On the Craft Trail. Session time with Whiplash, Wicklow Wolf, Boundary, and Lough Gill

On the Craft Trail.

Session Time with 

Whiplash, Wicklow Wolf, 

Boundary, and Lough Gill

Whiplash Rollover Session IPA, 3.8% ABV, 330 ml can 

“Hoppy little short-arsed banger rocking the Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, Ekuanot hops”

I'm not too sure about the short-arsed bit, but it does come in a short can and packs quite an IPA despite being short on ABV. It is ideal in a session, though, where it is Very Highly Recommended.

For a decent session, this Whiplash Rollover is my go-to choice. Murky orange is the colour - no way you’re going to see through this haze! This was our session beer of 2020 and this most recent tasting confirmed it’s as likeable as ever.

Pale yellow colour with a short-lived white head over a hazy body. Citrus fronts the aromatics. And the quartet of hops dominate the palate. Amazing that this has so much hops and still weighs in at less than 4.00% ABV. Quite a concentration of hops then, before a lip-smacking finalé.

They say: Same hop rate as our DIPA’s, less than half the alcohol. A very heavily hopped Session IPA: this comes at you with buckets of Simcoe, Ekuanot, Citra and Mosaic hops with a light touch of malts and an easy crushable body. Unfiltered, hazy, hoppy and juicy – Rollover is a New England inspired IPA without the heavy alcohol in tow.

Wicklow Wolf Elevation Pale Ale 4.8% ABV, 440 ml can 

“An independent pale ale for independent minds.”

This light gold, slightly hazy beer pours with a mild hoppy aroma. The first sip reveals juicy pineapple flavours that lead to a moderate yet noticeable hop bitterness. The bitterness is balanced by the sweetness of the pineapple, making for a very refreshing and easy-drinking beer.

This beer is a sessionable crowd-pleaser, and it's no wonder that it's the brewery's best-seller. You'll have no trouble finding a can of this beer, and it's easy to find on draught in its home county.

This beer is perfect for any occasion. It's light enough to enjoy on a hot day and flavourful enough to pair with a meal. Whether you're having a barbecue with friends or just relaxing at home, it is a banker.

This refreshing and flavourful beer is Very Highly Recommended.

The Wolf speaks: “We have reached a new level with Elevation Pale ale. An incredibly drinkable Pale ale bursting with juicy fruits of pineapple and grapefruit from an abundance of hop additions. Refreshing with a savage finish. An independent pale ale for independent minds.”

Boundary Camper Session IPA, 4.8%, 440 ml can Bradleys

This Camper Session IPA has an almost clear gold colour and a bubbly white head. Its aromas are citrus and pine. On the palate, it packs quite a citrus punch with a marmalade knuckle, and it has a refreshing finish.

The brewers say Camper was inspired “by our time on the West Coast of America.” It comfortably fits into the session category and is Recommended.

Lough Gill Cutback IPA, 4.5% ABV, 440 ml can Matsons

light in body and pale in colour, bountiful fruit

“If you can’t visit Sligo, let us bring Sligo to you!” That was how Lough Gill introduced their Cutback New England IPA.

Brewed with Comet, Azacca, and El Dorado hops to just 4.5% ABV, this NEIPA tempts with distinct tropical aromas and a fruity, hoppy flavour. Hazy and aromatic, those tropical fruit flavours dance easily on the palate. 

This is another very drinkable NEIPA from the Sligo brewery and, with an ABV of 4.5%, a very sessional one as well. Highly Recommended

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On the craft trail with Knockboy, Larkin's and Boundary

On the craft trail with Downtime, Larkin's and Boundary

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Knockboy Mountain IPA 5.1% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

East Coast meets West with both pine and fruity aromas.

This Knockboy Mountain Pale Ale is pale and hazy with a soft white head. Pine heads up the moderate aromas, with citrus also featuring. A low bitterness count but the hops still stand out and that pine again emerges on the juicy and refreshing palate. A decent drop indeed and

CorkBillyBeers #33. Four excellent IPAs. Worth looking out for from White Hag, Boundary, Wicklow Wolf and McGills

CorkBillyBeers #33

Craft journey with White Hag, Boundary, Wicklow Wolf and McGills

Four excellent IPAs. Worth looking out for.

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White Hag Danann Juicy IPA 5.8% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys

Dark orange colour, hazy of course, topped with quite a big soft white head. Aromas are hoppy, pine and citrus. A pretty stern bitterness. There are no less than five hops employed) fronts the palate though the caramel malt sneaks in its sweet contribution to make this an intense flavour experience. Quite a beer actually, especially if you like your hops to have the edge that results in a bitterish lip-smacking finish.

They say: Our brand new Juicy IPA Danann, has unlocked a whole blast of juice from a combination of Citra, Mosaic, Columbus, Strata and Chinook hops.

From that quintet, you can expect the juicy blast they mention and flavours ranging from tropical to strawberry, plus dank notes and hints of spice and pine. Quite a melange then for their first juicy IPA but well balanced.

Enjoyed this juicy one with its hoppy spine and malty sweetness at the edges. 

Very Highly Recommended.

For your Diary: Hagstravaganza 9 - August 12th 2023.

“Tickets for this annual event, which is the highlight of our year and of many of our customers, are officially on sale!

As ever, we are striving to continue setting the bar even higher for ourselves and we're aiming to make this our biggest festival yet.

On top of having some of craft beer's global leaders & plenty of top-class up-and-coming breweries, we will host the best of Irish food producers we work with, live music, the usual beer garden Olympics, and some other surprises... and of course a magical train journey to the afterparty!!”

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Boundary Imbongo Tropical IPA 5.5% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys 

“Imbongo is our Tropical IPA. It’s absolutely jam-packed with all of the juicy, tropical and stone fruit goodness.” So pleased are the brewery, and of course its customers, with this beer that it has been promoted to core status.

Colour is a light hazy orange with a soft fluffy head that sinks slowly. Hints of mango and apricot in the modest aromas. And more of the tropical on the palate. Bursting with flavour for sure but also well-balanced.

Boundary Brewing was established in 2014 and is a cooperative brewery, shaped and run by its own members. At the core of the brewery is the drive to produce brews inspired by both Belgian and US beers and styles. This one is certainly different to your usual tropical IPA, serious yet seriously quaffable.

Tasty and clean and Very Highly Recommended.

They strive to use only select high-grade ingredients which include Simpsons Malts and American hops. And if this doesn’t sound exciting enough, check out the cans! An IPA that apparently took 18 months to perfect.  Extra pale malt and Mosaic and Azacca hops were used in the worthy and worthwhile effort.

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Wicklow Wolf Tundra Tropical IPA, 5.6%, 440ml can.

“Tundra is a New England-style IPA, dry hopped with a massive amount of tropical hops.”

That is how Wicklow Wolf introduces their Tundra Tropical IPA, now one of their core beers. It has a hazy colour and a soft white head. Aromas are tropical, like mango lassi, even a little dank and resin. It is tropical, sweet and tangy on the palate, and is even more tropical here including a burst of mango and pineapple but with enough of a modest acidity to keep it all in balance. Just a slight bitterness in the finish but it is very satisfying and leaves one licking one’s lips as HM might say.

Very Highly Recommended

Best served at 8 degrees and I’ve seen pairing suggestions of Grilled sardines, a Morbier cheese or a grapefruit/peanut/spinach salad. I’m thinking it would be fine with meats and veg from the BBQ, and quite a few pizzas. A big juicy NEIPA like this will be perfect with a big juicy burger; if you're an untidy drinker or eater, then have a roll of heavy-duty kitchen paper handy. Happy Summer.

Geek Bits

Best served at 8  degrees

IBU: 30

Hops: Citra, Mosaic, Idaho 7 & Sabro.

Malts: Pale, Wheat, Flaked Oats, Cara

By the way, if you are a hop nut, then the White Hag Danann might be a safer bet. An unsafe bet? That would be staking your wad that New England is in the tropics even if the tropics are in New England. Confusing!

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McGill’s Waterville IPA 5% ABV, 500ml bottle Centra Waterville

Up to about ten years ago, it was almost impossible to get craft beer in Kerry. But, with at least five breweries in the county, all that has changed. 

MCgills are the most recent of these breweries and their beers are widely available in the county including now available at both Killarney Carry Outs. We came across it first in the Lobster Bar and Restaurant in Waterville where McGills are based. Very happy with it this well-balanced drink. That led to a spur-of-the-moment meeting with brewer Joe McGill on the following morning and we are now well into his beers.

Colour of the Waterville IPA is a mid-gold, very slightly hazy, with no shortage of carbonation. Pine and citrus feature in the aromatics. In the palate, you'll find a subtle, malt sweetness and refreshing bitterness. Smooth, really bursting with flavour.

“Like an angel crying on your tongue,” brewer Joe McGill sings its praises. Not too sure I’d go that far but Highly Recommended.  Joe suggests pairing it with“ Strong, spicy food: curries, burgers, fish & chips”. 

Joe says that each beer is unique to the area of South Kerry. “They reflect our local heroes, culture, and history. To give you a few examples: “Our blonde is named in honour of the famous Skellig Monks. Our Stout is named after the local Dark Sky Reserve which is one of only three gold-tier reserves for stargazing in the world. Our Red Ale is named after local woman Maude Delap who was the first person in the world to study the full life cycle of jellyfish in captivity.” 

A Quart of Ale± #132. On the craft journey with Blacks, Wicklow Wolf, Boundary, Backyard.

A Quart of Ale± #132

On the craft journey with Blacks, Wicklow Wolf, Boundary, Backyard.

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Blacks Stratasbeer Intergalactic IPA, 5.00% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Kinsale brewery Black’s announcement of this IPA invites you to “Blast through the Stratosphere into a whole new hop Universe..” And says it is “hopped to the high heavens with fresh Galaxy and Strata hops!”

Now let us come to earth and try it out! Colour is a straw/light orange, closer to clear than hazy, and it has a lovely white top. Aromas are not at all over the top. And those hops certainly add a supple backbone to the palate, yet again the flavours, like the aromas, are not over the top either, thankfully as far as I’m concerned. 

Flavours include the expected peach, passion fruit and citrus from the Australian hop Galaxy while the USA’s Strata reinforces that experience while also adding some herbal and even dank notes. Galaxy, often used in hop forward beers, is a key factor in many IPAs.

Very happy with this one, I’m glad to say. But how do you class this particular Kinsale IPA. It is West Coast, East Coast? Or Intergalactic, as they say!

With one hop from the US and the other from down under, it could well be of the Pacific style, that is beers brewed mostly with Australian and New Zealand hops (according to Mark Dredge’s just published book Beer: A Tasting Course). Colour and clarity certainly match the Pacific description and the ABV falls right in the middle of the style’s 3.5%-7%. Close but maybe not close enough.

Anyhow, let us not worry too much about the style. It is a well made and highly refreshing beer with a nicely judged hop kick all the way up to the finish. Blacks are back with a Stratospheric boom!

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Wicklow Wolf Locavore Winter 2022 Dry Irish Stout, 5.6%, 440 ml can Bradleys

“The latest edition in Wicklow Wolf's Locavore series is made from hops hand-picked by the Wicklow Wolf team. As always, this series is a beautiful expression of all Co. Wicklow has to offer. This release is a fresh-hopped dry Irish Stout. Promises to be wonderfully fresh and crisp!”

It is not the best of stouts but damn well close. The soft head has a tan  colour.  The aromatics are moderate but very pleasant indeed with a light toastiness and a slight hoppy bitterness leading the way. The smooth soft palate then reveals big flavours of roasted malt, a bigger presence than the hops, and there’s a streak of acidity in there too that helps keep it all in delicious harmony, smooth dry and clean into the finalé.

They have used the finest Irish ingredients:  Wicklow Harvest Mountain Water, Hops from the 2021 Harvest on their hop farm and hop garden at the brewery and their own malted barley and wheat which was grown in the field behind the brewery.

They say: “Locavore is a beer series that champions local ingredients, terroir and sustainability. Growing our own ingredients here in Wicklow is something that we are extremely proud of and you get to taste the fruits of the Wicklow landscape. You can follow the journey and story of this year’s Locavore Winter Dry Irish Stout by simply scanning the QR Code on the can.”

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Boundary Next Episode Helles Lager, 4.8% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Belfast’s Boundary Brewery are happy with their Helles: “We only started making lagers in the last year or so, but we absolutely love them - this is our first re-release of this German style Helles, NEXT EPISODE - it's clean, smooth, crisp, proper summer beer.” Art work is by John Robinson.

So there you are. Summer. Well I’m late again. But let us have a try - the heating’s on! It is amber coloured with a fairly short-lived white head. Aromas are mild, with malt upfront. And it’s also malty on the palate and clean and crisp as they say.

The German Helles , easily found in Munich, has a crisp finish similar to Pils. Cool and refreshing, this everyday beer goes well with salads, shrimp, or fish, an excellent session beer. That’s what Boundary were aiming for.

How To Pour A German Lager From A Can or Bottle*

1. Tilt the glass or stein at a 45 degree angle.

2. Place the tip of the bottle in the glass, and pour the beer quickly down the side.

3. Start to straighten the glass as the beer reaches the top to create a nice head of foam.

• from kegworks.com 

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Backyard Toasted Oat Export Stout, 7.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This is the second beer from Backyard, their first a normal strength stout. This is, they say,  “A classic export stout with added toasted oats. An extra smooth body with the dark malty flavours that you expect from an export stout.”

Colour is the expected black with a tighter than normal tan head. 

Aromas give the expected toasty malty sensation. And there’s more malty roast on the palate with citrus and floral notes from the Citrus hops, with little hint of the high alcohol. Smooth enough (the oat bonus) though, with a decent finish. 

A Quart of Ale± #104. On the craft journey with Wicklow Wolf, Boundary, Otterbank and O Brother

A Quart of Ale± #104

On the craft journey with Wicklow Wolf, Boundary, Otterbank and O Brother

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Wicklow Wolf Locavore Spring 2022 Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale with Brett 11.9%, 330ml bottle Bradleys

Locavore Spring 2022 is a Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale aged for 36 months in Chianti Red Wine Barrels. “Conditioned with wild yeasts from the brewery’s hop farm and carefully monitored by the watchful eyes of our brewing team, the beer was allowed to slowly mature over time to give a magnificent depth of complex flavours.”

The result? A wild, sour farmhouse ale that champions the wild yeasts of the Wicklow Wolf Hop Farm and the Wicklow terroir.

Colour is a black/brown with a light tan head. And yes, there is indeed a “magnificent depth of complex flavours”. And very little physical sign of the high ABV. 

Three years in the Chianti Barrels, plus the wild yeast, has undoubtedly worked on the beer, giving it waves of flavour, everything from fruit flavours (sour cherry) to Balsamic  to darker (espresso), rich for sure but no shortage of a balancing tart acidity. 

Brett (or Brettanomyces, to give it its full title) has a bad rep and scares the life out of many but this Wicklow Brett seems very amicable indeed, from initial sniff to aftertaste. Three years in the wood have rounded the beer into an amazing experience on the palate. Very Highly Recommended. Don’t worry too much about the details here - just sip and enjoy.

The Locavore project consists of small batch, local, experimental beers that champion terroir. Locavore was founded on provenance and pride. “It allows us to honour the landscape of Wicklow, our home, and celebrate it with small batch, local and experimental beers.” This is the 9th in the series. I’ve missed many of the earlier ones but am determined not to miss any more!

Boundary Double Nelson DIPA 8.0%, 440ml can Bradleys

Just one hop.. but a serious hop-bomb..

That’s how Belfast’s Boundary introduced this Double Nelson DIPA last March.  Colour is a very hazy orange with a soft white head. “Juicy,” they say. “ You'll catch a hint of gooseberry, passionfruit maybe.”  The fruits mentioned are typical when Nelson Sauvin is used. Nelson’s named for the grape Sauvignon blanc and that too, especially when it is grown in Marlborough (NZ), can have the same fruit flavours.

This DIPA has been dry-hopped with the Nelson (22 g/l) and it is juicy and full of flavour and finishes with quite a bitter touch. Not too sure about the gooseberry here as flavours seem more exotic. Perhaps they have different gooseberries on the South Island! 

Yet, it is a serious hop-bomb indeed and Boundary are happy: “You may have enjoyed our Full Nelson before. It's like that. But bigger.

We don't do that many single-hop beers, but this one works so nicely.”

They are also happy that they have opened Northern Ireland’s first Taproom right next door. “The Taproom will be a space for all things Boundary. Here you will be able to enjoy the freshest (and cheapest!) Boundary in the Universe…. As a Cooperative, the Taproom will also become a real community hub. We now have over 1800 members! In the new taproom we'll be able to run book clubs, running clubs, board game clubs, helping with finance classes etc.” 

You may not have come across this hops before but it is in common enough use in the craft beer world (more so recently) for American Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, and Pale Ale.  Hoplist: “The variety has gained popularity in American-style Pale Ales but is definitely a hop that requires prudent and discerning application in brewing. Nelson Sauvin’s oil profile is complex and fortunately works well as an aroma hop, flavor hop and also for bittering.”

Full nelson is a wrestling term for a type of hold; you also have a quarter nelson, a half nelson and three-quarter nelson. Not too though that there is a double nelson. But Boundary’s could well get a hold on you.

Otterbank Middle Lane American Pale Ale 4.4%, 440ml can Bradleys

This American Pale Ale from Donegal based Otterbank has a light hazy orange/gold colour and a soft white head. Aromas, not surprisingly considering it has been dry-hopped (“generously”) with Citra, are citrusy with notes of pine. Pretty damn good on the palate, refreshingly forward-hopped but not at all over the top as they get the balance spot-on.

 

Otterbank is a microbrewery based at the start/end of the Wild Atlantic Way (the brewery at the other start/end is Blacks of Kinsale) in the border village of Muff. They focus on barrel ageing, mixed and experimental fermentation (as well as the odd IPA). And the odd Pale Ale too, it seems.

Geek Bits

Malts: Stout, Cara Gold.

Hops: Centennial, Chinook, Citra.

Web: American pale ale dry hopped with Citra

Beernut: nil

O Brother You’ll Pay With Your Souls Single Hop (Simcoe) Pale Ale 5.3%, 440ml can Bradleys

Colour of this Wicklow produced Single Pale Ale is a light orange with a big soft white head that hangs around awhile. Did the old finger test in the head and came up with pine. Also found in the aromas and in the mouth where some grapefruit, passionfruit and apricot also comes through. Noticeably dry with a muscular lingering bitterness. Not bad at all but a bit one dimensional and lacks balance methinks. 

The Wicklow based O Brother are a trio of O’Neill siblings (Barry, Brian and Paddy) and they are quick to point to the contribution of their brewer Rich Barrett. On Insta, they say: “Rich is the man responsible for producing all that beautiful fresh liquid we're so proud of, and aside from being incredibly talented and a key ingredient in our success, Rich has been with us pretty much since the beginning of our journey, and is every bit one of the bros at this stage!”

 

Their core beers are The Sinner (American style IPA), The Dreamcatcher (session NEIPA), The Chancer (Pale Ale), The Nightcrawler (Milk Stout). Their beers are Unfiltered. Unpasteurised. 

Unadulterated.

Geek Bits

Hop: Simcoe (USA)

Malts: Extra Pale Malt, Pilsner Malt, Oats, Flaked Barley and Cara Pils

Ingredients: Water, Malted Barley, Oats, hops, yeast.