Favourite Beer of The Year 2021-The candidates, so far! + May Favourites

Favourite Beer of The Year 2021-The candidates, so far! + May Favourites

Monthly Favourites

May: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

April: Heaney New England IPA

March: Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter

February: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Lager

January: Lineman “Vesper" Pale Ale

May Favourites

White/wheat/wit: Heaney Irish White Ale

Rye Ale: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

Lager: Western Herd "Loop Head" Pilsner 

Red Ale: Brú

Amber Ale: Kinnegar Devil’s Backbone 

IPA: O’Hara’s 51st State IPA

Session: Rising Sons “5th Horseman” session IPA 

Overall: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale

April Favourites

Sour: Wide Street “Peach Berliner” Sour or Wheat?

Brown Ale: Whiplash “The Ocean Wide” 

NEIPA: Heaney New England

Session: Blacks The Session IPA 3.5%

German style IPA: Rascals Wunderbar IPA

IPA: O’Hara’s Tropical IPA,

Stout: O’Hara’s Irish Stout,

Overall: Heaney New England

March Favourites

Lager: Wide Street “Mill Pils”

Session: Eight Degrees Bohemian Pilsner Lager

Red Ale: O’Hara’s Irish Red Traditional Ale, 4.3%

Baltic Porter: Whiplash Melodie Noir Baltic Porter

Overall: Whiplash Melodie Noir Baltic Porter

February Favourites

Lager: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path”

Pale Ale: Blacks Kinsale KPA

Session: Rascals “Fruitropolis” Pale Ale, 4.3%

Overall: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path”

January Favourites 

Pale Ale - Lineman Vesper

IPA - Hopfully Graciosa

Session: Whiplash Northern Light

Lager: Kinnegar Brewers at Play Rye Lager

Porter: Elbow Lane “Liberty”

Overall: Lineman Vesper

Not quite the same attention to detail paid to the lists for 2020 but the “favourites” were:

Stout: Brehon Brewhouse “Ulster Black” Oatmeal Stout 5.0%

Belgian Tripel: Eight Degrees Devil's Ladder Belgian Tripel 11.5%

Golden Ale: West Kerry Brewery “Béal Bán” Golden Ale, 5.0%

Imperial Stout: Lough Gill Dark Majik Imperial Oatmeal Coffee Cream Stout 11.0%

Pale Ale: Trouble Brewing Ambush Juicy Pale Ale, 5.0%

Session: Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8%

Lager: White Gypsy Munich Lager, 5.8%

American IPA: Kinnegar “Crossroads” American Style IPA 6.2%

Saison: Third Circle “Unsocial Creatures”  Dry Hopped Saison 4.4%

White/Wheat: Mescan “Westport White” 5%

Cider: Highbank “Proper Irish Cider” 2016 6%

Sour: Yellow Belly Castaway Passionfruit Sour 4.2%

Red: The White Hag “The Fleadh” 6.8%

Hybrid: Hope Underdog Hoppy Lager 4.8%

Non Alcoholic: Highbank’s “Drivers” Cider

Overall: Eight Degrees Devil's Ladder Belgian Tripel 11.5%

Cheers on Beer, Wine and Spirits. With Liberty Wines, White Hag, Wines of the World, Rascals, Wines on the Green, Lough Gill, The Corkscrew.

Cheers on Beer, Wine and Spirits. With Liberty Wines, White Hag, Wines of the World, Rascals, Wines on the Green, Lough Gill, The Corkscrew. #210605 

Liberty Wines welcomes Henschke

Eden Valley based Henschke is a 'world-class addition' to Australia portfolio

Liberty Wines is delighted to be appointed the agent in Ireland for Henschke, one of Australia’s most renowned, family-owned wine producers. The wines will be available through Liberty Wines from 1^st June.
 
Henschke celebrated 150 years of family winemaking in 2018. Fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Henschke took over running the winery in 1979 and, together with his viticulturist wife Prue, they have taken their two single vineyards, ‘Hill of Grace’ and ‘Mount Edelstone’ and transformed them into two of Australia’s most sought-after wines. Their three sites in the Eden Valley and their ‘Lenswood’ vineyard in the Adelaide Hills are all farmed using biodynamic principles, with Prue at the forefront of re-introducing native plants to improve biodiversity.

Stephen Henschke comments: “We have enjoyed working with Liberty Wines in the UK since January last year and are delighted to be represented by Liberty Wines in Ireland. We are confident that the team’s expertise with Australian wines and their broad customer base in Ireland will enable us to build on our success to date. We thank Harshal and Andrew of Pembroke Wines for their support and enthusiasm for our family’s wines.”
 
David Gleave MW, managing director of Liberty Wines, adds: “Henschke is a world-class addition to our premium Australia portfolio in Ireland, perfectly complementing our existing South Australia producers and strengthening our offering from the Eden Valley. Prue and Stephen’s firm commitment to quality, sustainability and innovation, combined with their wealth of very old, low-yielding vines, is giving wines of exceptional quality. It is also nice to see that the future of the estate is in safe hands as the next generation - winemaker Johann, marketer Justine and ambassador Andreas - is now actively involved in the family business.”  

*********

White Hag Calling!

We’re absolutely thrilled to announce Hagstravaganza 7 - our birthday festival LIVE at The White Hag, this July 31st, with a potential 2nd date on August 1st.

23 breweries, 90+ beers and a big noisy train returns for 2021!

And a whole lot of fun! Details and Register here

**********

Grape Variety is the name of the game at Wines of the World

You love Pinot Grigio. Rosé. Sauvignon Blanc. Malbec.

Go deeper into your favourite grape with a six bottle selection...

More details on all the selections here

**********

News for Rascals Fans!

You'll now be able to pick up a new 12-can branded pack of Happy Days session pale ale or Yankee White IPA. The packs are available in O’Brien’s Wines stores and all good independent off-licences, including our own off-licence at Rascals HQ Inchicore, open Wed-Sun from 2pm. The packs can be purchased on our webshop too.

*********

Welcome back to the Celtic Wine Offer!

I am delighted to announce that we are hosting a virtual tasting with Equipo Navazos on the 23rd of June. Tickets for the event are €50.00 and include a sample of La Bota 93 Manzanilla, La Bota 91 Fino Macharnudo, La Bota 90 Manzanilla Pasada Capataz Cabo, La Bota 74 Oloroso, La Bota 95 Amontillado, and La Bota 92 Palo Cortado Pata de Gallina. There will be an ambassador from Equipo Navasos there on the night to take through the sherry and will make for a fantastic evening! Click here to find out more.

*********

Lough Gill's

 BRAND NEW Raspberry Sour - Just in time for summer!

After the success of our recent fruited sours, we decided to give the people what they want and release a brand new sour beer - just in time for summer!

Jam-packed with raspberry, this sour ale blends the tart flavours with the added creamy milk sugar to give a vibrant, refreshing sour beer.

Coming in at 4.7%, the sweetness and smooth pillowy mouthfeel of this beer will set your tastebuds alight. 🤤

Think raspberry, raspberry and more raspberry.

We love hearing your thoughts on our beers, so be sure to leave a review on Untappd.

TRY RIPPLE

 *********

The Corkscrew's Intriguing Selection

Check out the Donnafugata Basket 

Sun is out, June is here and just as we thought things couldn't get much better, a beautiful selection of wines from a wine lovers paradise arrived with us just in time to celebrate the long weekend. 

Donnafugata is a brand that creates wines with elegance and creativity that are symbolic of the Sicilian region in Italy, where they come from. These eclectic wines stand out for their pleasantness and complexity, they are wines capable of fulfilling desires and making those who taste them happy.   

Check out this intriguing selection which will be sure to fulfil all your wine desires this Bank Holiday weekend.

Details here

A Quart of Ale± #54. On the craft journey with a quartet of IPAs

A Quart of Ale± #54

On the craft journey with a quartet of IPAs

 Brú IPA 5%, 330ml can Bradleys

This is a bright light gold IPA from Brú, lots of bubbles spouting up towards the quickly diminishing white head. By the way, the longer it was out of the fridge, the hazier it got. Strata has, in recent years, become the darling of craft brewing. It brings tropical fruit notes to the aroma and flavour mix, citrus too, and you can see here how well it combines, as you’d more or less expect, with Centennial and Cascade. It’s a mouth-watering package indeed, zesty and hoppy. 

According to Brú’s own notes,  this “bold and pleasing beer” scores  33% for “malty” while “hoppy” hits the 100 mark. Not too sure it’s that bold but certainly its very pleasing indeed. The blue lady you see on the labels is Anna Danu, the Celtic primordial goddess. As a tribute to her (and for more practical reasons too, more than likely) only the highest quality ingredients are used. A good policy and, clean and bitter, is a very good beer indeed.

Hops: Strata, Centennial, Cascade
Malts: Pale, Maris Otter, Arome

Wicklow Locknut Kveik IPA 5.2%, 330 can O’Donovan’s

An orange/gold colour with a dense haze and a soft floppy head that hangs about for a bit. Aromas aren’t intense at all, a little citrus-y, perhaps a tiny hint of salinity in there as well. Quite a mouthfeel to this one across the palate. Bitterness is modest and it is quite juicy; as well as the Mosaic hops, “a large addition of pineapple and mango” has been added and is listed among the ingredients.

No Kviek in that list but it is prominent on the can. What is it? A Norwegian farmhouse yeast that throws off citrus and tropical esters. Kviek, also one of the Norwegian words for yeast, is now widely used in the beer world.

Its distinguishing factor is that, at very higher temps (c. 104 degrees F), Kveik can ferment the same 5% ABV beer in as little as 48 hours—three to five days sooner than a typical ale yeast. And it also throws off those citrus and tropical esters.

Quite a juicy little number then, one that will satisfy many, though not perhaps the hop heads!

Bradleys in collaboration with DOT Brew “The Real Capital” IPA 6.2%, 440 can

This Real Capital IPA has a colour a bit like the city at sunrise on a foggy day, a hazy orange. There’s a soft white head on top that thins down quickly enough. With a “healthy helping” of Idaho-7 and Amarillo hops on board, you’re guaranteed pretty intense aromas (tropical, citrus plus floral also) and so it goes also on the palate but there’s also more than enough bitterness, a bitterness though that is light and lively, so that it’s harmony all the way, like a happy version of After All by the Frank and Walters. Capital stuff, really.

 

This well muscled beer (6.2%) is a collaboration between Bradleys (founded 1850) and  the much younger DOT Brew (from the unreal capital). It is exclusive in store and online to Bradleys Cork. Flaked and malted oats and a healthy helping of Idaho-7 and Amarillo hops are the key ingredients.

O’Hara’s Hop Adventure Strata IPA, 5.0%, 500ml bottle via Radical Drink 

This edition in O’Hara’s Hop Adventure showcases Strata – a brand new hop cultivar that has received wide-spread acclaim, and for good reason! Strata has a complexity that lends itself perfectly to a single hopped beer, the same Strata in the Brú above.

This comes in a light to mid gold colour, a soft white head. Lots of bubbles rising too. Aromas are lively enough, bright fruit with citrus to the fore, also a herb-ie touch. Very impressive balance on the palate, hops and malt in active unison, soft and juicy and refreshing right through to the very pleasing finalé. Thumbs up folks.

Details:

Style- IPA

ABV- 5.0%

 Plato ° -13.0°

 IBU- 45

 Fermentation- Top fermentation

 Availability- 30L Keg (carbonated) and 50cl Bottle

Serving- 6-8°C

 Food Pairing- Perfect for matching with a spicy, diavolo Pizza, Fish and Chips and blue cheese.

Glass- O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer conical glass

Slainte, the 2014 guide to Irish craft beer, classed Carlow Brewing, along with Porterhouse, Franciscan Well, Whitewater and Hilden, as being in the first generation of Irish craft brewers. Not an easy station back then (1996) but Carlow successfully entered the export market to gain experience and sales and eventually a firm footing at home, their hard-won achievements underlined when they left their original premises behind and moved to a smashing new premises in Bagnalstown in 2009. 

Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork with Da Mirco and Iyers joining early birds Liberty Grill, The Glass Curtain, L'Atitude 51...

Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork

(Contact me before 1.00pm Wed with a sentence, a pic and a link to menu, plan to update regularly) Update #1

 w/e 05/06/2021 

Click and Collect. At Home. Takeout. Takeaway. 

Almost certainly the last week of the Dining NOW Guide as many restaurants and cafés are now beginning to concentrate on opening up to do what they love to do and that is serve customers face to face! And quite a few are no longer offering these At Home menus. I enjoyed bringing you all the details and the numbers checking in were in the thousands. All the best and see you across a table somewhere soon!

Da Mirco Weekend

We had some glorious weather last weekend and let's hope it will continue for the next few weeks with outdoor dining reopening.

Unfortunately we won't have any chance to have tables outside but we are planning to reopen through the summer with indoor dining.

This week 🇮🇹 ITALIAN FEAST 🇮🇹 is featuring our famous Homemade Ravioli filled with Aubergines, sheep’s Ricotta and sundried Tomatoes served with Pesto alla Genovese! Plus delicious starter of Carpaccio di Bresaola from Valtellina and new Dessert Strawberry Tiramisu, available from Thursday to Saturday.

Check the rest of the menu Da Mirco Click & Collect and don't forget to add Delicious Cheeses and Cured Meats from my northern italian village Morbegno, Wines and Beers

*********

Iyers. Choices Galore

*********

Liberty Grill Delivers

Fri 4th / Sat 5th June €30 per person - FREE delivery in the great Cork city area

Simple as.. We deliver on the day, when ready turn on your oven to 180 or 160 fan, Pop hot appetiser in for 8 mins, While you enjoy these, pop in your mains & sides, they will be ready as soon as you've finished your appetiser! More detail here

*********

Final weekend for dinner at Home with the Glass Curtain!

As always, menus will be available to order from 12pm tomorrow (Monday) via The Glass Curtain At Home

Vouchers may be redeemed against our 'At Home' offering by phoning / emailing through your order (021) 451 8659 / manager@theglasscurtain.ie

*********

L'Atitude Brings The Auvergne To You!

If you mention visiting vineyards in the Auvergne to most people you might receive bemused looks. “The Auvergne is for camping, not wine-tasting”, they might say. Indeed, it is better known for its cheeses, politicians and even rugby, than its wines. But the Auvergne has a long winemaking tradition, which was almost wiped out by the arrival of phylloxera. However, the determination and passion of a group of winemakers has breathed new life into the region and today the Auvergne makes some of France’s most exciting wines. 

*********

Jean Maupertuis is one such winemaker. A former computer scientist, Jean always loved wine, so bought a small parcel for fun in 1992, and started the legendary Domaine de Peyra in 1995 - bottles of which are highly sought after collector's items. Today he makes charming, vibrant wines and is a bit of a natural wine legend in the Auvergne. We are delighted to share one of his wines with you in this week’s box. Les Pierres Noires is a delightful gamay with raspberry, sour cherry and pomegranate flavours and distinct smoky notes, expressive of the volcanic soils. 

To know the traditional dishes of Auvergne is to understand the region itself. Food is inextricably linked to the land, which is steeped in farming traditions, creating hearty dishes to help locals through the harsher seasons as well as lighter fare perfect for picnic-ing in the scenic countryside. Its cheeses are amongst the finest in the country. We have chosen a selection of our favourite recipes and foods from the region for this week’s box so you can create your own Auvergne picnic at home - if the weather permits!

€50 for 2 ppl. Orders to info@latitude51.ie by noon Thurs. Collection Fri 4th June between 5 and 6.30pm.

Taste of the Week. Gubbeen Ribs in Marinade

Taste of the Week.

Gubbeen Ribs in Marinade

No restaurant take-out last weekend. We did have a terrific take-home though: Gubbeen Ribs in Marinade. And the cost for four came to the huge sum of 10 euro! There's also a smaller size for just over a fiver.

Our Taste of the Week, very highly recommended by the way, came from the Gubbeen Stall at last Thursday's Farmers Market in Mahon. They are mildly spiced and may be slow-roasted in the oven for 2.5 hours or you can also do a 1.5 hour cook at a higher temperature. Also suitable for the BBQ.

We did the 1.5 hour and, accompanied by a simple salad (mostly from the back-garden, they were perfect, a perfect Taste of the Week.

Gubbeen 

A Couple Of Excellent French Wines To Consider, from Burgundy to Bouche du Rhone

A Couple Of Excellent French Wines To Consider, from Burgundy to Bouche du Rhone

Cowboy of the Rhone Delta

Domaine Ambroise Lettre d’Eloïse Chardonnay  Couteaux Bourguignons (AC) 2018, 13%

€19.40 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Light gold is the colour of this Chardonnay from Burgundy. Citrus and floral notes in the aromas. A citrus-y tingle as it hits the palate, an excellent acidity.  This fresh and lively wine, a wonderful drop indeed, is very well made and Very Highly Recommended. The wine is fermented in 1-, 2- and 3-year-old 400-l oak barrels, where it stays for a period of 10 months and we benefit beautifully because of it. The wine is not fined and only lightly filtered. The fruit for this excellent Chardonnay, one of around nine produced by Domaine Ambroise, comes from young vines.

 

Le Caveau say: Harvested manually, neither filtered nor fined, the wines are classic and expressive with distinct terroir-influenced personalities.

Maison Ambroise is a long established, small négociant house, who operates on 21 hectares of their own vineyards and purchase grapes from another 3. They own vines in Prémeaux, Nuits-St-Georges, Ladoix, Meursault, the hill of Corton, Vosne-Romanée (with some Grand Cru Echezeaux!), Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Beaune and as far as Saint-Romain. Bertrand Ambroise has been a key figure in the development of the estate and this wine is named for his grand-daughter.

Some official info from the area: This appellation Coteaux Bourguignons, created in 2011 covers red, white, and rosé wines, grown over four départements. The Coteaux Bourguignons appellation covers wines that can be blended or come from a single varietal, and which can use some more old-fashioned varietals. The word rosé can be replaced by the word Clairet.

This Bourgogne blanc is very adaptable at the table. It makes it a delicate and tasty pre-dinner drink while its wide-ranging and persistent aromatic spectrum (thanks to the Chardonnay grape) makes it a team player in the kitchen, especially with fish and shellfish. Its native power enables it to prevail over onion tarts as well as over a wide variety of soft and hard cheeses such as Brie, Vacherin, Saint-Nectaire, Mont-d’Or, Beaufort, Comté and all varieties of Gruyère.

Serving temperature: 11 to 13°C.

Saint-Cyrgues, Saint-Cirice 'Syrah - Grenache’ VdP du Gard (IGP) 2019, 13.5%

€14.85 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny 

Cherry red in colour, this blend from Costiers de Nîmes is produced with 50% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 10% Marselan and 10% Merlot. Cherry and raspberry in the aromas. 'Saint Cirice' is the estate's entry level red and is rich and a little spicy. A good finish too.

Costières de Nîmes is in the Rhone delta and has those rounded pebbles (decent sized stones!), indeed the terroir is very close to that of Côtes du Rhone. It is well known over the decades for producing good wines and is one place in France where you can get exceptional value and this Highly Recommended bottle is an excellent illustration!

Le Caveau sum it up well: It will have broad appeal and would be a perfect choice for a house wine, or for any occasion where the need for a pleasurable drop and a keen price are essential.

St Cyrgues is an estate with vineyards along the southern slopes of the Costières de Nîmes which has a history of vine cultivation dating back centuries, and it was bought in 1991 by a young Swiss couple, Evelyne and Guy de Mercurio, and is run along organic lines.

Quite a versatile wine at the table. Suggestions noted are to serve it with wild mushroom risotto, gardiane ( a local stew made from smoked bacon, black olives and garlic) or a chunk of tomme cheese. Should perform well when matching up with roasted or barbecued meats so would do well during your Sunday lunch.

Nimes is the major city in the area in the eastern Languedoc, the city where denim (de Nimes) was invented. If you go to see the local bullfights (spectacular action fests where the athletes are more at risk than the bulls) you’ll note that the people involved with the bulls and the horses (paraded through the town before the spectacle), are kitted out in

denim just like your cowboy.

Under Pont du Gard - definitely not a cowboy