery, Yorkshire’s oldest, has a few food pairing hints for you: trout amadine; salmon (fresh and smoked); all white fish; roast chicken (hot or cold); hors d’oeuvres; quiche Lorraine and salad.

A Quart of Ale± #5. Moving on over to craft with lager.

A Quart of Ale± #5

Moving on over to craft. Via Lager

Lagers are a joy to drink but tough to brew. According to the Brewdog book, Craft Beer for the People, there are four sub-styles: Lager (like the four reviewed below), Kölsch, Vienna Lager, and Saison.

Perhaps the first lager, I ever drank was Carling Black Label.  If I remember rightly, in the early-mid 60s, you’d pay one shilling and four pence for a bottle, about the same price as a packet of ten cigarettes. You’d have a pretty good night out for one pound (apparently about 20 euro in today’s terms - looks like the 60s weren’t too bad after all).

Year by year, with TV advertising hitting increasingly strongly, with the likes of Carling’s Mabel and Harp’s Sally O’Brien, we were drinking mostly “big” beer, big bad beer such as horrible Harp and Tennents. There were various ales too, including Watneys and its dimpled pint glass. 

On and on it went but bit by bit, I wanted something else (I was happy enough with the stouts available), and just gradually got fed up of one lager after another, hopping back to the first one for a few weeks, then onto another one and so on..

At some point, I stumbled across some German and Czech beers, mostly in bottle but do remember getting Staropramen on draught in the Woodford (Cork) or maybe the Paul Street bar was called something else then. Staropramen and other Czechs such as the Bud below were creeping in here and there and you could eventually get a selection in bottle and on draught in the Bierhaus.

And around the same time along came Franciscan Well and the new wave of craft beers. Lager was no longer a priority as we were eased into a whole new world of flavour via Blarney Blonde and Rebel Red, a brave new world and, eventually, new modern lagers as well. 

We’ll get to the newer ones soon but, for old times’ sake, we’ll start with a Czech and a German that helped me on my way.

Budejovicky Budvar Original Czech Lager 5.0%, 50cl bottle, Bradley’s of Cork

Budejovicky Budvar is the last of the state-owned breweries in the Czech Republic. Budvar is a beer for light beer lovers. High quality top-quality Saaz hops, pure clean natural water from 300-metre deep artesian wells and carefully selected grains of a unique cultivar of Moravian barley “make the premium lager a drink for real beer experts”.

It’s a pale amber colour in the glass with constant fountains of bubbles rising to the top. Head is soft and white and retention is decent enough and the aromas are mildly hoppy. 

Very refreshing drink with some mild bitterness and, for many, a big step away from mass-produced lagers. Another Czech lager I’d have been trying at the time was Staropramen (now owned by Moulton Coors). 

Budejovicky is quite a superb lager, the original Bud, and there’s been many a court case about the name between the small Czech and huge US brewery. Interestingly, the German name of the Czech town of Budějovice is Budweiser. 

What you need to know and probably do is that the American version is a copy of the Czech beer and a dumbed down copy at that according to this article. You can check it out for yourself in a head to head. For me though, my order would be two pints of Budějovice and none of the other. Score: 2-0. At least!

Weihenstephaner Original Helles 5.1%, 0.5l bottle, Bradley’s of Cork

A light amber, even lighter than the Bud, and less bubbles also. White head doesn’t hang about. Delicate aromas but strong and clean on the palate. Another refreshing drink from the oldest still existing brewery in the world. The IBU figure, not given on all beers, is a modest 21. They also do a non-alcoholic version.

Again, like many of the continental beers, the brewery comes up with a food pairing. Here they recommended Rump steak with marinade and give you the recipe as well. Check it out here.

Almost a thousand years ago the Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan was the monastery brewery of the Benedictine monks. Then, the Royal Bavarian State Brewery stepped in and it is now operating as a state directed enterprise under the control of the Bavarian Government.

The White Hag RÓC Helles Style Lager, 4.5%, 440ml can, Bradleys of Cork

Enjoyed this one, a lager of the modern kind, a few weeks ago. Light gold, slightly hazy, is the colour, a host of bubbles rising. The big fluffy head is rather short-lived. Aromas are restrained, just a subtle hint of the hops. Very pleasant in the mouth, easy drinking and well balanced to the lip-smacking finish. Light and refreshing they say. Light and refreshing it is. A flavoursome thirst-quencher indeed. IBU is 22.

The Helles style originated in Bavaria (Germany) apparently and this characterful example is one of the best Irish efforts that I’ve tasted. You’ll also see beers designated as Munich lagers, more or less the same thing as Munich is the capital of Bavaria.

Elbow Lane “Elbow” Lager, 4.4%, 500ml bottle, Bradleys of Cork

Once Covid19 struck, we had to go into the “cocoon”. So who would deliver food to us? Along came Neighbourfood, much to our relief and to that of many small producers and market traders who supplied it. My first order included a few beers from local Cork brewer Elbow Lane and very impressive they were, particularly the Pale Ale and the IPA.

And now to the lager, probably closer to the Czech and German versions than any of the others. The micro-brewery, in a small space above the Elbow Lane Smokehouse, brews according to the principles of German purity and “we formulated the beers specifically to work with the food we (the Market Lane group) offer in our five restaurants.”

All the beers are named after medieval lanes in the city, the lager after Elbow Lane itself. It is a mid-gold colour with a modest head, a head that has more staying power than most. The very modest aromas reveal little. There is a surprising tartness as it hits the palate - remember they are gearing this towards dining in their restaurants - and you can see that this lager, quite a distinctive drink, will score well with lighter dishes, including Asian. We certainly enjoyed it, on draught, with Pan Fried Monkfish on a pre-Covid visit to Goldies.

They say: This continental style lager is particularly refreshing and owes its flavour to Pilsner and Munich malts and Noble hop varieties imported from Germany and the Czech republic.

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± #3. An impressive trio from Thornbridge and one from Berkshire's Siren

Bliss

A Quart of Ale± #3

An impressive trio from Thornbridge
and one from Berkshire's Siren

Thornbridge are best known (to me anyhow) for their superb Jaipur, a classic Indian Pale Ale. They started life in a local stately home and are now based in Bakewell, a small market town in Derbyshire, and you’ll find them on the banks of the Wye.  Having associated the brewery with Jaipur, I thought they were long established and was surprised to see they started up as recently as 2005. Following an array of awards and national recognition, Jaipur (launched in mid-2005) catapulted Thornbridge into the spotlight and eventually into a brand new brewery.

Thornbridge “Shelby” India Pale Ale, 5.0%, 330ml bottle, Bradley's of Cork

Shelby, the official beer of Peaky Blinders the TV series, pours a golden amber, the white head vanishing as quickly as an opportunist thief. Surprisingly fruity nose and that continues onto the arresting palate. Here too the maltiness makes a discreet and pleasant appearance and there’s a citrus enhanced bitterness. Excellent mouthfeel too. This is full of flavour and character, and so much better than many celebrity drinks. 

Looks as if you were a beer drinker of 1919, the year in which the TV series is set, you did very well for yourself indeed. Once you weren’t doing porridge, of course.

Hops used are Fuggles and Bramling Cross while the malts are Low Colour Maris Otter, Crystal, Munich.

Thornbridge “Bliss Point” Hazy American Pale Ale, 5.0%, 330ml can, Bradley's of Cork

It is yellow and, just to confirm, a hazy one, more than slightly so.  Aromas see the hops float up with fruit coming through as well. Just a small little can but one with big juicy flavours from the backbone of a quartet of US hops, namely Cascade, Simcoe, Azacca, Citra. Malts, you may like to know are Low Colour Maris Otter, Wheat. Quite a combination. Lots of hazy stuff around nowadays but, clearly, this is one of the better ones. 

I see craftcentral.ie describe this as “extremely crisp” but I can’t agree with that assessment. This is as smooth as they come, packed with those expected tropical fruits, with the American hops performing prominently in both the aromatics and flavours. Relax and enjoy. This is what craft beer, good beer, is all about. Cheers!

By the way, having finished a wine session and feeling lazy, I drank this from a Lumin Arc balloon type wine glass and found it worked out very well indeed, the 330ml can fitting in precisely with room for a fine if short-lived white foamy head.

Thornbridge “Tupelo” Hazy Pale Ale, 5.5%, 440ml can

(in collaboration with Salt Beer) Bradley's of Cork

You can smell the hops almost at “social distancing” here as this hazy ale fills your glass with a pale yellow, a big white head too but, unlike the hops, that soon clears down to a sparse cover. Tropical fruits aromas come from the Sabro (“fantastic”) / Citra / Ekuanot / Galaxy / Chinook / and Centennial hops. Malts by the way are Maris Otter / Wheat / Oats.

The hops also make their presence felt later on but there is no jarring domination. The beer is harmonious, pleasant and easy drinking, quite an exotic fruity juice bomb in the mouth and refreshing for sure with a dry finish.

The Salt Beer Factory, the other party in this collaboration, are based in a disused power station in the Yorkshire village of Saltaire, about 90 minutes north of Thornbridge (which is in the Peak District). And Tupelo? Must be the city in northern Mississippi, most famous as the birthplace of Elvis Presley.

Siren White Tips Session IPA, 4.5%, 440ml can, Bradley’s

Pale yellow (hazy) is the colour of this session beer that lists wheat as one of the ingredients. The white foamy head beats a hasty retreat. Quite a lot of citrus, including sharp lemon, in the aromas. And, with the addition of a hint of clove, the story is much the same on the palate. Not surprising really, considering the brewers have added zest of orange, grapefruit and lime. Quite a distinctive beer to be fair and one sure to suit quite a few drinkers.  Yet there’s good harmony here and a lip smacking finish.

Siren brew this every spring and they say: “White Tips is our expression of a wit beer combined with IPA levels of hops. A traditional wit yeast works in harmony with the citrus peel and a healthy hop dosing to create a balanced IPA that is sure to pull you in wave after wave.”

Malts: Lager, Wheat, Malted Oats

Hops: Hallertau Blanc, Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe

Adjuncts: Orange zest, Grapefruit zest, Lime zest 

To Øl City - A Brewer's Paradise

To Øl City - A Brewer's Paradise

A pilsner worth waiting for.

To Øl started life in 2005 when founders Tore Gynther and Tobias Emil Jensen “pirated” their high school kitchen facilities during closing hours and began turning it into a brewing lab.

It wasn’t until 2010 when they released their first commercial beer. They quickly gained attention and were named in the Top 100 breweries in the world in 2012 and in 2014 To Øl was awarded the world’s 9th best brewery. For a decade they operated as gypsy brewers, brewing their beers in other breweries with spare capacity, but they have now set up their own brewery in Zealand, Denmark, called To Øl City.

Like to take the brewery tour? Just click here. And, if you're a brewer, you may well get a chance to use the facilities. After all, Tore and Tobias were gypsy brewers themselves. 

Pronunciation "rough" guide for To Øl: An bhfuil tú ullamh? 

To Øl 45 Days Organic Pilsner 4.7%, 44cl can, Bradley's Cork

Showers of bubbles race up through the pale gold (slight haze) of this pilsner. And what a pilsner. Superbly fresh and clean as promised, well-flavoured too and absolutely refreshing. The slower the fermentation, the better a pilsner tastes, they say, and the proof is on any palate lucky enough to be washed in this beauty. Not sure I’ve tasted anything better in this style. Crisp, complex and golden - do watch out for it!

Lager is always the slow-coach in the brewery but this one, the fourth product in their new Core Range, is an authentic German Pilsner, lagered for 45 days at -1 degree Celsius. It is also organic and the malts used are Organic Chit, Organic Golden Light and Organic Pilsner.

To Øl City Session IPA 4.5%, 44cl can, O'Briens Wine

This Danish Indian Pale Ale is a “New England style thirst quencher for the hop-heads” in disguise. It has a pale gold colour and is cloudy; white head vanishes quickly. Aromas are mild, slight citrus and floral notes in there. On the palate it is crisp, with juicy exotic fruit, before a quite dry and refreshing finish. Named after the new brewhouse To Øl City (Tool city, I think!), this is certainly easy-drinking and one (or two) for a session, in the city or elsewhere.

They say: “In the land of Denmark and small town of Svinninge, To Øl City is our new home. The vision is to brew the best beers in the world, and build a craft beverage hub of diverse and talented producers….the industrial rhythm of progress pulsating beneath our feet - as all the creative minds get together over the kettle once again to brew up something special.”

The hops are Mosaic while the hops line-up is Carahell, Flaked Oats, Golden Promise, Pilsner and Wheat.  A terrific combination and well worth looking out for.

To Øl City “House of Pale” Pale Ale 5.5%, 44cl can, O'Briens Wine

A step up in alcohol for the Pale Ale but the colour and the head is much the same as the Session. A little more hop in the aromas. More flavour and less crisp but as they say themselves come here to “get your full-bodied juicy fix”.  That smoothness shows a lot of malt but the hops is not shy either and that juicy stuff is a treat. Put this on your short list for sure.

They say: House Of Pale is one of the recipes we’ve taken from our beloved mad laboratory (brewpub!) in Copenhagen, BRUS. It’s seen many changes and tweaks over this year, experimenting with hop doses and overall ‘crispiness’ - and now we’re pretty sure we’ve got exactly what we’ve been looking for. 

Hops in the ale are Mosaic and Simcoe while the long line of malts consist of Chit Malt, Flaked Oats, Golden Naked Oats, Melanoidin, and Pilsner.

To Øl Whirl Domination IPA 6.2%, 44cl can, O'Briens Wine

To Øl are going for world domination with this IPA, the first to be brewed in their shiny new brewhouse. Colour is a lemon/yellow, with a thin white head that has more staying power than you’d expect. Aromas are hoppy and citrusy and there’s more of the same on the smooth palate. 

The word “extreme” is used as regards the amount of hops used in it yet the hops, while certainly evident, are moderately intense. Just to be clear, the hops come through, no mistaking the Simcoe, with its exotic citric fruitiness. Overall the IPA is quite exquisite, a very enjoyable drink indeed, right the way through to a lip-smacking finish. 

So much so that you can see how To Øl hope to make this one of their core beers. “We pushed the hops to the limit, packing in as much aroma as possible to this fresh beauty. Thus begins a new era of our hoppy world domination - drink it, and embrace the future.” The hops, by the way, are added not early on but at the “whirlpool” phase, hence the name.