On the craft journey with a session of Western Herd, Treaty City, Heaney and Lough Gill
Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop Double IPA, 9.45%, 440 can Bradleys
This much hopped and hyped beer comes from the Western Herd Brewery in County Clare and is in the style of a West Coast DIPA.
It is gold in colour and you can see zillions of micro bubbles rising towards the white head. Aromas, with pine needles and pineapple prominent, are intense (some would say dank* - see below).
And that dankness is a force on the palate, leading an army of tropical flavours. Such flavours often get lost when the ABV is high but that is not the case here so major credit to the brewery. And the umami just goes on, the beer power-packed with flavour right to the very satisfactory finalé.
They say: ..we’ve packed in the largest number of hops ever into this Double iPA. Designed to let the hops shine through, we’ve built a complex and layered flavour profile. the result is an intense fruit scent with pine, citrus and, in brewing parlance, a wonderfully dank aroma.”
Eight of the hops listed below have been used in the kettle and then they double dry-hopped it “heavily” with Nelson Sauvin and Strata.
Hops
Columbus, El Dorado, Cascade, Citra, Centennial, Nelson Sauvin,
Strata, Amarillo, Chinook
Malts
Pale, Stout Mix
Adjuncts
Dextrose
Yeast
LAX
Original Gravity
1.075
% ABV
9.45%
- When not describing something as “moist” and “humid” like a basement, dank is a slang term describing something as “excellent,” especially marijuana. Dank can also refer to memes that are played out or extremely weird.
Treaty City Pigtown Pilsner 4.8%, 440 can (gift)
This Pigtown Pilsner was brewed by Treaty City Brewery as an exclusive beer for the September 2021 Pigtown Culture and Food Series. It is called the ‘Pigtown Pilsner’ and is a Bohemian Pilsner.
Colour is a golden blond with tints of amber while aromas (fruity and floral) are mild. There’s an immediate refreshing bite from this one, nothing over the top, and it is more malty than hoppy. It has a pretty full body and is clean and crisp, with a mild bitterness, and is very drinkable indeed.
As you might expect, the main ingredients are all geared towards a Pilsner (or Lager) finish. Floor malted Bohemian Pilsner Malt has been used and the three hops - Aurora (spicy, herbal and moderately bittering), Hallertau (mild aroma, slightly fruity and spicy, flowery, and even hay-like), Mittelfruh ( has a mild bittering potential), are all well-suited to the style.
Heaney Look! No Hands IPA, 7.0%, 440 can Bradleys
A very murky orange is the colour of this “true farmhouse” beer from Bellaghy, Northern Ireland.
Fruity aromas, including pineapple. Earthy flavours along with fruit (mostly tropical) on the palate all the way through to the dry and bittered finalé. It has been dry-hopped with Vic Secret (well known for its clean pineapple flavour) and Ella (spicy, floral character like star anise). They tell us to expect a well-balanced hit of hazy pine, pineapple, grapefruit, and floral flavours with a dry spicy finish. Not quite hitting the bullseye for me but pretty close.
They say: A true farmhouse brewery from Bellaghy, Northern Ireland! The brewery was founded by Mal McCay and his wife Suzanne, who is a niece of the late poet Seamus Heaney. Since opening their doors, they are writing a new chapter in the history of The Wood – one all about grain, hops, and pure Bellaghy spring water.
We feature Heaney’s regularly here and are big fans of their Irish Stout, the Big Little IPA, the New England IPA, the “Way Over Yonder” Saison (with a few dried apricots at hand) and their Irish White Ale.
A slightly murky orange/red is the colour of this Five Candles from Lough Gill, a celebration of their fifth birthday: “A traditional beer brewed for the perfect marriage of Malt & Hop bitterness.This is an updated recipe of Thieving Bastards, our first beer brewed here”.
Hints of orange from the aromas. Some light fruit too on the palate and a light roastiness also that hints of darker ales. The warming beer, a slightly biscuity ale, should go well with the birthday cake.
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