A Quart of Ale± #21 Moving on over to craft. Sour.

A Quart of Ale± #21

Moving on over to craft.  

Sour

So, what is a sour? It is perhaps the style of beer most likely to put someone off with a single sip. But, according to Craft Beer for the People, “they are hugely rewarding for those who can get past the initial shock.” Think of lemons, sauerkraut, pickles and Citron Pressé (the French non-alcoholic thirst quencher) as that essential first step. “Once you gain a taste for them (sours)…. there’s no going back!” And I can tell you, hand on heart, that the conversion can come as early as the third sip. Stick with it and try some of the beers below - you won’t be sorry!

Crooked Stave “Sour Rosé” 4.5%, 355ml can Bradley’s of Cork

Colour is a deep pink that in some lighting might pass for orange; it is cloudy, with lots of bubbles rising; the head doesn't hang about. Fruit plus yeast notes in the aromas. Refreshing and effervescent on the palate, this is the most delicious sour, ideal for a summer’s day in the garden with a salad at hand, perhaps one with fish. Yet, as they suggest, it’s probably perfect for all seasons. Just a few sips in and I’m delighted with this one which is going to be hard to top in this section. Put it on your short list.

The American brewery says: Showcasing bright effervescent characteristics, Sour Rosé is the perfect sour beer for all seasons and occasions. Unfiltered and naturally wild, we package each can with a small amount of yeast to maintain maximum freshness for wherever life’s adventures take you.

Beer Specs

• Serving Temperature: 8-12 degrees
• Alc/Vol: 4.5%
• Cultured in Yeast

Pairings: 

Cheese, Jasper Hill Cellars Harbison with Washed-rind;
Chicken Liver Mouse & Pancetta;
Ceviche with Raw Fish and Shrimp, Aji, Onion, Salt and Cilantro, all Cured in Citrus Juice

Saltimbocca with Veal lined Prosciutto & Basil

Kinnegar “Olan’s Tart” Apple Sour 5.0%, 440ml can Bradley’s of Cork

This unfiltered, naturally carbonated Apple sour from Donegal’s Kinnegar Brewery looks a little like a cloudy pale apple juice once the short-lived head vanishes. I was expecting more of a crab apple but, while certainly sour,  this, one of the better Irish sours, is very drinkable indeed, quite refreshing too.

The style is “Kettle sour with apple” and it tastes clean and crisp. It is  labelled as ”a year-round reminder of summer” and is “fermented with freshly pressed apple juice from our friends at Dan Kellys Cider.”

They say: A bunch of rabbits and their mates having the craic and making good beer Yep, that's pretty much our branding in a nutshell. A big thanks to one of our twitter fans for putting it so simply and succinctly. Nothing in life is however quite that simple…..

Yellow Belly Castaway Passionfruit Sour 4.2%, 440ml can, Bradley’s

Yellow Belly like their sours, so be prepared!

Cloudy light amber is the colour. Not so much fruit in the aromas; yeast seems to be the main element. Once it reaches the palate though, the face puckers as promised and the Belgian malts, aided by the passionfruit sweetness, begin to calm it all down a bit. Just a little bit! This is after all a sour, and a pretty good one at that. Quite a thirst-quencher!

They say: The perfect sour. Our house Berliner Weisse recipe (soured with our, continuously evolving, barrel stored lactobacillus culture) conditioned on a small tropical islands worth of passionfruit. Expect a lovely fruity aroma, more fruit on the tongue, and even more fruit on the finish all rounded with a gentle acidity from the souring process. Brewed with only the finest Belgian malts and our House Lactobacillus Culture under the careful watch of our Head Brewer, Declan Nixon.

 

It is a seasonal beer – mostly found during the Summer months, but from time to time as a limited release. It is unfiltered and not pasteurised.

All the artwork you see across their Tap Badges and Cans features their fictional hero ‘YellowBelly’. He’s the “Dr. Who” of Beer; travelling through time and space to find new recipes, discover ingredients and to fight the bad guys trying to destroy good beer. Creative Director, Paul Reck, creates all the artwork and is the mastermind behind the ‘YellowBelly Tales’ Comic Book Series, which can read for free on the site.

Lervig “Passion Tang” 7%, 330ml can Bradley’s of Cork

The eye-catching can pours an orange and gold colour while this Norwegian sour holds its head just for a few seconds. Mainly fruity aromas. And the Passionfruit is your main man on the tangy palate. Perhaps not as sour as some or perhaps I’m getting used to the style. Either way, not quite on the same level as the Crooked Stave. Easy enough to forget, with all that Passionfruit, that this is 7% abv.

Lervig is an independently owned and operated craft brewery located in Stavanger, Norway. They produce a wide range of beers from easy-drinking pilsners and pale ales to bold and complex barrel-aged stouts, barley wines, and sours.

They say: We fermented an oat rich sour ale with our house ale yeast, then add brettanomyces trois in the secondary fermentation along with passion fruit. Grains of paradise were also into the mix, giving this beer a tropical, floral yet woody character. This beer bridges with those who don’t really like beer to craft beer.

Malts: Pale, Munich, Caramalt.

Hops: Ella, Victoria Secret.

Yeast: American Ale, Brettanomyces

Additive: Grains of Paradise.

Passionfruit extract also listed in ingredients.

Goldie Bouncing Back In A Rocky Old Year. New Fish Shop And More!

Goldie Bouncing Back In A Rocky Old Year.

New Fish Shop And More!

The Goldie voyage started so well last September. Praise poured in from customers and critics alike as the Cork city centre fish restaurant cast off. Along with a high tide of critical acclaim came the "Best Chef of the Year 2020" award for Aisling Moore. Then came the Covid storm. 

Now, two lockdowns later, Aisling is fed up of Covid 19 but told me last week she'll never be fed up of fish. The restaurant, a shining example of sustainability and ethical sourcing, may not be able to offer you table service these days but Aisling and fellow proprietor Stephen Moore are hooking customers with their new fish shop, along with some of their signature dishes (pre-prepared to cook at home) and you can also get some hot stuff. Indeed, as I write, I note their tasty Bhan Mi Sando is sold out but don't worry, they'll have more in a couple of hours. Bouncing back for sure!

Ready to cook

The fish shop will be open only when the day-boats from East Cork sail (usually Wednesday – Saturday) so fish lovers can join the restaurant’s mailing list to get alerts about when the shop will be open and what will be on offer. This new venture will directly support the fishermen who have supplied them from the beginning.  

See www.goldie.ie.

As with the restaurant, Goldie Fish Shop will also take a ‘whole catch’ approach.  This means that it will take whatever is caught on the day, regardless of the quantity and species, ensuring a daily changing menu featuring the freshest produce available and a guaranteed livelihood for the fisherman.  The restaurant is committed to ordering in the same quantities as before lockdown. You won't see a menu for the take-out option as it depends on what the boats bring in but do sign up for their newsletter and that will keep you in the know.

In addition to pin-boned fish, portioned with the utmost care, some of the restaurant’s signature dishes will also be pre-prepared to cook at home.  These include ‘tarragon, chervil and parmesan crumbed pollock’, ‘tandoori spiced monkfish’, ‘squid ragu’ ( just reheat and add to spaghetti), it's signature salt fish brandade with seaweed crackers, fresh boxes of Panko fish fingers for kids and lots of the restaurant’s favourite sauces, which work so well with fish.  The variety will grow as the restaurant adapts. 

Back when I was a young teenager, I used to catch pollack (with the aid of my cousins and some eel as bait) on the north coast of Mayo and many a delicious meal we had late at night cooked over an open turf fire.

Ready to eat!

Delighted then to get two portions of perfectly prepared pollack when we called to Goldie last week. Two small cartons of Tarragon and Parmesan Crust delivered a magnificent crown to the superb fish, white and moist. And another bonus was the Café de Paris Butter. Spoiled! 

And if its fresh fish you're looking for, study the up-to-date info on the window. On the day we called, Monkfish, Langoustines, Crab Claws, Cod, Hake, Brill, Dover Sole, Ling, Pollack, and John Dory were all available. The Ban Mi Sando was available from the hot counter with an option of Sea Salt Shoestring Chips.

Ban Mi. Note the fish boxes

Moore and Keogh see the shop as a natural progression for the restaurant, (known for its gill to tail cooking), particularly in the current environment.  “We have used the time in lockdown to really learn about drying, salting, pickling and storing every part of the fish, as well as how best to use the seaweed and sea vegetables readily available on our coastline” says Moore.  

“We feel that this knowledge will bring something totally new to Goldie going forward and means that we will be in complete control of our output.  We look forward to the fish shop becoming a permanent feature of our business.” And I look forward to calling there more often in the future.

Keep Going Cork. Just like Goldie.

Amuse Bouche

 

… We walked up to the Seaport…. We put our stuff down on the chairs outside, and we went to go inside this Pizzeria Uno - and it was locked. The bartender was leaning against the bar, watching the television with his back to us, cleaning a glass. We were pounding on the door, like “Let us in! Let us in!” He turned around and said, “We don’t open till 11.30.” I said, “Look at the TV! Let us in!” “He kept saying, “We’re not open yet. We don’t open until 11.30.”

from The Only Plane in the Sky, The Oral History of 9/11, by Garrett M. Graff (2019). Very Highly Recommended.

Taste of the Week: Ballyhoura Oyster Mushrooms GIY Block

Taste of the Week

Ballyhoura Oyster Mushrooms GIY Block

Ready to cook: 5th November

Something totally different for the current Taste of the Week, oyster mushrooms with a Grow It Yourself element. Don't worry. It's simple and very delicious.

Must say it doesn't look too promising when it arrived. It being a block in a bag. Gave it a few days rest as instructed, cut the bag as indicated and misted on some water. Left it in a corner of a cool-ish room and soon they began to grow. Five days later, we were picking, cooking and eating. We got about three meals out of that first picking.

Now, stage two is starting. We gave the block a 5-day rest in a cooler room. It's now back in the original position and the misting regime has commenced again - you get full instructions with the block - and we're hoping for another crop (probably not as vigorous as the first) in a few days.

 

3rd November

Arrival  28th October.
We ordered ours via Neighbourfood and it cost €12.00.
Their current offering is a Nameko Mushroom Growing Kit.
Suitable to be grown inside and outside, a cold loving mushroom. Easy to grow, minimal attention required, will crop within 3-4 weeks. 

Two Superb Reds for your Short-list from Rioja and Central Otago

Two Superb Reds for your Short-list

 from Rioja and Central Otago 

LAN Rioja Reserva (DOC) 2014, 13.5%

€22.99 Wineonline.ie; Baggot Street Wines; Sweeney’s; Jus de Vine; Egans Off Licence; Molloys Liquor Store; La Touche Wines; The Corkscrew; The Ely Wine Store, Maynooth; J. J. O’Driscoll

On the back label, LAN insist: “Bottled wines don’t last forever. They evoke and mature, yet also grow old and die. Keep this Reserva wine in the best conditions possible but don’t cellar it forever..” 

So, let us get going! Colour is a glossy cherry red. Aromas are quite intense, with an elegant vanilla and a touch of spice, ripe red fruit too. More fruit and spice on the smooth and velvety palate, followed by a persistent and moreish finish. Very Highly Recommended. 

Grapes used are 92% Tempranillo and Mazuelo (also known as Carignan), the fruit coming from selected vineyards in the Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa subzones with an average age of more than 25 years. Rioja rules mean that Reserva red wines spend a minimum of one year in oak. They cannot be sent to market until a full three years after vintage. 

Founded in 1972, Bodegas LAN lies in the heart of Rioja Alta. The name LAN comes from the initials of the three provinces of the Rioja Designation of Origin: Logroño (nowadays called La Rioja), Álava and Navarra. In her 2012 book, Rioja, Ana Fabiano describes the Lan wines as “modern classics”.

They say: LAN Reserva spent 18 months in hybrid barrels of French and American oak, and 21 months in bottle, inside our cellars, in the ideal storage conditions. Don't keep this Reserva for a special occasion that might never arrive.

By the way, those hybrid barrels have American staves with French oak heads and LAN has pioneered their use and reckon the hybrids give their wines the best of both worlds.

Akarua RUA Pinot Noir Central Otago (New Zealand) 2018, 14%, 

€29.99 Mitchell & Son; Avoca; The 1601; Wineonline.ie; Clontarf Wines; Baggot Street Wines

This Central Otago Pinot Noir is a light, and bright, ruby. A complex nose of dark and red fruit (cherry, plum), floral (violet) with some spice notes. Amazing depth of bold berry fruit (strawberry, raspberry) on the palate, its velvety power enhanced by its gentle spice, fine tannins and juicy acidity. The finish is strong and long. Quite an experience, start to fruit-driven finale; silky, it is easy-drinking and Very Highly Recommended.

They say: Winemaker Andrew Keenleyside ensures that the fruit is nicely balanced. He avoids the raisiny flavours that some in Central Otago seem to obtain, and produces wines with lovely aromatic lift and fine tannins, which are perfectly illustrated in the 'RUA'. The 2018 spent seven months in French Oak barriques (of which 10% were new).

Akarua is “proudly family owned” by the Skeggs family who were among the first people to buy and plant vineyard land in Central Otago in the mid-1990s, so were lucky enough to acquire a superb north-facing site in Bannockburn. Sustainability in the vineyard and winery is integral to the Akarua ethos. Water conservation, recycling, the use of lightweight bottles, fully insulated barrel rooms and energy efficient lighting in the winery are a few of the initiatives taken by Akarua to guarantee their accredited status as a sustainable producer.

CONRAD DUBLIN VOTED IRELAND’S LEADING LUXURY HOTEL AND IRELAND’S LEADING HOTEL SUITE 2020

 IT’S OFFICIAL!

CONRAD DUBLIN VOTED IRELAND’S LEADING LUXURY HOTEL AND IRELAND’S LEADING HOTEL SUITE 2020

  

To celebrate Conrad Dublin  been recognised as Ireland's Leading Luxury Hotel and naming Conrad’s Presidential Suite as Ireland’s Leading Hotel Suite at the 27^th annual World Travel Awards, it is offering a very special December stay rate (if current restrictions lifted) from €259 for two people sharing to include dinner, breakfast and onsite car parking.

Celebrating a remarkable 27 years, the annual Travel Awards are the leading independent awards for the European hospitality industry and aim to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the very best of the region’s travel and tourism sector to the world. Despite the incredible challenges faced by our industry over the course of 2020, this year’s Word Travel Awards nomination programme reported record visitor traffic and engagement from the public voter (the all-important tourism consumer). This shows that as the global recovery begins, the appetite for tourism has never been as keen and offers hope and much needed encouragement to us all.

With the rising demand for future travel comes a notable trend from the consumer to seek out and book the very best tourism products from across the world. As we look to the future, this trend is why winning a World Travel Award this year, has never been more valuable.

 

Martin Mangan, General Manager, Conrad Dublin said, “This has been a very challenging year for the Irish hospitality and tourism sectors.  To receive two major awards during this current climate is testament to the genuine passion and dedication our hotel puts into going the extra mile for our guests. We look forward to welcoming all guests back to our hotel this December for the festive season”.

 

Conrad Dublin has has kept busy since March developing the Terrace Kitchen & Social House & Pantry and Café a concept born when the hotel seized an opportunity to place a converted horsebox, creatively named the ‘Horsebox’, on the Piazza taking full advantage of the vista and sun trap. Serving gourmet coffee and snacks to a few locals and passers-by at a time when the city was effectively empty, the team at Conrad Dublin decided to expand on this offering following the success of the Horsebox. The team at The Terrace are working on a few other concepts, which are yet to be unveiled.

 

To learn more about or connect with Conrad Dublin, please visit www.conraddublin.com, call +353 1 6028900 or follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

press release

O'Mahony's Looked To The East And Netted Dim Sum Hat Trick. This Week, They Focus On Mexico

 O'Mahony's Look To The East And Net Dim Sum Hat Trick. This Week, They Focus On Mexico*!

Mexico Menu at bottom

Okay, we've got quite a few Dim Sum aficionados in Ireland. And, on the other hand, quite a few who know very little about this element of Chinese cuisine that has spread worldwide. Dim sum itself refers to a style of Chinese cuisine, served in small bite-sized portions, including but not limited to dumplings.

Cantonese dim sum culture developed rapidly during the latter half of the nineteenth century in Guangzhou. It sum was based originally on local foods. As dim sum continued to develop, chefs introduced influences and traditions from other regions of China and this was the start of a wide variety of dim sum. Dim sum restaurants typically have a wide variety of dishes, usually totaling several dozen.There are over one thousand dim sum dishes in existence today.

And that 1000 plus would not include this Watergrasshill version from O'Mahony's, solidly based on top class local produce, including Carrigcleena free range chicken and duck, Fitzgerald’s pork belly, Ballyhoura mushrooms, Jack McCarthy’s and Hanley’s Black Pudding and more. I got mine at the weekend. It was their third offering and all sold out. This week, I'm told the focus will be on Mexico. Check their Facebook page for details (from today Tuesday) as I'd expect something of a rush. 

I'm always amazed with how Asian cuisine in general makes the very best of vegetables. And the team 
at O'Mahony's didn't let me down, serving up a Cashew Matsu Slaw and a Cucumber & sesame salad. One of the highlights of the meal.

Chicken, pork and mushroom, all wrapped up in delicious little parcels!

Jack McCarthy Black Pudding on the right with
Carrigcleena duck on left. Both delicious.

According to Wikipedia, Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients in a wheat-flour-based batter; it is an example of konamon. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "how you like" or "what you like", and yaki meaning "cooked".

There were quite a few elements in the package, including Adam's Egg Fried Rice
and a terrific dipping sauce as well. Oh, I almost forgot the Miso Soup.

This week's menu - Rápida Rápido

Cork Company Jump Juice Bars Launches Jump Juice Direct

 Cork Company Jump Juice Bars Launches Jump Juice Direct

Cork-based company, Jump Juice Bars, has launched a new service Jump Juice Direct, offering nationwide delivery of fresh juices, smoothies, juice cleanses, protein balls and more.

The 100 percent pure fruit and vegetable cold-pressed juices and smoothies can now be ordered online through the dedicated website jumpjuicedirect.ie and delivered straight to your home via a subscription service or a once-off delivery.  

Managing Director of Jump Juice Bars, Charlie Scanlan said, “We are delighted to be launching a tempting range of cold-pressed juices, smoothies and wellness shots exclusively online. Juiced here in Ireland and cold-pressed to maintain its nutritional integrity and clean authentic taste, this vibrant range allows us to reach more of our fans, wherever they live or work. Forming a natural extension of the Jump Juice Bars brand we are really excited to offer our great-tasting juices and smoothies direct to customers at home.”

Jump Juice Direct smoothies and juices are made from 100 percent real fruit and vegetables with nothing else added. The fruit and vegetables are sourced locally as much as possible.  As the juices are cold-pressed, and the smoothies so pure, they will stay fresh in your fridge for up to 45 days, giving plenty of time to enjoy them. 

Operations Director and co-founder of Jump Juice Bars, Claire Scanlan said, “Cold-pressed is a process of juice extraction that seeks to minimise the impact that heat can have on the nutrients of the juice during extraction. Once bottled, the drinks go through a process called high-pressure processing which allows gentle preservation of the juices without additives or heat. These processes together help to deliver a shelf life of up to 45 days. By taste alone, Jump Juice Bars customers will notice the difference in our juices against juices with a longer shelf life.”

The Jump Juice Direct range includes smoothies, juices and ‘wellness shots’ as well as mixed cases of all three. Smoothies include the popular Mango Smoothie (mango, orange, apple and pineapple), The Berry Smoothie (mixed berries, apples, oranges and bananas) and the classic Strawberry Smoothie (strawberries, bananas, grapes and orange). While the juices include the virtuous Green Juice (cucumber, apple, spinach, kale and wheatgrass), The Citrus Twist (strawberries, orange, lemon and pineapple). Wellness Shots are a shot of fruity, vegetable-packed goodness the Apple and Charcoal,  Beetroot and Ginger, Orange and Tumeric shots promise to kick start the day in the best possible way.

Jump Juice Direct has also expertly created various Cleanse options including 1 day, 3 day or 5 day juice cleanse. Each option includes a selection of juices, smoothies, wellness shots and a pack of either Coconut Protein Balls or Peanut Butter Energy per day. Prices start at €29 for the one day cleanse.

Cases of juices and smoothies are delivered nationwide in cases of 6 and start from €17.50. The Wellness Shots are priced at just €30.00 for a mixed or single flavour case of 15 shots. As an introductory offer, there is 20% off first order on subscriptions. Orders can be placed at www.jumpjuicedirect.ie.

Keep up to date with the latest news by following Jump Juice Bars on social media @JumpJuiceBars

Press release

A Quart of Ale± #20. Terrific Irish Ciders. "Lucky to have each of them"

A Quart of Ale± #20

Moving on over to craft.

Terrific Irish Ciders.

"Lucky to have each of them" 

Cider is one of the most ancient of the alcoholic drinks, made wherever apples are grown. Yet some countries, Canada for example, has a law preventing people calling a liquid cider unless it has apples in the ingredients. There is a huge variety of ciders, from dry to sweet, from clear to cloudy. Once at a gite in France, the owner came over with a cloudy bottle, oil to ease a sticking front door we thought, but no it was a delicious homemade cider and there was a basin of strawberries as well!

Normandy and Brittany (where I then was) are well known for their ciders but it is only in recent years that craft cider has hit Irish shelves. And even here now, there is an amazing variety, especially from Munster, Leinster and Ulster. I have just a few examples below, including a non alcoholic gem from Highbank, and they illustrate the variety and quality available.

Con Traas of the Apple Farm, who produces a superb example himself, was asked a few years ago to give his verdict on a couple of the then new ciders, Longueville and Stonewell. He declined, saying we were lucky to have each of them. I feel the same way about the quintet below and others such as those coming from The Cider Mill in Slane, Dan Kelly (also in the Boyne Valley), and others that you can find here at  Cider Ireland .

Stonewell Medium Dry 5.5%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

This County Cork cider is approaching its 10th birthday and is tasting as well as ever. It was their first and  “remains our most popular cider”. It is a classic, very popular here too, and we often order it in restaurants as it goes well with a variety of dishes.

You’ll know it’s Irish by the eye catching Celtic design on the front. Aromas of the orchard invite you in. Light gold colour and squadrons of little bubbles flying up to the top. Terrific wash of sweet apple flavour on the attack and then you note a balancing acidity before a satisfying finish.

They say: We don’t complicate things by using artificial additives, apple concentrate, glucoses syrup or dilute with water. This carbonated cider is best enjoyed as a refreshing thirst quencher, chilled to 7 degrees (watch the ice – whilst it will maintain the chill it can conceal the full flavour!). 

With winter approaching, you can put this out the back for chilling as an overlong spell in the fridge would also hamper the flavour. This medium dry contains approximately 20% cider apples and 80% eating apples. The cider apples provide the astringency in the cider and the structure on which the full, rounder and more citrus characteristics of the eating apples depend. The cider is made from Irish grown apples and the varieties used are Dabinett, Michelin, Jonagored and Elstar.

Highbank Organic  “Drivers Cider” 0%, 330ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

I’m walking through long rows of apple trees, all in blossom, pink and white abound. The grass between is ankle height, lush and liberally populated with white daisies. Lush, but recently topped. Had I been there a week earlier, I would have seen battalions of dandelions.

I was in Kilkenny, in the healthy heart of Highbank Orchards, an organic farm owned and managed by Rod and Julie Calder-Potts. It is here they grow their apples and make their ciders (and more), including this one.

Made from organic cider apples from the Highbank farm, Drivers Cider is a refreshing non-alcoholic drink for the designated driver with no added sugar or chemicals. This Blusher apple limited vintage is Single Estate (grown, distilled and bottled at Highbank Farm) and no sugar or sweeteners have been added. 

It is a bit sweeter than the Stonewell but finishes dry. It’s a delicious well-flavoured drink and really works well with food as we found out during the Sunil Ghai Special Lunch in Sage last year. Any drink that pairs well with Asian is worth noting, especially when you’re driving home afterwards. In fact, we enjoyed the pairing so much, we bought a second round of the Highbank! Probably one of the best of the Irish non alcoholic drinks.

Johnny Fall Down “Late Apples” 2017 5.5%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Light gold colour, no shortage of bubbles. No mistaking the orchard aromas. This one comes on strong, packed with complex flavour, smoky and spicy with a lingering dry finish. One for your short list for sure, from the new kids on the block at Killahora. 

At a tasting earlier in the summer, Killahora’s Barry said this Late Apples is driven by 30% Dabinett and lots of French varieties, some inedible as a fruit. And that this is designed “for food”. They suggest it is also one for the red wine drinkers and point the white wine drinkers in the direction of their Early Apples issue.

They say: "We work on what the year gives us. In the cidery, we do as little as possible to it. This deeper bittersweet, medium-dry cider is made from the late ripening, rare varieties of apples in our Cork orchards. Pair with darker meats, spicy food, cheese and oily fish.” Serve chilled, no ice!

Killahora was founded by two cousins, Barry Walsh and Dave Watson, with the goal of growing the best rare apple and pear varieties on Irish soil and to use artisanal techniques to turn them into award winning drinks. 

Dave brings a passion for and encyclopaedia-like knowledge of apple and pear trees, while Barry brings the wizardry of fermenting, blending and creating new drinks. “We make everything as naturally as possible with minimum intervention and use wild fermentation.Everything is handmade on site with 100% fresh juice and we take our time, allowing our products to mature for up to a year to get the most complexity of flavour.”

Highbank “Proper Irish Cider” 2016 6%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

This organic cider from Kilkenny’s Highbank Orchard has an amber colour, with fountains of bubbles rising. Aromas are tart and true to the orchard fruit. On the palate, it is just amazing, this masterpiece of deliciousness and refreshment and then that dry finalé. If Bach had made cider, he’d have been happy to put his name to a bottle like this, precise and satisfying from first drop to last.

They say: This traditional, dry cider grown and produced by Highbank Orchards Matured on its wild yeasts Highbank Proper Cider has no added sulphites, no added sugar and is Irish Organic with naturally high tannins. A delicious, refreshing drink, Proper Cider should be served chilled over ice particularly with a fish course.

Highbank Organic Orchards, owned and run by Rod and Julie Calder-Potts, produce their ciders in small batches with an emphasis on pairing ciders with different foods. All organic, with no added sulphites and gluten free, the cider apples are from Highbank’s own organic trees grown on Highbank Organic farm in County Kilkenny. It is a beautiful farm and this is a beautiful cider.

Longueville “Mór” Cider 8%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Longueville harvest

This Longueville House cider had a clear amber colour and pleasing orchard aromas. This is a medium cider with a delicious full flavour, slight touch of tannins (on the lips) and a satisfying finish. Rubert Atkinson of Longueville: “No ice! It waters down the flavours and kills the sparkle. Enjoy this like a wine, in a wine glass.”

Longueville House (near Mallow, Co. Cork) grow two varieties of cider apple, the Dabinett and the Michelin - “No chemicals and no pesticides”. The regular Longueville House Cider, has an abv of 5.9%. The sugar is natural and they use no extra sulphites. 

Longueville’s Mór gets its higher abv (8.00%) and distinctive flavour from fermentation (1 year) in their just-emptied apple brandy casks. “It is the same juice as the regular cider but is more robust, has more character, more flavour, well rounded, well balanced, really lovely.” I couldn't agree more! Made from 100% fresh apples. Contains only naturally occurring sulphites.

They say: William O'Callaghan and his father Michael before him have been fermenting exceptional craft cider and distilling Ireland's only Apple Brandy now for almost 35 years. We have brought the cider and brandy production to another level while maintaining the very natural and respectful processes of our fore fathers, the terroir and sustainability - crushing, pressing, fermentation, filtration, light carbonation, pasteurisation - all while using no pesticides, fungicides, insecticides or any other ‘cides in our orchards. 

One way they counter the aphids, a tiny bug that can do enormous damage, is to encourage the hoverfly by planting the likes of Fennel, Angelica and Yarrow. These attract the hoverfly, a natural enemy of the aphid.