Irish Malt and Brewers Best in World

Fergal of Dublin City

Irish Malt and Brewers

 Best in World

BeoirFest 20.03.2021

Lager and Red Ale

It didn’t quite show on the screen but Craft Bear’s Phil must have been blushing during the recent Online event organised by Brian of BeoirFest. Lager and Red Ale were the subjects discussed and when Phil’s Red Ale “Bimbos” came up for tasting, the other two dished out the highest possible praise.

Dublin City’s experienced Fergal and Brendan of Four Provinces combined in the gush: “ ..gorgeous.. great beer..amazing.. doesn’t taste like 8%, it’s got the body, it’s got the velvet texture”. There was a suggestion that this stunning beer could be even better with longer conditioning.

Phil, who admitted his beer names are “a bit out there”, said he created it in August. “I latched onto Cashmere.......... there is very little bittering............and the conditioning is 7 weeks.” Earlier Phil told us he started brewing properly in 2018. Before that it was just a hobby. The transition was quick and something of a roller coaster. “The hobby got out of control and before I knew it I was head over heels - in debt! But the results in the kitchen were good and getting better. I got a tap at a wedding and that was a good indicator. Did an IPA first, a West Coast style. I gave it a right go and it became very popular, so popular it tied us up for a full year.”

Just highlighting the praise for Bimbos there, as quite often Irish brewers are somewhat shy in pushing their own beers and breweries. Fergal, who has worldwide experience, said we should be proud of our brewers. “We’re as good as any market in the world, outstanding. And I have judged around the world.” And still there was some frustration in his remarks. “We can make the best beers on the planet but we can’t get in the door here because of the system.”

Funnily enough, Fergal had great praise for the brewers in James Gate. “I got great training in James Gate, the Harvard of beer.” And Brendan too acknowledged that mainstream brewers and beers have their place. “In our pub, we do our best to support all local brewers and distillers. You do need them to lure customers in and they’ll move to craft but they won’t start with craft. You also need to have a beer similar to what they are used to drinking.”  

Brendan

I myself saw much the same going on when the local pub Cotton Ball began brewing and earlier in places like Franciscan Well and Brewhaus - but you do need to have your staff trained to help customers take that first and crucial step.

Fergal said we have a supply of the greatest malt here. “You don’t have to compare yourself with Munich, Prague, or Denmark. I make two of the best lagers in the world here (and he is prepared to prove it in any head to head!). With the greatest malt here and the best brewers, make your own lager and call it Irish Lager.”

Moderator Brian O’Connell ventured that “lagers don’t get the respect they deserve” and asked why. Brendan suggested that “lagers are associated with the past, a period when there wasn’t much of a choice”.

Next session, today 3rd April 3.00pm

Dublin City’s lager, Liberator, was now being sipped. Fergal: “Liberator is a light lager, hard to do, all the things that can go wrong. But this is simply to satisfy your thirst on a summer’s day in the garden, a session drink, a sit back and relax one, refreshing with a tiny hop character to balance.”

Lagers are like that in general, have two or three and enjoy the atmosphere. “Brewing is finding out what your customers want”. And he repeated what I heard a few years back from Eoin Lynch of the Cotton Ball, that seven of ten drinks consumed are lager. Eoin took his own advice of course!

Four Provinces

Brendan of Four Provinces: “Our lager was the one that sold, nothing wrong with that (not that anyone challenged him!). To be honest, I’m more comfortable with our lager and putting out the odd IPA. People can be easily persuaded to drink our lager.”

And Fergal agreed: “You don’t have to do something extra special but you gotta have the one that delivers the money. Then, once a year, throw out a seasonal or a special.”

Moderator Brian asked about IPAs and hops and queried if there’s a little niche there that talks to itself. Can that be a bit off-putting to potential drinkers of craft? Phil did agree there was  a certain fashion in hops, that they have their season, that Cashmere for instance was all the rage in the months before Christmas. But “it’s great to see labels with fuller descriptions to encourage people to know their beers.”

Fergal urged “..be a bit cautious and careful. Exotic drinks sound great but may not sell. And Brendan emphasised that the margins on IPAs are significantly lower. Phil pointed out that lager is harder to make and takes longer while Fergal pointed out that “stout is never easy to do”. 

Three straight-talking brewers shared their insights and kept us well informed throughout the hour or so. A session on cider today (3rd April) and then the next event on beorifest.com is April 10th with Lineman, Killarney Brewing and Bullhouse.

A Quart of Ale± #41. Continuing the craft journey with Red Ale.

A Quart of Ale± #41

On the craft journey with Red Ale.

O’Hara’s Irish Red Traditional Ale, 4.3%, 500ml bottle via Radical Drink

This O’Hara’s has a very dark red robe but that “dense lasting white head” fails to materialise, though I have to admit subsequent top-ups did shape up with a coffee coloured crown. Roasted caramel stands out in the aromatics. And you get that caramel and toffee flavour on the palate as well, thanks to the addition of a “pinch of roast barley during the brewing process”. The sweetness of the malt is perfectly balanced through a touch of traditional hop flavour. A terrific example of the style gets a major thumbs up from this quarter.

 

They say: This Red stands out in this beer style category. The malt body is as impressive as a bock, albeit in a uniquely Irish way. With an incredibly smooth malt body complimented by caramel tones and perfectly balanced in bitterness, this Irish Red is much more complex than its mainstream rivals. Visually the Red colour is intensified by the finest roast barley, while subtle hop additions in the kettle give just the right bitterness and aroma to craft this distinctive Irish Red Ale.The traditional red ale style is sweet malt based, dominated by caramel malts which give a sweet malt base complimented by nutty flavours in complete contrast to the Belgian Red ale style which has a distinctly sour character attributed to lactic acid.

For the Geek

Style: Traditional Red Ale

ABV: 4.3%

Plato °: 10.75°

IBU: 34 

Fermentation: Top fermentation 

Availability: Keg (carbonated), Bottle 50cl and 33cl (occasional 41L cask)

Serving Temperature: 6-8°C

Food Pairing: Pairs well with baked and roasted main courses from the oven such as beef hotpot. Also excellent with winter soups. Delicious accompaniment to mature cheddar or soft goats cheeses.

Glass: O’Hara’s tulip glass or O’Hara’s conical glass. 

Hope Red IPA Winter Seasonal 2020, 5.2%, 440ml via beercloud.ie

Hope’s winter seasonal is a red IPA, a dark red with an off white head that quickly reduces. A red with a twist they say and I must say I rather like the direction it takes from the first sip, lots of bright and light fruit melding well with caramel overtones, with a touch of toastiness, from the malts. Thumbs up there straightaway and I can see it would be just the job with the suggested wintery stew, weekend cheeseboard or chocolate.

INGREDIENTS:

Malts: Pale malt, crystal malt and wheat malt

Hops: Columbus, Simcoe and Enigma

Dry Hops: Cashmere, Enigma and Centennial

Yeast: English Ale Yeast

Roasted barley.

ABV 5.2%

EBU 55

Hope, in their own words:

Hope Beer started out in 2015 when the brewery was founded by four friends with a passion for beer and business. What began as a series of late-night kitchen table discussions is now a state-of-the-art brewery, producing an extensive range of award-winning premium craft beers.

Hope produces a core range of five distinct beer styles which are available all year round as well as two seasonals and a wide range of limited-edition beers.

All Hope beers are brewed, bottled, canned and kegged at Howth Junction on Dublin’s Northside and are crafted to be the perfect accompaniment to food. Each beer has its own distinct name, story and taste experience....

Crafty Bear “Bimbos” Imperial Red, 8.0%, 330ml via beercloud.ie

A warm amber is the colour of this “Bimbos” Imperial Red from Crafty Bear. An off-white head doesn’t hang about (if you want a better head, give it a “robust” pour). Quite a charge of fruit from the hops in the aromas, the malt too getting a look-in.  There’s an initial (and lasting) element of sweetness on the palate. Quite a complex experience, big and malty, with notes of mango and strawberry as the hops too play a role right through to the finish. It has been dry-hopped (lightly) with Citra (a good bittering hop) and Cashmere (known for its smooth bitterness). 

They say: We started Crafty Bear January 2018.

With over 18 years in the hospitality industry the move towards opening our very own brewery was a long time dream come through.

Our love for good beer and the fun in making it is what makes our beers stand out.

Hand bottled, hand labeled and hand delivered. You got to love craft.

Not quite the traditional take but pretty good overall. I have no idea why it’s called Bimbos. Anyone? 

Wicklow Wolf “Wildfire” Hoppy Red Ale, 4.6%, 440ml via beercloud.ie

This Wildfire from Wicklow has a dark colour and a short-lived head that looks as if it has been dusted with coffee. You smell coffee and caramel. And the two also feature on the palate, the coffee more prominent now, and it, rather than the weakish caramel, stay to the finish, one with the malts holding the upper hand. Almost a creamy feel to this very mild and pleasing enough example of the style. One for the home fire methinks rather than one in the wild.

Geeky Bits

Hops: Sorachi Ace, Sabro

Malt: Pale, Cara Ruby, Melano, Oats, Roasted Barley

IBU: 28

Serve at 8 degrees.