New Brewery Beers

It's not often I get to review a beer I've not seen mentioned around the tubes before I've gotten my hands on it, let alone four of them. So, it is with great pleasure I introduce to you The Brehon Brewhouse range

Based in Co. Monaghan, and launched in mid-2014 they bring to the table four familiar, but different, styles of beer. I can see from the brewery website that the brewer has previously worked in L Mulligan Grocer public house, which is one of the very best craft pubs in Dublin, and which means that he'd have at least some contact with the Brown Paper Bag guys. This is all very encouraging, and it's no surprise that the beers being produced by this particular brewery are, as a collective range, excellent,.

It's no secret that when I see an Irish Craft Brewer come to the table with a Red Ale I immediately begin to dismiss the beer as yet another boring addition to the list of brews from this island. However, the beer presented here, Killanny Red, is different enough as to be interesting yet true to the style. A strong malty backbone is where it usually begins and ends for Irish Reds, however there is a definite hop bitterness in this one. Now, it's pretty obviously early-addition bitterness and not up front aroma, but it is distinctive enough as to mark this out from the pack. I'm never going to sing from the rafters about this style, but Red Ale drinkers should definitely seek this one out as a striking diversion from the norm.

Next up is the Blonde Ale offering, Brehon Blonde. And once again, it's all a Blonde Ale should be. Refreshing, crisp and easy going. It's no secret that craft brewers come up with blonde or golden ales in an attempt to go after the macro-lager crowd, and this is not a bad effort at doing that.  Nice to quaff, and sessionable, this beer would be at home alongside the well established craft powerhouse -  Galway Hooker. Effortless to drink, this accessible ale is a very good straightforward example of just how good a lighter coloured ale can be.

Brehon next come to Stony Grey IPA. Named for the famous old poem, this is a proper IPA, and it must be stated early on that it's not easy for a brand new brewer to approach the market with a beer like this. Often we see Irish brewers send a beer to market that does not live up to the name. This is not one of those. Some lovely pine overtones offset by a delectable grapefruit finish, pouring a slightly cloudy orange, this IPA offers a cleansing sense to the palette, the light, but noticeable carbonation really brings it to life. This IPA would not taste amiss among some of it's robust American counterparts. As an initial offering in the world of hop forward pale ales, this is an encouraging start from Brehon, and sets expectations as to future libations of this line.

Finally we come to the daddy of the range, the 7.7% Shanco Dubh Porter. Packing as much flavour and taste as the 7.7% hints at, the actual ABV is well hidden by the bold flavours from the roasted malts and chocolate, coffee and even vanilla overtones. This is a statement beer, a real HERE-WE-ARE kind of proclamation. The fact that this has crept onto the stage is not so much a disservice to the rest of the range, as a benovelence to the competition. Once this porter gets a name for itself, there'll be no stopping it. Rich and flavourful, big and powerful - this is where Stout Porters should be, this is where they were meant to be, this is a brewer who understands flavours and how to combine the bitterness with warmth, without the harsh tones of a higher alcohol content. Porter lovers go and get this, stout aficionados you will not be disappointed. This is a perfect example of a sipping beer, pair it with some pungent blue cheese, you won't regret it.

If I hark back to my roots, I cannot but be impressed that a new brewer on the scene has seemingly put a porter ahead of an IPA in his range - usually they are all about the "how hoppy can you go" brigade, but this porter proves that malts can take the centre stage as well, and actually they can do more, be more intricate when it comes to flavour than hops can.

What we have here is an excellent launch range, from the simple entry level beers to the incredibly intense and complex IPA and Porter. Well done Brehon Brewery, I look forward to everything else you produce.