Franciscan Well Launch Night

On Thursday night myself and the lady wife, who henceforth has demanded to be referred to as "TheBeerMistress", headed to Farrington's in Temple Bar. There was a launch night of Molson Coors new babies, The Franciscan Well's Shandon Stout and Rebel Red ale, and also Blue Moon and a new Blue Moon, called Valencia Grove Amber - a seasonal offering.

Anyway, having been an avid drinker of the Franciscan Well beers for many a year now - they've had their beers in the Bull & Castle and The Gingerman pubs for a good few years - we were curious to see what the launch night would be like.

It was a low-key affair, and the only reason we knew about it was a single line post on Facebook earlier in the day. No posters in the bar, and the first barman I spoke to forgot it was even on.

Anyway, we had a couple of different beers before the 7PM launch , then the lads (not big-boobed bimbos!) arrived with their beers, and interestingly, cheese to match.

The beers were presented in a stand, about a quarter pint each of the four beers between two of us.

From left to right these are Blue Moon Original, Blue Moon Valencia Grove Amber, Franciscan Well Rebel Red and Franciscan Well Shandon Stout. You can also see TheBeerMistress' handmade black and red scarf there in the background.

Blue Moon is Blue Moon, a nice enough brew. However, the new seasonal is not very nice. I don't know what they are trying to do here, but whatever it is, it's not working. It has less body than it's brother, an insipid mouthfeel and doesn't taste too good either.

On to the Ale and Stout.

Rebel Red is one of the best examples of the Irish Red Ale genre of beers. Gentle hoppiness and a decent malt character makes for a very drinkable ale. 

Shandon Stout is a very good stout too. A nice creaminess and a robust bitterness from the roasted malt in the background.

Both of these beers have been available for a good while, but with Molson Coors' recently acquiring the Franciscan Well brand, it's good to see them pushing the brews like this.

Special mention to the cheeses too, very well matched with the beers. There was a Cooleny Soft Cheese with Mushroom & Oak, Hegarty Farmhouse Cheddar and the standout was the Crozier Blue Cheese which turned drinking Shandon Stout from quaffing a very good stout to a hugely pleasurable flavoursome experience.

All in all a very good night in Farrington's, with some very good beers on show.

Filling a Hole

So on Saturday night, 15th December 2012, I took a trip down to a pub near me called The Hole In The Wall, it's on Blackhorse Avenue in Cabra, Dublin 15.

They sell a good range of Irish Craft Beers on tap, and the attached off licence is also fairly well stocked. The owner is a bit of a legend too, and with claims to be the "longest bar in Ireland" this establishment is well worth a visit, if not for the beers then for the food, which is also excellent.

As mentioned, the off licence is well stocked with Craft beers, which you can buy for drinking in the bar, the bottles are priced at €3/€3.50 for off sales, and a fiver for drinking in the pub.

I was having a poke around the selection and the owner asked me what kind of beers I liked, and I said I was in the mood for a stout, or a dark ale. He whipped out a bottle from behind the till area, saying he had just had a delivery.

It was a 500ml bottle of Chorca Dhuibhne Carraig Dubh which is described by the West Kerry Brewery as a "Rich Chocolate Stout".

This is a lovely porter, as the name suggests it is rich. There is a strong roasted taste from start to finish, which does not get cloying. There are only slight chocolate notes, so it is not sweet like the Chocolate Stouts like The Porterhouse Chocolate Truffle or Young's Double Chocolate so don't be put off by the mention of it. It doesn't even appear on the labelling.

As you can see, the head after the initial pour is a nice creamy colour, and the porter is a nice and dark. This porter has a robust, deep flavour just like a porter should, and at 6% ABV has a nice warming feeling too.

I really recommend that you give this porter a go, it is a five star brew worth searching out. The off licence I bought it in only had one case, and it seems the brewery only brews in small batches, which is fine as long as the beers remain of this quality.

Go get yourself some, you'll thank yourself for it.

The Beer Minister

Hello and welcome to The Beer Minister Blog.

About once a week I plan to taste and review a different beer. The beers reviewed will be locally produced craft beers, beers from around the world, new and interesting beers of all styles from Stout to Lager and everything in between.

Here is a selection of beers I've recently tasted, so you can expect to see more of the same in the future.

There are many, many beers out there to be tasted and reviewed, and I will get started on this in the new year.

I hope everyone enjoys reading about all of the delicious beers I will be reviewing, and it would be great to get feedback from people too.

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