Cobh on a sunny morning!
Cobh, County Cork, Ireland 06.06.2021
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| Reinforced! |
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| Annie Moore sculpture |
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| Bee friendly |
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| St Coleman's Cathedral |
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| Cobh corner |
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| Not just flowers. Fruit too! |
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| The Irish Navy's ship George Bernard Shaw |
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| Cobh Heritage Centre and view up the harbour in the direction of Cork city |
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| The new-ish marina |
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| Outdoor breakfast on the quays |
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| Rib on GB Shaw |
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| Athletic hero Sonia O'Sullivan |
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| Cathedral from the bandstand |
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| Badly in need of a refurb! |
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| Cobh waterfront |
Favourite Beer of The Year 2021-The candidates, so far! + May Favourites
Monthly Favourites
May: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale
April: Heaney New England IPA
March: Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter
February: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Lager
January: Lineman “Vesper" Pale Ale
May Favourites
White/wheat/wit: Heaney Irish White Ale
Rye Ale: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale
Lager: Western Herd "Loop Head" Pilsner
Red Ale: Brú
Amber Ale: Kinnegar Devil’s Backbone
IPA: O’Hara’s 51st State IPA
Session: Rising Sons “5th Horseman” session IPA
Overall: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale
April Favourites
Sour: Wide Street “Peach Berliner” Sour or Wheat?
Brown Ale: Whiplash “The Ocean Wide”
NEIPA: Heaney New England
Session: Blacks The Session IPA 3.5%
German style IPA: Rascals Wunderbar IPA
IPA: O’Hara’s Tropical IPA,
Stout: O’Hara’s Irish Stout,
Overall: Heaney New England
March Favourites
Lager: Wide Street “Mill Pils”
Session: Eight Degrees Bohemian Pilsner Lager
Red Ale: O’Hara’s Irish Red Traditional Ale, 4.3%
Baltic Porter: Whiplash Melodie Noir Baltic Porter
Overall: Whiplash Melodie Noir Baltic Porter
February Favourites
Lager: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path”
Pale Ale: Blacks Kinsale KPA
Session: Rascals “Fruitropolis” Pale Ale, 4.3%
Overall: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path”
January Favourites
Pale Ale - Lineman Vesper
IPA - Hopfully Graciosa
Session: Whiplash Northern Light
Lager: Kinnegar Brewers at Play Rye Lager
Porter: Elbow Lane “Liberty”
Overall: Lineman Vesper
Not quite the same attention to detail paid to the lists for 2020 but the “favourites” were:
Stout: Brehon Brewhouse “Ulster Black” Oatmeal Stout 5.0%
Belgian Tripel: Eight Degrees Devil's Ladder Belgian Tripel 11.5%
Golden Ale: West Kerry Brewery “Béal Bán” Golden Ale, 5.0%
Imperial Stout: Lough Gill Dark Majik Imperial Oatmeal Coffee Cream Stout 11.0%
Pale Ale: Trouble Brewing Ambush Juicy Pale Ale, 5.0%
Session: Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8%
Lager: White Gypsy Munich Lager, 5.8%
American IPA: Kinnegar “Crossroads” American Style IPA 6.2%
Saison: Third Circle “Unsocial Creatures” Dry Hopped Saison 4.4%
White/Wheat: Mescan “Westport White” 5%
Cider: Highbank “Proper Irish Cider” 2016 6%
Sour: Yellow Belly Castaway Passionfruit Sour 4.2%
Red: The White Hag “The Fleadh” 6.8%
Hybrid: Hope Underdog Hoppy Lager 4.8%
Non Alcoholic: Highbank’s “Drivers” Cider
Overall: Eight Degrees Devil's Ladder Belgian Tripel 11.5%
Cheers on Beer, Wine and Spirits. With Liberty Wines, White Hag, Wines of the World, Rascals, Wines on the Green, Lough Gill, The Corkscrew. #210605
Liberty Wines welcomes Henschke
Eden Valley based Henschke is a 'world-class addition' to Australia portfolio
Liberty Wines is delighted to be appointed the agent in Ireland for Henschke, one of Australia’s most renowned, family-owned wine producers. The wines will be available through Liberty Wines from 1st June.
Henschke celebrated 150 years of family winemaking in 2018. Fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Henschke took over running the winery in 1979 and, together with his viticulturist wife Prue, they have taken their two single vineyards, ‘Hill of Grace’ and ‘Mount Edelstone’ and transformed them into two of Australia’s most sought-after wines. Their three sites in the Eden Valley and their ‘Lenswood’ vineyard in the Adelaide Hills are all farmed using biodynamic principles, with Prue at the forefront of re-introducing native plants to improve biodiversity.
Stephen Henschke comments: “We have enjoyed working with Liberty Wines in the UK since January last year and are delighted to be represented by Liberty Wines in Ireland. We are confident that the team’s expertise with Australian wines and their broad customer base in Ireland will enable us to build on our success to date. We thank Harshal and Andrew of Pembroke Wines for their support and enthusiasm for our family’s wines.”
David Gleave MW, managing director of Liberty Wines, adds: “Henschke is a world-class addition to our premium Australia portfolio in Ireland, perfectly complementing our existing South Australia producers and strengthening our offering from the Eden Valley. Prue and Stephen’s firm commitment to quality, sustainability and innovation, combined with their wealth of very old, low-yielding vines, is giving wines of exceptional quality. It is also nice to see that the future of the estate is in safe hands as the next generation - winemaker Johann, marketer Justine and ambassador Andreas - is now actively involved in the family business.”
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White Hag Calling!
We’re absolutely thrilled to announce Hagstravaganza 7 - our birthday festival LIVE at The White Hag, this July 31st, with a potential 2nd date on August 1st.
23 breweries, 90+ beers and a big noisy train returns for 2021!
And a whole lot of fun! Details and Register here
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Grape Variety is the name of the game at Wines of the World
You love Pinot Grigio. Rosé. Sauvignon Blanc. Malbec.
Go deeper into your favourite grape with a six bottle selection...
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News for Rascals Fans!
You'll now be able to pick up a new 12-can branded pack of Happy Days session pale ale or Yankee White IPA. The packs are available in O’Brien’s Wines stores and all good independent off-licences, including our own off-licence at Rascals HQ Inchicore, open Wed-Sun from 2pm. The packs can be purchased on our webshop too.
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Welcome back to the Celtic Wine Offer!
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Lough Gill's
BRAND NEW Raspberry Sour - Just in time for summer!
After the success of our recent fruited sours, we decided to give the people what they want and release a brand new sour beer - just in time for summer!
Jam-packed with raspberry, this sour ale blends the tart flavours with the added creamy milk sugar to give a vibrant, refreshing sour beer.
Coming in at 4.7%, the sweetness and smooth pillowy mouthfeel of this beer will set your tastebuds alight. 🤤
Think raspberry, raspberry and more raspberry.
We love hearing your thoughts on our beers, so be sure to leave a review on Untappd.
| TRY RIPPLE |
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The Corkscrew's Intriguing Selection
Check out the Donnafugata Basket
Donnafugata is a brand that creates wines with elegance and creativity that are symbolic of the Sicilian region in Italy, where they come from. These eclectic wines stand out for their pleasantness and complexity, they are wines capable of fulfilling desires and making those who taste them happy.
Check out this intriguing selection which will be sure to fulfil all your wine desires this Bank Holiday weekend.
Details here
A Quart of Ale± #54
On the craft journey with a quartet of IPAs
Brú IPA 5%, 330ml can Bradleys
This is a bright light gold IPA from Brú, lots of bubbles spouting up towards the quickly diminishing white head. By the way, the longer it was out of the fridge, the hazier it got. Strata has, in recent years, become the darling of craft brewing. It brings tropical fruit notes to the aroma and flavour mix, citrus too, and you can see here how well it combines, as you’d more or less expect, with Centennial and Cascade. It’s a mouth-watering package indeed, zesty and hoppy.
According to Brú’s own notes, this “bold and pleasing beer” scores 33% for “malty” while “hoppy” hits the 100 mark. Not too sure it’s that bold but certainly its very pleasing indeed. The blue lady you see on the labels is Anna Danu, the Celtic primordial goddess. As a tribute to her (and for more practical reasons too, more than likely) only the highest quality ingredients are used. A good policy and, clean and bitter, is a very good beer indeed.
Hops: Strata, Centennial, Cascade
Malts: Pale, Maris Otter, Arome
Wicklow Locknut Kveik IPA 5.2%, 330 can O’Donovan’s
An orange/gold colour with a dense haze and a soft floppy head that hangs about for a bit. Aromas aren’t intense at all, a little citrus-y, perhaps a tiny hint of salinity in there as well. Quite a mouthfeel to this one across the palate. Bitterness is modest and it is quite juicy; as well as the Mosaic hops, “a large addition of pineapple and mango” has been added and is listed among the ingredients.
No Kviek in that list but it is prominent on the can. What is it? A Norwegian farmhouse yeast that throws off citrus and tropical esters. Kviek, also one of the Norwegian words for yeast, is now widely used in the beer world.
Its distinguishing factor is that, at very higher temps (c. 104 degrees F), Kveik can ferment the same 5% ABV beer in as little as 48 hours—three to five days sooner than a typical ale yeast. And it also throws off those citrus and tropical esters.
Quite a juicy little number then, one that will satisfy many, though not perhaps the hop heads!
Bradleys in collaboration with DOT Brew “The Real Capital” IPA 6.2%, 440 can
This Real Capital IPA has a colour a bit like the city at sunrise on a foggy day, a hazy orange. There’s a soft white head on top that thins down quickly enough. With a “healthy helping” of Idaho-7 and Amarillo hops on board, you’re guaranteed pretty intense aromas (tropical, citrus plus floral also) and so it goes also on the palate but there’s also more than enough bitterness, a bitterness though that is light and lively, so that it’s harmony all the way, like a happy version of After All by the Frank and Walters. Capital stuff, really.
This well muscled beer (6.2%) is a collaboration between Bradleys (founded 1850) and the much younger DOT Brew (from the unreal capital). It is exclusive in store and online to Bradleys Cork. Flaked and malted oats and a healthy helping of Idaho-7 and Amarillo hops are the key ingredients.
O’Hara’s Hop Adventure Strata IPA, 5.0%, 500ml bottle via Radical Drink
This edition in O’Hara’s Hop Adventure showcases Strata – a brand new hop cultivar that has received wide-spread acclaim, and for good reason! Strata has a complexity that lends itself perfectly to a single hopped beer, the same Strata in the Brú above.
This comes in a light to mid gold colour, a soft white head. Lots of bubbles rising too. Aromas are lively enough, bright fruit with citrus to the fore, also a herb-ie touch. Very impressive balance on the palate, hops and malt in active unison, soft and juicy and refreshing right through to the very pleasing finalé. Thumbs up folks.
Details:
Style- IPA
ABV- 5.0%
Plato ° -13.0°
IBU- 45
Fermentation- Top fermentation
Availability- 30L Keg (carbonated) and 50cl Bottle
Serving- 6-8°C
Food Pairing- Perfect for matching with a spicy, diavolo Pizza, Fish and Chips and blue cheese.
Glass- O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer conical glass
Slainte, the 2014 guide to Irish craft beer, classed Carlow Brewing, along with Porterhouse, Franciscan Well, Whitewater and Hilden, as being in the first generation of Irish craft brewers. Not an easy station back then (1996) but Carlow successfully entered the export market to gain experience and sales and eventually a firm footing at home, their hard-won achievements underlined when they left their original premises behind and moved to a smashing new premises in Bagnalstown in 2009.
Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork
(Contact me before 1.00pm Wed with a sentence, a pic and a link to menu, plan to update regularly) Update #1
w/e 05/06/2021
Click and Collect. At Home. Takeout. Takeaway.
Almost certainly the last week of the Dining NOW Guide as many restaurants and cafés are now beginning to concentrate on opening up to do what they love to do and that is serve customers face to face! And quite a few are no longer offering these At Home menus. I enjoyed bringing you all the details and the numbers checking in were in the thousands. All the best and see you across a table somewhere soon!
Da Mirco Weekend
We had some glorious weather last weekend and let's hope it will continue for the next few weeks with outdoor dining reopening.
Unfortunately we won't have any chance to have tables outside but we are planning to reopen through the summer with indoor dining.
This week 🇮🇹 ITALIAN FEAST 🇮🇹 is featuring our famous Homemade Ravioli filled with Aubergines, sheep’s Ricotta and sundried Tomatoes served with Pesto alla Genovese! Plus delicious starter of Carpaccio di Bresaola from Valtellina and new Dessert Strawberry Tiramisu, available from Thursday to Saturday.
Check the rest of the menu Da Mirco Click & Collect and don't forget to add Delicious Cheeses and Cured Meats from my northern italian village Morbegno, Wines and Beers
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Fri 4th / Sat 5th June €30 per person - FREE delivery in the great Cork city area
As always, menus will be available to order from 12pm tomorrow (Monday) via The Glass Curtain At Home
Vouchers may be redeemed against our 'At Home' offering by phoning / emailing through your order (021) 451 8659 / manager@theglasscurtain.ie
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L'Atitude Brings The Auvergne To You!
Taste of the Week.
Gubbeen Ribs in Marinade
Our Taste of the Week, very highly recommended by the way, came from the Gubbeen Stall at last Thursday's Farmers Market in Mahon. They are mildly spiced and may be slow-roasted in the oven for 2.5 hours or you can also do a 1.5 hour cook at a higher temperature. Also suitable for the BBQ.
We did the 1.5 hour and, accompanied by a simple salad (mostly from the back-garden, they were perfect, a perfect Taste of the Week.
