On the craft trail with Eight Degrees, Connemara and Trouble Brewing
Eight Degrees Déjà Vu Hopfenweisse, 7.5% ABV, 440 ml can No 21 Coburg St
Buy-Back Brewers Bounce Back
This Hopfenweisse is the welcome-back shot from the Antipodean founders of Eight Degrees, who had just bought back the brewery. It may be
Beer of the Week
Eight Degrees Cumulus Lupulus Cloudy IPA, 5.2% ABV
440 ml can No 21 Coburg St
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| Clouds via pixabay |
A cloudy IPA. And a good day ahead!
A cloudy IPA? It's not very cloudy at all, just see-through hazy. However, when weather forecasters say it will be cloudy, they usually mean it will be both cloudy and sunny. But if they were glass-half-full people, they could just as easily say it will be sunny.
Cloudy or not, this well-hopped IPA is an intense brew. It has an excellent
Bradleys
Hopfully welcome a new brewer and a new beer.
Pale orange, close to lemon, is the colour of this session ale by Hopfully. It is also hazy as might expect from a New England style. Juicy stuff on the palate where exotic fruits lead the way before a dry and slightly tart
Beer of the Week
Eight Degrees Howling Gale Ale 4.5% ABV, 440 ml can, No 21 Cork
An "old" favourite!
Didn’t realise until today that I’ve been enjoying Eight Degrees Howling Gale on and off since
Boys are back in Mitchelstown!
Eight Degrees founders buy back brewery
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| Can we do this? Scott (left) and Cam drink to an adventurous future for Eight Degrees |
Eight Degrees founders Scott Baigent and Cam Wallace have bought back the brewery they sold to Irish Distillers five years ago.
“We have enjoyed the journey over these past five years,” says Baigent, “with Irish Distillers playing a massive role in completing the build of our brewery in Mitchelstown at the foot of the Galtee Mountains in North Cork.”
“We also have enjoyed creating some really exciting beers together with Irish Distillers,” adds Wallace, “especially the experience of aging beers in whiskey barrels, along with developing a range of exciting whiskeys that were finished in craft beer-seasoned barrels.”
Over the last 18 months, Baigent and Wallace had left the brewery and drinks world behind. This break allowed them to reflect on where their passions lie and what they want to achieve.
For the founders, Eight Degrees has always been about enjoying great tasting beers while living a life of adventure. This is still central to their vision of producing innovative, full-flavoured beers from natural ingredients while exploring the outdoors and pursuing new experiences. Since its establishment in 2010, Eight Degrees has given Baigent and Wallace the platform for this message and the creative outlet to follow their passion.
“Having re-charged our batteries,” says Wallace, “we are keen to get back into the driver’s seat and continue the journey we started more than 14 years ago. Over the past year or so we have had some time out from the brewing world, time to go into the wilderness and take the opportunity for a bit of self-reflection. It's brought us right back to where we started!”
Baigent agrees. “With a heap of reckless optimism and a lot of newfound energy, we seek to deliver the Naturally Adventurous message once more.”
“We hope you come along with us to continue the adventure.” Sláinte
* An award-winning Irish microbrewery renowned for its innovation and experimentation, Eight Degrees was founded in 2010 by Scott Baigent and Cam Wallace. The brewery, which has always been based in Mitchelstown, North Cork, was acquired by Irish Distillers in 2018. It has now been bought back by Baigent and Cameron, who continue to work with the same core brewery team. They plan to release their newest beer in late February. Watch this space!
press release
A Quart of Ale± #121
On the craft journey with Bullhouse, 12 Acres, Wicklow Wolf, Eight Degrees
12 Acres Pale Ale 4.6%, 440ml can O’Brien’s Douglas
Not my first time coming across this 12 Acres Pale Ale, from County Laois, with its soft white head that sinks fairly quickly. The colour has more amber than pale. And the aromas speak more of malt than hops and so it continues onto the palate. In addition to their own malt, they also use a small quantity of three European speciality malts, giving even more malt body, texture and additional caramel flavours to the beer.
But the three Americans hops,Cascade, Willamette and Citra, help give bitterness plus citrus and tropical flavours to balance the malt sweetness. So what you get is a delicious refreshing dry hopped golden pale ale.
They say: Our award winning flagship beer, our pale ale is a take on the American Pale Ale (APA) style, with more emphasis on the malt flavour than a traditional APA. Our own spring water is the main ingredient and we add our own pale ale base malt which forms the majority of the grist, to give the fermentable sugars and flavour to our beer…By brewing with our own malted barley and Killeshin spring water from deep beneath the same land, we are producing unique Irish craft beers with traceability from our ground to your glass.”
A lot of attention to detail here and it pays off. Best served 6-8 degrees and it goes great with spicy foods.
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8 Degrees Citra Single Hop IPA, 5.7%, 440ml can O’Brien’s Douglas
They, 8 Degrees, say: Citra, with its fruity, juicy aroma and flavour, is one of our favourite hops. To showcase it, we’ve used a simple, yet elegant, malt body …. This is a beer that is both sweet and tart, with a gloriously juicy mouthfeel.
Orange/gold is the colour of this Citra Single Hop from Eight Degrees, the adventurous brewery. It’s got a white bubbly head. Aromas are, surprise, surprise, citrus with a floral touch as well. The combined fruit flavours come out to play on the juicy palate and you’ll note peach, melon, lime, gooseberry, passion fruit and lychee in the mix with the malt on display. It’s a refreshing really well-balanced beer, with a nicely judged bitter finish.
Geek Bits
2020 World Beer Awards – Gold
2019 World Beer Awards – Gold
Style: Single hop IPA
Malt: Irish pale ale malt
Hops: Citra, Citra and…Citra!
Strength: 5.7% ABV
Bitterness: 62 IBUs
Food pairings from the Mitchelstown brewery are among the best around:
The bitterness in this Citra Single Hop IPA will cut beautifully through sweet low-and-slow pulled pork served with a chilli-spiked peach relish. The beer also will counterbalance the bold flavours of barbecued chicken wings and play nicely with some grilled spicy fresh Gubbeen chorizo sausages. Try it with a not-too-sweet Key Lime pie for a full-on citrus ending to your meal.
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Bullhouse Suds DDH Pale Ale 4.5%, 440ml can Yards & Crafts
Slurp down some Suds! More hops.
That’s the can label encouragement from Belfast Brewery Bullhouse. And this Double Dry Hopped murky orange coloured Pale Ale is certainly well endowed with hops (Eldorado, Talus and Azacca) especially in the aromas, and also on the palate. By now the soft pillowy head has slumped to mere disc but you won’t be worried as the tropical fruits and an input of citrus take over on the smooth and satisfactory ride to the finish. Well made, well balanced.
Last May, Bullhouse took delivery of a brand new (to them) 25HL brewhouse and 6 additional 25HL FVs.
“We’ve always invested more heavily in our cold-side equipment than in any hot-side stuff, because you can make really good wort on pretty basic kit, but you can’t make really good hoppy beer with poor quality cold-side equipment.”
“We ended up going for a system from a cask brewery in England that had closed down. We now have a 50HL direct fire HLT, 40HL German made mash tun (with side manway) and a 30HL direct fire kettle.”
The new kit means Bullhouse have the capability to “double our weekly production to 60HL with the same amount of effort”. Well if this Suds is anything to go by, the investment is well worthwhile. Best of luck.
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Wicklow Wolf Jeff Bezos Hopfenweisse 6.3%, 440 ml can Bradleys
Introducing No. 30 in our Endangered Species series; Heff Bezos. This release is another example of our brewer’s passion and creativity running wild. A modern twist on the classic hefeweizen beer style, Heff Bezos is a hop forward wheat beer.
That’s the Wicklow Wolf intro to Heff Bezos. Colour is a murky, opaque, orange with a. Soft slowly sinking bubbly white head. Aromas are a puzzle. I’m expecting banana and clove but initially getting a smoky bacon whiff but go again and it is somewhat closer to the expected combo.
On the palate, the Hopfenweisse continues to carry the banana clove combo yet is is somewhat tartier than the usual. Perhaps the yeast ( a hefeweizen yeast strain from our friends at WHC) is the disrupting factor? No shortage of flavours though with notes of citrus, tropical (including mango) and pine. And, as this first meeting comes to an end, I’m feeling very much at home with Jeff, sorry Heff!
I’m presuming the name Heff Bezos is a play on Jeff Bezos. Jeff, the multi-billionaire (ex Amazon), may be rare but hardly endangered.
Wicklow say this is a style of beer “that we have planned to brew for quite some time now, this Hopfenweisse is brewed with modern hops (Citra, Idaho 7 & Talus) and fermented using a hefeweizen yeast strain from our friends at WHC*. You can expect a burst of citrus & tropical fruit flavours complimented by aromatic, fruity esters coming through from the hefeweizen yeast.”
* WHC Lab is a Fermentation and Quality control company in Wicklow
Irish Distillers, maker of some of the world’s most enjoyed whiskeys, is building on its long-standing collaboration with Eight Degrees Brewing to create a stunning third edition in this Jameson Crested series.
Jameson Crested Finished in Barleywine Irish Oak Barrels is a limited-edition whiskey born from the latest instalment of the exciting partnership between Irish Distillers and the award-winning, Cork-based brewery, which is renowned for its innovation and experimentation.Festival Food & Drink Favourites 2021
Eight Degrees and Bakestone in Happy Holiday Pairing
What were your food and drink favourites over the Christmas and New Year?
I’d say one of mine came at the end of the Christmas Day Dinner when we matched the Bakestone Pudding with a shared can of Eight Degrees Irish Oak-aged Barleywine. At 12.2% abv, this is a heavy hitter and needs respect. Pour a little into a wine glass and sip and enjoy. It went perfectly with the pudding from East Cork (you’ll find Bakestone at Cobh Cross - they’ve been there for years and, as well as a popular café, have a magnificent pantry of top notch Irish produce).
The Eight Degrees’ aromatic and multi-flavoured seasonal special was aged in especially rare Irish whiskey barrels that have been made from native Irish oak. Not alone did it pair with the rich and dark pudding but it also went well with the light and delicious Christmas cake from Barnabrow House (bought at Roughty Foodie) and also with the cheese course, notably with the Crozier Blue (via On The Pig’s Back).
Bubbles are usually associated with the festivities at this time of year and I was lucky to have a couple of delicious bottles of Prosecco on hand, each by Bottega. The Gold Prosecco Brut impressed for sure but it was the Bottega Rose Gold that really caught my attention. It is a terrific Spumante Brut rose, made from Pinot Noir grapes grown throughout the Veneto.
The hand painted bottles are not only eye-catching but "reflect the quality and care put into producing this wine”. Bottega do not use chemical-based products for their metallised bottles; this means the solvent for the varnish is water-based, instead of being oil or alcohol-based like more traditional varnishes.
It wasn’t just Prosecco of course. There was wine. We won’t go into too much detail just to say that we had an impressive pair via Liberty Wine for dinner on the big day. From South Africa came the Western Cape Momento, the country’s only Grenache Gris. And we made it a lovely Grenache double with the red, a Willunga 100 from the McLaren Vale in Australia.
You always need something extra to bring the best out of all the good stuff on the table at Christmas and two jars in particular were in regular use here. One was the Big Red Kitchen’s Spiced Plum and Port Jam and the other was the seasonal Ballymaloe Foods Cranberry and Mór Wild Berry Gin Sauce.
The Spiced Plum and Port Jam is very versatile, a match with paté, cheese and duck and we find it outstanding with Skeaghanore smoked duck breast and gives the Skeaghanore Confit Leg sweet hint of Asia. This year it also impressed with the Bakestone pudding. Nicola of the Red Kitchen combines ripe plums with a hint of warming cinnamon and port in this excellent seasonal preserve which is also wonderful with scones and bread. It won’t go to waste around here.
And neither did the Ballymaloe Foods Cranberry and Mór Wild Berry Gin Sauce. It certainly did what it says on the jar and enhanced the turkey (and the other meats) no end and also impressed when used with the cheese board. This blend of cranberries and the Irish gin proved indispensable over the week.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Cork Christmas without a helping of spiced beef on the table. No shortage here thankfully and, supplied (like the turkey and ham) by local craft butcher Chris Davidson, it was once again a highlight. Turkey and ham was pretty good too!
Another highlight was our order from Ummera Smokehouse in Timoleague, a box packed with chicken, duck, salmon (two ways), even rashers, all smoked and all delicious as always. Good use was made of this package over the holidays. Nothing like a bit of variety over the hols.
We did indeed use the Ummera smoked chicken on New Year’s Eve and later there were more holiday bubbles. It was now the turn of a super Beaumont des Crayères Vintage 2013 Fleur Blanche Blanc de Blancs Brut (via O’Briens Wines) to shine. Intense and exciting from the engaging first sip, with fountains of micro-bubbles powering upwards, with biscuity aromas and flavours and floral notes too, this is one of the better ones for sure. It is made from 100% Chardonnay and obviously 2013 was a very good year.
Let us hope that 2022 will also be a good one. Happy New Year to you all and fingers crossed that it will be better for all of us.
A Quart of Ale± #84
On the craft journey with an excellent session of Whiplash, Porterhouse, Whitefield and Eight Degrees
Whitefield Brewery “Woodville” Session Pale Ale 4.3%, 500ml bottle Bradleys
This pale ale from Tipperary has a light amber colour with a soft suds head that’s inclined to hand about a bit (the malt used may have something to do with that stability). There’s a lemony aroma with herbal notes and that “Mediterranean twist”. It is also found on the palate with a touch of green tea. Quite a flavoursome beer, nicely balanced with a little malt sweetness and the judicious use of the hops. An impressive session beer for sure.
For the Geek:
Hops: Styrian Fox (Slovenia).
Malt: Eraclea (Italy)
As you may know, the brewery formerly named White Gypsy has rebranded to Whitefield; the rebrand is still ongoing. Drawing all the names from their Templemore (County Tipperary) locality, even some of the beers have been renamed. This particular ale was Gladiator and is now named after a downland in Templemore.
Whiplash Blue Ghosts German Pils 5.2%, 440ml can Whiplash Online
Pale yellow is the colour of this German Pils from Whiplash who say: We’ve fermented Blue Ghosts on our favourite lager strain WLP833 - giving it all that great mouthfeel and malt complexity that the strain provides without interfering with that hop profile before allowing it the long cold sleep it deserves before packaging. …has fast become a team favourite. Grab it before we drink it all.
It is a clear beer with plenty of bubbles on view. The hops, Saaz and Hersbrucker, also bring something to the party and you’ll notice herbal hints, even grassy notes, along with the influence of Bergamot in both aromas and palate. They didn’t spare the hops using 10g/l of Saaz and Hersbrucker and say it is unique in that it is heavily whirlpool hopped, not dry hopped. Perfect for outdoors in the sun but not bad by the fireside either.
The Blue Ghosts are given some bodily heft by the use of Pilsner and Carapils malts. By the way, that yeast strain, WLP833, is regarded as ideal for German style lagers and that certainly seems to be the case here with yet another well executed beer, a really excellent lager, from the busy Whiplash team.
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Porterhouse Rambler Juicy Pale Ale 4.6%, 440ml can O’Briens Wine
The Rambler has a light orange colour in the glass with a white head. “One for the juice heads,” say Porterhouse, based on the three hops used at whirlpool and hop. Well, it is juicy, moderately hoppy also, with a good dry finish.
The three hops added to the basic Magnum are: El Dorado (Apricot, tropical, citrus), Enigma (Grape, Berry, Melon), Eukanot (Mandarin, Melon, Mango). Their individual characteristics are in the brackets so you can see how they contribute to the result with a mild enough citrus and mango to the fore.
Dextrin, Ale, Wheat, Oats, and Crystal keep the malt end up, noticeable in the fuller body and a touch of caramel. Quite a delicious and easy drinking fruity ale to be fair, well made, and worth a try for sure.
Eight Degrees Full Irish Single Malt IPA 6.0%, 440 ml can
Gold, with an amber streak, is the colour of this Single Malt from Eight Degrees. Like the “Full Irish”, this has everything!
A lovely white head that sinks away, eventually. Lots of citrus-y aromas (grapefruit, mango ) from the four strong team of All-American hops (Amarillo, Citra, Simcoe and Cascade), floral notes too. And hops galore on the palate but not having it all their own way as the pale malt finds ways of having its biscuity say as the juice flows across. And it is bitterness and sweetness in lockstep that take you through to the end of the aftertaste, ready to go again. Not surprised that this hoppy fruit bomb has a string of awards to its credit.
Geek Bits
Style: Single malt IPA
Malt: 100% Irish pale malt
Hops: Simcoe, Cascade, Citra, Amarillo
Strength: 6.0% ABV
Bitterness: 65 IBUs
Food pairings
This single malt ale will pair beautifully with simple grilled fish and barbecued chicken kebabs, the sweet malt flavours working well with anything that’s been caramelised on the grill. Don’t miss an opportunity to try it with something spicier, like barbecued piri-piri prawns and it is also an exceptionally good match with smoked duck, the hops cutting through the rich meat. To finish, get a slice of carrot cake alongside a glass of this and revel in how the beer balances out the cake’s sweetness.
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A Quart of Ale± #83
On the craft journey with a session of Treaty City, Third Circle, Brehon Brewhouse, Eight Degrees
Treaty City Harris Pale Ale 5.0%, 440ml can O’Briens Wine
Named after Limerick’s most famous film-star, this Pale Ale has a lovely golden amber colour with a soft white head. Aromas are mostly citrus, some floral notes and a modest touch of pine. And it proves itself hop-forward and impressively well-balanced on the palate and beyond. Again the citrus (grapefruit) features strongly in the mouth and so too does the malt. And the combination also provides a very satisfactory finish indeed.
Treaty City, the brew/pub is close to King John’s Castle, say: Treaty City Brewery started in a small two bedroomed apartment in East Vancouver, Canada. After a long night of general debauchery, plenty of merriment and many bottles of bland tasteless beer, we decided enough was enough. Something had to be done. Life was too short to drink bad beer. The next morning, while nursing a spectacular hangover we headed for the local homebrew store and purchased our very first brewing equipment…..
Soon they were brewing at home and not too long after that they found the real home was calling and, back in the Treaty City, they carried on brewing!
The Harris Pale Ale (suitable for vegans by the way) is one of the brewery’s first and is named after Richard Harris, swashbuckling on and off the screen and a man who appreciated a good drink. He performed in a huge variety of films over a number of decades including The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Field (1990) and Gladiator (2000).
Third Circle Shot In The Dark Coffee & Oatmeal Stout 5.2%, 330ml can Bradleys
About as black as can be, with a soft tanned head that doesn’t rush to depart. Probably more coffee than toffee in the aromas. And the coffee is much the flavour on the palate though caramel gets a look in as well. Pretty smooth also thanks to the oatmeal. Not to sure though that it will wake you up in the morning, might work around lunchtime though. Good but not quite in the Dungarvan league - yet!
They say: “Rich smooth decadent coffee oatmeal stout brewed with the perfect blend of Irish malt and single fair trade coffee.This beer is pure breakfast juice. We teamed up with our local coffee roaster to bring you this beautifully smooth coffee and oatmeal stout. Brewed with oats for that creamy and silky base and then infused with single origin Columbian coffee which gives beautiful aromas of sweet chocolate, brown sugar and black tea. This beer will wake you up!”
Who are Third Circle? Like many great breweries, the foundations of Third Circle lie in homebrewing. Wicklow based Scientist Jon Grennan developed a love and passion for brewing at home while working as a biologist. Third Circle beers are now crafted in Dublin, where Jon's love for both precision and experimentation are feeding the creation of some exciting new brews.
The company's core beliefs are simple: brew with balance, good taste and curiosity. Third Barrel Brewery was founded in Bluebell Avenue, Dublin 12 in collaboration with friends at Stone Barrel Brewing.
Brehon Brewhouse Shanco Dubh Porter 8.8%, 500ml bottle Bradleys
This is a strong and powerful ale that absorbs distinct spirit notes from time spent ageing in old oak whiskey casks. A beer for sipping and relishing. Best served around eight degrees.
It is black for sure with a tan head that doesn’t really hang about. This bottle conditioned beer has robust aromatic notes of dark chocolate, roasted malt and liquorice, plus herbal hints. More of the chocolate on the palate. Full bodied with prominent roasted elements and moderate (yet definite) whiskey notes. And that elegant whiskey contribution takes us right through to the very satisfactory finish with a pleasing sweetness.
This porter goes exceptionally well with meat and cheese dishes. Which ties in, more or less, with the Beer Club recommendations of smoked meats, oysters, game or extra mature cheddar cheese.
No shortage of cask-aged at Brehon and this is another excellent one, yet my favourite, by a small margin, remains the Oak & Mirrors.
Eight Degrees Citra Single Hop IPA 5.7%, 440ml can
Mid-gold is the colour of this Citra Single Hop from Eight Degrees, the adventurous brewery. It’s got a white bubbly head. Aromas are, surprise, surprise, citrus with a floral touch as well. The combined fruit flavours come out to play on the juicy palate and you’ll note peach, melon, lime, gooseberry, passion fruit and lychee in the mix with the malt on display. It’s a refreshing beer, with a nicely judged bitter finish.
Another excellent can in the Mitchelstown portfolio proving, not for the first time, that Citra is more than capable of sustaining a solo run.
They say: Citra, with its fruity, juicy aroma and flavour, is one of our favourite hops. To showcase it, we’ve used a simple, yet elegant, malt body …. This is a beer that is both sweet and tart, with a gloriously juicy mouthfeel.
Geek Bits
2020 World Beer Awards – Gold
2019 World Beer Awards – Gold
Style: Single hop IPA
Malt: Irish pale ale malt
Hops: Citra, Citra and…Citra!
Strength: 5.7% ABV
Bitterness: 62 IBUs
Food pairings:
The bitterness in this Citra Single Hop IPA will cut beautifully through sweet low-and-slow pulled pork served with a chilli-spiked peach relish. The beer also will counterbalance the bold flavours of barbecued chicken wings and play nicely with some grilled spicy fresh Gubbeen chorizo sausages. Try it with a not-too-sweet Key Lime pie for a full-on citrus ending to your meal.
