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.

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.