CorkBillyBeers #44. Craft with an excellent quartet from Galway Hooker, Ballykilcavan, Kinnegar and Vedett

CorkBillyBeers #44

Craft with IPA and Pilsner from Galway Hooker, Ballykilcavan, Kinnegar and Vedett

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Galway Hooker Sixty Knots IPA, 5.5% ABV, 500 ml bottle Centra Victoria Cross

Amber is the colour of this IPA from Galway Hooker. The earthy malts come through more in the aromatics than the hops and continue to contribute, now adding a touch of spice, on the full-flavoured palate while the hops get their turn with citrus and tropical flavopurs. The finish is certainly bitter but no more so than you'd expect from the style and, overall, Sixty Knots is well-balanced.

Highly Recommended.

A pioneer of the modern craft beer movement, famous for its innovation and quality. Galway Hooker, whose early production was actually in Roscommon, has developed a reputation as one of Ireland’s leading breweries. “Our ethos is to brew natural, full-flavoured, high quality and preservative-free beers. We like to think our beer helps to share the culture in all of us.” 

This IPA with an ABV of 5.5% and an IBU number of 60 certainly fits well in their portfolio. The brewers say it is well suited to seafood, cured meats or dessert dishes and, on Instagram, declare that “Galway Hooker IPA & Oysters are a perfect combination” and a Galway company would certainly know that! It is widely available in cans and bottles and also in kegs and draught.

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Ballykilcavan Long Meadow IPA, 5.00% ABV, 440 ml can, Pettitt’s Athy

This IPA from Laois, named after a 300-year-old field on the farm, has a gold colour, with quite a wash of red onboard as well, all under a slightly off-white soft head. 

Aromas are mild, with the malt doing its own sweet thing and the hops, Azacca and Amarillo, contributing tropical and citrus plus a touch of herbal. The flavours are strong and hoppy (tropical and a touch of pine). Smooth with a terrific balance and one to savour.

Very Highly Recommended.

The water and barley also come from the farm and the IBU is 60. Local beer guru Susan Boyle reviewed this in its early days and declared: Ballykilcavan Brewery is a pioneer in Irish farm-to-glass brewing, and Long Meadow IPA is a beer to return to again and again.

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Kinnegar Black Bucket Black Rye IPA 6.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This is one of the impressive line-up of core beers at Kinnegar. They call this Brussels Beer Challenge gold medal winner “The bigger, darker brother to our Rustbucket Rye”.

I made my first acquaintance with this in 2018. It is indeed rather special. Looks black in the glass but a closer inspection reveals brown as well; the head is coffee-coloured. Aromas are mostly of the roasted malt (big and rich);  the spice of the rye makes quite an impression on the palate and there’s fruity flavours (tropical mostly) from the hops.

Quite a complex beer, a lot going on in this bucket, but the balance is excellent. an outstanding drop and Very Highly Recommended. The Rustbucket, by the way, is an “old reliable”, and is well into its second decade now. 

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Vedett Extra Pilsner, 5.2% ABV, 330 ml bottle Bradleys

A pretty damn good blond premium lager.

Vedett doesn't pull punches: “Got a thirst that can’t be beat? We’ll see about that! Because Vedett Extra Pilsner is brewed to quench even the most stubborn of thirsts. Offering full-bodied refreshment from start to finish.”

Colour is a pretty ordinary straw with a clean white head. There’s a pleasing hoppiness and a slight malty aroma. All fairly modest, so far. And then, its big character, its complexity, its depth of flavour and refreshment emerge on the palate. A superb balance of malts and hops, the lengthy finish and a refreshment touched with a little bitterness spell satisfaction in capital letters. Ready to go again. Yes, please.

Here’s the official version: “After all, who can resist her seductive straw colour and pearly-white head? Her smooth, malty character with subtly balanced hops? Or her lingering fruitiness with subtle notes of vanilla?

Whatever your weakness, this premium Pilsner offers full-bodied, thirst-quenching refreshment from start to finish. With a slightly bitter aftertaste to keep you on your toes.”

Geek Bits

Malt: Pale Barley Malt & rice

Hops & Spices: Saaz-Saaz, Styrian Golding, Hallertau Magnum

Serve: 3 degrees

IBU 26. 

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CorkBillyBeers #43. Craft with Wicklow Wolf, Galway Hooker, St Bernardus and Community Brew Project

CorkBillyBeers #43

Craft with Wicklow Wolf, Galway Hooker, St Bernardus and Community Brew Project.

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Wicklow Wolf Eden Session IPA, 3.8% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Deliciously juicy, easy-drinking dry-hopped ale

The colour is hazy orange with a soft white head. Aromas of resin and grapefruit. Citrus is also prominent in the juicy palate where there’s quite a tropical presence as well, and again there’s a hint of pine. Well-balanced though all through with the malts having their say and the freshness of the hops combining in a satisfactory finalé.

Deliciously juicy, this easy-drinking dry-hopped ale, carrying just 3.8% ABV,  is a banker for a session, another winner from the Wicklow Wolf.

Very Highly Recommended.

 

They introduced it in 2019, saying: “An easy drinking Session IPA brewed with a shed load of the freshest El Dorado, Sabro & Chinook hops….We are obsessed with hops. Deliciously juicy, Eden is dry-hopped to give an abundance of tropical and stone fruits with a hint of piney bitterness. The malt bill provides a creamy & well-rounded balance. Malts: Pale, Oats, Cara Blond, Cara Clair

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Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale, 4.3% ABV, 500 ml bottle Centra Victoria Cross

Established in 2006, Galway Hooker produced the original Irish Pale Ale – now the most popular style of craft beer in the country.

And this bottle is indeed marked “the Original”. Colour is a mid-gold, a bit on the hazy side but that doesn't prevent you from seeing the bubbles rising up to the soft white head. Aromas are a mix of citrus and floral. It is crisp and zingy and the flavours are deep on the palate with both malts (Caramel) and hops (Cascade) getting an influential look-in. Quite a refreshing beer with a dry finish.

Perfect, they say, with barbecued meats, seafood and mature farmhouse cheeses. Very Highly Recommended.

Hooker tells us it is created in small batches to make the perfect balance of slowly developed malt and Hops flavours. “The result is a tangy flavour to savour with a light citrus aroma. It combines European and American hops with Irish malt to produce a truly unique blend of old world subtlety and new world taste.”

“Our ethos is to brew natural, full-flavoured, high quality and preservative-free beers. The results are beers that have received numerous awards, including Gold Medals at the Irish Food Awards and the World Beer Awards”.

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St Bernardus Wit, 5.0% ABV, 330 ml can Bradleys

St.Bernardus Wit is a traditional unfiltered Belgian wheat beer produced in Watou. It was developed in collaboration with Pierre Celis, the legendary master brewer who was the driver of the resurgence of white beer in the 1960s.

It has a pale orange colour, quite hazy with a dense white head. The aromatics are quite complex though clove stands out for me. There follows a masterclass in balance in the mouth. The herbal notes (coriander), the spice (clove), the fruit (orange, lemon), the sweet malt and the creamy texture (from the wheat) all combine marvellously well with a superb result.

It is a very refreshing beer but quite versatile at the table (which almost goes without saying when you have a Belgian beer at hand). 

St Bernardus are enthusiastic: “This incredibly versatile beer can be paired with almost any recipe from anywhere in the world. Its most outstanding role is perhaps that of a refreshing contrast when served with creamy dishes - a risotto for example - or in combination with shellfish and white fish. Do you serve a slice of lemon with your fish? You can echo that or a lemon sauce or dressing with this beer with its strong hints of citrus.”

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Community Brew Project Fragments Red IPA, 6.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

How does the Brew Project* work?

“It's pretty simple... It's up to you to tell us what you'd like to see brewed by each of the breweries! We'll narrow the ideas down to a shortlist, and then vote. The beers with the most votes get brewed. We have four brilliant breweries taking part in the project: Ballykilcavan, Dead Centre, Hope and Dot Brew.”

This Red IPA is brewed by Hope. And, yes, it is reddish, pretty murky, with a cream head that slowly sinks. Hops used (“liberally”) are Citra and Amarillo and you do get a bit of citrus fruit in both aromas and flavours.  Not a great balance though and we parted ways before the end.

* More details of the project on the Craic Beer Community platform here. 

CorkBillyBeers #31 Craft Stout/Porter with Mescan, Wicklow Wolf, McGill's and Whiplash.

CorkBillyBeers #31

Craft Stout/Porter with Mescan, Wicklow Wolf, McGill's and Whiplash.

According to Craftbeer.com, the name stout comes from the term stout porter, describing a bolder permutation of the popular porter style during the 17th century. Stouts are considered to have stronger roasted flavours than porters but can vary in character from dry, smooth and sweet or strong and bitter, depending on the type.

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Mescan Seven Virtues Baltic Porter, 9.5% ABV, 330 ml bottle

Just over 12 months back, Mescan Brewery introduced their Baltic Porter: Baltic-style porters were that region's interpretation of Imperial Stouts - the very strong, dense beers commissioned from London in the late 1800s by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia (who, in 1783, was not the last Russian leader to annex Crimea and adjacent parts of southern Ukraine). The Baltic brewers made their version at low temperatures using lager yeasts and locally available ingredients. As have we. The result is a strong, full-bodied, smooth and dangerously drinkable porter!

Mescan's porter, part of their Seven Virtues series, comes with a black body and a lovely soft-tanned head. Aromas of roasted coffee, chocolate and caramel rise from the glass. But it is the palate that really engages your senses, your taste buds joyfully aware that something exotic is spreading their way with a dense and pleasant lightness, sweet toffee apple flavours impossible to resist as they lift you through to the most satisfying of finishes. It looks very much as if Empress Catherine the Great knew her beer. Mescan certainly do.

Very Highly Recommended.

I wonder if the Empress paired it with chocolate tart and desserts. Ideal, say Mescan and go on to recommend their Baltic with blue cheese and other stronger ones.

Their full Food Pairing Suggestions list is:

• oysters

• smoked fish with good butter and nice brown bread

• hearty stews of slow-cooked dark meats

• sticky toffee pudding

• chocolate tart with sour cream;

• cheeses - particularly smoked cheese or creamy, washed rind cheeses

Serving Temp 4-6 °C

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Wicklow Wolf Another Nut (Pastry Stout), 5.5% ABV, 440ml can

A well-tanned head sits atop a dense black body when you’ve poured Another Nut, Wicklow Wolf’s Pastry Stout, into your glass. “Inspired by the infamous chocolate spread that we have all grown up with, we thought it would make for a very interesting flavour profile in a stout.” 

That is their excuse. Non-Irish speakers and those who have had forgotten their Irish lessons after the first class, won't know that the Irish (well, half-Irish) for Another Nut is Nut Eile (Nutella). If you’re explaining, you are losing, so I'll stop digging now.

And I’ll nose it instead. And it's chocolate and hazelnut and I remember I bought a hazelnut coffee at Christmas and didn’t like it at all.

But then, I drink Riesling even if it often smells of diesel. So there’s hope yet, even after the first sip. Sip number two more or less condemns it to my also-rans. Not the one for me.

Perhaps, as a peace baby, raised on ration cards in post-war Britain, I’m just not that decadent. No doubt though some of you won’t remember the hard times around the cabin door and can easily engage with this “delicious, decadent stout with lashings of chocolate and hazelnut aromas and flavours”.

Another Nut is brewed with milk chocolate, speciality chocolate malt, Tanzanian cocoa nibs, Milk Sugar and finished on Roasted Hazelnuts.

Geek Bits

Hops etc - Bravo, Sorachi Ace, Tanzanian Cocoa Nibs, Milk Chocolate, Roasted Hazelnuts, Milk Sugar.

Pale, Dark Wheat, Cara, Dark Crystal, Chocolate, CARAFA Special Type 3, Golden Naked Oats

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McGill’s Dark Sky Reserve Irish Stout 4.5% ABV, 500ml bottle Centra Waterville

McGill’s ‘Dark Sky Reserve’ is a traditional Irish Stout inspired by the Kerry International Dark-Sky Reserve. This region has been designated Ireland’s first International Dark Sky Reserve by the IDA. The Iveragh Peninsula is one of only three Gold Tier Reserves on the planet, and the only Gold Tier Reserve in the Northern Hemisphere.

The stout itself has that dark sky colour for sure. And aromas of chocolate, hints of coffee too. You’ll meet that chocolate and coffee again on the palate. Quite a lot of sweetness is evident in recent Irish stouts but this one is a little more bitter than you’d expect, nothing untoward though, and at 4.5% ABV it fits neatly into the session category.

Irish dry stout is based on the use of roasted barley. Here that emphasis with a moderate degree of roasted malt aromas defines much of the character. Hop bitterness is medium to medium-high.

McGill’s say each beer is unique to the area of South Kerry. “They reflect our local heroes, culture, and history. In our small brewery, we handcraft our beers with care perfecting traditional Irish beer styles using our state-of-the-art brewery system. We hope you enjoy tasting our beers as much as we do producing them. ‘Sláinte agus fad saol agat’ (Health and long life to you).”

Enjoy the stout (and that long life) all the better with oysters, ham and cheese sandwiches. Of course, when you cross the county bounds and hit Cork city, bodice is your only man with the black stuff!

Highly Recommended.

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Whiplash Keeping Porter 6.1% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys

This Whiplash Keeping Porter is a collaboration with the UK’s Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 

This back to the future beer is a staff pick, according to Whiplash. “Left Handed Giant came to came to visit us in February and we knew we wanted to brew something more traditional - enter Keeping Porter, inspired by a recipe we found from the 1840s. We're both really into historical brews so this was the perfect chance to have a go at something like this. It's a beautiful beer, coming in at 6.1% and single-decocted to unleash these rich, dark sugarages."

The collaboration with Left Handed Giant, a nod to the shipping history between Dublin and Bristol, is loaded with coffee notes, the sweet kind, just under the limit as far as this palate is concerned.

Whiplash Beer was founded in 2016 by Alex Lawes and Alan Wolfe and is based in Ballyfermot, Dublin. What started out as a series of limited releases on the side for the two brewery professionals soon grew into a full-time brand with award-winning beers, “brewing in facilities across Ireland and wider Europe”. 

Their own brewery was officially commissioned in 2019 and produces three core beers, Body Riddle (a juicy American pale ale), Rollover (juicy hoppy session IPA) and Northern Lights (micro IPA), along with an ever-changing and exciting roster of special editions and collaborations.

Highly Recommended.

NEW TOP ACCOLADE FOR INVIVO X, SARAH JESSICA PARKER WINE AS SALES SOAR IN IRELAND

press release

NEW TOP ACCOLADE FOR INVIVO X, SARAH JESSICA PARKER WINE AS SALES SOAR IN IRELAND

And Just Like That... Award-winning wine brand Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP) is awarded a 92-point rating by global wine authority Wine Spectator, the third consecutive year the wine has received 90 points or more since its 2019 launch. Sarah Jessica Parker announced Invivo X, SJP’s highest score to date to her 7.7 million followers on Instagram recently, with the post clocking up more than 315,000 likes.

Wine Spectator editors review more than 15,000 wines each year in blind tastings and wines scored with 90-94 points are deemed ‘Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style’. The new 2021 vintage release of Invivo X, SJP Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, has already been awarded 90 points by USA critic James Suckling, and comes hot off the heels of a successful second (2020) and first vintage (2019) release.

The Invivo X, SJP Sauvignon Blanc 2021 vintage is now widely available in Ireland including SuperValu & Centra Stores nationwide, selected Carryout stores and all good Independent Off Licenses. Sales of the award-winning drop have increased by 169% in volume from 2019 to 2021 in Ireland, as customers return to repeat purchase the wine due to its outstanding quality.

Invivo Cofounder Tim Lightbourne comments “To see the people of Ireland get behind Invivo X, SJP means the world to myself, my Cofounder Rob and Sarah Jessica. The community really got behind Invivo when we launched our Invivo brand back in 2008 and then Invivo X, SJP in 2019, and we’ve really enjoyed our visits to Ireland over the years. Together with Sarah Jessica, we’ve developed a style of Sauvignon Blanc

that is soft with a subtle oak influence. While it has some classic flavors of ripe citrus, tropical fruits, it has a hint of something savory that offers something different to the breadth of Sauvignon Blancs on the market. We’re looking forward to driving further growth of Invivo X, SJP and we will be releasing a whole new wine collection with Sarah Jessica later this year.”

Sarah Jessica is closely involved in developing her wines with her partners Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron, based in New Zealand, from blending to bottle and merchandise design, and even serving on the board of Invivo & Co. Giving back to the community is also important to the Invivo X, SJP team which

is why they partnered with FEED to provide 330,000 meals to school children in 2021 through FEED’s on- the-ground-giving partners. FEED is an impact-driven brand on a mission to create products that do a lot of good, founded by Lauren Bush Lauren. SJP Wines are distributed in Ireland by Barry & Fitzwilliam.

The Invivo X, SJP Sauvignon Blanc is offered at €18 RRP, and is available nationally at SuperValu & Centra, selected Carryout stores and all independent Off Licenses.