Collaboration Stouts

After the success of this Summer's IPA, the guys at McHugh's have come out with their second of the Road Trip series. This time it's an Extra Stout. I picked up a couple of bottles, but it's also available in Growlers. It's brewed by the Galway based Independent Brewing Company.

There's nothing unexpected here, it says Extra Stout on the label, and Extra Stout is what's in the bottle. A really well done Extra Stout. Big roast undertones, superb body backed up by subtle hops. Everything you want from a stout is here, it's dry, there's a slight burnt smokiness but nothing overpowering.

I'm already looking forward to RT3.

Another "version 2" of a collaboration for the second beer of this blog post. This time with an international flavour, as we take a look at the O'Hara's / PINTA Lublin to Dublin Robust Milk Stout.

Using Irish malts and Polish hops and the addition of Lactose for some extra creaminess in the mouthfeel and a sweeter finish than other stouts. Star Anise is also mentioned on the label, but I couldn't detect it either on the nose nor in the taste, but that's not to say that if it was not there it wouldn't be missed.

This is a great beer, and very drinkable. The sweetness from the lactose never gets too cloying. There's a nice roasted coffee aroma, which follows through to the palate. There's also milk chocolate and a slight treacly finish.

Two interesting collaborations, and cold January nights are made for stouts.

Walkin' in a Wicklow Wonderland

Yeah.

Red Ale.

Irish Red Ale.

Is it even a thing, was it ever a thing?

Or is it just a slopped down version of an English Mild, stuck in to Irish pubs in the 1980s for people who just didn't like Stout, but who couldn't admit they wanted something else.

Of course along came generic lagers and put a stop to all that nonsense.

But stuck in purgatory was Irish Red Ale. Personally when I see an Irish brewery come out with a beer labelled "Red Ale" I roll my eyes and think "Holy Trinity, stout, red, pale", and pass it by.

Sometimes though, if other beers from a brewery are the type of beers that make people take notice then I'll stop for a look at the Red Ale they are offering. I had an exact night in mind, I was due to spend an evening at an event where craft beer would be a non-entity, so when I got home I'd have some decent beer waiting for me.

I stuck O Brother's The Fixer into a glass and  drank it over an hour or so, from the fridge. I wanted to allow it all leeway possible, given I know the lads make good beer and would appreciate me giving it the best I could.

Shouldn't have bothered.

From the beginning this beer is brilliant. You've got a nice malt character, not sweet, but robust, there backing up the bittering hops - giving way to some lovely floral aroma hops that you can also catch on the nose. Exquisitely balanced and welcoming, The Fixer has a warming caramel and toffee body, followed up by a long finishing hop personality. There is a certain sweetness there that leads you into the flowery hop and allows you to gently permit that tone to take over. But not dominate, by the time that hoppiness dissipates you are ready for more. And it just keeps coming, that deep sweetness offset by those forward hops, balancing flavours in an almost perfect union.

Someone said to me "It's not a Red, it's an Amber Ale" - and maybe they're right. But "Red Ale" it proudly states on the label, and "Red Ale" it shall be known. But Ruby it pours, a deep incredibly inviting deep-red colour.

Irish Breweries, take back the name. Make it great. Make it something worth striving for. O Brother have certainly succeeded.

I moved on then to The Chancer. Having been absolutely impressed by this beer earlier in the year on both tap and in Growler, I was waiting to see what this would be liked bottled.

I immediately got that piney and resinous hop profile front and centre, but it's not totally overpowering, and that biscuity malt sweetness is allowed to present itself on the nose. Lime, grapefruit and orange pith are making themselves known.

I won't dwell on this one too long, it's not too dissimilar to the draught/growler version, perhaps the malt is a little more forward, but it's still the same perfectly drinkable American Pale it always had been.

O Brother are creating an excellent core range, which is letting them put some creativity into smaller batch brews like the excellent Bonita Black IPA - which was probably the best beer produced in Ireland this year.

Bring it back guys!

An American River Trip

After some recent unpleasantness involving some cowardly sticker sticking, the Rye River lads came out swinging on Social Media.

True, the McGargle's brand is different to most of the other Irish Craft Brewers, and it does seem a little silly and forced, but it works, it stands out and demands attention - and sometimes the old adage "no publicity is bad publicity" does ring true.

I'm wasn't a huge fan of the early releases, and after a bottle or two of each I never really went back to anything Rye River were producing. However, I do some homebrewing myself and early in the year I had a blind taste test with two Micro, a macro and my own beer. The Rye River beer came out on top (Lidl Stout), I scored it top myself, as did others.

Rye River impressed at the Alltech with some "self branded" beers

Then came the 2015 Irish Craft Beer Festival, the annual pilgrimage to the RDS for Irish Craft Beer fans, and bold as brass, front and centre was McGargle's. They had many and varied brews with them, each one impressive.

So, I picked up a couple of Rye River IPAs in my local supermarket - a Grafters and McGargle's. The McGargle's is particularly good value at 4x 330ml bottles for €8 - that's 1.3 Litres of 7.1% beer for  eight euro, or about 3.20 for 500ml - that represents probably the best priced craft beer on the Irish market at the moment.

The Grafters is a little cheaper, at €2.79 for a 500ml bottle (6.5%). I started the evening with this one.

The label promises an American style IPA "bursting" with citrus such as grapefruit and juicy tangerines. I don't get these here, now maybe the hops have dissipated over time - the Best Before date on the bottle is 07/16, suggesting a July 15 Bottling (batch 0016 is on the label too, whatever that means) - but this is lacking in that area. And really, American IPAs can't lack in that area.

What it is, though, is a pretty good English style bitter or pale ale. It's not unpleasant, and I'd certainly drink it again if that's what I was looking for. Now, I understand that not all Rye Rivers will appeal to all people, and that's fine as they have a pretty large stable - and for a supermarket brand this is decent enough, but American Style IPA it ain't.

The Francis' Big Bangin' India Pale Ale is an altogether different beast. Immediately you get the unmistakeable whiff of all the citrussy goodness that you expect from a good American IPA (there's even a hint Ol Glory on the label! ), it's got chops this one.

Each and every sip of this is reminiscent of a lime Opal Fruit, that fruity bitterness backed up with a slight sweetness - that's the malt announcing itself, how could it not at 7.1%? 

It's complex too, there's passionfruit and a hint of sherbet going on. Orange pith and grapefruit. Intensely bitter, but rounded out with the fruity sweetness. It floods the mouth and tempts you back for more.

This beer is up there with the best of the recent hop forward beers from the rest of the Irish breweries, in fact, it's going to run the rest of them close in any "Beer of the Year" lists. There's nothing to fault this on at all really - the serving size is perfect for the strength, the intensity of the flavours matches the claims on the label and most of all the aroma, taste and overall experience are spot on.

I'm glad I went back to Rye River, they've produced a beer here that it stands out and demands attention. You should give it some.

A treat for Autumn

Many months ago The Beer Mistress brought me home a bottle of O'Hara's Barrel Aged Barley Wine - it's a special edition and I got bottle 1,068 of 1,700.

It's a 9.6% Barley Wine, aged for ninety days in an Irish Whiskey Oak Barrel. It looks like an English style Barley Wine, dark, almost opaque deep ruby in colour and the aroma is intense black fruits, plums and oak.

There is an obvious initial sweetness, tempered by the alcohol so it's never too cloying. On the tongue the light carbonation cuts through the heavy vanilla oak so the flavours don't get too much.

The complexity increases as the beer warms up, and the fruity flavours come to the fore. Blackcurrant, plums and the unmistakable sour cherries all play their part. The big vanilla oak remains, to be backed up by dark chocolate and rich toffee.

The sweetness and light carbonation lend themselves to a somewhat pleasant caramel mouthfeel, and that sourness tempts you to think of black treacle and maybe even the slightest hint of liquorice in the finish.

This is an excellent sipper, to be enjoyed of an autumn evening when the chills are just starting to settle in for the lengthening nights, the leaves are turning red and you can just start to smell smoke in the air.

Although this is a sweet beer, the sourness on the finish means it doesn't get too rich or syrupy, it is very easy to enjoy over a couple of hours or three.

I don't know if many, or any, bottles remain available, but I did think it was worth a review all the same. I enjoyed drinking this one over a Friday evening with a movie, easygoing and approachable, well done O'Hara's.

Taking A Trip

Ever since the introduction of growlers to the market I've thought it would be a good idea for the off licences which are serving beer to get in a house beer, exclusive to them, to attract return business. Evidently the good people at McHugh's have been thinking along the same lines. They've gotten together with Kinnegar Brewery up in Donegal to bring us an American Style IPA, and they've called it Road Trip.

I'd high hopes for this beer, Kinnegar are one of my favourite breweries and of course McHugh's are an exceptional purveyor of all things crafty - it's a match made in beery heaven. Kinnegar have been particularly strong on their special releases, so this was exciting.

I headed to the Artane store to pick up a couple of bottles first of all - the bottles were sent to the shops about a week before the draught version for the growlers. The labels are unmistakable - bright neon green with some jaunty red and black lettering, really standing out in that trademark tall and slim Kinnegar bottle.

The beer itself pours a lovely dark golden hazy orange, with a loose white head, and the initial nose is a complex mixture of fruity orange and other citrus, but you also get the more herbal notes. And these are what dominate the flavour. Piney, resinous bitter hops are the order of the day, citrus pith cleansing away that almost chewy caramel maltiness in the body. This is a beer that stands up tall and demands to be noticed, just like it's label. The bottles had only been filled five or six days before my purchase, and so those hops were very, very fresh. Really very nice.

A week later I hit up the Kilbarrack store with my growler in hand to get some of the Road Trip on draught. I was expecting to drink it on the evening of purchase, however I ended up having to keep it for a week. This was the first real test of my McHugh's growler. I stuck it in the fridge the morning I was going to drink it. It properly popped open, which I was glad to hear, and it poured the same colour as the bottled version. The head was a little smaller.

The first thing I noticed was that the aroma was slightly sweeter lime and less of that piney resin - the hops have mellowed out a bit. In fact the growler beer is a more rounded experience, it doesn't catch you quite as much as the bottled version. The more delicate, fruity hops allow the lighter malt body to carry through a bit more in the finish.

Road Trip is a triumph in many ways; a "house beer" from an off licence that makes the trip worth it, another excellent beer from Kinnegar, and from chatting with the staff in Artane, the success of Road Trip will mean they'll look to do more collaborations, but for now I'd hope there's at least a second batch of this excellent IPA.

Well done to both McHugh's for taking the punt and to Kinnegar for taking it with them.

Newcomer Ales

Since the start of 2015 we've seen a few new brewers pop up onto the Irish Craft Beer scene, so I'm going to take a look at some of them in this edition.

To start with, I've settled into a bottle of the very welcoming 12 Acres Pale Ale. Brewed in Co. Laois, where they malt their own barley, this is a lovely pale ale. I first came across it earlier in the year at an event put on by distributors Barry & Fitzwilliam, and on that day I thought it was the best beer out of the 40 or so on show. Perfectly balanced; with the subtly sweet caramel backbone, finished off with a light lemon citrus cleanser, without ever being too intense.

12 Acres Pale Ale is an easy drinker, a good companion for a lazy afternoon with the grass finally cut and the day beginning to wind down, Pouring on the darker side of Golden, and with a pillow-ey head that lasts down the glass, the light carbonation just eases you into a state of relaxation, but that little zing at the end does just enough to keep you interested.

I'll be back for more of this for sure, especially at 4.6% ABV, it's probably the best Irish Ale in the category.

Next up was the extremely new Wood Key Brewing's first offering, The Pilgrim Irish Red Ale. Wood Key are a bunch of five friends from Dublin who've decided to brew, and this red ale is their first foray into that world. A simple style of beer, there's not much room for innovation without encroaching on other styles, and then not really being an Irish Red anyway.

The darker malts are doing what they ought to be doing, and a little more - there's a little hint of bitter chocolate in the initial flavour, giving way to the bittering hops, which are doing enough to lift this beer away from being just another flat, dank red. This is a solid Irish Red, and based on that I await more from the guys, because doing the simple things right is the best way to start. Currently available in bottles, and there are two 30 Litre kegs out there too, one already tapped for the growler system in McHugh's Kilbarrack shop.

The launch of the beer took place at the Flavours of Fingal county show, and I took the opportunity to meet and chat with a couple of the lads on the Sunday afternoon. There was mention of a second beer on the way, but no time frames or any other information.

Apple-y Goodness

A while back I picked up a couple of bottles of Lefevre Pure French Cidre from Ger, the Irish part of the operation. I'd tasted this a few of months ago in the depths of winter at a tasting evening in The Hole In The Wall pub, and I've been keen for the Summer to roll around so this Cidre could do what all good ciders do, and banish the thirst built up by a hot sunny day in work.

The start of this Irish summer has been good to everyone, it's warm, the sun is out and the evenings are perfect for a sojourn to the garden to have a cool, refreshing drink. When you fizz open the bottle you are immediately greeted by the unmistakeable aroma of fresh green apples. Uncomplicated and inviting on an evening like this.

Pouring a light golden colour, and with a very sparkling fizz, you cannot help but be drawn to thoughts of heady orchards in Northwest France, of apple blossoms, of bees humming lazily and of sharing an evening with friends.

On the palate there is a slight tartness underlining the gentle sweetness of those pressed apples, you are getting other fruits too like early, nearly-still-green strawberry, the light, active bubbles add to the overall thirst-quenching character. This is exactly what you expect from this ancient style of thirst quencher.

Look out for this in most good off-licences, and also on tap in a select few bars around Dublin.

Cork Stout

Back in February I reviewed a Pale Ale from Cork pub and brewery Cotton Ball. At the time I wasn't able to get my hands on their Stout, and I've been waiting to try it for ages. I finally got some after a tasting night in McHugh's two shops a couple of weeks ago.

Lynch's Handcrafted Stout is a lovely example of the style. Roast Coffee is the order of the day here in this robust, pitch black tipple.

Pretty subtle on the nose, the first mouthful brings that dark bitterness right to the fore. Once you settle into it, the more subtle background flavours start to break through. Slight liquorice, a hint of sweet molasses just lingering in the finish enticing you back for more.

For all the love that hop-bombs have gotten, or yeasty Saisons being the latest popular style, it's great to see a stout that's not afraid to showcase those malts, and when that's balanced with a nice smoothness in the mouthfeel it's pretty much the best way to drink beer.

An excellent example of a really simple style that's difficult to master.

Radikale Hopster

On a recent trip to Ireland's second city of Cork I met Alain, the brewer from the latest addition to the ever growing Craft Beer selection being produced on this island, Radikale. He very generously presented me with a couple of bottles of his first brew - Hopster, a single hopped American Pale Ale - to sample.

Pouring a nice inviting deep amber, almost red, with a nice looking head that reduces rather quickly to thin lacing, the initial aroma is candy sugar, which suggests a cloying, malt forward red ale. This is not the case, the Chinook hops cut through the sweetness pretty well, giving some slight lemon and spices, enhanced by the light, prickly carbonation, allowing the flavours to meld and mingle on the tongue.

That sweet spiciness sticks around the palate for a while, giving way to some chewy toffee richness offset by the final flourish of the hops, just enough to cleanse ready for the next mouthful. This is an interesting take on the Single Hopped idea, which certainly has it's constraints as far as layering flavours is concerned - however there is enough going on here to make you want to drink a couple more. I wouldn't leave it hanging around though, as it started to warm up a little the malt naturally came more to the forefront, and it did begin to overpower the flavour a little bit. At 5.2% though,this is probably not much of a problem.

I enjoyed making my way through this beer, I particularly liked the way the almost playful, cotton candy sweet aroma was present throughout, and I certainly look forward to more offerings from the hand of this Belgian brewer who has somehow found himself brewing beer in Cork.

Drogheda's Finest

I paid a visit to the recently refurbished Kelly's Off Licence in Clontarf (Formerly Kelly's Wine Cellar), where the selection of craft beer and cider has greatly increased in recent times. Being relatively local to the area, I like to support businesses close to me, and if they are providing a great selection then I actively encourage that by making a purchase when dropping in.

On the night I visited there was a tasting of Lefevre Cidre, a French apple cider which is pretty nice. Probably one for later into the BBQ Season though.

I picked up three different beers from Jack Cody's, a recent addition to the Irish Craft Beer scene, based in Drogheda, Co Louth. A Cream Porter, an Amber Ale and an Pale Ale.

I'd be tasting these over the course of a couple of evenings and Blackjack Drogheda Cream Porter was first up. Cream Porter seems to be the less well known cousin of Milk Stout, but it shouldn't be on this evidence. Jack Cody's have created a porter that is dry with burnt malt at the start, but finishes off smooth and lightly sweet, but definitely more-ish.

When it comes to the stout/porter end of things, my preference is for big upfront roast, burnt and almost ashtray flavours from the deep black malts that are found in abundance here, however this is exquisitely balanced by the introduction of lactose which serves to round out and just save the ash flavours from becoming completely overbearing. What happens next is that the sweet Chantilly Cream pops in for a quick hello just as the porter passes the back of the tongue, just to let you know it's there and that it's not just on the label for show.

The second and subsequent mouthfuls mix the charred flavours into the sweet milky notes to give a much more complex experience than this porter presents at first.

This is a lovely balanced and complex porter, and at 4.6% is properly sessionable.

Next up was Smiggy Amber Ale. Pouring a very inviting deep amber, and with a pretty good hop aroma this looks and smells like a very nice beer. I think Amber Ales are what Irish Reds wish they could be. Flavoursome with a balance more toward the caramel malt than the hops, but without losing the hops completely. That balance is struck close to perfect here.There's no mouth-puckering hop bitterness, but the hops do still make their presence felt - meaning that the malt profile is given a chance to do some work. There's nothing overbearing here, and that follows through with the aftertaste - it disappears quite quickly, meaning that this beer has the potential to be paired with a lot of foods, indeed the label recommends it to be paired with BBQ Meats, Fish or Cheese. So, a bit of everything then. 

Because it doesn't overpower the palate and it's sitting at 4.8% abv, this means that you can enjoy a few of these at a social get together, over food. It also has an almost lager-like mouthfeel, the carbonation is quite high, with a small lacey head lasting down the glass

I would consider this a triumph of the style, and would defnitely recommend it to anyone looking to start off on a craft beer journey - or someone feeling a bit jaded with strong hop-bombs. Smiggy delivers enough flavour as to be respectable, but is approachable enough as to not scare off people new to craft beers.

Finally I cracked open the intriguing Duxie. A Grapefruit Tea Pale Ale. Full disclosure here, I love tea about as much as I love beer, I've probably as many loose leaf teas in my house as I have styles of beer, so to see a beer with tea on the ingredients bill.Grapefruit and lime are also listed, along with the trusty Earl Grey himself. Grapefruit, lime and general citrussy flavours are to be, of course, found wherever American Hops lay their head, however I couldn't get the unmistakable aroma of those flavours as I opened and poured the beer. It looks a nice colour and the head was maintained down the glass - and the beer has a really great mouthfeel.

Flavourwise, I wasn't getting the lime, but was definitely getting Grapefruit, both that sweetness and pithy bitterness in the finish. I can also see this being one for the warm weather.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed the Cream Porter the most, and the Grapefruit Tea Pale Ale does have character, while the Amber is an improvement on so many boring Red Ales.

Good work Jack Cody's! 

Anarchy from the UK

Some new beers to the Irish scene were to be launched in a Tap-Takeover of WJ Kavanagh's last week, so I paid them a visit. There were 4 beers on offer, three on tap and one from a bottle. The brewers were also visiting, so it was a good chance to chat to them and get some tips for my own fledgling brewing empire.

The brewery in question is Anarchy Brew Co from the far North East of England, and Simon and Dawn were the two brewers who popped in for the evening.

I kicked off with a Citra Star, a blonde ale that packs flavour from the Citra Hops. Peaches and limes,and some grapefruit sweetness are the order of the day here. This is called a blonde ale, but in reality it's a session IPA - an unbelievable 4.1% given the range of flavours in this beer, it is the perfect ale to take into a warm beer garden. The fresh hop flavours make this a refreshing and accessible hoppy ale. Slightly cloudy, deep yellow in colour, I would have had a few more if I wasn't there to sample the rest of the range.

I moved on to the AntiVenom American Pale Ale. Certainly a more full bodied character and richer maltiness than the Citra Star. The American hops beautifully balance out the caramel from the malts. At 6% this is a fairly robust beer, but don't expect a hop-bomb, this isn't an IPA, it's a very well done American Pale, the hops do deliver, but they are not in your face or completely dominating the flavour. More resinous and piney than the hops in the Citra Star, the bitterness is sharp enough to compliment the underlying malt sweetness.

The Sublime Chaos Breakfast Stout is as flavoursome and potent as you's expect from a 7% beer. Rich, chewey with the background espresso that isn't overshadowing the other essential flavours that you expect to find in a stout. The mouthfeel is smooth and treacley , with some burnt roast notes in the back of the throat - all finished off by a pretty forward hop profile.

In bottles was the Smoked Saison. I have to make it clear from the outset here that I'm not a huge fan of the slightly sour, yeasty flavours that mark a Saison. On the flip side of that, I'm a big fan of smoked beers, the famous German Rauchbiers are among my favourites. I've been burned in the past, however, with many beers boasting "smoked" on their label just not delivering on that promise. This one does deliver a lovely smokey bacon flavour, layered over but not completely masking the spiciness of the Saison - the mix is good.

To finish off, and for a bit of fun at the behest of Simon, we were invited to mix some of the Smoked Saison with some of the Sublime Chaos, to make "the best Black & Tan you've ever tasted". The smokiness definitely compliments the burnt coffee bitterness.

Anarchy beers make a welcome addition to the choices available on the Irish market, and top of the list is the Citra Star, the perfect beer for an afternoon spent at a BBQ or watching the world go by in a warm city centre beer garden.

It was great to meet Simon and Dawn, they are obviously very passionate about their art, and this shines through in the quality of the beers.

90% of their output is for the Cask market in the UK, so hopefully we might see something pop up around the Dublin cask scene - but even if we don't, do keep an eye out and pick up a couple of bottles of whatever style takes your fancy. You won't be disappointed.

Take a Chance

I visited yet another Growler Station, this time as Baggot Street Wines were launching their Growler System.

I was very interested in visiting as I'd heard that the O Brother guys were going to be in residence for the evening with their beers in tow, available to take home. I was interested as only a few weeks previous I'd been in The Porterhouse in Bray and happened on their American Pale Ale called The Chancer. Now usually I'll jump around the beers in a place like The Porterhouse, especially if they've a few that I've not had before, however I just had to stay on this one for more than one or two that evening, I was stopped in my tracks with how good it actually is.

With that in mind, I headed across the city to Baggot Street to pick up a growler-full of this ale so I could give it a proper appraisal from the comfort of my home.

O Brother are based in Kilcoole, Co Wicklow. Three brothers who obviously have a passion for their craft, and not the only recent addition to the Irish scene from that part of the world. I'll do a review of the Wicklow Wolf brews at a later stage too.

The Chancer pours a light pale yellow colour, with a nice white head that lasts down the glass. You are immediately struck with a piney-resiney hop aroma, it's definitely striking. Once you start quaffing you can definitely detect the malt in the background, but that hop profile is pretty up front. Not so much as in an IPA, but tropical fruits followed up by bitter grapefruit are allowed to take centre stage.

The underlying sweetness from the malts mean that bitterness is not taking over the palate - which is a very good thing, meaning your tatsebuds are just piqued enough to be left wanting more and more of this excellent ale.

It's one I will be returning to again and again, and I just cannot wait to grab a pint of it some sunny afternoon this summer, it will go perfectly with a fresh sea breeze in a warm beachfront beer garden.

At a time when the Irish Craft Beer scene is getting a slight bit crowded, O Brother are doing very well to stand out in the crowd.

Brew Pub Bottled

Sometimes you just want a couple of beers, a couple of beers that aren't going to strip your tastebuds with powerful hops, or coat your palette with malty richness. Sometimes you just want something quaffable and familiar. At times like this you turn to Pale Ales. Not India Pale Ales, they'll kick you in the face, but something easier drinking. This evening The Beer Mistress arrived home with just such a beer, a Kerry Lane Pale Ale from The Cotton Ball Brewing Co.

The Cotton Ball is a pub in Cork's Mayfield, perhaps an unusual spot in which to find a busy Brew Pub, and they've recently start bottling their house-brews - of which they are producing four. A Stout, a Lager, a Pale Ale and an unusual Ale-Lager Hybrid "Summer Ale".

I was delighted because this was one of those nights. Just a beer or two after a long week in work to relax with on a Friday. It pours a lovely inviting golden-orange, almost amber colour, with a fluffy head. It's not overly carbonated, and the nose is reminiscent of English pale ales like Old Speckled Hen or Bishops Finger. The blurb on the label tells of "traditional" and "classic" hops, I'm assuming East Kent Goldings or Fuggles are in the mix, the typical English hops - however there is an obvious new-world addition too, lifting this ale away from the oftentimes flat and uninviting English bitter territory and into the realm of other Irish Pale Ales, and this takes it's place among them with ease.

Brewery Tour and Beer Chat

In my last entry, I mentioned the lovely people at J. W. Sweetman were one of a number of Dublin pubs who currently had a Growler system in place. Well, as it happened, I received an invite from them to pop in for the first Brewery Tour of 2015, which took place on a Wednesday evening. There were various beer bloggers, tweeters and writers present. Located on Burgh Quay, on the Southern side of O'Connell Bridge, Sweetman's has been a craft brewing institution in Dublin for well over a decade. Dublin's only (current!) Brewpub, you can see the Mash Tun and Kettle proudly on display as you enter the premises. Situated over three floors and a basement, you shouldn't ever be short of a place to rest your legs. I won't get into the history of the place, suffice to say that the Sweetman's name has been associated with brewing in Dublin as far back as the 18th Century.

Our two guides for the evening took us up to the top floor and began the evening with a short talk about the history of brewing in Dublin and the modern Craft Beer story. We then headed down into the basement where tables were set with small sampling glasses - 5 each, one for each of the current range of house beers that they have on offer, all brewed on-site - one brew per week.

We started off with a Kolsch Style Golden Ale. When I hear about "golden ales" I invariably turn to thoughts of bland ales, geared toward the macro drinkers who are looking to dip a toe into the unknown. They are a safe colour to start with (yellow and fizzy), and usually have a pretty safe flavour (ie, none). However, with this one you do get a little hop bite, and the digestive-biscuit malt flavour is not totally drowned out. This is definitely still in crossover territory, and it won't frighten off any lager drinkers. Equally, it won't be offensive to people seeking out a bit more flavour either. This is an excellent example of a brewer knowing his target market and hitting the sweet spot.

Next up was the Weiss. A German-Stlye Hefe-Weizen Wheat Beer. It's everything you expect from a Weiss. Cloudy, fruit flavours strong to the front, hints of clove and banana. I often find this style to be quite heavy, but this one is light enough as to allow you to not feel bloated or full. This beer should please the drinkers of the bottled Weiss beers that are more widely available, and also for anyone looking for something a little bit different this is worth trying.

After that we were presented with some delicious food to sample. Three trays of Pulled Pork, bread, braised red cabbage, pork scratching, pork rilettes, Bailey's & Apple Sauce, gravy and chips. A delicious interlude, and if the rest of the menu is up to that standard, then a visit to J. W. Sweetman's for the food as well as the beer would be a trip worth making.

At this point I should say that all the beer being served was poured from the J. W. Sweetman's branded Growlers. As I mentioned on the previous entry, Growlers are re-usable, sealable containers that enable you to take draught beer away from the premises with you, for later consumption at home. Or on the bus on the way home. The Sweetman's growlers contain just short of 4 pints of beer, and are filled for €12 (€10 with the Beoir discount).

Onwards to the Irish Red Ale. Malt forward, minimal hop character, easy drinking and a perfect example of all an Irish Red Ale should aspire to be. There is nothing wrong with this beer, it's just that the whole Irish Red style is never going to set tastebuds alight or cause anyone to go into raptures about deliciousness. It's a solid ale though, and for anyone who enjoys Irish Reds, this is one that has to be sampled. An excellent example of the style, drinkable, strong malt flavours and just the slightest hint of bitterness to balance it out.

I want to do the fourth and fifth beers out of order, for reasons that will become obvious. The last of the beers to be sampled was the Pale Ale. A great beer. Not as in-your-face, tongue-twistingly hoppy as IPAs, but there is still a pretty good flavour coming through from the Cascade hops, used both in the boil and in dry-hopping. With Cascade being the prominent hop, this is described as a California-style Pale Ale. I would rate this higher than most other Irish beers of the style, the hops are backed up by a kind of slightly toffee-ish malt profile. Very more-ish, and definitely worth a visit to the bar for.

Finally, we come to the Porter. I don't wish to seem fawning over the people who allowed me in to their premises, gave me beer and food samples and allowed me to stomp around the brewery. But for my money, this is euro-for-euro the best beer available on draught in Dublin.The perfect example of a roasty, dark porter. It's just nice. It's simple, unassuming and just gets on with delivering flavour and doing what it needs to do. Sure, there may be other beers that come more highly rated, but they aren't €4.70 a pint, on O'Connell Bridge. One qualm, it's served a touch cold from the tap, almost lager-like temperatures, if they could raise it a couple of degrees it would be the perfect pint.

Finally, we were taken in to see the brewery itself. As an avid homebrewer myself, this was very interesting. To see the various workings of a fully functional micro-brewery. I think an assumption may have been made that this particular group was well versed in brewing process - but it was still amusing to see containers, jugs and various other bits and pieces sterilising in a very familiar fashion.

All in all this was a very enjoyable evening, with a couple of excellent, interesting and talkative tour guides who were more than willing to answer questions. I would recommend anyone with an interest in Irish Craft Beer to book in and take this tour. Or if you don't fancy that, just pop in for a pint, it's right there in the middle of Dublin City and the quality of the house beers, and food, is second to none.

Take Home Hag

Having seen the set-up in Carry Out Tyrellstown I've been waiting to try the new Craft Beer Growler System for a while. I got the chance just last week when White Hag had a sampling event in the Carry Out off licence in Clongriffin. Available to sample, in draught form were Tuireann Bán - a White IPA, and Meabh Rua - an Irish Bog Ale (really, a high % Red Ale, or Imperial Red Ale).

I should probably rewind a bit and explain what a "Growler" is. Simply put, it's a way of getting draught beer into your home by non-nefarious means. A system of sealed containers containing draught beer to bring home and enjoy at your leisure. Craft Beer Growlers are the people behind the system in Off Licences, and various pubs across the City of Dublin are also getting in on the act. I personally have a growler from L Mulligan Grocer, and I know the Galway Bay pubs have their own now, as do J. W. Sweetman's.

The actual system supplied by Craft Beer Growlers looks just like a bar with taps, and kegs under the counter. There is a selection of 4 rotating beers to choose from, and the line-up changes regularly enough, so that most times you arrive back with your growler, you'll probably end up with something different to bring home to sample.

The Growler Filling Station

As this was a sampling night for The White Hag Beers, I'll give a review of both of these. I had a small sample of the Meabh Rua while in-store, and also took home a 1 Litre Growler of the White IPA with me, which I drank over the course of the rest of the evening.

To start with, the Meabh Rua packs a whopping 8.2% alcohol volume - so it's definitely a sipper. It's a Red Ale, in the Irish Style - which means lots of up front Malt flavours (well, the 8.2% means lots more Malt too!). This leads to a nicely warrming, complex sweetness. Intense dark berry fruits, treacle and a bitterness to balance. The alcohol is comforting and not harsh. The amount of malt that goes into the production of "imperial" or "double" Ales needs to be balanced, and there is some hop flavour coming through here - however, in line with the style, they are not overpowering the malt profile, but simply serve to balance the beer. As you make your way through the ale and it begins to warm up slightly, the complexity becomes even more apparent  - brown sugar, molasses, caramel and toffee are all vying for attention, leading to an immersive experience of flavour, aroma and warmth that is not to be missed.

This is quite possibly the best Irish Red Ale I've ever drank, and during this cold snap, I'll be stocking up on these - even better if they are on draught from my Growler.

Next up was the Tuireann Bán, a take on a Belgian Wit, hopped up with some American style hops. It's quite lightly coloured, cloudy lemon yellow. Citrus hop flavours dominate, but there is a cleaner, sharper hit with less of a malt background that pure IPAs. In the background you can definitely detect Belgian influence, some yeasty earthiness, even spices and herbs - nothing specific, but enough to properly differentiate it from just being a cloudy paler version of their IPA. This hybrid style is worth seeking out.

White Hag is a pretty recent arrival to the ever-growing array of Irish Craft Brewers, and I also sampled the IPA and Christmas Ale recently too. Again, both of those beers are welcome addition in their respective styles, and if White Hag can maintain the quality they'll become a mainstay of the scene for years to come.

With my new Growler ready and willing to accept new and exciting beers from taps I can't wait to see what comes next.