CorkBillyBeers #45. Craft with ales, pils & stout from Rye River, Ballykilcavan, Yellowbelly and Bavik

CorkBillyBeers #45

Craft with ales, pils & stout from Rye River, Ballykilcavan, Yellowbelly and Bavik.

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Rye River Nocturne Export Stout, 6.0% ABV, 500 ml bottle Pettitt’s SV Athy

In the dark of the night.. a nocturne worthy of an encore.

Rye River's Nocturne Export Stout is a midnight-hued duet of espresso and dark chocolate, with a hint of smoke that lingers like a tremble on the nose. The flavours are equally intense, with rich intense roast caramel gently blanketing the palate and extending into a lengthy finish. This is a stout that demands to be savoured, and it's sure to leave you wanting more.

This is one nocturne worthy of an encore. Highly Recommended.

Geek Bits

Malts - Carafa Special 2, Chocolate Malt, Munich 2 Malt, Pale Malt, Special W, Smoke Malt. 

Hops - Columbus

They say:  We love beer, so when we started out it was our plan to make great tasting beer that people loved. We've grown a lot since then, taking on more brewers and beer lovers, experimenting, tasting, talking, trying, failing, trying again, and succeeding.

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Ballykilcavan Millhouse Session IPA, 3.5% ABV, 440 ml can Pettitt’s SV Athy

Ballykilcavan promotes this as a light, refreshing session ale - “our favourite barbeque beer! Low in alcohol, but double dry hopped for maximum flavour.”

Colour is a light orange, very hazy indeed with a small-bubbled white head. Aroma is a forward citrus. It is double hopped so the hoppy influence has the edge on the palate, light and crisp with refreshing citrus and a piney backbone.

Ingredients are Water, Malted Barley, Wheat, Oats, Hops, and Yeast. The Barley and Water are sourced from their own farm where the family has been since 1639. The hops used, all from the USA, are Citra, Amarillo and Mosaic. The brewery says that the organic oats from the neighbouring farm, The Merry Mill, contribute to the “lovely balance”.

It is available in cans and kegs with an IBU of 48. Highly Recommended.

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Yellowbelly Citra Pale Ale (APA), 4.8% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

I hadn’t come across a Yellowbelly beer in a long while until I recently picked this up in Bradley’s of Cork. They had a few cans of this popular pale ale in stock but that was it as regards Yellowbelly and it is also the only beer on the brewer’s website shop.

It has been “dry hopped to the gills with Citra” and it shows immediately both in the aromas and on the palate. The other hop used is Huell Melon and the malts are Pilsner, Munich, Wheat.

Brewed with the finest German and Belgian malts, fermented with a super clean American ale yeast, the resulting beer should be enjoyed as fresh as possible to appreciate the grapefruit and pine aroma and clean finish.

Hazy yellow is the colour here, and a white head (size and length depending on how you pour, probably best if on draught). The mix of ingredients here is really well-judged resulting in a really well-balanced beer where the Citra hop takes centre stage.

Not too surprised that this American Pale Ale from the southeast is still around. They regard it as a flagship beer. Citra Pale Ale can be enjoyed year-round on draught or in can from your favourite bars, restaurants and off-licences. It was voted Best Beer in Ireland  in the 2019 Beoir Awards

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Bavik Super Pils, 5.2%, 330 ml can Bradleys

Highlighting its World Beer Awards Belgium Gold at the top of the label, Bavik continues in like vein: “..only one Pilsner remains uncompromised, brewed for quality and consistency. No adjustments. Never pasteurized. Slowly Brewed. Cold Maturation. Crystal clear. It’s Bavic Super Pils or nothing!”

Looks good though in the glass, a bright light gold  (it has been filtered until clear) with a soft white head. The aromas are hoppy, modestly so, nothing overpowering. Once it hits the palate, you feel the softness and appreciate the crisp character. Full-bodied for sure and deeply refreshing as the delicate and refreshing taste of hop bitters embellishes the beer at the finalé.

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This little red can, a retro style of theirs, certainly delivers. One for your shortlist.

They say: “Bavik Super Pils obtains its unique taste and aroma from its exceptional brewing process. Our pilsner has not been diluted, we only use aroma hops, guarantee a long and cold maturation process, and pasteurization is out of the question. Those four elements result in this unique pilsner. Never compromise on taste! Moreover, we brew Bavik Super Pils in perfectly hygienic conditions, so pasteurisation is not an option. This way Bavik Super Pils keeps its unique light hoppy taste. Win win!”

Unsurprisingly, this pils continues to scoop awards. Brewers De Brabandere have stuck to its traditional recipe for five generations and, as always, time and quality prove the most important factors in producing a good beer.

CorkBillyBeers #43. Craft with Wicklow Wolf, Galway Hooker, St Bernardus and Community Brew Project

CorkBillyBeers #43

Craft with Wicklow Wolf, Galway Hooker, St Bernardus and Community Brew Project.

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Wicklow Wolf Eden Session IPA, 3.8% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Deliciously juicy, easy-drinking dry-hopped ale

The colour is hazy orange with a soft white head. Aromas of resin and grapefruit. Citrus is also prominent in the juicy palate where there’s quite a tropical presence as well, and again there’s a hint of pine. Well-balanced though all through with the malts having their say and the freshness of the hops combining in a satisfactory finalé.

Deliciously juicy, this easy-drinking dry-hopped ale, carrying just 3.8% ABV,  is a banker for a session, another winner from the Wicklow Wolf.

Very Highly Recommended.

 

They introduced it in 2019, saying: “An easy drinking Session IPA brewed with a shed load of the freshest El Dorado, Sabro & Chinook hops….We are obsessed with hops. Deliciously juicy, Eden is dry-hopped to give an abundance of tropical and stone fruits with a hint of piney bitterness. The malt bill provides a creamy & well-rounded balance. Malts: Pale, Oats, Cara Blond, Cara Clair

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Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale, 4.3% ABV, 500 ml bottle Centra Victoria Cross

Established in 2006, Galway Hooker produced the original Irish Pale Ale – now the most popular style of craft beer in the country.

And this bottle is indeed marked “the Original”. Colour is a mid-gold, a bit on the hazy side but that doesn't prevent you from seeing the bubbles rising up to the soft white head. Aromas are a mix of citrus and floral. It is crisp and zingy and the flavours are deep on the palate with both malts (Caramel) and hops (Cascade) getting an influential look-in. Quite a refreshing beer with a dry finish.

Perfect, they say, with barbecued meats, seafood and mature farmhouse cheeses. Very Highly Recommended.

Hooker tells us it is created in small batches to make the perfect balance of slowly developed malt and Hops flavours. “The result is a tangy flavour to savour with a light citrus aroma. It combines European and American hops with Irish malt to produce a truly unique blend of old world subtlety and new world taste.”

“Our ethos is to brew natural, full-flavoured, high quality and preservative-free beers. The results are beers that have received numerous awards, including Gold Medals at the Irish Food Awards and the World Beer Awards”.

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St Bernardus Wit, 5.0% ABV, 330 ml can Bradleys

St.Bernardus Wit is a traditional unfiltered Belgian wheat beer produced in Watou. It was developed in collaboration with Pierre Celis, the legendary master brewer who was the driver of the resurgence of white beer in the 1960s.

It has a pale orange colour, quite hazy with a dense white head. The aromatics are quite complex though clove stands out for me. There follows a masterclass in balance in the mouth. The herbal notes (coriander), the spice (clove), the fruit (orange, lemon), the sweet malt and the creamy texture (from the wheat) all combine marvellously well with a superb result.

It is a very refreshing beer but quite versatile at the table (which almost goes without saying when you have a Belgian beer at hand). 

St Bernardus are enthusiastic: “This incredibly versatile beer can be paired with almost any recipe from anywhere in the world. Its most outstanding role is perhaps that of a refreshing contrast when served with creamy dishes - a risotto for example - or in combination with shellfish and white fish. Do you serve a slice of lemon with your fish? You can echo that or a lemon sauce or dressing with this beer with its strong hints of citrus.”

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Community Brew Project Fragments Red IPA, 6.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

How does the Brew Project* work?

“It's pretty simple... It's up to you to tell us what you'd like to see brewed by each of the breweries! We'll narrow the ideas down to a shortlist, and then vote. The beers with the most votes get brewed. We have four brilliant breweries taking part in the project: Ballykilcavan, Dead Centre, Hope and Dot Brew.”

This Red IPA is brewed by Hope. And, yes, it is reddish, pretty murky, with a cream head that slowly sinks. Hops used (“liberally”) are Citra and Amarillo and you do get a bit of citrus fruit in both aromas and flavours.  Not a great balance though and we parted ways before the end.

* More details of the project on the Craic Beer Community platform here. 

Blas na hÉireann Cork Finalists 2023 Announced

Blas na hÉireann Cork Finalists 2023 Announced

 The finalists for Blas na hÉireann, The Irish Food Awards, 2023 have been announced and the countdown is now on for the return of the awards weekend to the pretty seaside town of Dingle. The three-day event will take place from Thursday September 28th to Saturday 30th September. 

Denis and Kate of Kinsale Mead Company

After the joyous reunion of last year’s in-person event for the first time in two years, the excitement is already building and the Blas team are hard at work preparing for the arrival of food and drink producers across Ireland to celebrate the very best of Irish. 

Now in its 16th year, Blas na hÉireann saw its highest entries from across all categories along with many new producers entering the awards for the first time this year. During the judging, which took place over June and July, over 3,000 entries were judged, the highest on record.

“The Blas na hÉireann awards are the highlight of the year for Cork producers as it pits their produce against the best that this country has to offer.” said  Joe Burke, Assistant Head of Enterprise, LEO South Cork. “We are very fortunate to have such awards that provide consumers’ reassurance of the quality and excellences of our producers. Cork producers are always well represented at Blas and receive many accolades and awards. We would like to complement the hard-working committee, judges, and sponsors of the awards which without them would not be possible. The Cork Local Enterprise Offices (South, North/West & City) are glad to be one of the sponsors of the awards and wish Blas continued success.” 

The finalists shortlisted from Co. Cork across a range of different categories are Alternative Christmas Pudding Company, Andrea's Kitchen, Bandon Vale Cheese, Bantry Bay Seafoods, Blackwater Honey, Bluebell Falls ltd, Bó Rua Farm, Carbery Group, Clares Homemade Hummus, Clóna Dairy Products Ltd., Clonakilty Food Company, Clonakilty Gluten Free Kitchen, Coolmore Foods, Folláin, Fresh Fish Deli, Frodo Ltd, Gloun Cross Dairy, Hanleys Puddings Ltd, Hassetts Bakers & Confectioners ltd., Irish Yogurts Ltd, Keohane Seafoods, Kepak, Kinsale Mead Co, Kinsale Spirit, Leahys Open farm, Macroom Buffalo Cheese Products Ltd, Malay Kitchen, McCarthy's of Kanturk, Niamh's Larder, North Cork Creameries, O'Callaghan's Cafe and Deli Ltd, O'Keeffes Bakery, O'Leary's Family Butchers, On The Pigs Back, Original 7 Beverage Co, Sage Restaurant, Second Street Bakeshop, Secret Recipe Limited, Shannonvale, Silver Pail Dairy, Spice O Life Ltd, Stonewell Cider & Nohoval Apple Wine, The Good Fish Company, The Sibly Food Company, Tom Durcan Meats Ltd, Toons Bridge Dairy, Velo Coffee Roasters, Walls Chips, West Cork Distillers, Wildberry Bakery and Ardsallagh Goat's Cheese.

Mural at Sage of Midleton

Speaking as the finalists were announced, Blas na hÉireann Chairperson, Artie Clifford said, “After last year’s success, we are thrilled to be back again. The Blas Village and Eat Ireland in a Day Tents were fantastic additions and created brilliant awareness for the finalists and winners to both the public and key industry people.  Seeing so many new producers enter this year is a testament to the fantastic produce Ireland has to offer and I am looking forward to celebrating past and new finalists and winners again this year.”

This year’s Blas na hÉireann awards in Dingle will see the return of last year’s new additions including the Eat Ireland in a Day tent and the Blas Village where the 2023 finalists will get the opportunity to showcase their products, engage with customers and meet key industry buyers.

 

With over 3,000 products entered in this year’s Blas na hÉireann, making it as a finalist is a huge achievement and one to be very proud of. The competition ramps up year on year, meaning those producers who are short-listed as finalists really are the crème de la crème of Irish food and drink. 

For finalist producers, it is not just their exceptional food & drink which will be celebrated in Dingle but the people themselves, the passionate producers who make the very best of Irish will be recognised and rewarded making this autumn’s Blas na hÉireann a food event not to be missed! 

Spice is the Variety of Life. Athula's Sauces are superb

Spice is the Variety of Life. 

Athula's Sauces are superb.

Spicy Veg

Three ways (at least) to spice up up your veg and meats.

A few weeks back, Athula of Athula Fusion Foods, gave me a couple of bottles of his new range of #srilankanstyle sauces, now available in selected SuperValu Ireland stores.

It is not too hard to work out what to do with the Athula Tomato Ketchup which is flavoured with Sri Lankan spices, spices straight from Athula's own farm in Sri Lanka and used in both sauces.  

Nuts

His Tomato Ketchup is sweet, acidic, mildly spicy, and fragrant with a thick, pourable texture "goes excellent with various foods". We tasted the ketchup and immediately gave it the thumbs up, a winner for sure. The "Devilled" Sauce though is a step up in heat (even though pineapple has been added to tone it down a little).

So we got the old brain box working (lots of recipes on the net, of course) and came up with a few combinations that worked out very well indeed. This first one is very simple. Called to the local SuperValu here in Mayfield and bought a pack of Pecan Nuts (though many other nuts will do equally as well). 

Hot Nuts

1 - Select the amount of nuts you want. Using a small bowl, pour in a fifty fifty mix of the two sauces for your first attempt. You'll probably add more of the Devil in future attempts! Use just enough sauce to coat the nuts.

2 -Spread them onto a baking sheet.

3- Preheat the oven to 140-160 degrees, and bake for around 30 minutes until the sauce dries and coats the nuts. 

This is a beauty, perfect with a bottle of beer or just as a snack. And don't worry if you have too much. Use the remainder on the day after. 

Hot Veg

You'll like these spicy vegetables. Use Sweet Potato, Peppers, Carrots (that have been blanched in advance), Cauliflower, and Parsnips, either all of them or just one or two. It looks as if the "softer" ones, such as cauliflower and sweet potato, pick up the sauce best. Again experiment with the amounts and proportions of the sauces until you have settled on what suits you. 

Toss the veg in olive oil, shake on salt and pepper and then toss in the sauce, same as the nuts. And then marinate for about an hour.

Again lay them out on a tray and cook in the oven for about 25 minutes (can also be done in the BBQ but time will vary!) and then enjoy. Can be used on their own or as a side dish.  Super tasty and delicious.

Hot Chicken Tonight!

Here's another simple recipe, this based on a tray of chicken wings. These need to be prepared in a marinade of grated garlic, grated ginger, a dash of olive oil, and enough of the sauces (again we used both, we used three Devil to one of the Ketchup) to coat them. Once coated with the sauce(s), keep in the fridge for half an hour or even longer if you have the time. By the way, the Devil is hot but not off the scale hot!

Then transfer them to a hot oven and cook for about 30 minutes. Have them on their own as a mid-day snack or use a salad and make a main course from them, a very tasty main course!

If you get through two or three of these recipes, you'll have a good idea of the proportions of the sauces that suit your palate and you will be good and ready to move on to the tempting dish that Athula himself made when launching his new range at the Cork Summer Show. Check out his Devilled Chicken Sri Lankan Style recipe and video here.

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CorkBillyBeers #36. Craft Lager with Torc, Hope, Third Barrel and Rothaus

CorkBillyBeers #36

Craft Lager with Torc, Hope, Third Barrel and Rothaus

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Third Barrel Stop the Clocks Pilsner Lager, 4.8% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys

“Our take on a traditional pilsner. This clean crisp and refreshing lager is brewed with Irish Malt and hopped with a hefty dose of German Saaz.” That’s the intro from Third Barrel.

The colour is bright gold with a soft foamy white head, and lots of bubbles rising. Floral and citrus notes in the aromas. And it is crisp and clean on the creamy palate where the famous Saaz hops (a noble variety) give it mild pleasant hoppy notes of hay and herbal. Easy drinking and seriously refreshing. As Third Barrel themselves say: “Nothing says summer like a good glass of Pils in the sun.” And this Stop the Clocks says it as well as any lager and better than many.

Very Highly Recommended.

Saaz, with its distinctive and classic aroma, is well known for its use in middle European lagers. And it also has a long association with Stella Artois

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Torc White Tail Kerry Lager 4.5% ABV, 500 ml bottle Carry Out Killarney

“Sure to suit all palates, our classic style smooth Lager is brewed using Irish Pale Ale Malt and speciality German Carapils Malt.” That’s the confident introduction to their White Tail Lager by the folks of Kerry’s Torc Brewing.

It has a lovely gold colour and fountains of rising bubbles, rising though a thin film of haziness (it is unfiltered). The aromatics are a little on the shy side, with light caramel and biscuity notes. And there’s a hint of caramel and sweet biscuit also as it hits the palate and immediately a cleansing tide of refreshment. Excellent balance here and a good dry finish.

Torc says it pairs beautifully with seafood, pasta, pizzas, curries, burgers and salads.

Highly Recommended

The lager is named after the White-Tailed Eagle which was reintroduced into the Killarney National Park in 2007, having become extinct in the late 19th century. Before going extinct this magnificent bird of prey called Killarney its home, and returning this species to Irish skies is a significant step in restoring our natural heritage.

Geek Bits

SRM: 3.1 • 

IBU: 13.5 •

ABV: 4.5%.
Style: Lager •

Released: 2022

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Hope Munich Helles Limited Edition No 27 5.3% ABV, 440 ml can No 21 Coburg St

Enjoy it in the garden, or with salty pretzels and bratwurst. That’s the advice from Hope. Amber is the colour of their Munich Helles Lager, with a soft white head and bubbles by the zillion. 

Helles is one of Munich’s popular lagers (another is the darker Dunkel), bright and light with a crisp finish. Quite a crisp and refreshing finish here also, even though the body is richer than usual and there’s an almost creamy mouthfeel. 

The malts certainly have an edge and no surprise since Hope tells us that their Helles “holds back on hops and bitterness to allow the sweet and full bready flavours of malt take centre stage”. 

This Munich-style Helles Lager nonetheless has a noticeable hop presence from the traditional German Hallertau used in the kettle and the whirlpool, which lend this lager subtle herbal and floral aromas.

Although the balance falls slightly on the malty side, the rich body and full mouthfeel do not inhibit this beer's drinkability, and the finish is soft and crisp. Enjoy it in the garden, or with those salty pretzels and bratwurst. Should also pair well with salads, shrimp, or fish.

By the way, would you like to see how this lager is made? Hope would love to you to join them “for the best micro-brewery tour in Dublin! Our brewery tours take place in our state-of-the-art German brewery in North Dublin where all aspects of the brewing process will be covered on the tour and will take approximately 25 minutes. Then the really fun part! You’ll enjoy a beer tasting of our core range of craft beers while enjoying a great view of the brewery floor.” More details here 

Very Highly Recommended.

I had an interesting head-to-head between this Hope and the To Øl  45 Days Mexican (in bottle). The verdict is very much in favour of Hope, a clear winner over the Danish effort in flavour and finish.

Helles is just one of a long list of German lagers (with no shortage of variations).

Perhaps the best-known are:

Bock,

Doppelbock,

Eisbock,

Dortmunder Export Lager,

Pilsner,

Maibock

Märzen

Munich Dunkel

And a few more, including Rauchbier (smoked).

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Rothaus Märzen 5.6% ABV, 500ml bottle Bradleys

Traditionally brewed during the winter, Rothaus Märzen is a seasonal favourite now enjoyed all year round by German beer lovers. 

Give this German a robust pour and you’ll get a decent white head that hangs around for a spell. The important bit comes after that, the glowing gold body and the zillions of micro-bubbles in the ever-rising fountains. Herbal notes crowd the aromas, nothing too intense. The smooth body is more malt (rich and bready) while the German hops yield a modest bitterness. Still, this is quite a balanced soft-textured beer, supremely drinkable, with a very clean finish, and an enjoyable companion at either lunch or dinner. Or even better in a crowded noisy beer hall.

It is a full-bodied, luscious beer with the unique barley malt from southern Germany bolstering its character. Fresh brewing water as well as the famous hops from Tettnang and the Hallertau make the taste experience more or less perfect. So well done to the Rothaus master brewers who have produced a top-class beer that has been a favourite for centuries.

So where did Marzen come from? Beers of this type of brewing are traditionally more heavily brewed, as brewing was only allowed in the months from September to April. A beer with a longer shelf life was thus produced in March, which survived the five months and was produced just in time for Octoberfest.

According to the Beer Connoisseur, the Märzen style is a malty, amber, European-style lager that can trace the roots of its modern variants all the way back to 1841, when Spaten created the first recipe for the style. Märzen become the official beer of Munich’s Oktoberfest in 1872, a tradition that lasted over 100 years when it was replaced by the lighter-bodied, golden-coloured Festbier in the 1990 Oktoberfest. Yet many Oktoberfest beers are still technically Märzens.

As you possibly know, I go almost exclusively for Irish beer. But it is always good to see what else is out there and this Rothaus is a worthwhile detour. Another, according to Jeff Alworth in The Beer Bible, is the Paulaner Oktoberfest “that billows clouds of the stuff (fluffy heads!). “the beer itself is toasty, almost a little plummy, and sprinkled with palate-cleansing cedary hops.”

You can talk forever about malt and hops and ingredients but one that Aldworth highlights is called “rasa” a sense of celebration. “Marzens are infused with the spirit of festgoing….both the result and cause of merriment…drunk at a time when people are still hanging on to the relaxed mood of summer.” Hadn’t thought of that kind of ” ingredient”.