A Quart of Ale± #98. On the craft journey with Third Barrel, Rascal's, Boundary, Whiplash

A Quart of Ale± #98

On the craft journey with Third Barrel, Rascal's, Boundary, Whiplash

Third Barrel Shut Up Juice Juicy Pale Ale 5.0%, 440ml can Bradleys

Third Barrel had a lot of success previously with this Pale Ale: It’s back! Our biggest selling beer of 2018 is back with a 2020 hop bill. Loaded with Vic Secret, El Dorado and Citra. Seriously Juicy, Seriously fruity, Seriously crushable!

Colour is a light orange with a white foamy head. Aromas, not quite as big as expected, feature pineapple and citrus. But the flavours are seriously exotic, passionfruit, pineapple, and mango, a delicious melange that take you all the way to a refreshing finish, dry enough and with bitterness present to confirm the use of New World hops.

By the way, the hops packed in here are the US pair of Citra and El Dorado plus Vic Secret from Australia.

Dublin based Third Barrel claim to be “a unique concept, a collaboration brewery between Stone Barrel Brewing and Third Circle Brewing who have combined their experience, resources, love for brewing and absolute passion for beer to create one of Irelands most cutting edge breweries. Thye make lots of beer and sell it in 11 countries: Ireland, Spain, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Portugal, Switzerland, UK and Italy.”

Rascals Rude Girl Black IPA 6.0%, 440ml can Bradleys

Rascals introduce this as “A top ranking mash-up featuring citrusy hops and dark roast malts”. Good, but not quite that good methinks.

Pour it, a little robustly perhaps, and you get the black topped with a tan head, a head than hangs about a bit. The old finger test into the foam give hints of roast from the malts and a bite of evergreen from the hops. That roast also discernible in the aromas with a faint hint of pine in the background.

The malty background holds it steady in the mouth but is balanced out by contributions from the international hops (floral and spicy from the US Cascade, tart gooseberry from the Kiwi Nelson Sauvin, pepper and resin from the German Magnum). Still that roast comes on, certainly more than the “citrusy” hops, both on the lips and in the aftertaste. They say: One step beyond. I say: Hardly. One step short (which is pretty close, actually).

Geek Bits:

Malt: Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Chocolate Wheat Malt, Melanoidin, Carafa 2 Malt

Hops: Cascade (grapefruit, floral, pine), Nelson Sauvin (gooseberry, grape, passionfruit), Magnum (cedar pepper resin)

Yeast: LAX

ABV: 6%

Rascals reflect on the can design: “We’re big into our music here at Rascals and we thought a really complementary way to put a design to these new beers would be to use the iconic black and white chequered motifs of ska culture. Our designer Rachael has some lovely attention to detail on the can design, such as the female character’s distinct ska hairstyle forming the ‘G’ on the Rude Girl can, as well as speaker stacks forming the letter ‘i’. They really are class designs.”

Boundary Trees We Didn’t Plant Pale Ale 4.0%, 440ml can Bradleys

This Belfast pale ale has quite a pale colour, tending towards lemon. It is also hazy with a soft white head that sinks away soon enough. Melon leads the aromas but there’s also a hint of orange. On the palate, it is clean, crisp and light, no shortage of tropical flavour though. It is well balanced and properly refreshing with just enough bitterness at the finish. 

A pretty decent example of the style and definitely one for your session. Quite a backbone to this one for a four per center. Certainly worth a try.

Ingredients include Barley, Oats and Wheat while hips used are the US pair of Citra and Azacca.

There’s been some good news for the Belfast Brewery (a cooperative) recently and they are happy. ”At very, very, very long last, we are opening Northern Ireland’s first Taproom right next door to our Brewery & we need YOU to help make it happen! Come Join Us.” See the video here. 

Whiplash Loud Places Pale Ale 5.0%, 330 ml can Bradleys

Loud Places comes in a light orange colour, a hazy one. The white top doesn’t hang about for long. Hop aromas, with apricot prominent, rise up in the glass to greet you. 

Juicy for sure on the smooth palate, with melon and orange flavours, the hop aromas continuing in the mouth, with some slight sweetness also present but there’s a good balance here. Pretty creamy mouthful on the way to a slightly bitter finish but no shortage of fruit. As they say themselves: “It's a big hazy hoppy sup.”

Not a great deal of info on the can; it doesn’t include the usual malts and hop details. Ingredients do include oats though and that possibly accounts for the smoothness of this very pleasant pale ale. It is unfiltered and unpasteurised.