On the Craft Trail with Whiplash, Wicklow Wolf and West Cork
Whiplash Slide Pale Ale, 5.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys
This Whiplash Pale Ale has a hazy Light gold colour and a soft white head. There’s an immediate and lasting hit of dankness from the aromatics. On the palate, the big hitters are
Beer of the Week
West Cork Cape Haze West Coast IPA, 4.7% ABV, 500 ml bottle, Bradleys
Good times and great beers in Baltimore.
Love the golden colour of this West Coast IPA and its bubbly white head above the haze. From Ireland’s most southerly brewery, it is refreshing and fruity with hints of orange and pine. It is unfiltered, is vegan-friendly, and Very Highly Recommended as are all of our
CorkBillyBeers #11
Craft with APA style beers by Western Herd, West Cork Brewing, Ballykilcavan, Larkins
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Western Herd Spanish Point APA, 5.9%, 440ml can, The Cru
In September 1588, the Spanish Armada came to grief on the Clare coast in a savage storm. The legend lives on in the name of the place and in the name of this American Pale Ale (APA) from the Western Herd brewery.
The pungent aromas of the all-American hop quartet make their presence felt at the outset, even as you pour this mid-golden American Pale Ale with its white head that doesn’t hang around too long. Notes of pine and citrus shine in the dank background of the palate. Good thing! (I’ve been listening to Roland Gift recently). The impression has been building, time to sit back and enjoy (and put away the notebook and maybe play the FYC on YouTube).
The Western Herd brewery stands on a picturesque Clare hilltop farm in a converted shed built over 80 years ago “by our great-grandfather”.
“We are a brother and sister team brewing beer the way nature intended. Our great, great, great, great, great, grandfather farmed the land where our brewery now stands. Every time we would visit the farm growing up we would think ‘if only we could bottle this’!!! We aspire to brew beers that embody the charm and character of this idyllic hilltop farm on the west coast of Ireland.”
The brother and sister are Michael Eustace and Maeve Sheehan and the brewer, who just turned up and walked in one day in 2018, is Bridger Kelleher from Montana.
Geek Bits
Style: American Pale
Hops
Colombus (Dank, pepper, pungent), Centennial (blossom, orange, resinous), Chinook (Grapefruit, pine, spice), Simcoe (pinem grapefruit, berry)
Malts
Stout Mix, Crystal
Very Highly Recommended.
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West Cork Brewing Beacon of Hops American Pale Ale, 4.1% ABV, 500ml bottle Ballymaloe Craft Fair
Sherkin Lass has been a favourite with West Cork Brewing customers since they opened in 2014. Now the long standing favourite is reportedly under pressure from this relative newcomer.
Colour is a hazy orange with a soft white top that soon sinks down too to a slim disc. It’s got quite an attractive aroma, citrus and malt. And that sets the scene for the palate where the flavours are citrus led with the malt (with a slight hint of caramel sweetness) again providing the balance so it turns out fruity and just mildly bitter. Excellent body feel and a lip smacking finish. The brewers recommend pairing it with fish, white meats, mild cheese and salads.
Like all of their beers, this is brewed using their own spring water, is bottle conditioned, unfiltered and vegan friendly. The 2014 brewery is the first Brew-Hotel to set up in Ireland.
Highly Recommended
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Ballykilcavan Line Blocker Hazy Pale Ale, 4.9%, 440 ml can, CraftCentral
Ballykilcavan tell us this New World hazy pale ale “is packed with Citra and Amarillo hops”. By the way, did you know Citra is one of the top three most grown hops in the world and is also in the US top five?
The Line Blocker was one of first ever canned beers at Ballykilcavan. A hazy pale ale, double dry hopping helped promote the aromas and flavours of citrus and tropical fruits that you’ll find.
Colour is a murky amber/orange with a white head that soon runs out of depth. Hops are certainly evident in the aromas with exotic fruits (mango, pineapple, grapefruit and guava) fighting with citrus for space. And it is much the same on the packed palate with mango getting its nose in front of the hop posse. A good stiff drink though (with a resinous backbone), strong lip-drying finish too, thanks to all those hops.
The other ingredients are Malted Barley, oats, water, and yeast. IBU is 54.
If you'd like to join visit the brewery, they’d love to show you around. “You'll hear the family stories from the more than 380 years that we've been at Ballykilcavan, and see the 18th century farmyard behind the brewery. Weather permitting, we'll bring you to the old stable yard, the champion black walnut tree of Ireland and the remains of the walled garden. Then we'll bring you into the brewery itself to find out how we make our beers.”
A few tips here from suppliers CraftCentral
The Line Blocker is Highly Recommended.
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Larkins Hustler Pale Ale 4.5% ABV, 440ml can CraftCentral
Larkins tells us this is their “classic best-selling pale ale rebranded for the new range. Hoppy but low in bitterness this beer has been a craft beer favourite since 2018.”
Pale it is, almost lemon in colour, and also very hazy, certainly not see through. The bubbly white head sinks slowly. Aromas are of the hoppy citrus kind and the hops are also in charge of the refreshing palate. For all that though, the finish is not as grippy as you might expect. Not a bad balance at all and a decent refreshing drink indeed.
Recommended
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CorkBillyBeers #1
Craft journey with a mix: Third Barrel, Whiplash, Black Donkey, West Cork Brewing
Today, we start a new series and will be trying to get beers from all over the country, including from small breweries who may not be able to produce specials every week, so lots of core beers to be included.
Some weeks, the focus may be on one brewery, another week may concentrate on a style - I have one on stout coming up. Again, it will be mostly Irish beer but I will throw in a "visitor" from time to time!
Just let me know your stockist(s) in Cork where I can buy them. I know some of you have terrific boxes for sale online but I don't need six or twelve of the same beer. As a regular blogger, I need six or twelve different beers!
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Third Barrel Electric Eyes Idaho & El Dorado IPA, 5.6% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys
Volatile thiols are highly impactful aroma compounds that evoke grapefruit, passion fruit, and guava and are found in a variety of tropical fruits, wine grapes, and hops, according to a producer.
Here, Electric Eyes “has been fermented with a thiol boosting yeast, from our friends in WHC Lab in Wicklow, which produces savage esters of tropical fruits (Pineapple and Mango). On top of this, we loaded it with a stupid amounts of Idaho 7 and El Dorado hops, all wrapped up in a sessionable 5.6% abv.”
Since the hops used also produce exotic results, including pineapple from Idaho and tropical from El Dorada, we have a good idea of what to expect!
This one is hazy and certainly juicy and, as they say themselves, “pops with aromas of pineapple and citrus”. And so it continues on the juicy palate. But, for all the boosting yeast and the particular hops used, there is a certain balance and the fruity side, while certainly prominent (pleasingly so), is not at all over the top. And that’s the way I like it!
Geek Bits
Hops: Idaho 7 and El Dorado (both USA)
Plato – 13.56
Available in 24 x 440ml cans and 30l Key Keg
Very Highly Recommended
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Whiplash Alma Witbier 5.0%, 440 ml can Bradleys
Very engaging, on the light side, full of flavour and totally drinkable. My immediate verdict on a second “reading” (after a six months absence), of the Whiplash Alma Witbier.
Bright fresh lemon peel, tangerine, white wine, limes, white pepper and a hint of clove dominate the initial aroma while the body and flavour is airy, silky, fluffy, gently sweet and reassuringly citrus forward.
A Belgian style beer from Whiplash, a Witbier. Amarillo is the main hop and it is used in the dry hop while the other two, Nelson Sauvin (gooseberry, Grape, passion fruit) and Motueka (tropical, lime, lemon), both from New Zealand, are small additions to the brew at the whirlpool stage. Just before finishing they add fresh lemon zest to the tank, “electrifying the whole affair and transforming this Wit into something extremely special.”
Colour is a light orange, hazy for sure. Aromas are zesty as is the first impression on the palate. The lovely and lively lemony zestiness continues strongly on the palate, with peach and pine there also.
Whiplash say they “always approach our Belgian style beers in a less than traditional way” and the divergence continues throughout, though you may find little hints of clove in the aromas and at the end. Something different, something special as they say themselves.
Geek Bits
ABV 5.0%
440ml Cans & draught
Artwork by @sophie_devere
Pilsner Malt
Wheat Malt
Amarillo
Lemon Zest
WLP550 (yeast)
Very Highly Recommended
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Black Donkey Western Warrior Irish Lager, 4.2% ABV, 500ml bottle BD Online
Like all their beers, this Western Warrior lager from Black Donkey, is unfiltered, unpasteurised and bottle and keg conditioned and so a little murky in their own tall glass.
It is a close to orange colour with a short-lived head. The aromatics are of modest intensity, with malt leading the way. Malt too leads on the slightly sweet palate but there is a soft bitter counter, courtesthe traditional noble hops. But make no mistake about it, this understated lager is one supple and refreshing drink with a lovely lip-smacking malt-licking finish, flavour all the way to the very satisfying finalé.
They say: Truly a beer for any and every day. Versatile would be an understatement. Lets start with fish; scallops, sushi, steamed mussels, even oysters. Grilled pork chops and schnitzel, traditional sauerkraut and its accompanying smoked meats and sausages (natürlich!). Round it off with a slice of lemon meringue pie and all you need is cheese; just about any cheese you fancy. Personally, I’d be inclined to go fish and chips!
It is available in 500 and 330ml bottles and 30L kegs
Highly Recommended
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West Cork Brewing Spice Island Red Ginger Irish Red Ale, 5.1% ABV, 500ml bottle Ballymaloe Craft Fair
In Ireland traditionally, redheads are nicknamed ginger. So, in a reverse of that, a beer with ginger as an ingredient, is called an Irish Red Ale. And it is really red with a white top that doesn’t really hang around to see what’s going on in Baltimore, home of the West Cork Brewing Company who claim it as Ireland’s most southerly brewery..
And that ginger starts in the aromas. And continues to the palate where you get the spicy lift along with notes of honey and biscuit. Must say I rather like the ginger, particularly towards the warming finalé. Just goes to show West Cork Brewing are following their own compass, exploring new paths and making very interesting beers indeed.
As always, their beers are brewed using their own spring water, are bottle conditioned, unfiltered and vegan friendly. West Cork Brewing was launched in December 2014 by Dominic Casey, Henry Thornhill and brewer Kevin Waugh.
An interesting beer. Recommended
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A Quart of Ale± #133
On the craft journey with Kinnegar, Wide Street, Galway Bay, West Cork, and Bradleys.
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Kinnegar Rustbucket Rye IPA, 5.1% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys.
This old reliable, the Rustbucket, is well into its second decade now. The brewery tell us “it was inspired by an old friend - a real character and independent spirit, but always a faithful companion. This description also fits our friends at An Grianán Theatre for whom we originally developed this special beer.”
Amber is the colour and it has a big soft head. Malt heads the aromas with rye offering a little spice. And you meet that spice again in the mouth. And it’s all a little bolder, a little spicer, on the pleasing palate. The American hops come on with a citrus contribution. All’s in balance here though. It is an excellent beer. “A fresh and hoppy drink with a complex flavour profile that never disappoints”, they say themselves and I’ve no problem agreeing.
Once our wandering ancestors settled down, they began to grow grain to make bread and beer. Which came first? I’m not going that deep here. But, in any case, the kind of beer made depended on the local grain. Rye, which thrives on poor soil, was the local grain in much of northern Europe, especially in Russia and Scandinavia. Wonder if those early brewers made anything as good as this Rustbucket!
So how do Kinnegar humans (quite an inventive tribe) go from rye to rustbucket? Credit goes to a Donegal madra (his pic is on the can). “This is where the story gets obtuse, winding a thread around a beloved Irish Terrier, Rusty, or as he was affectionately called by many, Rustbucket. Irish Terriers are renowned for their intelligence. Some, like Rusty, are also very well-known for their tenacity and downright stubbornness. He was a great dog, but he sure did require a lot of patience!”
Quite a storied beer then, though many of the yarns might have never been written but for the crew at An Grianán Theatre calling for encore after encore (read can after can) on that Rustbucket opening night so many litres ago.
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Wide Street Spéciale Belgian Pale Ale, 4.7%, 440 ml can Bradleys
Longford brewery Wide Street introduce this Pale Ale: “S P É C I A L E is our nod to the Belgian Pale ales brewed in the Flemish provinces of Antwerp and Brabant. Traditionally amber in colour despite the Pale Ale name this beer is medium bodied and malt forward with medium bitterness. One of Belgium's session beer styles.”
Colour is a coppery/amber with a white pillowy head. It is more murky than hazy. Aromas and flavours are both fruity (apple and pear, even banana and orange). The first hit on the palate is the malt but this easy-drinking beer is certainly well-balanced, medium malty yes and with just enough bitterness to balance. A terrific alternative to IPAs and the brewers indicate it pairs well with poultry, pulled pork, curries or a cheeseboard.
Of course, the Belgians would argue that all their beers are spéciale. The two parts of the country may speak in different languages but that doesn’t prevent them having a common pride in their beers. Despite having a relatively short national history, it has one of the oldest brewing traditions in the world. And one of the characteristics of their beers is the extent to which they get the most from their yeast.
The label mentions fruity esters without elaborating (in fairness, there’s only so much you can print in a can). Esters are a fruity flavour produced primarily through the action of yeasts during fermentation and are influenced by the fermentation process. They are formed in beer by the “esterification” of ethanol which is the primary alcohol in beer.
Another excellent beer from Wide Street who can be found on a very wide street indeed in Ballymahon, County Longford.
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Galway Bay Bay Ale Red Ale, 4.4%, 330 ml can Bradleys
The crew in the brewery are very happy with this long-standing stalwart: Bay Ale is brewed with a complex malt bill and a savvy dose of subtle American hops for a modern spin on this traditional style. This beer has stood the test of time in our range and we are proud to see it still flying the flag for red ales.
Their Galway Bay “Bay Red Ale” has quite a strong red colour and a soft off-white head that slowly waltzes away. Aromas are mild and mostly malty. On the palate, you immediately note a smooth and well-balanced flavour from this well rounded ale. British and Irish malts get a chance to shine here and give this beer a strong backbone but the hops (European and American) get their share of the spotlight and the balance is excellent.
Irish Red ales are noted for their food-friendliness and this is no exception. Try it with salads, roast meats, cold meats, simple cheeses and salmon dishes.
Founded in 2009, Galway Bay is an independently owned and operated brewery based in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. “From classic styles to big barrel aged beers, we brew the full spectrum of beer with a passion for quality and innovation.”
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West Cork Brewing Cape Haze West Coast IPA, 4.7% ABV, 500ml bottle Ballymaloe Craft Fair
This comes in a gold orange robe, hazy of course, with a fairly big bubbly white head. Hints of orange and resin in the aromas (as you’d expect with the German pair of Mandarina Bavaria and Hercules in the recipe). And the duo of orange and resin also feature in the mouth, accompanied by a dank sensation and some vegetative input that I couldn’t put a finger on. Overall though, it is bright and fruity and quite a decent IPA, especially considering it weights at just 4.7% ABV.
By the way, the third hop is Yellow Sub (which as been described as “Amarillo on steroids”) is also of German origin. The brewery recommends food pairings for this beer as mussels, chicken & caramel cakes.
Like all of their beers, this is brewed using their own spring water, is bottle conditioned, unfiltered and vegan friendly. Current brewer at West Cork is Terra Brookins. She grew up in San Diego "where you can’t swing a cat without hitting a craft brewery”.
A Quart of Ale± #91
On the craft journey with Whitefield, West Cork, Clonakilty and Journeyman
(+ news via Rascals, Killarney & Craic Beer.)
Whitefield Old Smoke Smoked Porter 5.4%, 500ml bottle Bradleys
Whitefield (formerly White Gypsy) is a brewery in Templemore, County Tipperary. Cuilán Loughnane is the main person here and, according to Sláinte (2014), his fingerprints “are all over the Irish brewing scene”. I knew that he (through White Gypsy) had helped Cork’s Elbow Lane and Waterford’s Metalman get up and running by contract brewing their beers and more.
But Sláinte also details his earlier involvement, first with Dwan’s Brewery (Thurles) from 1997 and, from 2002, he was head brewer at Dublin’s Messrs Maguire (the forerunners of J.W. Sweetman) before setting up on his own as White Gypsy in 2009, a move that saw him join the “Second Generation: Mid 2000s to 2011” of Irish craft brewers.
He has grown his own hops and also brewed beers specially for food, beers in wine sized 75cl bottles and aimed at the restaurant trade. He is still going strong under the new label. By the way, this porter is named after Templemore legend, Old Smoke Morrissey.
They say: Traditionally, beers made in the midlands would have had a slight smokiness due to the malt being dried from peat fires. This stout brings out that combination of smoke and roast while remaining light on the palate.
Black as a newly tarred road between Templemore and Nenagh. There’s a tanned head, soft, and soon sinking away to the black. Aromas are smoky, a hint of bacon as you sniff. And it’s much the same combination on the palate. But nothing too extreme, all rather svelte and subtle, terrific balance right to the very satisfactory finish indeed.
West Cork Baltimore Bitter 5.5%, 500ml bottle Upstairs at Quay Coop
In December 2014, Dominic Casey, Henry Thornhill and brewer Kevin Waugh launched the West Cork Brewing Company. The 1st Brew-Hotel to set up in Ireland and also the country’s most southerly brewery.
It is based in Casey's of Baltimore Hotel and they started with three beers, Sherkin Lass a citrussy Pale Ale 4.4%, Roaring Ruby Dark Red Ale 4.4% and Stout X Stout West a chocolate porter 4.3%, the crew intent on their beers matching the quality of West Cork’s artisan foods.
This Baltimore Bitter is one of their latest. Colour is a very dark red with a tan head, soft, and slow to disperse. Aromas are moderate, notes of pepper. On the palate, there’s quite an amalgam, fruit, honey and a tang of citrus, lime perhaps. Quite a lip-smacking finish.
Refreshing and somewhat different, with a bitter aftertaste, and I can see it playing its part in the suggested pairings of Pulled Pork and Smoked Gouda. “We have used our own well water and the most traditional methods.” It is unfiltered and vegan friendly.
Clonakilty Smuggler Irish Porter 6.0%, 500ml bottle O’Donovan’s
Dark stuff this with a bubbly frothy tan head that sinks slowly. Moderate aromas of roast and chocolate as the head sinks another notch, just a thin disc now. And, now on the palate, it is sweet chocolate, coffee too and a medium touch of bitterness at the finish.
They say: We are passionate about making beer with no compromise, brewing small batches with big personality. Using locally sourced grains, the best hops and water from our own well, our beers are handcrafted with care….
Pour slowly for a smooth creamy head. Enjoy at 10-12 degrees. It goes well with dark meats, rich desserts and chocolate, and is delicious and satisfying on its own.
The Deasy family brewed beer in Clonakilty (known as the brewery town) for almost 200 years, including the famous Clonakilty Wrastler. The Deasys also had a legendary reputation as successful smugglers along the dramatic and rugged coast of West Cork.
Journeyman IPA 5.2%, 500ml bottle, X-mas gift
Hazy amber is the colour here and the white foamy head lingers a while. Expecting more middle of the road from the final bottle of my five pack (all different styles) but certainly more of a punch here. Big whack of hops on the palate - they say, and I agree, “bursting with fruity hop flavour”. And, as was the case in the previous four, the balance is good, thanks to the malt.
No details on the hops or malt used, at least none that I can find. Not too many details at all. And certainly nothing about food pairings. All I can tell you is that it went down pretty well with the middle chapters of the John Banville piece of crime fiction playfully titled April in Spain, though hardly a playful mystery, at all, at all, as Banville’s Chief Superintendent Hackett might add.
But there is something of a mystery on the label, and indeed on all the Journeyman labels in the pack. It tells us you of need of a great barrel to make a great beer, that Journeyman is steeped in the tradition of the highly skilled craft of coopering. Are these Journeyman beers are matured in wood rather than stainless steel?
Cooperage can be confusing. I walked past one earlier, in a building once owned by a distillery. It now houses the Aquaculture & Fisheries Development Centre, a research facility of UCC and embedded within the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences (BEES).
Brewery News
The Rude Couple Canned By Rascals
NEW BEER ALERT! Say hi to our next limited edition release: Rude Boy white stout and Rude Girl black IPA.
The former is a full-bodied pale stout with chocolate, caramel and coffee tones, brewed with coffee from our neighbours Imbibe, with oak-smoked wheat adding a lovely touch of character. The latter is a robust medium-bodied IPA with a unique blend and balance of dark roasted malts and piney, resinous hops.
We're very excited for Feb 24 when you'll be able to get your hands on these. Not only that, we're also having a launch party! Click here for FREE tickets.
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