Brewery Nooze🍺🍻 with Ballykilcavan, Eight Degrees, Lineman, Hopfully, Galway Bay, Kinsale Mead, Canvas, more

 Brewery Nooze🍺🍻

Cidery, Meadery too.. with Ballykilcavan, Eight Degrees, Lineman, Hopfully, Galway Bay, Kinsale Mead, Canvas, St Mel's, West Kerry, Kinnegar, Blacks of Kinsale, BeoirFest, Wicklow Wolf, Hope, Porterhouse, Tom Crean, Rascals, 

#211029

(if you'd like your brewery to be included in this weekly round-up, it is easy: DM a line or two with photo and link).

Ballykilcavan Farm and Brewery 

The first of the windows has gone into the millhouse. Lovely and cosy in there now.

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EightDegreesBrewing

You might have noticed that we love our IPAs at Eight Degrees - that's why we put together this case of IPA cans for our online shop featuring four different IPAs: #HowlingGaleIPA #FullIrishIPA #SeisíunIPA & #CitraSHIPA

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Why are we called LINEMAN?

 

We’re often asked about our name; we’re called LINEMAN as a tribute to my late father who worked as a Lineman for both the ESB and P&T in the 1940s and ‘50s. He stayed with the P&T (that eventually became Telecom Éireann and later Eircom) until he retired in 1996. There’s a nice lineage there as that same year Mark got his first job with Eircom until he left to start work on setting up LINEMAN in 2018. 

Read more

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 A new brew!

Hopfully Brewing Co.

Introducing Copacabana, a velvety and intensely tropical 6.5% NEIPA. Copacabana is juicy and smooth, brewed with Simcoe, heavily dry-hopped with Sabro and Simcoe hops, and conditioned with coconut to enhance the coconut and tropical profile of the Sabro hops.

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Galway Bay Brewery 

We’ve a couple of nice barrel aged beers lined up to close out the year with. The final blend of the year has just come out of bourbon & rum barrels.

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Kinsale Mead

Samhain, Halloween and why you drink mead at this time of year

Many of our modern Halloween traditions can be traced back to the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sow-hin)....Large bonfires were lit as people drank mead at large feasts, making Jack-o-lanterns out of turnips with faces carved out. When the Irish diaspora settled in America, they recreated these old traditions by using the most suitable fruit found in the new world: Pumpkins! .... The festival would last for three days and three nights, although the full event was a lot more involved than just 3 days of drinking mead and lighting fires. If you want to celebrate Samhain like your ancestors, a bottle or two shared with friends and family would probably a good start.

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Canvas Brewery

Oh some special Heritage Rye got sown in a trial plot, it might take some years to make it into the brewery yet that doesn't diminish the excitement...

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New at St Mel's!

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West Kerry Brewery & Brick's Pub

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Kinnegar Brewing

10 years ago, on 23 October 2011, Kinnegar made its inauspicious debut. In the coming days we’re going to post a few stories to set the scene and then we'll celebrate with two anniversary beers. You have about 10 days to guess what they are — we’ve had 10 years to think about it!

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Blacks Brewery&Distillery

Canning day for the 2021 Batch of World's End Chocolate and Vanilla Imperial Stout here in Kinsale

More info coming soon.. Stay tuned!

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BeoirFest this coming Saturday 30th Oct

This weeks session was a long time coming. It was meant to kick off our winter sessions way back in September but for various reasons we had to postpone it. But I think the wait will have been worth it...

• A.M.O are based in Lisbon and have built a strong reputation in the Portuguese brewing scene
• Rascals from Dublin were pioneers in the Irish brewing scene.
• Octo are one of just a handful of brewers in Cyprus and are busy ploughing a furrow there.

Apart from being pioneers all 3 of this weeks guests place a strong emphasis on community and we will be chatting to them about the importance that plays in the beers they brew. I think it'll be fun.

Join us at 15:00 Irish/ 16:00 CET/17:00 Cyprus for what promises to be another fun hour.

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Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company

Here's a sneak peak at our new tasting area on the brewery floor, where you'll get to sample some of our favourite beers during one of our tours.

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West Kerry Brewery

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Porterhouse Brew Co.

Around the Clock 3 - Warming, welcoming and layered with vanilla, caramel, licorice, raisin, and toasted coconut 

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Hope Beer

If you don't have plans for the upcoming weekends, gather up some friends and join one of our brewery tours. See behind the scenes of a state-of-the-art microbrewery plus the all important beer sampling at the end of the tour!

https://t.co/XAejfuq05V

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Tom Crean Kenmare

In the interest of staff, customers and the extended community & to comply with HSE guidelines Tom Crean Base Camp is closed due to incidents of Covid at work. The Brewery is still open for take out beers call 087-1612929 or to book your Christmas Beer Hamper. Thank you for your support throughout the season & look forward to welcoming you back. We are incorporating our Autumn break & will re-open Fri. 26th Nov..

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Rascals Brewing Co.

NEW: Southern Cross

This is a bold New World IPA with an almost indecent amount of tropical and stone fruit aroma. We've used fresh harvest Nelson, Motueka, Bruce and Vic Secret. Juicy and flavoursome like you would not believe! On sale now!!

Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company

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Here's a sneak peak at our new tasting area on the brewery floor, where you'll get to sample some of our favourite beers during one of our tours.

11

UCC Food Microbiology student honoured with Musgrave Award

 UCC Food Microbiology student honoured with Musgrave Award

Student Reuben O'Hea pictured receiving the Musgrave Excellence in Food Microbiology Award from Lucy O'Connor of Musgrave Group, with Dr. Jennifer Mahony, Professor of Molecular Food Microbiology, and Colin Hill, Professor of Microbial Food Safety, at University College Cork.

Pic Diane Cusack

 

UCC student Reuben O’ Hea was recently honoured with The Musgrave Award for Excellence in Food Microbiology for his work and research on plant extract processing, the cheese making process and vacuum-packed chilled storage of meat.

 

Clonakilty native Reuben topped the class as the highest performing student in University College Cork’s Masters in Food Micro Biology Programme delivered through the college’s renowned School of Microbiology and received the award from Musgrave Food Safety and Quality Manager Lucy O’Connor for his efforts.

 

Reuben is a past employee of Musgrave and previously worked in in Trading as an Assistant Trading Manager for Moo’d & Frozen and then worked as a Brand Support Manager with the Moo’d Brand.

 

The focus of his project was to isolate, identify and characterise the yeast and mould isolates as well as evaluating the measures that can be used to control them, with the aim to improve the overall shelf life and the flavour profiling of the product.

Speaking upon receipt of the award, Reuben expressed his thanks to both Musgrave and University College Cork:

He said: “I recognise that this award is very prestigious and would like to thank Musgrave for their support of this. I know from my time with Musgrave as an employee they have a close working relationship with UCC and the Department of Microbiology which is internationally renowned. 

He added: The award has opened up some brilliant opportunities for me and I’ve spent the last number of weeks demonstrating in the teaching laboratory to undergraduate students in UCC. It has been very rewarding for me to see students with very little practical microbiology experience gradually progressing week to week and developing new skills which will stand to them in their future careers in microbiology. It’s something I have really enjoyed and previously would not have considered as a career path but I am definitely interested in pursuing further education opportunities in the future.”

 

This is the seventh consecutive year that Musgrave has had an association with the award and the group have a number of strong links with UCC in many areas such as:

 

Musgrave has strong linkages with UCC in many areas

 

• Food Integrity Research having hosted the third annual UCC-Musgrave Guest Lecture on Food Integrity in recent weeks
• Annual intake of students on placement programmes for the past 20 years, many of whom returned to work in Musgrave and take up placement in the Musgrave Graduate programme, while many members of the Food Safety and Quality team are UCC alumni, including Head of Food Safety and Quality Ray Bowe.

 

Speaking in relation to the award, Food Safety and Quality Manager Lucy O’Connor said the support of Musgrave for this award reflected the continuing positive association between UCC, Musgrave and the Musgrave Food Safety Team.

 

She added: “Safe and nutritious food is of vital importance to all consumers and research on microorganisms and their relationship with foods and the human host is essential in providing the platform for the developing the knowledge required to provide foods that are safe, healthy and nutritious.

 

“Musgrave Group believes in supporting new initiatives and research into areas within Food Production, food composition and packaging innovation. This provides Musgrave, its suppliers and customers unique access to technologies and innovations that will keep our food safe, last longer and ensure sustainable development of the food chain in Ireland and internationally. The leading-edge microbiological research conducted by the team at UCC is recognised globally and we are delighted to continue honouring this endeavour. “

 

Professor Colin Hill, Director of the MSc in Food Microbiology at UCC said that the college was “delighted to acknowledge the ongoing support of Musgraves for this important postgraduate programme.”

 

“Excellence in food safety, food quality and food production is vitally important for UCC and for Ireland and we appreciate the support in the form of this prize.  Congratulations to Reuben who is a really deserving winner,” he added.

press release

 

GARY BARLOW LAUNCHES HIS OWN RANGE OF ORGANIC WINES

press release

GARY BARLOW LAUNCHES HIS OWN RANGE  OF ORGANIC WINES 

“The definition of a great evening for me is friends, laughter and good wine. ..

I’m very proud to now launch my own range of  organic wines from Spain.” 

Gary Barlow 

"It has been a privilege to partner with Gary Barlow and .... launch his own range of organic wines." 

Paul Schaafsma, MD Benchmark Drinks 

Gary Barlow has launched Gary Barlow Organic, his own range of organic wines in partnership with Benchmark Drinks. These wines have been carefully crafted and developed by Gary reflecting his passion for quality, authentic wine. The wines are now available on www.WinesOfTheWorld.ie and selected Carry Out Stores.

Whether as part of a celebration with loved ones or to wind down after a gig, Gary has acquired a taste for wine over the years and developing his own wine range has been a dream of his for as long as he can remember. He’s spent the past two years collaborating with London-based distributor Benchmark Drinks to create a well-balanced, sophisticated and sustainable wine range, with unique packaging featuring a stylish piano key design, an instantly recognisable nod to his incredible 30-year music career.


The medium-bodied red and refreshing, zesty white are the result of many months of wine development and following hours of tasting wines from across the world, Gary’s standout blends originated from Spain. Having spent time in Spain over the years, Gary has always enjoyed the local food and wine offering. He has been so inspired by the passion of those involved in the winemaking process and is very proud to now launch his own range of organic wines from Spain’s Castilla region.

The wines have been produced by Peninsula Wines in Spain. Founded by Andreas Kubach and Sam Harrop, they’re both Masters of Wine and renowned for their sustainability and “sympathetic winemaking”, embracing both nature and science to make wine with as little intervention as possible.

The Gary Barlow Organic RED is a juicy, unoaked wine, displaying aromas of red wild berries with a touch of rosemary and chocolate. The medium body and beautiful balance between the good fruit concentration, fresh acidity and fine tannins, make it a highly versatile food wine to match tapas, pasta and a wide range of savoury and meat dishes.

The Gary Barlow Organic WHITE is pale bright in colour, displaying aromas of lime and pear cut by a gentle note of anise. It shows a zesty, lingering lime palate. A refreshing wine, perfect to be drunk in summer with salads, poultry and light seafood dishes.

Gary Barlow is one of Britain’s most successful songwriters and record producers. As part of the group Take That, he has won eight BRIT Awards and sold over 45 million records. Aside from his achievements with Take That, he has also co-written and produced music for other renowned artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John and Robbie Williams.

To join the Gary Barlow Wines community visit @garybarlowwines on Instagram. * 

Gary Barlow Wines distributed in Ireland by Barry & Fitzwilliam.  For information, please contact kate.barry@bandf.ie or call 021 4320900 

A Quart of Ale± #74. On the craft journey with a session of Lineman, Dead Centre and Eight Degrees

A Quart of Ale± #74

On the craft journey with a session of Lineman, Dead Centre and Eight Degrees

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Lineman Sundrops Table Beer, 3.3%, 440 can Bradleys

A low abv beer, this from Lineman, a Dublin based independent brewery. 

Sundrops is the name and the colour is sunny, with much haze about.  The head sinks without too much delay. Aromas are rather special, thanks to the hops and yeast from down under. The Ozzie hop Topaz is bright and breezy and an efficient bittering agent while Nelson Sauvin, pretty popular these days, is known for its exotic fruits.

Sauvin is, I’ve read, shorthand for the white wine grape Sauvignon blanc (popular in New Zealand), and this beer certainly makes both the olfactory organs and the palate buds sit up and take notice before a lip-licking finish. All this with an abv of just 3.3! 

They are touting it as “A fantastically balanced sessionable beer” and I wouldn’t disagree! It is available in 440ml cans, is unpasteurised and unfiltered. Suitable for vegans.

Dead Centre Teeny Tiny Micro New England Pale Ale, 3.3%, 440 can Bradleys

A good early whiff of hoppy citrus indicates that this Teeny Tiny will be no weakling on the flavour side. Teeny Tiny, with its cloudy orange-y colour is, as its Athlone producers insist, ”a small but perfectly formed New England IPA”. 

Fresh and indeed loaded with flavour and an excellent balance between hops and sweet honey malt, I’d be happy to imbibe a few of these on a session or slip one or two in between some heavyweights.

Hops used are Citra, El Dorado and Idaho7 and its quite a beer at 3.3abv.

They say: Fresh, flavoursome and (wherever possibly) local ingredients are what give our beer its character. Cutting corners here is not an option at Dead Centre Brewing. We believe you get out what you put in…so only the best goes in.

Dead Centre have installed a beautiful copper clad brewery in their Brew Pub right on the banks of the River Shannon. “Serving a full range of wines, gins, soft drinks teas and coffees…our focus is first and foremost on great quality craft beer from our own brewery as well as local, guest breweries."

The brewpub is casual, laid-back and chilled. "We have four Dead Centre taps constantly pouring as well as 4 guest taps to make sure we always have a wide and interesting range available at the bar.”

Dead Centre Marooned Oatmeal IPA, 5.5%, 440 can Bradleys

An amber orange body topped with a foamy white head that tends to stick around, even from the can. Citrus elements figure in the aromas and on the smooth palate too and here the brewers give much credit to the locally grown and certified organic Kilbeggan oats. Flavours tend towards orange zest in the mouth before a classic bitterness takes over towards the dry finale.

Dead Centre is Westmeath’s first and only craft brewery. “Marooned, our flagship beer, has a silky smooth body, a result of using locally grown and certified organic Kilbeggan oats. This simple malt base delivers outstanding mouthfeel and gives the hops a perfect platform to shine.”

Malts:  Pale Malt, Red X and Kilbeggan organic oats.

Hops: Perle, Simcoe and Mosaic.

Eight Degrees Kveik Pale Ale 5%, 400 can Bradleys

This Pale Ale is named after a unique Norwegian Kveik that produces a tropical flavour and complex aroma. And I’m not talking about hops here. Kveik is a yeast. 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. Yeast is responsible for many of the flavour compounds in beer including floral, fruity and spicy notes.

Back to our glass. Colour is a hazy dark gold and a fluffy white head lingers. Aromas are mostly tropical. Tropical also on the palate, multi-layered with  tangerine and pineapple getting a turn as the sips roll softly in. Slightly spicy too and there’s a good dry finish. Very quaffable indeed and highly satisfactory.

They say: It is packed full of Mandarina Bavaria, Cascade and Simcoe hops: lots of fruit and citrus flavours, with a backbone of grapefruit and pine. We’re adding Hornindal Kveik to the mix, a Norwegian yeast that brings some lovely tropical esters to the party. Dry hopped with HBC 522 and HBC 630. (Terrible names, great hops).

This is the second of their 2021 Original Gravity series which celebrates ten years in business for the Mitchelstown brewery. They ran a competition looking for artworks and the winners are featured on this series of five limited beer releases, giving emerging artists a can-sized exhibition space.

The Kveik Pale Ale design comes from with Michael Donnelly of Woolly Mammoth. Michael’s joy at getting out into the great outdoors after the lockdowns is reflected in his design which “depicts the beauty that this country has to offer and the amount of activities we can do…”. Discover more of his work on Instagram:  @woollymammothdesign

As always, Eight Degrees have food suggestions: 

Smooth, snappy and just right for an aperitivo. Puglian taralli – those curled up, crunchy little breadstick bites, especially good when flavoured with fennel – are a great pre-dinner nibble to have alongside this beer. Make up a platter of your favourite crostini (topped with ’nduja and crushed peas) or bruschetta (tomato and aged balsamic for the win) to contrast with the tropical fruit flavours. If you’re heading into the great outdoors with this beer, try it with halloumi burgers, campfire fish tacos or a barbecued steak with piquant salsa verde.

Get social: #OriginalGravityKveikPaleAle

Taste of the Week. Attyflin Estate Irish Apple & Elderflower Infusion

Taste of the Week. 

Attyflin Estate Irish Apple & Elderflower Infusion

This Irish Apple & Elderflower Infusion, summer in a bottle at any time, from the Attyflin Estate in County Limerick is our delicious Taste of the Week. Not too surprising as the estate's apple drinks regularly feature in national and international awards lists.

This little gem is made using their estate grown apples, pressed with the addition of Irish elderflower extract to give it a floral sweetness. Strikingly delicious and refreshing.

And they have a suggestion, if you are over 18: serve in a wine glass full of ice, add gin and pressed mint leaves for something a little more intriguing. Must try that next time!

I'm always looking for really good Irish products for this weekly  Taste of the Week blog feature. And you are certainly supporting Irish with Attyflin juices: the fruit is grown on the estate, no air miles, and also no added sugar, no added colourings, no added flavourings.

Where to buy? Check here for a list of stockists.

THE WESTIN DUBLIN OPENS ITS DOORS WITH A NEW LOOK LOBBY

press release 

THE WESTIN DUBLIN OPENS ITS DOORS WITH A NEW LOOK LOBBY

The Westin, Dublin, re-opens this October having completed a € 500,000 hotel lobby transformation.

The multi-million investment programme has already added significant value to the guest experience and 2019 saw the unveiling of a stunning refresh and expansion of the hotels iconic Atrium Lounge, along with the creation of an additional space, the Library, and the addition of 19 beautifully appointed bedrooms overlooking Trinity College and Westmoreland Street. The design of the new look lobby at The Westin was once again led by Dublin-based, architecture and interior-design firm, NODA.

 

“The brief for the lobby transformation project was simply to create a greater sense of arrival for our valued guests and to draw inspiration from our surrounding areas and support the local trade and artisan crafts industries, where possible.  Guests can now naturally gravitate to the heart of the reception area, from where they can easily access bedrooms, the Atrium Lounge, The Mint bar and Morelands Grill restaurant” said General Manager, Eamonn Casey.

 

With the brief defined, NODA set about to create a warm, inviting and bespoke design for the five star hotel lobby.  An etched brass map of Dublin city in 1830 was commissioned and designed by ArtLoves and architectural drawings of the 19^th Century Bank building; as well as prints of surrounding, historic area, are proudly displayed in The Print Room, which leads to The Banking Hall. A magnificent oil painting of the River Liffey and its surrounds, by Irish artist Paul Morrison, provides colour and texture to the overall space.

 

Structurally, the space was opened up to provide guests with that sense of place from the moment they arrive to the Westin Dublin. Plush carpets, luxurious tiling with a palette of Crema Marfil stone, Nero Maquina marble, used throughout to create a traditional chequered floor pattern, subtle natural linen wall papers, with gold paper to the ceiling recesses, soft, luxurious fabrics with deep blue velvet upholstery together with the hand tufted carpets bring the new design to life. While in the evening bespoke light fixtures, give the Lobby a warm and welcoming ambiance.

 

The Westin Dublin’s renovation project showcases work by a range of Irish craftspeople and suppliers, including Tom Delaney, O’Donnell Furniture, and Cremins Moiselle. The bespoke design features foster calmness while also exuding a truly luxurious feel that complements the period aspects of the building.

 

Re-opening package includes Key Discovering Winter Escape Break from €315 per room per night including breakfast. For more details and bookings please contact: E: reservations@thewestindublin.com or T: +353 1 645 1000

 

A Couple of Cracking Reds from Tasmania and Alentejo.

A Couple of Cracking Reds

from Tasmania and Alentejo

Eddystone Point Pinot Noir (Tasmania) 2018, 13%, €24.95, O’Briens Wine

This Pinot Noir, all the way from Tasmania, has a vibrant mid-ruby colour. Strawberry is the major actor in the moderately intense aromas. This juicy red is lively in the mouth, delicately flavoured, with strawberry and cherry, some spice too, and a natural acidity help keep the balance right to the finalé, where the smooth tannins softly tingle the lips and fruit and spice gently and pleasantly linger. 

Purity of fruit was foremost in winemaker Stewart Byrne’s mind during this vintage and he and his team hit the bull’s eye with this one. Very Highly Recommended.

 

Eddystone Point is situated in windswept North East Tasmania and features some of the most uniquely layered terrains on the planet. With its cool climate and prevailing winds it is ideal for growing Pinot Noir.

Eddystone say: One of the hardest of all grape varietals to make, this wine displays all the hallmarks of great Pinot Noir. …The unusually warm Summer and Spring conditions were able to ripen larger than average crops successfully, and vintage was done and dusted in the very short timeframe of just 5 weeks. Harvesting 100% hand picked…. Maturation was 9 months in 25% new French oak and a mixture of older oak. .. Drink now or cellar for up to 3-5 years. First released in 2013, Eddystone Point realises our vision to create wines that are drinkable, affordable and represent the undisputed quality of Tasmanian fresh produce.

Tasmania is a single wine region (Geographical Indication), with seven distinct and diverse wine growing areas. The climate is cool by latitude, not altitude, and the weather is highly variable. Many grape varieties are now found in Tasmania, with producers constantly innovating and experimenting. But Pinot Noir is the star, representing almost half of the island’s plantings for both still and sparkling wine. And those sparkling wines are pretty damn good too!

Marquês de Borba Colheita Alentejo (DOC) 2019, 14%, €17.95 O’Briens Wine

Like many Portuguese wines, this red is a blend; the grape varieties used are Alicante Bouschet, Arangonez, Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional, Petit Verdot and Merlot. The fruit is grown on the limestone and schist soils of Alentejo (a large area with the Algarve to the south, Spain to the east and the Atlantic coast, with Lisbon, to the west).

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And, like many Portuguese reds, the aromas are intense, a concentration of fruit (red and darker berries) and a touch of vanilla. The palate too is fruit-driven but not at all over the top as you’ll find a happy equilibrium between fruit, tannin and acidity. Very drinkable and Highly Recommended.

Marquês de Borba Colheita is made by the family owned João Portugal Ramos. He started his personal wine making project by planting his first five hectares of vineyards in Estremoz in 1988. Now joined by his son and daughter in the business, they have grown to be one of the most important wineries in Portugal.

They say: One of the most emblematic brands of João Portugal Ramos, Marquês de Borba combines the tradition of the Alentejo region with an excellent quality, present since the first vintage in 1997. The brand’s name comes from the happy coincidence of João Portugal Ramos’ vineyards and winery being located in Borba sub-region, and also of one of his uncles having the noble title Marquês de Borba, a title created in 1811. Present all over the world, the Marquês de Borba brand is today a symbol of the Alentejo region.