Kinnegar Limeburner Kölsch Style Pale Ale, 4.7% ABV, 440 ml can Lidl
An enduring favourite for many
Kinnegar’s Limeburner has stood the test of time, even if “Kölsch Style” is a late addition (but accurate) to the label. It comes in a slightly hazy gold colour, the bubbles shimmying
On the craft trail with Kinnegar, Hope and Killarney
Kinnegar Wee Bunny Session IPA 4.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys
Wee Bunny, up for a session, joins his older and bigger siblings in Kinnegar family
The Wee Bunny has a bright straw colour under his soft white head, with the bubbles rising through a medium haze. A punchy Citrus kick on the palate follows Citrus aromas, as the American hops show their character. Quite a pleasant surprise, that is
Beer of the Week. Kinnegar’s mixed 4-pack.
Cold IPA. Pale Ale. Pilsner. Raspberry Grisette
Donegal’s Kinnegar has just launched their summer adventure into 4-pack territory and this very convenient format is out there to be enjoyed. “Look forward to a refreshing journey through these four great beer styles. We don't often indulge in tasting notes but this time we set Sean the task of putting the experience in words.”
Cold IPA 5.3%, 400 ml can Bradleys
Colour of this Cold IPA, a once-off by Kinnegar and part of their new 4-pack this summer, is a light gold with bubbles galore racing to the soft white head. Peach, apricot and grapefruit feature in this light hoppy beer with a very refreshing finish indeed.
Wondering what a Cold IPA is? I was. It is an IPA fermented at lower temperatures than what is normally used to ferment an ale. Brewers often use a lager yeast or a combination of a lager and an ale yeast. Kinnegar: “Another riff on a tune we’ve been playing with for the past year. Practice makes perfect.”
Hazy Pale Ale,4.5%, 440 ml can Bradleys
This session pale is light straw and cloudy. The American hops have endowed Kinnegar’s latest iteration of this quaffable popular style with quite a backbone of tropical fruit, citrus and pine and just a moderate bitterness. Refreshing as expected and ideal for a session.
Sean’s verdict: “Juicy, sweet fruit, high drinkability. An indispensable summer companion. One will not be enough.”
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See updated Beer of the Week index here
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Pilsner, 5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys
This latest lager from Donegal is straw-coloured with a soft white head and tons of bubbles rising. Much like the craft lagers we know in this part of the world but with a hoppy punch. A touch of lime runs through it to the refreshing finalé. Well worth a try and another excellent can in the 4-pack.
They say: An old-world style with new-world flair courtesy of its distinctive New Zealand hop profile.
Sean’s verdict: Citrus (lime), grape, clean bitterness
Grisettes are refreshing, low-alcohol beers with origins in the Hainaut province of Belgium. They are crisp, medium/light-bodied, citrusy beers—brewed to be endlessly approachable. It is also supposed to be a summer beer. I’ve waited long enough for summer, so here goes.
Our Raspberry Grisette from Kinnegar has an orange colour with a short-lived white head and lots of micro-bubbles. It is crisp and dry with a fruity tang from the raspberries. I reckon loganberries would have given it a real kick-ass tang. As it is, this is a very refreshing low alcohol beer indeed. Recommended pairing: with a summer’s day if you can find one in 2024. Preferably outdoors.
Sean’s verdict: Crisp, dry, citrus, raspberry. Sean doesn’t waste words.
Kinnegar Maddyroe American Red, 5.8%, 440 ml can Carry Out St Luke’s
The fox is back in the chicken run!
Red is the colour of my true love’s hair (as Donovan sang away back when) and also the colour of
CorkBillyBeers #54
Craft with Kinnegar and Weihenstephaner
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Kinnegar Devil’s Backbone Amber Ale, 4.9% ABV, 500 ml bottle O’Donovan’s
Amber’s the colour for sure, a dark amber at that. The head is off-white and not for hanging about (at least when poured from the bottle). Lots of fizz in the haze.
The first sip introduces you to its chocolate/caramel backbone and you realise this is a serious drink, pretty robust too, a full-bodied drink you can’t ignore. Dark fruit flavours on the palate, a very satisfying bitterness as well (hops are a mix of European and American) and then there’s a lip-smacking dry finish to boot.
The label indicates amber ale and you are thinking American. But notes on their website say it is known as a refreshing contemporary take on a traditional Irish red. And a pretty good take it is.
Versatile with food and equally enjoyable on its own… full bodied and full flavoured….just the right amount of spice and sweetness…Very enjoyable. Very Highly Recommended.
Label notes suggest pouring this naturally carbonated beer into a glass, leaving any natural sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
The Devil's Backbone is a local beauty spot, that changes as the seasons and the sunlight change. ...
Geek Bits
STYLE: Amber / Red
COLOUR: Deep red
HOPS: American/European
AVAILABILITY: Year-round
Format: 500ML bottle • 440ML can
30L steel keg (domestic) • 30L/20L kev keg (export).\
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Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier, 5.4% ABV, 500 ml bottle O’Donovan’s
A World Champion - three times in a row. That third accolade set off great scenes of celebration for the German brewer Weihenstephaner as their Kristall Weissbier (bottle version) was declared Gold winner again at this year’s AIBA.
“The subtle banana notes, the refreshing effervescence, and the nobly filtered appearance in the glass completely convinced the jury”. And they convince me also! That golden colour and all those bubbles send an Invitation that is irresistible.
The brewery’s full title is Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan and this is their only top-fermented beer brewed that is not cloudy. The clarity is achieved through filtration.
That clarity is topped with a fine compact foam that stays around as the fountains of bubbles rise. And of course, you notice those banana and clove notes in both the aromas and on the journey through the palate.
Fresh citrus aromas are also evident in the flavour, while the fine bubbles give a pleasing effervescence. Cinnamon and clove on the palate, with a good full mouthfeel. Complex long finish all with that second glass appeal.
By the way, if you haven’t tried wheat beer, this crisp and clean champion is a good one to start with. Disappointing that this was pretty well past its BB date but a tribute to the brewers that it is still in such good nick.
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Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, 5.4% ABV, 500 ml bottle Bradleys
It has a light gold colour, hazy, with a fluffy pillowy head. Typical clove aromas and banana flavours. Superb refreshing flavours and a delight on the palate along with an excellent dry finish.
This well-balanced beer with its light creamy character reminds me of why I so enjoyed wheat beer early on but wheat beers are in a minority in Ireland and you don’t come across them that often. This is a classic indeed. As they say: This premium, naturally cloudy, pale amber wheat beer is truly a feast for the senses. They add: ” …a veritable classic – and the star of our beer ensemble…. It is the ideal reward at the end of a long day.”
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This Weihenstephaner, as is the Kristall, is made according to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. Drink at 6-8 degrees. It has a mild IBU count of 14 and they recommend pairing it with Obazda (a Bavarian cheese spread) - I’m sure we could rustle up something similar around here. What we cannot magic up is a brewery as old as Weihenstephaner - they’ve been at it since 1040! Other food pairings noted are with fish and seafood, and especially with the traditional Bavarian veal sausage.
While the Kristall is impressive and has racked up the awards, this is regarded as the star by the brewery. They obviously know their stuff and I’d go with that (not that means leaving Kristall behind). As mentioned earlier, if you are making a start in the wheat beer style, then make the Kristall your first step!
CorkBillyBeers #50
Craft with Kinnegar, Thired Barrell, O'Hara's and Rodenbach.
Four beauties for you in #50
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Kinnegar has a festival beer for you.
Kinnegar Leaf Kicker 2023 Marzen, 5.9% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys
Gorgeous golden/amber colour on this one, a repeat of last year's Leaf Kicker Märzen, one that I enjoyed immensely. And it's the same again in 2023. “You enjoyed it so much in 2022 (and we did too) that we’re giving it another whirl before departing this particular chapter of German lager tradition”, say Kinnegar, meaning that they’ll more than likely move on to another German lager style (festival related no doubt) for 2024.
There’s a lovely bubbly white head atop the gold/amber. It has an almost creamy mouthfeel. This supple beer leads with its rich malts, along with a sweetish bagel flavour and a touch of caramel. It finishes clean and a little hoppy.
It is deeply refreshing and also well suited to food including BBQ, pizzas and tacos plus a chicken from the rotisserie. A deeply satisfying lager and Very Highly Recommended.
Geek Bits
LEAF KICKER 5.9% ABV
STYLE Märzen
COLOUR Dark amber
HOPS German noble
TASTE A deeply satisfying lager.
KNOWN AS Märzen was the original Oktoberfest beer
AVAILABILITY Autumn seasonal
440ML can and keg
BB: 04.05.24 (bouight 25.09.23)
Most of us who have hosted and or attended weddings will no doubt have enjoyed a beer or two. Very few weddings have started a beer trend. But that’s what happened when a royal wedding between Ludwig (the future king) and Therese took place in Bavaria in October 1810. That party was so good and the couple so popular that another party was held the following year and so Octoberfest was established.
By 1819, the festival had become a 2-week event (beer was just one strand), now organised by the city of Munich, and kicked off, as it does now, in mid-September. Marzen was the main style of beer for the festival and its name came from the fact that it was brewed in March to be at its best in Autumn.
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Third Barrel Vulture Culture Cold IPA, 6.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys
Third Barrel: “Clean, crisp and bursting with flavours of ripe tangerine, peach and papaya from a healthy dose of Idaho 7 Cryo and Luminosa hops.”
Rice is also included in the ingredients. The beer is fermented with lager yeast, add in those hops and you get, as promised, a clean refreshing and fruit-forward cold IPA.
From Idaho 7, comes pungent tropical fruit and citrus (think apricot, orange, red grapefruit, papaya) with big notes of resiny pine and hints of black tea. Here though, we are talking Idaho7 Cryo and that, designed to be aromatic and flavour enhancing, means you get an even more potent aroma and flavour and also good bitterness.
Add in the contribution from Luminosa and the whole beer is brighter, the tropical side enhanced and you know you’ve got a good thing going.
At least, you've got a good thing going if you know your stuff as well as Third Barrel does! Very Highly Recommended.
Most of us are familiar with the hop cone, used by brewers for centuries. Then along came hop pellets and now we have Cryo, which is so concentrated that they’ve become an essential in a brewer’s toolbox.
The word Cryo (or similar) pops up a lot these days and you may be familiar with it through medicine (especially sports) where certain injuries can benefit from Cryotherapy Treatments, a kind of ultra-cold immersion. Cryo comes from the old Greek word for cold.
On to the hops then which, using liquid nitrogen (which your doctor might use to make a wart vanish), the raw hops are quickly chilled to sub-zero temperatures — after that, the producers shatter it. More on the process here .
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O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale, 4.3% ABV, 500 ml bottle Dunnes Stores
The Carlow Brewing crew is quite proud of their red ale: “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.”
O’Hara’s has a very dark red robe but that “dense lasting white head” fails to materialise, though I have to add 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 and traditional hop flavour combine well. A terrific example of the style gets a major thumbs up from this quarter.
Excellent balance and Very Highly Recommended
They say: 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. A delicious accompaniment to mature cheddar or soft goat cheeses.
Glass: O’Hara’s tulip glass or O’Hara’s conical glass.
BB: 28.08.24 (bought 20.09.24)
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Rodenbach Grand Cru Flanders Red Ale, 6% ABV, 330 ml bottle Bradleys
Brownish red is the colour of our Rodenback Grand Cru Red ale. With a short-lived coffee-coloured head. Aromas are certainly on the sour side. There’s also quite a tang on the palate but also the sweet contribution of delicious fruit flavour. Complex and amazing and a totally different animal to the O’Hara’s Red Ale.
The sourness in the aromas is repeated on the palate and, if you’re not prepared for it, you might as well throw your hat at it at this stage. Someone here has joked that a citron pressé would be a better drink. But remember, it is “probably the most award-winning beer in the world”. So pay a little heed and a little respect!
Soon, at least for me, that complex fruitiness begins to assert itself, both on the palate and all the way through to the finish and you realise there is much more to this than the obvious sour character. Sour comes up quite often but I’m pretty sure the word doesn’t appear on the label (lots of tiny print though!)
The Rodenbach Grand Cru sour red/brown at 6%, is a blend of 1/3rd young beer and 2/3 of beer aged two years in large oak vats, giving fruity taste, complexity and intensity. It even has its own AOC. It takes over two years to make (even the angel’s share happens here and they know the good things) and the young beer is added to restart fermentation.
I throw in the odd non-Irish beer, not to be rated, but just for variety and as an example of what can be done by our much more experienced Belgian and German brewers. Perhaps a few of these could be enticed over here for collaborations.
The Rodenbach Grand Cru is the archetypal Flanders red-brown beer. Each of these beers is a unique blend, but they all share a brewing process characteristic of the area surrounding Roeselare and Kortrijk.
The typical sweet and sour taste of a Rodenbach Grand Cru is produced by a two-stage fermentation process called mixed fermentation, involving top-fermentation and bacterial fermentation using lactic acid bacteria. The Rodenbach Grand Cru matures in oak foeders, or barrels, over a period of two years, giving the beer a unique, complex fruitiness that is reminiscent of wine.
Rodenbach, the mother beer, is usually one-quarter mature beer to three-quarters young beer. When it comes to Rodenbach Grand Cru, the blend is two-thirds mature beer with one-third of a young brew added.
By the way, there is a series of these Rodenbachs and do watch out for the Rodenbach Caractère Rouge. It is billed as a red/brown sour and it is sour but also packs amazing fruitiness. The beer is macerated with fresh cherries, raspberries and cranberries and, after that, is matured in oak barrels.
BB: 15.12.25 (bought 25.09.23)
