An old favourite is Beer of the Week. Eight Degrees Howling Gale Ale.

Beer of the Week

Eight Degrees Howling Gale Ale 4.5% ABV, 440 ml can, No 21 Cork

An "old" favourite!

Didn’t realise until today that I’ve been enjoying Eight Degrees Howling Gale on and off since

2011. My first encounter with the sterling Mitchelstown beer was at the Farm Gate Café in the English Market. 

First impressions last and the most recent  meeting was also harmonious. Of course, I'm not the only one to enjoy the Pale Ale. Howling Gale was the first beer Eight Degrees ever brewed. We’ve all changed a lot since then but not this superb ale, one they got more or less correct from the off, and is still their most popular beer.

They add: “It’s like blitzing down the Ballyhouras on a bike with an icy wind in your face, this pale ale delivers a refreshing crisp smack around the gills.” Never came down those hills on a bike but I can certainly relate to the smack around the gills, especially with the refreshing finish.

It pours a pale golden colour into the glass, with a white head. And yes, you do get that citrus on the nose, along with pine notes. It is smooth and crisp with that modest whack of bitterness in the finish.

Eight Degrees, now happily restored as a team, got this right from the start. And, also from the get-go, they provided food pairing hints. “Try with fish and chips, smoked salmon or anything off the barbecue…. With a pleasant grapefruit citrus aroma from Cascade and Simcoe hops, it is a great match with spicy or fried food”.

It may yet be Beer of the Century but, for the moment, will have to settle for Beer of the Week.

Geek Bits

Style: Irish Pale Ale
Malt: Irish pale malt, Carapils, Munich, Cara
Hops: Nugget, Cascade, Simcoe
Strength: 4.5% ABV
Bitterness: 38 IBUs

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