CorkBillyBeers #44. Craft with an excellent quartet from Galway Hooker, Ballykilcavan, Kinnegar and Vedett

CorkBillyBeers #44

Craft with IPA and Pilsner from Galway Hooker, Ballykilcavan, Kinnegar and Vedett

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Galway Hooker Sixty Knots IPA, 5.5% ABV, 500 ml bottle Centra Victoria Cross

Amber is the colour of this IPA from Galway Hooker. The earthy malts come through more in the aromatics than the hops and continue to contribute, now adding a touch of spice, on the full-flavoured palate while the hops get their turn with citrus and tropical flavopurs. The finish is certainly bitter but no more so than you'd expect from the style and, overall, Sixty Knots is well-balanced.

Highly Recommended.

A pioneer of the modern craft beer movement, famous for its innovation and quality. Galway Hooker, whose early production was actually in Roscommon, has developed a reputation as one of Ireland’s leading breweries. “Our ethos is to brew natural, full-flavoured, high quality and preservative-free beers. We like to think our beer helps to share the culture in all of us.” 

This IPA with an ABV of 5.5% and an IBU number of 60 certainly fits well in their portfolio. The brewers say it is well suited to seafood, cured meats or dessert dishes and, on Instagram, declare that “Galway Hooker IPA & Oysters are a perfect combination” and a Galway company would certainly know that! It is widely available in cans and bottles and also in kegs and draught.

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Ballykilcavan Long Meadow IPA, 5.00% ABV, 440 ml can, Pettitt’s Athy

This IPA from Laois, named after a 300-year-old field on the farm, has a gold colour, with quite a wash of red onboard as well, all under a slightly off-white soft head. 

Aromas are mild, with the malt doing its own sweet thing and the hops, Azacca and Amarillo, contributing tropical and citrus plus a touch of herbal. The flavours are strong and hoppy (tropical and a touch of pine). Smooth with a terrific balance and one to savour.

Very Highly Recommended.

The water and barley also come from the farm and the IBU is 60. Local beer guru Susan Boyle reviewed this in its early days and declared: Ballykilcavan Brewery is a pioneer in Irish farm-to-glass brewing, and Long Meadow IPA is a beer to return to again and again.

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Kinnegar Black Bucket Black Rye IPA 6.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This is one of the impressive line-up of core beers at Kinnegar. They call this Brussels Beer Challenge gold medal winner “The bigger, darker brother to our Rustbucket Rye”.

I made my first acquaintance with this in 2018. It is indeed rather special. Looks black in the glass but a closer inspection reveals brown as well; the head is coffee-coloured. Aromas are mostly of the roasted malt (big and rich);  the spice of the rye makes quite an impression on the palate and there’s fruity flavours (tropical mostly) from the hops.

Quite a complex beer, a lot going on in this bucket, but the balance is excellent. an outstanding drop and Very Highly Recommended. The Rustbucket, by the way, is an “old reliable”, and is well into its second decade now. 

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Vedett Extra Pilsner, 5.2% ABV, 330 ml bottle Bradleys

A pretty damn good blond premium lager.

Vedett doesn't pull punches: “Got a thirst that can’t be beat? We’ll see about that! Because Vedett Extra Pilsner is brewed to quench even the most stubborn of thirsts. Offering full-bodied refreshment from start to finish.”

Colour is a pretty ordinary straw with a clean white head. There’s a pleasing hoppiness and a slight malty aroma. All fairly modest, so far. And then, its big character, its complexity, its depth of flavour and refreshment emerge on the palate. A superb balance of malts and hops, the lengthy finish and a refreshment touched with a little bitterness spell satisfaction in capital letters. Ready to go again. Yes, please.

Here’s the official version: “After all, who can resist her seductive straw colour and pearly-white head? Her smooth, malty character with subtly balanced hops? Or her lingering fruitiness with subtle notes of vanilla?

Whatever your weakness, this premium Pilsner offers full-bodied, thirst-quenching refreshment from start to finish. With a slightly bitter aftertaste to keep you on your toes.”

Geek Bits

Malt: Pale Barley Malt & rice

Hops & Spices: Saaz-Saaz, Styrian Golding, Hallertau Magnum

Serve: 3 degrees

IBU 26. 

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Star Wine List Celebrates Ireland's Top Wine Lists @ SommiT 2023 - Here are the Finalists!

Star Wine List Celebrates Ireland's Top Wine Lists @ SommiT 2023 - Here are the Finalists

You never know who may drop into Cork's L'Atitude.
Perhaps natural wine "royalty" as is the case in this pic.

Star Wine List Awards are held in New York, London and Cape Town and this year they are coming to Ireland for the very first time as part of SommiT 2023.  

The International Sommelier jury for the 2023 Star Wine List of the Year in Ireland 2023 were Pascaline Lepeltier, Veronique Rivest, Julie Dupouy-Young, and Heidi Mäkinen M.W.

The Irish Finalists for the 2023 Star Wine List have just been announced.  The award ceremony will take place on Monday 9^th October 2023, at Waterford’s Medieval Museum and Wine Vaults as part of SommiT 2023. (Invitation Only)

Finalists Grand Prix:  The best list overall, the winner in this category will qualify for the International Final which takes place in June 2024.  The Irish winner will compete against the category winners from other countries in the global final of the Star Wine List.  The Star Wine List winner representing Ireland will be announced at the 2023 Star Wine List ceremony.

Star Wine List is the award-winning guide to great wine bars and wine restaurants around the world. It is available as an app and on www.starwinelist.com

Here are the finalists:

Best Long Wine List (more than 600 listings)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

● The Restaurant at Ballyfin Demesne, Ballyfin

Best Medium-Sized List (200-600 Listings) (Sponsored by Chateau Tour des Termes)

● Ely Wine Bar, Dublin

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Piglet Wine Bar, Dublin

● The Barton Restaurant at the K Club, Straffan

● Uno Mas, Dublin

Best Short List (less than 200 listings)

● Bar Pez, Dublin

● D'Olier Street Restaurant, Dublin

● Etto, Dublin

● Fish Shop, Dublin

● Frank’s, Dublin

● Note, Dublin

● Potager, Skerries

● UNioN Wine, Bar & Kitchen, Waterford

Best By the Glass List

● Bar Pez, Dublin

● Daróg Wine Bar, Galway

● Dede at Customs House, Baltimore

● Ely Wine Bar, Dublin

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Potager, Skerries

● UNioN Wine, Bar & Kitchen, Waterford

Best Sparkling Wine List (Sponsored by Nyetimber)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● D'Olier Street Restaurant, Dublin

● Dede at Customs House, Baltimore

● Frank’s, Dublin

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

Best Austrian Wine List (Sponsored by Austrian Wine)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● Ely Wine Bar, Dublin

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

Best California Wine List (Sponsored by DAOU)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● Casper & Giumbini's, Dun Laoghaire

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

Sustainable Wine List (Sponsored by Familia Torres)

● Daróg Wine Bar, Galway

● Dede at Customs House, Baltimore

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Potager, Skerries

● The Pear Tree Café & Wine Bar, Galway

Best Newcomer List

● Bar Pez, Dublin

● D'Olier Street Restaurant, Dublin

● Daróg Wine Bar, Galway

● Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins, Dublin

● Hawksmoor, Dublin

media release via Jean Smullen

Enjoyable Lunch At Friendly Café Vega In Sunny Cobh

 Enjoyable Lunch At Friendly 

Café Vega In Sunny Cobh

Chicken, cheese, chorizo

No shortage of eating choices when we arrived in Cobh for lunch and a midweek walk in the sun. The Arch Café and Wine Bar is one of several newcomers in the town but, on this occasion, we opted for the well-established and very popular Café Vega just across Casement Square from the wine bar.

And here, in this neighbourhood restaurant, we found no shortage of choice.  The paper menu contains a variety of main dishes (including fish and steak offerings), about five burgers (including El Chapo!), Panninis and Ciabattas with different fillings, and more.

Mural inside Vega

Don't forget the specials. The board may be hanging on a pillar or they may well bring it to the table for a close-up read. Service here is really excellent, efficient and friendly all through. 

After doing quite a lot of “reading”, we settled on two dishes from that specials board. We had arrived at about 12.30 and now the place was really filling up, just as well they had a good number of tables outside in the sunny square.

Duo of salmon

Our specials:

1 - Crispy salt and pepper chicken, goat cheese, roasted pops, confit tomatoes, chorizo, warm salad (13.95)

2 - Open duo of smoked and fresh salmon, two salads and fried potatoes (12.95)

Two excellent lunch plates arrived soon after ordering. Quantities were generous yet each was neatly presented and both looked very appetising indeed. That crispy chicken was a delight, especially with a little sweet chilli sauce on the plate. In addition to the items mentioned, there were also pieces of avocado and the filling dish scored highly in terms of both quality and quantity.

And it was much the same story with CL’s salmon, plenty of the fish on brown bread, a little bowl of coleslaw, with a combined excellent salad that included leaves, tomato and corn. Very satisfactory indeed and no need to cook a dinner later on! 

A few months back, I enjoyed a similar vibe in The Shamrock in Dungarvan where I was reminded of the bar atmosphere in the TV series Cheers. Like the Shamrock, Vega is another neighbourhood restaurant where customers and staff know one another. They didn't know my name. I was a blow-in but, now, could well blow in again.

Where everybody knows your name

And they're always glad you came

You wanna go where people know

People are all the same

You wanna go where everybody knows your name

You'll find the Vega on Facebook here

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The Cobh Walk in Pictures

There was no cruise liner docked in the town on this occasion but still plenty to see on our walk, a gentle stroll really, from the Five Foot Way Car Park. We reached this unique building (1860), once the home of the Cobh Urban District Council before turning back. In an eye-catching waterside location, it now houses an Asian restaurant with an inviting outdoor covered dining area (check it out in the photo) but it is looking the worst for wear, just seems to be dying a slow death.

Table with a view by the Water’s Edge Hotel.

The Commodore Hotel looking very well in its blue colours. Haven’t dined there in over a year!

The Navigator, in a contemplative mood, with the cathedral in the background. The work is by Irish sculptor Mary Gregoriy.

I hadn't noticed this before. These are a set of steps by which you can enter and or exit the promenade at its western end. Best viewed before and certainly not while you walk up.

Chef Network Launches Open Kitchen Week 2023. Inviting Guests to Experience a Professional Kitchen: 6th to 12th of November

 Chef Network Launches Open Kitchen Week 2023

Pictured at launch in Café En Seine, Kailum Concannon of
Aniar (left), Galway, and Meeran Manzoor of Rare, Kinsale

 
 

Inviting Guests to Experience a Professional Kitchen: 

6th to 12th of November

Anyone who has ever been curious about what it’s like to work in a professional kitchen will be invited by Chef Network to go ‘behind the pass’ in professional kitchens throughout the country from November 6th to 12th. 

Chef Network has enlisted restaurants from around Ireland and Northern Ireland to offer guest slots in kitchens throughout the week of the 6th to the 12th of November. This is the first year of this brand-new initiative, with plans already in place for an expanded annual ‘Open Kitchen Week’ in 2024 and beyond. 

There are over 300 guest slots available in 50 restaurants, cafes, bakeries and hotels across 14 counties, each signing up to offer anyone interested the chance to look inside their kitchens. Participating businesses include some high-profile names such as Elbow Lane, Inchydoney Hotel and Spa, The Hungry Donkey Food Truck and The Blue Haven to name but a few. The list of establishments includes a diverse range of hotels, bakeries, cafes, restaurants and bars, allowing participants to choose from the environment they want to trial. Anyone interested can sign up for a two to three-hour shift, a full day or a particular service: breakfast, lunch or dinner service, depending on what is on offer from the particular establishment. Registrations are open now. 

Ruth Hegarty, from egg&chicken Food Consultancy, who is leading the project for Chef Network says “Chef Network and many many people in the industry do great work to build positive and nurturing work environments in kitchens, but we don’t always see or hear about it, so we thought ‘let’s open up kitchens and show people’. This is for anyone who has considered any kind of kitchen or culinary career, or it might spark someone’s curiosity for the first time. Our message is that a career in a professional kitchen could be for anyone; there is such a huge diversity of types of roles and places to work, and there are so many opportunities out there. We expect big interest in this, we think people are genuinely interested in knowing what goes on behind the doors of a professional kitchen. For year one, we have just 50 establishments participating, so we expect slots to book up fast”. 

A professional chef, Chef Network spokesperson and Culinary Director at Gather & Gather Ireland, Mark Anderson, said, "This is a fantastic and unique opportunity for people to see inside the kitchen and how good and positive kitchens work daily. Those who sign up for the experience will get a very different and rewarding opportunity, working in some of the best restaurants and workplace kitchens in Ireland. It's a chance to get behind the pass and see how professional kitchens and chefs operate in a fast-paced exciting environment that will hopefully highlight the positive industry that I love to work in every day.”

Anyone who is interested in participating can book a slot here.

Munster restaurants taking part include Elbow Lane, Inchydoney Hotel and Spa, The Hungry Donkey Food Truck and The Blue Haven Hotel. 

Keep up to date with the latest news by following Chef Network on social at @chefnetworkirl

Liberty Tasting at Hayfield Manor puts focus on “Sustainable Winemaking”.

Liberty Tasting at Hayfield Manor puts focus on “Sustainable Winemaking”

At the Hayfield Manor Tasting (l to r): Liam Campbell, Wine & Drinks Editor & Consultant; Sandra Biret Crowley, Castlemartyr Resort Sommelière;
Marcus Gates, Liberty Wines.

If you are asked about sustainability in wine-making, you may well think first about looking after the vineyard, understanding and looking after the soil. But of course, the subject is much broader than that as was obvious from the Liberty Wines Sustainable Winemaking Focus Tasting at the Hayfield Manor last Monday.

Let us start with bubbles as many tastings do. My first call was to the Rathfinny table, an English Sparkling Wine producer from the South Downs, just 3 miles from the channel. The Drivers, Mark and Sarah, are the owners here and are sustainability supporters: “We aim to be a sustainable wine producer. As a result, we take the stewardship of our land seriously. All our buildings are constructed using locally sourced materials, such as flint from the vineyards, and we have worked with Natural England and the South Downs National Park to implement a programme of improvements to enhance wildlife habitats and reclaim areas of natural chalk grassland, as well as creating wildlife corridors throughout the vineyard.”

This ‘re-wilding’ of what was previously an arable farm ensures greater biodiversity. This focus on the environment, and to sustainability and the soil, ensures good quality fruit.…sustainability is multi-layered, it’s everything we touch. It’s not just about the use of carbon or energy or chemicals. It’s about how we treat our soils, our use of water and all the inputs we have in the winemaking process, the whole environment.” 

Rathfinny is taking multiple steps to increase biodiversity following a pioneering assessment by Buglife.

This attention to detail shines through in the wines, which are beautifully made, elegant and balanced. I tasted their Classic Cuvée Brut (2018) which has spent 3 years lees and is one of the best things you can ever put into your mouth on a Monday morning! A brilliant start to the day! 

However, this focus on sustainability is not limited to the vineyard. Pepe Raventos’ restoration of the Can Sumoi estate has protected 380 hectares of forest. Piper-Heidsieck uses the lightest available Champagne bottle as part of their commitment to reach net zero. Nor are these efforts limited to environmental sustainability. Fairview supports an association for its farm workers, enabling employees to further their education, build new homes and make their own wines.

Whites

The 80 wines on show were roughly half white and half red with a Sake (Keigetsu Sake Nature V) in between and a superb Port (Dona Antonia 30-year-old Tawny) to finish. 

One of the outstanding whites and new to Liberty this year was the Domaine de Montille Bourgogne Blanc `Le Clos du Château de Puligny-Montrachet 2020. Superbly balanced and one of my Star whites on the day.

Etienne de Montille was an early advocate of organic farming when, in 1995, he introduced these principles in the estate’s vineyards. Biodynamic practices followed in 2005, and the domaine received ‘Ecocert Bio’ certification in 2012.  Montille’s `Le Clos du Château` is a five-hectare vineyard located within the walls of the castle of Puligny.

My other Star whites were

2021 Blank Canvas Reed Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay

2021 Loimer `Loiserberg` Kamptal Grüner Veltliner Reserve

2022 Domaine de L’Enclos Chablis

Always something differentand colourful
from Gallina de Piel

Other gettings a big thumbs up were

2021 Pieropan `Calvarino` Soave Classico

2019 Gallina de Piel `Manar dos Seixas` Ribeiro Treixadura/Albariño/Godello/Loureiro

2022 Matošević `Alba` Malvazija Istarska 

2022 Antonella Corda Vermentino di Sardegna

2022 Château La Verrerie Hautes Collines Viognier

2023 Tinpot Hut Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - perhaps the freshest wine in the room, just in from New Zealand.

2017 Mount Pleasant `Elizabeth` Cellar Aged Hunter Valley Semillon -

2020 Cullen `Grace Madeline` Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon V

Reds

One of the outstanding red wines was NV Dreissigacker `Vintages` St. Laurent/ Pinot Noir. This multi-vintage wine has elegant and charming aromas, is well-balanced with a silky texture and is altogether gorgeous.

Jochen Dreissigacker has 45 hectares of vineyards in Rheinhessen. All of his wines are certified organic and he describes his transformation to organic viticulture as “the artisan path to purity”. In 2019, Jochen also started following biodynamic principles in order to create the optimal conditions for the grapes to thrive – an approach that he describes as “a long-term investment in nature and wines”.

`Vintages` red (he also has a white) is a harmonious ensemble of St. Laurent and Pinot Noir from 2018 and 2017. Fermented separately before blending and ageing in barriques for three years, it certainly made a big impression last Monday.

Three excellent Italians

Pedro Parra is a major favourite of mine. He has spent decades working internationally but bit by bit realised he really wanted his own vineyard and winery and so he set up in Itata near the ocean, 500 kms south of Santiago, the capital of Chile. And this Vinista (below), the fruit sourced from 120 year old vines planted at 300 m above sea level, is one of the results. It was my wine of the year in 2020. 

País is a red grape variety of great historical importance. According to Wine-Searcher.com it was the first Vitis Vinifera grape variety to be exported from the old world to the new world in the 16th century.

 You've heard of flying winemakers. You're more
likely to find Pedro Parra in the ground. (pic from Liberty zoom session).

My other Star picks in the reds were:

2019 Racines Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

2022 Monterustico Dogliani

2019 Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

2019 G.D. Vajra Barolo `Albe`

2021 Domaine Vico `Le Bois du Cerf` Rouge

2021 Pedro Parra `Vinista` Itata Valley País

2020 Montes Colchagua Merlot - Montes have significantly reduced their water usage through a technologically advanced approach to drip irrigation.

2021 Cuevas de Arom `Altas Parcelas` Calatayud Garnacha

2021 Can Sumoi Garnatxa Sumoll - - The restoration of the Can Sumoi estate has protected 380 hectares of forest.

September morning at the Hayfield Manor.

And big thumbs up for:

2022 Frédéric Berne Beaujolais Lantignié `Granit Rose

2021 Domaine Grégoire Hoppenot Fleurie `Clos de l’Amandier`

2019 Altos Las Hormigas Mendoza Tinto

2019 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve - the estate is certified organic, run on biodynamic principles and a lead in regenerative viticulture.

2019 Kaiken Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon

2021 Montes Apalta Vineyard Carignan/Grenache/ Mourvèdre

Cattle at Fontodi (pic via Zoom masterclass 2020). More detail here

Liberty had no bother in picking 80 great examples to illustrate the topic of sustainability.  “Wine producers are adapting the way they work in the vineyard to adapt to climate change and to produce better grapes. Both mean better wines,.… There is much more to do before we achieve a truly sustainable wine industry – and much required for producers to adapt to the increasing temperatures and extreme weather caused by climate change." 

"We are proud to work with producers rising to this challenge and, as a Carbon Neutral Positive distributor, share their values. These producers are not only making excellent wines with a clear sense of place today but also ensuring that such wines can be enjoyed in future.”

No denying. Harvest dates get earlier and earlier as global warming builds up.
Chart via Cellar Master Émilien Boutillat during Liberty Zoom masterclass May 2020.

* The Liberty Wines Dublin Autumn Portfolio Tasting on Monday 2nd October 2023 at The Westbury (trade only).