Sipping Mescan Beer and Smoke on the Water. CorkBillyBeers #24

 Sipping Mescan Beer and 

Smoke on the Water.

CorkBillyBeers #24

Began a two day trip to Mayo with a call to a micro brewery under the gaze of Croagh Patrick and the smoke on the water came later as we drove toward the lakes in the beautiful Doolough Valley as it was drifting high into the sky from a fire blazing on the slopes at the left hand side.

We had long made attempts to get to see the Mescan Brewery, makers of Belgian style craft beers and based in Cartoor, well off the road between Westport and Louisburgh. We got there eventually and met up with Cillian for a couple of sips and a chat. 

Mescan beers are highly rated and rightly so. Amazing attention to detail and casks full of patience are required. He explained that his beers take a minimum of 4 months with the heavy ones getting 6-8 months where your normal craft beer takes just a few weeks from start to counter (can vary from brewer to brewer). While the extra time makes the Mescan more expensive, Cillian reckons it is very important for the quality of the beer. And it is indeed a premium product.

The beautiful Doolough Valley

New beers here are tried out in 50 litre batches but he said you can never be sure, the results are never totally accurate and can be different when brewed in bulk!

But yes, the patience is well worth it as we found out when we sipped their Special Reserve (8.6% ABV). The famous Chimay Blue was the inspiration for this recipe and it is fantastic. Another superb special is the Baltic Porter, brewed with a lager yeast.

And later that evening, I was on the strong stuff again, this time thanks to Dermott of the lovely restaurant called The Pantry and Corkscrew in Westport. It was his last bottle of the Old Brown (delivery was due the next day) and it was absolutely enjoyable and I loved it as I knew I would - I did have a few over the past year or two. Talking about patience, this is matured in oak barrels for more than two years. Worth waiting for!!!

Flames spreading

Not all the Mescan beers are super strong. Take the lager for instance. That weighs in at 4.5% and is one of the very best around. Had one of those as well in the Pantry and Corkscrew.

Cillian is a busy man. A few days earlier he had been in Dublin doing a collaboration with Whiplash.  In March, he was in the capital for the “Me Auld Flower Festival” in a historic building that used to be home to the Dublin City Fruit, Veg and Flower Market. 

Smoke rising from the water in the valley

It was emotional for Cillian, a Dub himself: ”My great great grandfather, Patrick Moran, took the first stall in those markets after they were opened in 1893. He moved into Arran House on the corner ….. and our family lived there for over a 100 years. I remember growing up there and the Warden letting me and my older brother Paddy ring the end of market bell each day -  50 years ago.”

And if you want to try out Mescan beers and much more then head to the Grainne Ale Festival on the Saturday and Sunday of this Bank Holiday weekend - 29th & 30th April 2023! "Come choose from a range of beers from local independent breweries in the beer garden of Gracy’s Pizzeria and Bistro at Westport House."  

 

Our sips and chats over, we said goodbye to Cillian and to Theo (a Frenchman doing the work while we were talking) and, with directions, headed off cross country to Doolough.

This is one of the most beautiful corners of the country but loaded with sadness too because of what happened here during the famine, such sadness among such beauty. Disappointed to see the smoke rising though as we got closer but there were fireman and helpers on the scene and they soon got it under control though it left a nasty black scar on the slopes. 

With the smoke cleared we got a great view of the lakes and the mountains, probably the clearest day we’ve enjoyed here. A highly recommended drive and just a few minutes from Louisburgh (check out its lovely Portuguese café TIA).

On our way back to the hotel in Westport, we made a stop at the Croagh Patrick carpark. No, not to climb the famous mountain but to cross the road and reflect as we looked at the marvellous National Famine Memorial, the Coffin Ship by sculptor John Behan. More sadness.

Detail from the Famine Ship (above)

* If you'd like to visit Mescan, they are open to visitors most Friday afternoons through the summer - online booking required here.

Also on this trip

Superb Dining At Westport's The Pantry & Corkscrew

Achill Island in the sun. And wind.

Sipping Mescan Beer. Doolough Valley.

Ballycroy National Park

48 Hours in Westport. Sightseeing. Eating. Drinking.

48 Hours in Westport. 
Sightseeing. Eating. Drinking.

Keel Bay

Taking the long way round is a regular habit when I'm on the road and so, to get to Westport from Cork, I head to the Galway village of Leenane, at the inland point of Killary Harbour, as I want to drive from there to Louisburgh by the spectacular Doolough route.

Leenane

By the time we reached Leenane or Leenaune (you will see quite a lot of spelling variations of place-names in both Galway and Mayo), we were feeling peckish. The well-known Blackberry was still closed (at 12.15pm) so, after a stroll, we dropped into the nearby Sheep & Wool Centre for a bite. 

And we got a right good one.  They had a Soup and Sandwich offer. For €7.75 we each got a big bowl of soup and a sandwich. And not just your usual veg soup but a Tomato and Roasted Pepper (there was a choice of at least two soups). Great choices (12) also of sandwich fillings and dressings (7). 

For instance, I had tuna with salad and pesto on brown bread while Clare had chicken, roasted peppers, red onion marmalade. So they are not dishing out the same old same old. We thought the quality was very good as was the price.

Aasleagh

We noticed the Blackberry was open and busy as we walked back to the car, Minutes later, we passed the Carraig Bar, the last pub out of Connemara and then, all of a sudden, we saw the Aasleagh Falls in off the road. Walked in for a view and then drove on.

Doolough Famine Memorial

The beautiful Doolough area was, in 1849, the scene of one of the darkest events of the Famine. On a bitterly cold day, some 600 people in Louisburgh were seeking food or a ticket to the workhouse in Westport. They were told to contact the Poor Law officials who were, for some reason, in Delphi, about ten miles away. Some died overnight and the rest struggled over hills and mountains (no road then). The officials rose from their lunch and told the people they could do nothing for them and ordered them back to Louisburgh. No one knows how many died by the wayside.

Still incredibly sad, after all those years.

The Reek

 It is of course a short journey by car and soon we were passing through Louisburgh and on our way to Croagh Patrick. We had no intention of going to the top but did get about a third of the way up. It is rough enough with lots of big rocks and smaller loose stones but the views out over Clew Bay are magnificent, even on a cloudy day.

We stayed in the excellent Westport Plaza Hotel that night and enjoyed a lovely meal in their Merlot, a destination restaurant. Visited the bar afterwards. Didn't see any craft beer on tap. But they did have a fridge full of Mescan beer, 330ml bottles of local excellence!

 Mescan, by the way, was St Patrick’s brewer and no doubt the odd conversion was facilitated by a jug of his brew. The beer is still cloudy! Their Westport Blonde (5.5%) is superb.

But it was their Westport Saison (6.2%), more cutting, more fizzy, with clove and citrus notes, that I really enjoyed. Saison beer is a Belgian style brewed for seasonal workers. Reckon I'd appreciate one (or two) after a hard day’s labour or even after an idle day.

Westport House

 Day two was mostly an Achill Island affair. The sun came out and the lure of the Atlantic beauty was irresistible. We did the main drive, all the way through to Keem Bay. There were detours, of course. We took the loop to the south on the way out, the one to the north on the way back.

There were many stops to admire the stunning views over the cliffs and the seas, though the first stop was at the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley castle, near to the lifeboat station.

The Pirate Queen's castle in Achill

For lunch, we dropped into the lovely Craft and Coffee shop called the Beehive in Keel. The food was excellent and very well priced (as it had been in Leenane). For just less than twenty euro, we each had a Chicken Bap (with a lovely salad) and tea, all served on beautiful ware by Shannon Bridge Pottery (Offaly).

Just made it back to Westport House about an hour before closing. The house, by the way, now has new local owners who have promised investment and improvements. We had a quick enough look-around upstairs and downstairs. Even visited the dungeon though spent more time in the extensive wine-cellar (now unfortunately empty, aside from a few old wooden markers).

Achill, above and below

We wouldn't be short of wine though when we visited the excellent Black Truffle Bistro in the town centre for a smashing dinner, a dinner that included one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever eaten.

Time then for another taste of the local brews and we headed up to the lively McGings. I passed the night - we had music by DramaCode later - with Clifford's Connacht Champion, or 3C for short, a refreshing golden ale (4%), one of the beers from the Clew Bay Brewery. 

Westport House, in the wine cellar

CL settled on a very nice and refreshing Achill beer, made using water from a local corrie lough and Carrigeen moss. 

Each beer came in its own proper glass; McGings don't do things by halves. Staff there are brilliant, very helpful if you are not acquainted with the beers (they include Franciscan Well Chieftain Pale Ale in their selection). The perfect end to another good day in Mayo.