Beer of the Week. Brett and Hops combine in another knockout from Ballymahon's Wide Street

Beer of the Week

Yeast and Hops combine in another knockout from Ballymahon's Wide Street

Wide Street Sidechain Brettanomyces IPA 5.7% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

They know their music in Ballymahon and for sure they know their beer as illustrated by this knockout IPA.

Colour is a hazy lemony/orange, with

white head. No sign of any horse blanket in the aromas, more like pine and citrus. More pine and citrus on the palate, a dank hint also, and you can expect it to be even more complex as the beer ages. 

This can ain’t for ageing though, much too good now for that and Very Highly Recommended. Another Beer of the Week from the County Longford brewery. 

Sidechain is a classic West Coast IPA, whirlpool and dry hopped with Citra and Mosaic for an added twist. At the launch earlier this year they added: “We’ve used a newly available dried format Brettanomyces Bruxellensis at packaging for natural carbonation and an ever-evolving flavour and aroma profile.”

Why Sidechain? “We love music as much as we love making beer and sidechain in music production is an effect you can have on one sound that is triggered by the level of another sound. With this beer, the Brettanomyces is sidechained to the Citra and Mosaic which enhances the hops but also lets the Brettanomyces flavour develop in the background for an equal balance throughout.”

There are many strains of Brettanomyces (Brett for short) and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis is the most common. “It is particularly funky”, according to the Beer Bible, “often described as having a horse blanket aroma”. But with modern controls, brewers often get delightful results in the tart category where the tiny yeastie boys add unexpected flavours. Some drinkers enjoy the results, others hate them. Many will enjoy this one as I did, I reckon.