Showing posts with label St Mel's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St Mel's. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Cheers on Beers, Wine and Spirits. Lots of Tastings Coming Up. And More Packed in this Issue. Mothers Day. Patrick's Day.

 Cheers on Beers, Wine and Spirits. Lots of Tastings Coming Up. And So Much More Packed into this Issue.  #211003

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Clonakilty Distillery Mother's Day Gifts 



Celebrate the special woman in your life this Mother’s Day with gifts of love from Clonakilty Distillery that goes beyond the ordinary.
Whether they're a mum, step mum, mother-in-law or foster mum.
 We’ve got a gift to make every parents day, for every type of family, this 14th March.

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Greenes And Wines Direct



'Meet the winemaker' zoom wine tasting We are excited to announce our online event with

@derrickneleman

Valencia in Spain including 2 wines, artisan cheese & charcuterie. The tasting will take place on Friday 19th March @ 8pm.

@WinesDirect

greenesrestaurant.com/menus

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Laurent Miquel Tasting Case

O'Briens Wine Host French Tasting Event


Join us for a virtual online wine tasting on Thursday, 8th April 2021 at 7pm

O’Briens Wine Director, Lynne Coyle MW will be joined by Vigneron and Winemaker Laurent Miguel along with his Irish wife Neasa from their beautiful home at Château Les Auzines, Corbières, in the South of France leading you on an expert tasting session you don’t want to miss. We will be tasting an Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé and a velvety Languedoc red while Laurent and Neasa chat about their wines, vineyard stories and give us a taste of their South of France lifestyle.

Save your spot by buying your Laurent Miquel Online Tasting Case, limited spots available – don’t miss out!

What you’ll get:
1x Laurent Miquel La Gaupine Sauvignon Blanc usual RRP €14.95
1x Les Auzines Alaina Rosé usual RRP €16.95
1x Les Auzines Alaina Albariño usual RRP €16.95
1x Les Auzines Hautes Terres Rouges usual RRP €14.95
1x Tasting Sheet
1x Exclusive access to the Wine Tasting via Zoom
Offer Price including delivery €60

Order before Friday 19th March to ensure delivery of your wines! Your tasting pack will be dispatched from the 24th March onwards (please allow between 3-5 days for delivery).

On Monday 5th April your link to the Zoom tasting will be sent to the email address you provide when placing your order. Please note this pack is not available for sale in our stores.

If you have any questions please contact online@obrienswine.ie
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NEW BEER ALERT!!
From Galway Hooker

15 Year Anniversary Double IPA
 
This Double IPA will be hitting shelves in Mid March to celebrate our 15 year anniversary. We're really excited for this release! ShopShop
 

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Lough Gill Brewery presents...
☘️☘️☘️ KELSEY GRAMMER ☘️☘️☘️ Faith American Brewing Co.

With no pubs or parades this St Patrick's Day, what better way to celebrate the day than by brewing a very special collab beer with New York's Faith American Brewing Company. The brewing collaboration will be carried out virtually on March 17th with brewery founder and famous Hollywood actor, Kelsey Grammer. Tune in to our instagram on the St Patrick's Day where we will be going live with Kelsey on the day to announce details of the collaboration. Don't miss it! 



 
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LIVE Virtual Tasting Friday March 26th 7pm

Wines Of The World



We are really looking forward to our Virtual Tasting via ZOOM with Casa Silva.

This will be a live interactive virtual tasting with our wine expert Kate Barry and Stephen Ludlam from Casa Silva.

Casa Silva is Chiles most awarded winery of the 21th Century – outstanding wines of great quality and fantastic value.

Viña Casa Silva has the oldest wine cellar in the Colchagua Valley. Beneath its traditional and historic facade, however, is one of Chile’s most modern wine facilities.

More here.

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St Patrick's Hamper of all Hampers from Blacks.

This St Patricks day looks like another party at home situation so why not mix it up a bit and finally get the cocktail bar you have always wanted. This mega pack includes everything you need to make over 100 cocktails at home (except the ice). For a bargain price of only €600.00 That`s 60 cents a drink Tom? "sure is, Show Me The Money".

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Monday, March 1, 2021

A Quart of Ale± #37. Moving on over to craft with Euro-style Lagers!

A Quart of Ale± #37

Moving on over to craft with Euro Lagers!



Augustiner Edelstoff Münchner Bier (GAA), 5.6%, 500ml bottle via Bradleys


Put this in a tall slim glass as recommended and you get a head that looks like a fluffy ice-cream and below that a myriad little bubbles race upwards in the light gold liquid. Its attractiveness is enhanced by a hint of exotic fruit aromas. And that sweet fruit also pops up briefly on the palate but soon the hops have their say as this satisfying beer heads towards a full and persistent finish. Love the mouthfeel, the smooth full body and the flavour. No wonder this historic brewery (founded 1328) is a name well-known far beyond Bavaria and Germany. 


Serve at 5 - 7 ° C  and you’ll find it goes well with typical Bavarian dishes, such as white sausage with sweet mustard or with roast pork with sauerkraut. Its mildly bitter taste makes it a perfect beer for the sunny outdoors and can also be drunk with many other dishes.


It is said that the Augustiner Bräu is the oldest Munich brewery. Originally founded (1328) by an ecclesiastical order, it was privatised in 1829. The good quality of the historical recipes was retained and this has given the brewery a terrific base. Traditionally brewed according to the German Purity Law, as you’d expect, Augustiner Edelstoff is praised as one of the best beers from Bavaria.


Yellowbelly Kellerbier Lager 4.3%, 440ml can Ardkeen Store



A bit puzzled from the start with this one! They say: “A core beer, available all year round. A lager for lovers of good beer. Kellerbier (Cellar Beer) is a German style Lager that has not been conditioned to same extent as other lagers. The resulting beer is naturally cloudy with a rounder full bodied mouthfeel.”


Despite that description and the word “unfiltered” on the can, mine pours as clear as could be, a lovely bright amber with shoals of bubbles rising to the top. It is smooth, with that full bodied mouthfeel that they mention above, easy-drinking with a lip-smacking finish and a touch of sweetness. Cloudy or not (and this one is certainly clear), it is a damn good craft lager. 


Malts are listed, on the can, as Pilsner, Wheat, Munich, Cara Clair while hops used are Huell Melon and Hersbrucker.


Eight Degrees Bohemian Pilsner Lager 4.0%, 400 can



Colour is a pale, but bright, gold, with a mere disc of a head that persists. Hops influence the floral aromas. And a promise of refreshment from the first sip. And no shortage of flavour either as this light and crisp beer spreads smoothly, in fulfilment of the initial promise, across the palate and persists until the satisfying finale. Bitterness enough to keep the balance. A good one and sessionable!


They say: Treat as an aperitif, amazing with pizza and don’t miss trying it with Thai or Vietnamese food. A crisp and adventurous drop, just perfect for a chilled out session. Bliss!


Some Details:

Style: Pilsner lager
Malt: Two row base Irish malt.
Hops: Hallertau, Hersbrucker, Lublin.
Strength: 4% ABV
Bitterness: 33 IBUs


St Mel’s Classic Range Helles Lager 5%, 500ml bottle via St Mel’s online



Cloudy amber is the colour here, gazillions of little bubbles shoot up into an attractive white fluffy head that’s in no big hurry to depart. This is bottle conditioned and dry hopped. 


Brewers Liam and Eoin have come up with a great result here, smooth, and balanced well between the malt and hops, with the bitterness nicely judged. One of the best flavoured lagers around, good mouthfeel too. Moreish is a word the brewery uses and I would certainly agree. Put this on your lager shortlist!



They say: Lagered for 4 weeks in the tanks and re-fermented in the bottle using a second strain of yeast. St. Patrick's nephew, Mel, helped spread knowledge and learning through the Irish Midlands in the 5th Century AD. St. Mel's brewing company is an independent artisan brewery, whose mission is to brew the highest quality beers from the best possible ingredients, combining innovation, passion and tradition. We hope you enjoy this bottle and, if you haven't already, convert to craft beer.


Food pairing tips: Perfect companion to big brash flavours of chilli, Indian cuisine or ribs. It also works great with Swiss cheese or a cheeky Battered Sausage and Chips.

* Top pic via Pixabay

Previously in A Quart of Ale±

A Quart of Ale± #37.  Moving on over to craft with Euro-style Lagers!

A Quart of Ale #36 a quartet of Pale Ales. Blacks. Crafty. Dungarvan. Rascals.

A Quart of Ale± #33. Moving on over to craft with St Mel’s Brewery.

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




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Wednesday, February 10, 2021

A Quart of Ale± #34. Moving on over to craft with a session of lagers. Variety is the spice of life. Our craft brewers keep it coming!

A Quart of Ale± #34

Moving on over to craft with a session of lagers.  

Variety is the spice of life. And our craft brewers keep it coming!



Cotton Ball “Mayfield 5” Pilsner Lager 5.0%, 500ml bottle via Cotton Ball off licence

This lager, from my local, has a mid-amber colour, fountains of little bubbles, white head slims down rapidly but then hangs around for a good spell. A modest touch of hops in the aromas. The refreshment factor immediately appears on the smooth palate, spot on balance between the German hops and malts. Has more character going for it than many lagers, good mouthfeel too. A thirst cutting clean bitterness rounds off an excellent lager experience.


They say: This Pilsner Lager, like the Noble Northsider’s adventures, spans the Atlantic, brewed using 100% Irish malted barley, clean bittered with three U.S. grown hops followed by a late kettle addition of Noble Hops (Hallertau Perle and Hersbrucker). Pour is clean and refreshing with a subtle aromatic hop flavour arising from a bed of light caramel malt. The Classic brew to compliment party food. This inviting pilsner goes down smoothly with gourmet burgers, pizzas or wings. A perfect hit at BBQs a great choice for alfresco dining.


And the northsider they refer to on the label is Humphrey Lynch, who left Ballyvourney at 15 years of age and settled in an American town known as Byefield which he later used in naming his Cork estate house. After working for two years with Joseph Longfellow, cousin to the famous poet, he worked for a year in the ship yard at Newburyport until the American civil war in which he fought in a string of “engagements”. He returned to his native Cork in 1874 and set up in Mayfield, calling his newly-purchased public house The Cotton Ball. And the Lynch family are still here today, the brewery one of the latest additions to the family’s businesses.


Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Italian Pils 4.9%, 400 can, via brewery


Pilgrims, with some of its companions from the  #IRISHMUNROSeries

A light straw colour and a white head are the immediate attractions here. There is much more of course. This has been “dry hopped it to the heavens with Loral, the Super Noble hop with distinctive floral, herbal and peppery notes, making this beer a delightful sipper to savour” and when I think of it that was the very first thing I noticed, the instant I pulled the opening tab!  And Loral makes its presence felt on the palate as well, citrus, floral and herbal streams and that distinctive bitterness a factor both in the mouth and in the dry finish. A refreshing lager, Italian style, full of hops and character


This is their 3rd beer in the Irish Munro Series. The peak is Mount Brandon (3122 feet) on the Dingle peninsula. Brandon is named after Saint Brendan the Navigator and the Pilgrim’s Path takes you to the summit. Don’t forget to bring a can to quench your thirst when you reach the top.


Style is Italian Pils. ABV is 4.9% and IBU is 32. Loral is the hops and malt used is Irish Lager Malt.


St Mel’s “Ah Sure Look It” Spring Bock Lager 5.6%, 400 can, via St Mel’s Online



Bubbles galore rise through the light amber lager from Longford - St Mel’s produce a lot of lager here. They say: Do you want to treat your taste buds? If so I suggest you try "Ah Sure Look it" a Spring Bock Lager with a rich malty flavor complimented by a subtle noble hop bitterness. An explosion of flavor.


This “Ah Sure…” is part of a mini-series with other titles such as Go on so (a light lager) and I will, yeah, a juicy pale ale. 


A mild touch of light smoky toast in the aromas and soon the Mel’s typical crispness shines through on the palate, accompanied by a malty bodyguard. Excellent mouthfeel too and very satisfying finish indeed. 


Nice bit of Springbok muscle on this one. Joking! Nothing to do with South Africa of course. This is a bottle-fermented Maibock — the strong bock lager brewed in Bavaria to coincide with the start of Spring. I’ve read that Bock was brewed by Bavarian monks to sustain them during their (Lenten?) fasting. Joking aside, this is a very enjoyable lager indeed, well worth investigating.


The St Mel’s label reckons it pairs well with pork sausages, nutty cheeses like Gruyere (should be fine so with Hegarty’s Templegall, Irish beer with Irish cheese) and with cheese and ham toasties.


Wild Beer “Sleeping Limes” Lager? Gose? Sour? 4.6%, 330ml can via Bradley’s



Light straw is the colour of this beer without a nominated style, another with a head that makes a rapid exit. So what is it? A lager, a gose or a sour. If I had to shoehorn it into a style, then it would be lager, a limey one! Lime is prominent in the aromas and flavours and listed in the ingredients. 


Don’t know what kind of yeast has been used - the beer is not yet on their website - but I believe it’s a lager yeast. But you can see from the acidity why Gose (salt is listed as an ingredient) and Sour are mentioned. Quite a refreshing drink too by the way and should go well with Mexican (and similar) cuisine, particularly during an Irish summer.


They say: The label encourages us to “Drink wildly different”. What is it? A lager, a Gose, a sour.. All or none of the above.. put simply it is the most refreshing beer we’ve ever brewed. Ingredients: water, barley malt, wheat malt, hops, yeast, lime, salt.


Brewery is based on a farm in Somerset. Barrel-ageing and blending beer is at the heart of what they do at Wild Beer. Barrel ageing is a big thing here and they have over 600 barrels to take on the nuances of the previous inhabitants of the wood, where time can reveal complex layers and flavours that deserve to be savoured with friends or food - preferably both!


Previously in A Quart of Ale±. 


A Quart of Ale± #33. Moving on over to craft with St Mel’s Brewery.

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




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