On the craft trail with a trio of Very Highly Recommended Beers from Hope, Bullhouse and Third Barrel

On the craft trail with a trio of Very Highly Recommended Beers from Hope, Bullhouse and Third Barrel 

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Hope Overboard Witbier 4.8% ABV,  440 ml can O’Briens

Hope tells us this pale gold beer is a Belgian-style Witbier, disclosing also that it is infused with curacao orange peel and juniper berries, not that there’s any major sign of

either in the aromas though there are some citrus notes. 

But stick your finger in the white foam that sits atop a very pale gold hazy body and you may well get a hint of the character of the two adjuncts. That hint is amplified a notch or two on the palate with a strong grapefruit input all the way, to a dry and refreshing conclusion.

Very Highly Recommended

The combination of wheat and malted barley with the combination of Cascade and Saaz hops provides the backbone for the delicate balance. This is new recipe, the beer was previously called Grunt. It is fermented using a traditional witbier yeast strain. It is an excellent accompaniment to most food, in particular fish and spicy food. It is also good with both strong and creamy cheese.

THE STORY BEHIND OVERBOARD

If a Howth fisherman didn’t fancy going to sea after a heavy night’s drinking he would tie a pig to the ship’s mast. With its devil-like cloven feet, the sheer mention of the word pig was thought to bring forth gales and storms. If anyone dared to bring bacon onto the ship, it was swiftly thrown overboard! Always a story with Hopeful.

Geek Bits

Malts: Pale Ale, Wheat

Hops: Cascade, Saaz

Yeast: Belgian Witbier Yeast

Spices: Juniper Berries, Bitter Orange Peel

EBU 21

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Bullhouse pic v Facebook

Bullhouse (with Hopfully) Hazy Tropical Kiwi Hops, 5.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Bullhouse loves their New Zealand hops and so too do Hopfully, their collaborators on this beer labelled, not unsurprisingly, the Hazy Tropical Kiwi Hops. No other hops are used here.

“Expect the usual huge hop flavour backed up with a balanced bitterness and a smooth mouthfeel,” they say. And that is exactly what you get. 

The hops selected - I haven’t seen what they are - combine to give strong notes of pineapple, mango and peppery tangerine. Bags of tropical notes then in both aromas and flavour in a very well balanced and satisfying IPA. Kia ora, as they say down under in much the same spirit as we say slainte!

Very Highly Recommended.

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See updated Beer of the Week index here

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Third Barrel Boom Session IPA, 4.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Clean, crisp and properly refreshing, this Session IPA bursts with aromas of grapefruit and lime from a heavy does of Mosaic, Columbus and Centennial hops. That was the intro to this Session IPA from Third Barrel.

It started life as the flagship beer of Stone Barrel before being taken over by Third Barrel who “gave it the full treatment”, now describing it as an “in-your-face Session IPA”.  In your face for sure but in a good way, thanks to the Third Barrel makeover and Very Highly Recommended.

Colour is a mid gold, hazy, with a white head that stays a bit.  Nose is full of hoppy aromas and you meet the characteristics of Mosaic and Centennial again on the palate. This is one for the short list for session fans this summer..