A Quart of Ale± #116. On the craft journey but off piste with two Ciders, Ginger Beer and a Belgian Framboise

 A Quart of Ale± #116

On the craft journey but off piste with two Ciders, Ginger Beer and a Belgian Framboise

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Cockagee Irish Keeved Cider 5%, 375ml bottle Le Caveau via Neighbourfood 

In 2016, I wrote that this was “one of the best ciders I have ever tasted”. Glad to report, after a recent tasting, there’s been no change in that opinion of the Cockagee Irish Keeved Cider…

Made in County Meath by Mark Jenkinson, it has a rich amber\gold colour, micro-bubbles constantly rising in the glass. The aromas are impressive too, redolent of the orchard. And on the palate there is a very pleasing concentration of real flavour, layers of the most beautiful flavours, a gentle and complete experience, and then a lovely dry finish as well. This is in a class of its own.

Mark makes it in small batches in his Cider Press in the heart of the Boyne Valley from 100% fresh pressed Irish apples. Each 1000 litre batch is unique and may vary slightly. Serve chilled in a stemmed glass.

Keeving is not the easiest to explain as “it is more intuitive than an exact science”. But Mark gives a good run-down here. Crucially, it preserves the “lovely apple aromas and the rich flavours of the fruit and results in a robust yet smooth cider, complex and full-bodied with a bittersweet twist and a long dry finish.” 

Briefly, Keeving means it is not filtered, not pasteurised, and not sweetened. The fruit sugars are naturally retained as are the intense apple flavours and aromas from the original must. 

Hope that doesn’t sound too complicated. To put it simply, the result is a terrific drink with an ABV of 5% and is very highly recommended.

At one of the Ballymaloe Lit-Fests a few years back, highly respected Food and Drink writer Pete Brown said you can only shake your head with wonder that a process from the 14th or 15th century can still produce a “beautiful natural cider. In a blind tasting, I would class this as Breton and it would be a perfect match with crepes”.

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Armagh Craft Dry Cider 4.5%, 500ml bottle Aldi (Mayfield)

Just poured my golden Armagh cider from Aldi and am watching the many bubbles playfully make their way to the top. Orchard smells abound as you sniff and you notice a certain tartiness there too. It is certainly dry on the palate but there’s no shortage of flavours nor of refreshment. 

This refreshing Armagh dry cider is exclusive to Aldi, is vegan and vegetarian friendly, and the label recommends you serve it chilled. They also make a sweet and medium in this series.

For five generations, the Armagh Cider Company have been growing apples on the Troughton family farm in the orchard county of Armagh. “Our apples are carefully hand-picked and matured before they are pressed and fermented in only the smallest of batches. Our apples don’t leave the farm until they are bottled to complete perfection and we take great pride in bringing delicious authentic cider from blossom to bottle to you!”

They farm in Ballinteggart where the ‘From Blossom to Bottle’ culture has been nurtured for five generations. And to where quite a few awards have made their way.

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Black Castle Fiery Ginger Beer, 330ml bottle, The Granary Midleton.

It has a murky ginger colour, aromas of ginger too. Spicy enough to take your breath away as it gently burns the mouth. But no harm done at all, just a lively and refreshingly spicy drink that is not too sweet. If you are on BBQ duty, have one of these Irish craft sodas at hand!

In general, fiery ginger beer uses fresh ginger for a kick and cinnamon for added sweetness and spice. And it looks as if Dublin based Black Castle have hit on the correct formula with this spicy wake-up call for your taste buds! Note: if you don’t like ginger, you will not like this!

Black Castle: “Our Ginger Beer is packed full of flavour and just the right amount of heat! Made with rich Muscovado sugar, Ginger Root Extract and infused with a blend of warm Cinnamon and Cardamom spices. Lightly carbonated making it the perfect alternative to alcohol on a night out!”

It is “Hand-made in Co. Wicklow, is Non-Alcoholic and Allergen Free Best served over ice with a wedge of lime! Add it to cocktails such as a Moscow Mule or a Dark n Stormy.”

Their other soda is Berry Bramble Sting. We had that in County Clare previously and you can read about it here .

• It is touted as an adult drink and indeed it may be best to keep it away from the kids (and from adults who dislike ginger). It is certainly on the fiery side.

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Lindeman’s Framboise Lambic Beer 2.5%, Dede at The Custom House Baltimore

Pours a raspberry red, with a pink foamy head, and smells like the fruit. Also tastes like raspberry, probably more on the swallow than on the palate. 

Superb as an aperitif as is often recommended. I didn’t have any raspberries but a handful of early loganberries were at hand and the pairing was fine. The brewers recommended pairing with endive salad. 

I picked this beer up at the deli in the Michelin starred Baltimore restaurant Dede at The Custom House where I’d seen it used as part of the wine pairing for the Tasting Menu where it was paired with the various desserts. Think I may get a few more in Bradley's for the garden for the sunny (oh ye of little faith!) weeks ahead.

Must admit I had been expecting something on the sweet side, after all it is flavoured with raspberry concentrate (20%), sugar and natural sweeteners. But I was more than pleasantly surprised to find it is quite tart.

A Quart of Ale± #32. Moving on over to craft with Lambic and Geuze.

A Quart of Ale± #32

Moving on over to craft with Lambic and Geuze. 

Sour (part 2)

So, what is a sour? It is perhaps the style of beer most likely to put someone off with a single sip. But, according to Craft Beer for the People, “they are hugely rewarding for those who can get past the initial shock.” Think of lemons, sauerkraut, pickles and Citron Pressé (the French non-alcoholic thirst quencher) as that essential first step. “Once you gain a taste for them (sours)…. there’s no going back!” And I can tell you, hand on heart, that the conversion can come as early as the third sip. Stick with it and try some of beers below - you won’t be sorry! Link to Part 1 (which introduces a few Belgian and Irish examples) here. 

Lambic and Geuze (you will see different spellings) are a further step on the sour path but not necessarily sourer! According to The World Atlas of Beer, Lambic is the only style cluster over which Belgium can claim sole mastery. And mastery is apt as “making lambics requires feel and experience”. Boon is the largest producer of old lambic while Lindeman’s is the “most industrial of the authentic producers” and it well-known for its fruit beers particularly the Framboise below.

Lambics are raised in huge foudres (very large barrels) and it takes an experienced expert to know when the beer is properly aged in the oak. Quite often the brewery doesn’t have the space or the experts and so they contract out to those that do, who can tell when the lambic is ready for blending. Blends of old and young lambics are known as geuzes and they are, according to Craft Beer for the People, “stunning”. The process has its own yeast, technically Brettanomyces lambicus, known best as Bretts. The fermentation is wild - they leave the windows open - and is unpredictable.

This "wild" yeast is key here, the magic happening when it lands in the oak casks where the beer is fermenting. Because of this unique local process, "few flavours are shared with ale or lager" according to the Beer Pocket Book.

Of the four beers below, two are fruit lambics, where lots of good fruit is added to the brewing mix. The book Beer FAQ suggests that, “as the style can be off-putting…. the bulk of their commercial volume is from fruit-enhanced beers”. “The fruit masks a lot of the style’s funkier elements."

Boon “Kriek Boon” 2018 4%, 375ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

This traditional Belgian Lambic fruit-beer is dark red in colour with a pinkish head (short-lived). A refreshing, almost fizzy, beer, pleasantly aromatic and has flavours of fresh cherries, slightly sweet and full-bodied. 

It is brewed according to the traditional lambic style of spontaneous fermentation. Only fresh cherries (25%) are used. Keep out of the light and serve at 4 degrees.

They say: Kriek Boon is a spontaneous fermentation beer, prepared from old and young Lambic that matures in oak barrels. 250 g cherries per litre are added to Kriek Boon. The authenticity is guaranteed by the use of only real cherries from Galicia. A refreshing and tasty celebration during summer days, on the terrace or at the barbecue.

Lindeman’s Framboise 2.5%, 35.5 cl bottle via Bradley’s

Thirty per cent raspberry juice has been added to this lambic beer and the resulting colour is a mid-ruby with a dark pink foamy “head”. And yes, raspberries do feature in the flavours.  There is also a fruity aroma. All in all, with its mini abv of 2.5%, this is  lovely drink, fruity and slightly fizzy. Lindeman’s Framboise can be used in cooking and in cocktails but as a drink be sure and serve it cold, at 2-3 degrees centigrade. Serve it as an aperitif or pair with Endive salad and desserts such as Chocolate fondant cake, cheesecake, raspberries, ice cream. 

Being the middle of winter, I didn’t have fresh raspberries handy but did have the fantastic Raspberry sorbet by Yum Gelato plus some frozen loganberries (from the garden via the freezer). Not too sure that it was that much of a match but I certainly enjoyed sipping the beer on its own and could image pairing with garden berries and salads in the summertime.

Boon Geuze “Mariage Parfait” 2015 8%, 375ml bottle Bradley’s

Brewed in Lembeek, the village that gave Lambic its name, this Mariage Parfait comes in a cloudy gold, countless micro-bubbles rising to the white frothy head that lingers for a while. Beautiful rounded fruit in the complex aromas and that carries through to the palate where there is no shortage of fruit flavour, background tartiness and warming mouthfeel. 

Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait is unsweetened, unfiltered and unpasteurised and, tart and funky, is refreshing, distinctive and lingering. Absolutely delicious. Serve with with magret of duck, roast goose, seared foie gras, foie gras terrine, gamey pâtés, aged goat cheeses.

Geuze is made by blending young (1-year-old) and old (2- to 3-year-old) lambics, which is bottled for a second fermentation. Because the young lambics are not fully fermented, the blended beer contains fermentable sugars, which allow that second fermentation to occur.

Oude Geuze Boon L’Ancienne 2016/17 7.00%, 375ml bottle via Bradley’s

This Lambic has a mid-gold colour, shoals of bubbles racing towards the top; head is big  and soon fades to a thin disk. Sour is present in the aromas. And on the palate too of course but, with touches of citrus and oak amidst the fruit and spice, all’s in harmony, and this refreshing beer goes on to a pleasant lingering finish.

Oude Geuze Boon is regarded as one of the finest examples of the traditional 100% spontaneous fermentation Lambic style. This Lambic beer is aged for 1, 2 or 3 years in oak casks. The blend, a mild average 18 month old Lambic (unsweetened, unfiltered, unpasteurized) is refermented in the bottle and can be stored for up to 20 years.

Info:

Pour gently at 12°C/52°F

Keep the bottles cool and in an upward position