On the craft trail with Whiplash, Brehon and Hopfully

On the craft trail with Whiplash, Brehon and Hopfully

Whiplash Body Riddle Pale Ale 4.5% ABV, 330 ml can

“light on malts… plenty of hops”

Absolutely enjoyable, from start to finalé. Not too much more to say about this gem but, with me, that’s often a good sign. I’ve made up my mind early and the verdict is a major thumbs up for the little can. Best of goods in small parcels.

It is a vibrant gold beer, hazy with a foamy white crown. The aroma is a mix of citrus fruits, with lemon, grapefruit, and orange leading the way. The flavour is even more citrus-forward than the aroma, with citrus again prominent. There is also a touch of sweetness, from the malt, which helps balance the bitterness from the hops. The finish is dry and refreshing, with a lingering citrusy flavour

Very Highly Recommended. Good for a session too! 

Brehon Bech Bretha Braggot 9.0% ABV, 500 ml bottle Bradleys

This “hybrid”, somewhere between ale and mead, looks like a red ale in the glass with a slim off-white head and tastes somewhat like a barrel-aged beer. Aromas speak of the malt rather than the sweetness of the honey (by the way, not all mead is sweet, even if the drink is made by fermenting the sugars in honey!). And, yes, honey is included in the list of ingredients.

The palate here is very pleasant, packed with flavour and gentle caramel notes, and the malt sweetness seeps through. This trans-Atlantic collaboration between Brehon and Gulf Stream Brewing (from the US) is Highly Recommended.

What is a Braggot?  You may well ask. Brehon explains: “Well, in simple terms, it's a cross between a mead and an ale. We've brewed it with grains, hops, and heaps of honey. Some historic references suggest braggot is a Celtic drink dating back to at least the 12th century.”

“If you were making honey in 7th Century Ireland, your bees were protected by a set of laws known as the Bechbretha, just like precious cattle. You yourself were required to offer your kin a ‘tairgille’; an item of personal significance as a pledge of your good bee-keeping behaviour. So here’s an offering of our own; a fitting tribute to the wisdom of

Brehon Law.” Those ancient Brehon Laws were loaded with more common sense than much modern legislation.

With its high abv and strong flavours, pairing the Braggot with strong cheeses, sweet chocolates, and caramel desserts makes sense.

Pioneering Cork meadery, Kinsale Mead, talking about their own mead, says fruit with a tart element, can be a good choice. “So is dark chocolate, especially if it's got a touch of sea salt. Salted nuts also do well.” 

Hopfully Legswap Raspberry & Lime Sour, 5.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This “perfect summer drink” fell behind in the queue and that means I’m drinking it in mid-winter. I also drank it away back in 2021, and the brewers have recently revived it (with quite a different line-up) and are “thrilled to have this one back in stock!” It is inspired by the Raspberry-Lime Rickey cocktail and has fizzy and tart characteristics.

It comes with a gorgeous red hue in the glass, and there’s even a pink tinge in the soft white head. Crisp and refreshing on the palate with a burst of fruit and a zesty tang of citrus and a lip-smacking finish. This easy-drinking sour is probably best in the summertime, but I enjoyed this can in winter.

Malts used are IPA, Pale Ale, Wheat, Oats, Vienna and Carapils while the hop is Azaka. So, all change there from 2021, but Raspberries and Lime Juice are still included in the ingredients list, and you’ll definitely note them as players on the palate. Artwork by Stasele Jakunskaite

Highly Recommended.

Beer Of The Week. Brehon Standstill Cold IPA

Brehon Standstill Cold IPA 5.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys 

Remembering Italia Novante when the country came to a standstill!

We didn’t win a game…but that didn’t make a dent in the Italia 90 party in Ireland. Even the hosts’ winner, by Toto Schillachi (RIP), that sent us out at the quarterfinal stage was only a blip. 

We had built up enough credit for that massive party. As the Brehon brewery is based on a working dairy farm, they had to think ahead to view the final game. They recall on the can label, “the cows milked early, not a car on the road, a whole nation around the TV”. A complete standstill! 

Great times, and two decades later, Brehon collaborated with Italian brewery Birraffico Gregorio to deliver this beautiful cold IPA. “Call it burying the hatchet,” they say. But as there never was a hatchet, they called it Standstill instead!

This cold IPA, light gold with streams of bubbles rising towards a white foamy head, combines lager's crisp and refreshing qualities with the bold, hoppy flavours typically found in traditional IPAs, something that bit different for real beer drinkers. Those vibrant hop notes, immediatly noticeble, are balanced with a clean malt backbone. 

Brewed with a lager yeast, the aim was to highlight the hop flavours. It is a refreshing, light-bodied beer featuring notes of tangerine and grapefruit with subtle undertones of pine and citrus. It's ideal for both seasoned IPA drinkers and those new to the style. The chilled fermentation process gives it a smooth, perfectly crisp finish. Very Highly Recommended and Beer of the Week.

* What are your favourites from our 2024 Beer of the Week list? Check it out here.

CorkBillyBeers #47. Craft with White Hag, Wicklow Wolf, Lacada (with Brehon) and Hofbräuhaus Traunstein.

CorkBillyBeers #47

Craft with White Hag, Wicklow Wolf, Lacada (with Brehon) and Hofbräuhaus Traunstein.

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All Good Here!

The White Hag Ninth Wave New World Pale Ale, 5.4% ABV, 330 ml can Bradleys

Hard to believe that the IBU number here is 15 IBU, a lager like reading while, by the way, that of the well-known and loved Sierra Nevada Pale Ale equivalent is 38.

Colour is a mid-amber, cloudy, and topped with a short-lived white head. Aromatics are mild also, apricot, mango and citrus, all from the hops, in there. No sparing the hops that are added at various stages in the production of the brew creating some really bright tropical fruit flavours but always with a strong undercurrent of hops. 

Quite a greeting on the palate, creamy feel and insistently fruity (citrus to the fore) from the American hops, but all is kept in check as this balanced effort makes its way towards a very satisfactory finalé indeed.  Lively, flavourful and very drinkable. Another for that second glass, or should that be second can, designation!

Easy drinking, refreshing and thirst-quenching. And Very Highly Recommended.

They say: “We are a modern independent craft brewery from Sligo, on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. We brew innovative and groundbreaking beers, inspired by ancient and classic styles.” 

They brew a lot of them! The able and masterly brewers here ensure they are good.

The White Hag are deep into their myths and this New World Pale Ale is named after the “Ninth Wave” that formed a formidable barrier for anyone wishing to cross over to New York and Boston. 

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Wicklow Wolf Raindrop Mixed Berry Sour, 4.2% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This summer’s “extension” provided some extra time for sours and our Raindrop from Wicklow Wolf was one. “A lip-smacking sour” according to the message from the Den. “A refreshing sour ale that will leave you wanting more.”

You can't miss it, this melange of raspberry, blackberry and blueberry, in its vibrant red colour and ripe fruit aromas. And those fruits also appear on the palate, as part of a crisp and refreshing tartness. A sour yes, but not one of the extreme ones.

I picked this up in error as I meant to try their Raindrop 0.5%, the non-alcoholic version. But no big deal, this is very drinkable, lip-smacking as they say, and Highly Recommended. Will just have to call again to Bradleys and pick the correct one!

Geek Bits

IBU: 10

Hops: Bravo

Malts: Pilsner, Chateau, Flaked Oats, Carapils

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Lacada (with Brehon) Dunseverick West Coast IPA, 5.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Lacada is a community-owned Co-Operative brewery based on the world-famous North Coast of Ireland. That’s also where you’ll find Dunseverick Castle, after which this West Coast IPA is named.

Dunseverick, the beer that is, has a gold/amber colour and a soft white head that has a fair bit of longevity to it. Gave it the old finger-dip test and got a bit of resin back. The aromas also have hints of pine. There’s an impressive trio of hops lurking here and you get the robust results on the palate, deep and bitter, but there is also a good balance present.

That is key and I give it a big thumbs up. Very Highly Recommended.

Lacada Brewery has its origins in a love of beer and brewing, a love of place, and a love of people. It began with a father and son brewing together and grew to become a group of co-operative minded, good beer-loving aficionados.

Both Lacada and their collaborators on Dunseverick, the Brehon Brewhouse from County Monaghan, are happy with the results. As it is a limited edition, you may find it difficult to get your hands on a can or a keg.

The castle by the way is just east of The Giant's Causeway which dates back to the 5th Century. One of the five great royal ancient highways of Ireland, Slige Midluachra, had its Northern terminal point at Dunseverick Castle.

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HB Bayerisches Pils, 5.1% ABV, 500 ml bottle Bradleys

Looks so inviting in the tall glass. A light golden colour with battalions of bubbles streaming upwards into a soft foamy white head of medium longevity. You can smell the hops, Even get an early fresh and bitter taste by dipping your finger in the foam and taking a little suck. Or just dive straight in, and enjoy the dry and refreshing palate, the light sparkling body and that hoppy finish.

Many German brewers followed the example of Pilsner pioneer master brewer Josef Groll who, in 1842, developed the beer in Pilsen, Czech Republic, a beer that would gain popularity across the world. But, the brewers say, this Bavarian Pilsner by Hofbräuhaus Traunstein is milder, more balanced and easier to drink.

They say: “We have set up our own storage cellar for our Pils, tailored precisely to its needs, where it can ferment in peace until it is perfect - elegant and bright, with a subtle malt body….. a taste experience for connoisseurs who love a balanced hop note.” 

This bottom-fermented beer from Traunstein (Bavaria) comes in a brown bottle with an IBU number of 28. Carbonation has been analysed as high and it is regarded as mild, balanced, tasty, balanced hoppy, elegant, subtly malty, fresh, sparkling, .… Pretty much your go-to everyday beer.

The Very Highly Recommended Beers for 2023

The Very Highly Recommended Beers for 2023

(in no particular order!)

January 2023

Strong Blond Ale: Mescan Westport Extra

Porter: West Kerry Carraig Dubh.

IPA: Cotton Ball Fury

Session: Whiplash Rollover.

Barrel Aged Beers: 9 White Deer Stag BA Export Stout; Brehon Oak & Mirrors BA Imperial Porter.

Lager: Kinnegar Brewers at Play #27 Black Lager

 

December 2022

Ales with Wild Yeast: Black Donkey Underworld Rua Amber Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Allta Farmhouse Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Savage Farmhouse /Saison Ale.

IPA: Third Barrel Electric Eyes Idaho & El Dorado IPA

Witbier: Whiplash Alma Witbier 

Stout: Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout; Dungarvan Coffee & Oatmeal Stout; Lineman (with Craic Beer Community) Pulse Irish Extra Stout; Whiplash The Wake Export Stout; 

CorkBillyBeers #5 . Craft journey with Barrel Aged beers by 9 White Deer, Brehon and Wicklow Wolf.

CorkBillyBeers #5

Craft journey with Barrel Aged beers by 9 White Deer, Brehon and Wicklow Wolf.

+++ To Øl at Abbots Ale House Fri 13th+++

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9 White Deer Stag BA Export Stout, 7.4% ABV, 500 ml bottle Blairs Inn

Bought this at Blairs Inn and got advised to keep it for a year, that it would be better then. Well that was 2022, this is 2023, so here goes! 

It comes with quite a build-up.  Producers 9 White Deer proclaim: An export version of Stag Stout, aged in Blackwater Distillery whisky barrels. Provides everything you’d imagine the combination of two classics should.

Michael Creedon of Bradley’s knowns a thing two about beer and, on December 1st, he is enthusiastic to say the least: Lads, I can confirm this @BlackDistillery whisky barrel aged export stout from @9whitedeer is only savage.

I’m having a laugh here and then I take a sip and the laughing stops. Something serious is going on. Something exceptionally smooth and luxurious has crossed my lips and taste buds are on full alert. This is about as good as a collaboration between a distillery and brewery can get. Properties of both stout and whiskey in perfect combination and I’m thinking it is pushing Brehon’s Oak and Mirrors off the number one spot it has held on this blog for quite a while.

More from the makers: For that demanding Stout lover, who insists they’ve seen and tasted it all…Take your time and enjoy, as we did making it…We call it Export Stout, but really it’s much too good to send away.”

Much too good now to keep for another year!

On the other hand, I will need at least one for next Christmas. Just found the last of the Barnabrow House Christmas pudding in the kitchen, gave it a quick turn in the microwave and, just as I suspected, it and this superb stout are the perfect match!

9 White Deer is an independent brewery, set in the heart of the Irish Gaeltacht: Determined to honour the local landscape and folklore, we craft beers from native, malted barley, and the purist of water, sourced from the Cork and Kerry Mountains. We create superior brews by being respectful to our ingredients and maturing process, which results in exceptional beers that are also gluten-free. Since our founding in 2014 we have pioneered the gluten-free beer market, making the first gluten-free beer in Ireland and the first full range of gluten-free beers in Europe. 

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Brehon Oak & Mirrors BA Imperial Porter , 7.5% ABV, 500 ml bottle Bradleys

Brehon are well known for their stouts and porters and this was our Beer of the Year here in 2021. The brewers tell us: ”It is a whiskey-aged porter from a collaboration with our good friends at Two Stacks Distillery using their freshly emptied single malt cask to mature our brew. Of course, getting it right took a few tastings with the lads. This is a superior whiskey cask-aged imperial porter that will please the most discerning of whiskey-loving palettes.”

On its own, it is indeed a rather beautiful barrel aged porter, full of aromas and flavours of Roasted Malt, Dark Chocolate, Liquorice, Dried Fruits, Tobacco, and Vanilla. And there seems to have been a decent bit of Two Stacks in the cask, not too much mind you, just enough to give a smooth and warming tasty little lift! It has been hopped with Williamette and Magnum.

My primary interest this time was to see how well it matched with our Barnabrow House pudding. This is one of the lighter coloured puddings and full of fruit and booze (whiskey, stout). A good candidate for a match and so it proved, right to the end where the whiskeys got on very well together.

The Brehon Brewery, founded by farmer Seamus McMahon, welcomes visitors to the brewery and farm and they’ll feel immediately immersed in Irish culture and history. The name of this brewery is inspired by the old Brehon Laws that governed medieval Ireland, which stated that every clan was allowed to brew beer for their own family. “All of this wonderful heritage is incorporated into the Brehon Brewhouse brand.”

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Wicklow Wolf Locavore Autumn 2022 Barrel Aged Irish Barley Wine, 10.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

According to Mark Dredge in Beer: A Tasting Course, the name Barley Wine was used from the late 1800s. The American style is normally highly hopped while the British style is richer with malt flavour. Examples are Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot and Coniston’s No 9 Barley Wine.

Colour of our 10.5% ABV Wicklow Wolf is a red/orange. There are citrus, grapefruit and pine notes in the aromas and flavours too and no real alcoholic heft despite the high count. The Locavore series (using mostly local ingredients) really hit the high spots this year and this well balanced Barley Wine fits right in.

Dessert or cheese seems to be the usual tip for food pairing. I tried it with a generous slice of our regular Christmas pudding by Barnabrow House and the dry finish of the Wicklow Wolf sits nicely with the sweetness of the pudding..

Wolf, who a busy and successful year, introduce this as a Barrel Aged Irish Barleywine “aged in ex Wicklow Whiskey Sherry barrels for 12 months and brewed using our very own barley. A complex, full bodied, uncompromising barleywine that pours a viscous, burnt orange in appearance.”

Geek Bits

IBU: 50
Hops: Chinook; Centennial; Cascade
Malt: Wicklow Wolf Pale, Wicklow Wolf Vienna

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2023 My Very Highly Recommended Irish Beers

January 2023

IPA: Cotton Ball Fury

Session: Whiplash Rollover.

BA Beers: 9 White Deer Stag BA Export Stout; Brehon Oak & Mirrors BA Imperial Porter.

 

December 2022

IPA: Third Barrel Electric Eyes Idaho & El Dorado IPA

Witbier: Whiplash Alma Witbier 

Stout: Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout; Dungarvan Coffee & Oatmeal Stout; Lineman (with Craic Beer Community) Pulse Irish Extra Stout; Whiplash The Wake Export Stout; 

Ales with Wild Yeast: Black Donkey Underworld Rua Amber Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Allta Farmhouse Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Savage Farmhouse /Saison Ale.

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