Sunshine in a Glass

When the sun shines in Dublin it's a lovely place to be, so after a Saturday in work the late afternoon left nothing more to be done than sample a few brews while soaking up a bit of the early summer while relaxing in the garden.

I headed to the local supplier of beers, and made a selection of lighter coloured, and hoppy beers to counter the thirst from the warm sun.

I began with a Belfast Blonde from the College Green Brewery in Belfast. A yellow coloured ale of 4.3%, it both looks the part on a summer's day, and at this ABV you don't have to watch your step too closely. It's pretty sweet, and there isn't much hop bitterness - more of a floral, grassy flavour. I was disappointed with the carbonation, I expected a much more lively ale - also the head didn't last the whole way down the glass, which was unfortunate.

However, and this is a very important point - this ale would be perfect for someone new to the craft scene. It showcases perfectly the sweetness of malts and the characteristics that hops can bring to a beer, without being too in your face with either. This subtlety of flavours is a plus point for this brew, especially for anyone who picks some up for an afternoon at a barbecue.

                                                                  

Next up was a Barney's Brew from the Hilden Brewery in Lisburn (yes, two more beers from the Northern portion of the island!). This is a clear, straw coloured ale made with both Malted Barley and Wheat with Cardamom, Corriander and Black Pepper. A strange list of ingredients, flavours and aromas to get to grips with.

You immediately get the sweet cardamom on the nose, and it is the first flavour that hits the tongue too, then comes the corriander tang, and finally at the back of the throat the black pepper bitter spiciness which then moves to the front and imparts itself into the cardamom and corriander in the next mouthful. There is enough subtle spiciness going on to counteract some of the sweetness from the wheat. There is not much comparable to this on the market - perhaps Hoegaarden with corriander in the flavour profile, but that's a bit of a stretch. I also had a Cracked Black Pepper Stout one time, and the finish in this one reminded me of that too.

The Beer Mistress was quite taken with this one and said she's definitely drink it again. It is a nice brew, but I don't know if it was really suitable for a sunny afternoon in the warm sun.

It offers something different enough from the norm that I'd look out for it and get one or two in the future.