CorkBillyBeers #53. Craft with Rye River, Rascals, Whitefield and Camba

CorkBillyBeers #53

Craft with Rye River, Rascals, Whitefield and Camba.

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Rye River Upstream Pale Ale, 4.5% ABV, 500 ml bottle Dunnes Stores

Rye River sums this up neatly: ..Dry hopped classic pale ale…..bitter, citrus and malty.

Amber gold is the colour with a white head that doesn’t hang about, at least when poured from the bottle straight from the fridge. As the label indicates, it is really well balanced, the citrus aromas being matched by the hop bitterness with the malt keeping any potential hop extremes in check.

It is light and very drinkable, yet there is a good bite to it and it is also refreshing. You may well have had this previously under its original name of "Rosie's Pale Ale”. This is my first tasting of it and it is Very Highly Recommended.

Geek Bits

Best Before 07.24 (bought 05.10.23)

Pairs with: Grilled meat, spicy sausages, dishes with garlic,

Hops: Chinook, Columbus, El Dorado, Mosaic, Vic Secret

Malts: Carapils, Honey Malt, Pale Malt, Vienna Malt

IBU: 37

Format: Draught, bottle, can

2022 World Beer Awards:  Bronze Medal

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Rascals The Phoenix Dark Autumnal Ale 5.3% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

“Savour the taste of Autumn with our subtly smoked dark ale. Warm your bones with this medium-bodied cold-fermented smoke brown ale.”

That’s the invite from Dublin brewery Rascals. The colour is indeed a dark brown/black with a slight fleeting head. Aromas are smoky, not overly forceful, with a hint of bacon frying in the next room.  And yes, it is nuts and chocolate combined on the palate to give a dark sweetness. The balance is pretty good all through to the smooth finish.

Highly Recommended.

Rascals say: The Phoenix Dark has been cold fermented for a nobler taste and fuller body. It’s a real fireside beer for the evenings drawing in and kicking up leaves on autumnal walks in the park….. Dark autumnal ale with a delightful palette of flavours, nice body, and smooth finish.

Geek Bits

Malt: Beech Smoked Malt, Melanoidin, Cara Blond, Dark Crystal Malt, Chocolate Wheat, Oak Smoked Malt, Lager Malt.

Hops: Hops: Hallertau Mittelfrüh, 

Yeast: LAX

ABV: 5.3%

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Whitefield Brewery Morning Dew Saison style, 6.0% ABV, 500 ml bottle Bradleys

Realised I was a good bit late coming to this one as I read the label from the Templemore brewery: “Ah Spring! Finally, the spirits start to lift, the birds begin to sing and the hope of a long good summer is just around the next bend. To celebrate we’ve brewed a beer with a variety of traditional grains in the French Saison style.”

The summer was long. But not so good. Having waited all summer, I just had to wait a bit longer as that head took its time to settle down. Malt makes a smokey impact on the aromas. And there’s no shortage of malt in the flavours either. The taste though is light and refreshing, and a hint of clove adds interest. Just the job for refreshment after work on a summer's day and not too bad either on a wet October night with Storm Babet for company!

Very Highly Recommended. The beer that is, not the storm. I’m thinking this Saison from Tipp is up there with the best of them, including the Dupont. Whitefield says: “it is a seasonal beer brewed with traditional grains in a French saison style”.

Geek Bits

Brewed with water from own well. 

Ingredients: Malted barley, spelt and rye, hops and yeast.

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Camba Märzen 5.8% ABV, 500 ml bottle Bradleys

“It is the love for the craft of brewing, the desire to discover and a unique landscape shaped by nature and culture in a variety of ways that make every Camba a special taste experience: a beer with character.”

Most of the German beers we come across in Ireland are from breweries whose history reaches back over multiple centuries. Not Camba! "Camba Bavaria" was originally founded in 2008 as a showroom for the brewing equipment manufacturer BrauKon in Truchtlaching. 

Founder Markus Lohner wanted to show customers from all over the world how his brewing systems work and the variety of beers that could be brewed with them. His sample beers tasted so well that in a short few years, Camba has carved out a place for itself in the beer industry with a range of traditional and international beers.

This Marzen has a darkish colour, red in the gold, and a soft white head. There are sweet malty notes in the aromas. There is an immediately noticeable if slight, bitterness on the palate along with the nutty tones from the malt. Somewhat fuller than regular lagers, this is a smooth and well-balanced beer, refreshing too.

They may well be a “young” Bavarian brewery but, like their older siblings, they have food recommendations for this bottom-fermented beer and they are roasts, home cooking or roasted chicken.

Geeks Bits

Type of beer: Marzen

Alcohol Vol: 5.8%

Bitter units/ IBU: 16

Malt: Pilsner, Munich, caramel malts

Yeast: Bavarian lager yeast

Hops: tradition

Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops, yeast