A Quart of Ale± #81. On the craft journey with a session of Brehon Brewhouse, Whiplash, Eight Degrees and Kinnegar

 A Quart of Ale± #81

On the craft journey with a session of Brehon Brewhouse, Whiplash, Eight Degrees and Kinnegar

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Brehon Brewhouse Oak & Mirrors Two Stacks Whiskey Cask Aged Imperial Porter 7.5%, 500ml bottle Bradleys

A Superior cask-aged whiskey porter that will please the most discerning of whiskey-loving palettes. That is the promise from the producers! A promise that is kept.

This cask aged Imperial Porter, made by the Brehon Brewhouse using whiskey cask from Two Stacks, has a dark black colour with a thin enough tanned head. The aromas are modest, compared to my expectations. But the palate, wrapped in warm whiskey notes, has no such modesty. The rich porter here unveils a tasty tempting package of roasted malt, dark chocolate with dark fruits, vanilla and much more as it meanders across and then down the throat for a memorable finish. Bring out the Christmas fare!

They say: Whiskey-aged porter from a collaboration with our good friends at TWO STACKS using their freshly emptied single malt cask to mature our brew. Of course, getting it right took a few tastings with the lads. This is a superior whiskey cask-aged imperial porter that will please the most discerning of whiskey-loving palettes. Limited edition – available while stocks last!

Whiplash The Sup Porter 5.0%, 330 can Bradleys

Well, The Sup is a glass of the black stuff with a classic tan head.

And there’s more! The aromas, chocolate and caramel, are a gentle and pleasant introduction. The firm shakehands come in the mouth, again chocolate and caramel, but now more assertive, again in the most pleasant of ways.

As with many porters, it is more about the malts. They say: This porter has been on our “to brew” list for years now and we decided it was finally time. Porters to us are all things softer, more coffee and dark chocolate and lower bitterness than their stout cousins so we focused on some more modern malts to achieve a more intense nose and flavour in this one. The main star in this is CaraBohemian – a kind of rich and decadent Czech Brown Malt but it oozes fruity Bournville dark chocolate with a hint of coffee in there too. Melanoidin for that toasted flavour, Dark Munich for the sweet bready goodness and Special B to round off the whole affair with that roasted caramel with cherry sweet nose. Restrained roasted malts, more for colour than bite and a light Pilsner malt base leaves room for all those parts to do their thing to their fullest extent.

via Pixabay

Not too sure about the Bournville bit; that bar was a favourite of mine (back in the day before the day!) and I can’t say I recognise it here. Nice soft finish though with a hint of sweetness. Been years since I had a bar of Bournville! Must try one soon.

Bournville or not, this is delicious, quite a sophisticated porter. Should be versatile at the table, morning with pancakes and Nutella, lunch with Smoked Scamorza by Toonsbridge, 

evening with a few squares of a certain chocolate.  

Eight Degrees Seisíun IPA 4.5%, 440 ml can

A clear yellow/amber in the glass with a white frothy head. No shortage of engaging citrus-y aromas plus a touch of malt. And malt too in the body. A crisp palate, more citrus before a superb hoppy and refreshing finish. Crisp, refreshing and aromatic, they claim and once again Eight Degrees get it spot-on.

Originally brewed as a low-alcohol sipper for beer festivals, this sessionable IPA has transcended its origins to become “one of our most popular beers”. “Woven deep into the fabric of Irish society and tradition is the seisíun, an informal coming together of people in a pub – over a beer – to play music, tell stories and enjoy each other’s company. For the best kind of seisíun, you need a low-alcohol beer, something that has lots of flavour but is not too high in ABV.”

While the session may be a popular term in the Irish pub lingo, the idea of a session was there long before that use of word. When I was growing up, I often heard two older guys (not always the same two) meet and chat on the road, especially on a Sunday. And one would ask the other: “Are ye going for a quart?” While the quart (a quarter of a gallon) meant two pints, I think the term was used just in case one of the wives was listening at the other side of the hedge. In her early days as wife, she might well think: “Two pints isn’t too much!” But the word was pronounced with an unseen wink and more than likely, at least one of the lads, had more than a quart in mind. And that is why my series on craft beer is called Quart of Ale!

Geek Bits:

Style: Session IPA
Malt: Irish pale malt, Carapils,
Hops: Mandarina Bavaria, Citra, Amarillo,Simcoe
Strength: 4.5% ABV
Bitterness: 44 IBUs

Food pairings via Eight Degrees:
Lots of flavour and low alcohol make this a perfect beer to serve over a period of time at a party, relaxed gathering or – as we’ve tested! – beer festival. An ideal pairing is pizza, particularly anything that includes the fabulous chorizo or salami from Gubbeen Smokehouse, as the beer crisply cuts through all that meaty, cheesy gorgeousness with each sip. On the lighter side, try this Seisiún IPA with a St Tola goat cheese and fresh beetroot salad, tossed in a ginger and lime dressing, and see how the hop bitterness complements the citrus.

Kinnegar 20÷2 Anniversary Rauchbier 5%, 440ml can, Bradleys

Colour is dark brown with a touch of copper. ABV for this style is between 5 and 6 so Kinnegar are within the range. And the aromas are also typical: smokey. Some people even refer to smoked beers as “bacon beer” because of the smoked flavour.

And that smokiness continues, perhaps with a little less intensity, through the mouth and into the finish. You’d better like smoke notes!

Kinnegar don’t disclose their modus operandi but Rauchbier or “smoke beer” is a style of German lager that uses malt smoked over beechwood to impart that unique smoky flavour to the beer.

While the Germans would say that only beer brewed in the time-honoured Bamberg tradition can be considered a true Rauchbier, that hasn’t stopped Kinnegar from trying and I must say I rather enjoy the result of this 10th anniversary beer. Apparently it, and the Pilsner, both influenced the personal development of Rick as a brewer.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen is, I’ve read, the classic Rauchbier. Bamberg is, surprisingly, one of the top brewing cities in Germany, synonymous with the Rauchbier. We enjoyed this classic last April and you can check it out here.