A Quart of Ale± #91 On the craft journey with Whitefield, West Cork, Clonakilty. + news via Rascals, Killarney & Craic Beer.

 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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Killarney Brewing & Distilling Co.

We're on the hunt for waiting staff for the Taproom on Muckross Road in Killarney. The role is made for someone full of energy who enjoys the craic and would like to know more about brewing and our premium Irish beers. Does that sound like you? Send your CV across to Ivan at Ivan@killarneybrewing.com.

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Craic Beer Community - Brew Project Four breweries, four unique beers all packaged up exclusively for the Brew Project. Includes online tasting session as well as in person meet-up in Dead Centre Brewing, Athlone to taste and discuss the beers! €65.00  Only 24 boxes left!

51 Cornmarket. Anne and David keeping the sunny side up!

51 Cornmarket. Where Anne and David keep the sunny side up! 

Briskey

Chef David Devereaux is showing sunny side up after a “hectic” two years. As he passed through the dining room during our lunch last week, I wished him a very good 2022 for 51 Cornmarket, the restaurant he owns and runs with wife Anne Zagar. And he smiles broadly and says they had a good year in 2021! 

The duo have packed a lot into the last two years, having opened 51 early in 2020. A few weeks later Covid hit, for the first time, and not for the last. Like many, they opened, they closed, and opened again…., And, obviously, made the very best of 2021, including welcoming Max, their first born, who will be celebrating his first birthday next month!

Basque Cheesecake, with apple purée

In the meantime, the food being served up in the now popular Coal Quay venue kept getting better and better. The punters were impressed and so too were the critics. We were early admirers and were again delighted as we checked the menu last week. No problem finding something to my taste here. 

Indeed, just like my mother with the Grand National runners, I could have stuck a pin in the list and, like her, would have come up with a winner. I would eat every single dish here with great enjoyment and that is the second such menu I’ve seen recently - the other was at On The Pig’s Back in Douglas. So one for the Irish-American combination on the Northside and one for the Irish-French duo on the Southside.

What did we pick for lunch from the enticing list that included brunch dishes such as their French Toast and Duck & Waffle and more plus lunch specials like The Lough Bagel (salmon pastrami, herb cream cheese  and mandolin pink onion) and The Caesar (chickens Caesar mayo, Egg, parmesan, bacon crumb and cos on sourdough?

Pollox Boi

CL picked the Pollox Boi ( a linguistic twist on a local phrase) but here meaning Fried Pollock Hot Dog, Tartare, Shallot and Pea. And it also means deliciousness; it looked well on the plate and tasted well. Great to see the pollock getting a run on a menu - a terrific fish that I enjoyed on a few Mayo holidays a long time ago, cooked in foil (I think) directly over a turf fire.

Anyhow back to the present and my dish called the Briskey. They like their wordplay here and I liked this bunful of Beef Brisket, Celeriac Remoulade, Toasted fennel pangritata and pickled onion. Quality all the way here. We also had a helping of their fries and not a shred of either dish or the fries went back.

Happy out as we say around here and we were to get even happier. Two cups of fine Stone Valley coffee followed with a rare treat in these parts: a Basque cheesecake. I was thinking that it might be something like the Basque custard cakes you get there (at least on the French side) but this was a different level altogether, smooth as could be, firm enough and so easy to digest, sweet and silky and quite a treat.

No 51 has become rather famous for its egg dishes but we had this meal without seeing any - perhaps one or two was used in the cheesecake. Here, they boast of “using the best produce the county has to offer made by a super passionate crew”. The eggs don’t have to travel far - they come from the rooftop urban farm in the Coal Quay itself! 

Open for breakfast, lunch and all times in between, the skilful youthful cafe exudes energy and enthusiasm with David and Anne both well-experienced in the restaurant business. The menus change here, depending on supplies, and everything is done in-house. You’ll find all the info on opening times on their Facebook but no menus as such. Lots of picture of dishes though, some with details, on both Facebook and Instagram.

Chef David cooks in a modern Irish style. The superb ingredients are handled with care and skill and the results are full of colour, texture and flavour. Presentation is strikingly neat and tidy - just look at their social media pics. Besides good food on your visit, you get smiles galore and a bit of craic.

The inside space (takes 20 plus) is narrow, white walls and ceiling, light coloured furniture, nicely lit, a line of tables on each side, counter towards the back with toilets in rear. And they have an enclosed outside area as well. Very Highly Recommended.

Bakestone Beef Hits The Spot After Wild Side Walk

 Bakestone Beef Hits The Spot

After Wild Side Walk

Nothing like a walk on the wild side to work up an appetite. And that old saying was proven once again last week when a walk on the very windy Harper’s Island was followed by lunch at the nearby Bakestone Café in the Fota Retail Park near Cobh Cross, just a few minutes away from the island wetlands.

There weren’t that many on the wetlands but it was a different story when we entered Bakestone for lunch. It was 2.00pm or so and the place was pretty full and this was a Tuesday. There is no booking though, walk-ins only. But they have a big open and bright space there and also quite a lot of tables in a well sheltered area between the glass wall of the main building and the garden centre around its south and east walls.

The first thing you see as you join the queue (a small one in our case) is a large breakfast menu and this is their signature offering. Many of my friends go there and enjoy it: all kinds of eggs, plain or  Benedict, Florentine, or Royale.  Then there’s Pancakes and French Toast and after that well you can try a pastry or cake from a large selection.

The lunch menu is not as extensive and, on a recommendation from our server, I picked a Beef Brisket Sandwich, the beef pulled, and served in a delicious bun packed with the meat, various greens and pickled cucumber. 

I picked from a large selection of salads and got myself a Beetroot one and also a Leaf one, each adding a euro to the basic price so that the sandwich cost a very reasonable €8.35 in total. They also do quiches here and they cost €6.25 each before add ons.

That beef sandwich was just the job after the walk and I was soon tucking in, really enjoying the flavour and the textures.  But is was quite substantial and it was finished at a slower pace! By the way, I noticed that quite a few people at nearby tables were enjoying breakfast dishes even at the hour!

After a pause, I decided on a cup of coffee and a pastry. Coffee is by Badger and Dodo so you are guaranteed a decent cup of Joe and I confirmed that for myself. The cake, a White Chocolate Tartlet with raspberries, was a really sweet one and half of it was packed into a serviette to be finished later on!. The main conclusion from the visit was that, next time, I would test that obviously very popular breakfast menu!

Harper’s Island Wetlands

The wetlands, open everyday 9.00am to 4.30pm, are a relatively new visit in the area. The entrance, with a small car park, is on the old Cork-Waterford Road, on the left roughly halfway between Glounthaune Village and Bakestone, just beyond the railway station but before the Elm Tree Pub.

Goodbye Geese!

Once parked, you make your way over an ugly concrete bridge and soon you are walking  onto the island. To your right, you can see Glounthaune village, straight ahead is the Cork-Waterford dual carriageway (the N25 or the East Cork parkway - its more fancier name), but mostly, including to your left, you see the wetlands and the various bits and pieces of this part of the backwaters of the massive Cork harbour.

Then you reach the first of the hides, a solid timber structure with plenty of openings for visitors to see the various birds. There are another two hides in the map and other points from where you may get close-up views. But nothing’s guaranteed as regards the wildlife and I was about to depart when I spotted the four large white geese in the distance.

What is guaranteed is a good long walk. When you come to the end of the first path (good solid surface, works vehicles have to get around here too, though there is no traffic as such), there is a looped walk that brings you back to this point again. 

Then you walk back to the car park with a view of houses on the slopes to the immediate north and you should be able to see too the house and farm where Killahora Orchards grow some of the earliest-ripening apples in Ireland and produce some very innovative products with their harvest. More on the wetlands here.

Other attractions close to Bakestone are Fota House and Arboretum, the Fota Wildlife Park, Barryscourt Castle (closed at present for OPW works), and Cobh (with its many attractions) is not too far away.

Walk on the wild side. Harper's Island Wetlands

Walk on the wild side. 

Harper's Island Wetlands.

I was close to making my exit when I saw these four large white geese strolling on the mud. They stayed a while before flying off (below). Pictures taken w/e 2nd and 3rd Feb 2022.

Harper’s Island Wetlands

The wetlands, open everyday 9.00am to 4.30pm, are a relatively new visit in the Glounthaune area. The entrance, with a small car park, is on the old Cork-Waterford Road, on the left roughly halfway between Glounthaune Village and Bakestone, just beyond the railway station but before the Elm Tree Pub.

Once parked, you make your way over an ugly concrete bridge and soon you are walking  onto the island. To your right, you can see Glounthaune village, straight ahead is the Cork-Waterford dual carriageway (the N25 or the East Cork parkway - its more fancier name), but mostly, including to your left, you see the wetlands and the various bits and pieces of this part of the backwaters of the massive Cork harbour.

Then you reach the first of the hides, a solid timber structure with plenty of openings for visitors to see the various birds. There are another two hides in the map and other points from where you may get close-up views. But nothing’s guaranteed as regards the wildlife and I was about to depart when I spotted the four large white geese in the distance.

What is guaranteed is a good long walk. When you come to the end of the first path (good solid surface, works vehicles have to get around here too, though there is no traffic as such), there is a looped walk that brings you back to this point again. 

Plenty of scope here for sea birds to come and go. Quite a few "land" birds around as well!

Then you walk back to the car park with a view of houses on the slopes to the immediate north and you should be able to see too the house and farm where Killahora Orchards grow some of the earliest-ripening apples in Ireland and produce some very innovative products with their harvest.

If you are staying in the Clayton at Silversprings, Vienna Woods Hotel, Radisson Little Island, Fota Resort, Commodore Cobh or Midleton Park, the wetlands are just a short drive away. Please note that no dogs are allowed. More info here - be sure and check out the video there! If you want to stock up with some food before the walk, Fitzpatricks Foodstore is close at hand. After our walk, we headed for lunch to the nearby Bakestone Cafe, details here.

The island is bounded on the north by the railway, on the south by the motorway.

Handy map mounted at the start.

Killahora Orchards where  fruit trees thrive on the warm south facing slopes

The 2nd hide seen from the first; distances are short enough here.

The hides are generously equipped with openings to view the birds coming and going.
And plenty of illustrative posters as well

Glounthaune (on the left) with Cobh/Midleton to Cork railway immediatly on right.

Glounthaune village, with Fr Matthew Tower high in the trees

Catkins on the island

In the Bug Village

You might strike it lucky and see all these on one visit but I doubt it! Patience and Persistence required.

Killavullen Farmers Market returns for 2022 on Saturday 12th February

Killavullen Farmers Market returns for 2022 on Saturday 12th of February and will take its traditional fortnightly place in the calendar for the rest of the year! After a brief hiatus since the last market in December, the stall holders and customers alike are eager to get back. One of the oldest farmers markets in Ireland, now into its 20th year, they will have their regular Saturday market on 10:30a.m. until 1p.m. in the grounds of the Nano Nagle Centre, on the main road between Castletownroche and Mallow. The market is continually evolving and continues to surprise each visit!

All regular stallholders return to the market for 2022 so you will be able to purchase a range of products from locally grown seasonal vegetables, handcrafted baked goods, Arbutus breads, jams, chutneys and cordials. There is a fine selection of meat, smoked salmon, yoghurts. 

Killavullen farmers market is a great spot to pick up crafted goods including knitwear, kids toys and wood products. The second hand bookstore is a must for any reader. All books cost €1 and donations of books are also gladly accepted. 

Where we were this week

We are so lucky to be surrounded by great producers and suppliers at Killavullen Market and we thought it would be nice to share some good news about others great businesses. A recent visit to O Mahonys in Watergrasshill for Sunday brunch was a real treat! Great coffee and freshly prepared, exceedingly delicious dishes were in abundance. Dishes featured runny poached eggs, tangy hollandaise sauce, crispy bacon and sweet sticky french toast. Expertly executed whilst feeling like you were at home the whole time! Bravo Victor and Marie.

 

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/killavullenfarmersmarket/

 

Greywacke and John Duval. Two Cracking Wines from Marlborough and The Barossa. Do you know the Arneis grape?

Greywacke and John Duval. Two Cracking Wines from Marlborough and The Barossa

John Duval, `Plexus` Marsanne/Roussanne/Viognier, Barossa 2019, 12.5%

RRP € 28.99 The Corkscrew; Baggot Street Wines; Wineonline.ie

Vibrant light start colour with hints of green invites you to take this Rhone inspired white a little further. And then you experience rather intense aromas of honeysuckle and stone fruit (including rich ripe peach).  Well structured and balanced, you continue to enjoy the ride, the complex palate packed with pure fruit, the six months in oak adding to the vibrancy of the fruit. 

I’ve long been a fan of Rhone white grapes, especially Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier, the three in this blend. Now even more of a fan. Very Highly Recommended.

All varieties were gently pressed. The pressings were then combined with the free run juice and cold settled. Fermentation commenced entirely in stainless steel tanks with some of the Marsanne and Viognier (9%) completing fermentation, and then maturation, in puncheons until bottling in late August. The remaining Marsanne (50%) and the Roussanne (41%) were matured on lees in tank until bottling to enhance the structure and texture of the finished wine.

From a family boasting four generations of South Australian vignerons, John Duval is one of the world’s best known winemakers. After 28 years with Penfolds, including 16 years as Chief Winemaker, John launched his own label in 2003 - a new challenge that would allow him to be involved first hand from vineyard to glass, and provide an opportunity to build something for his family.

Growing Rhone varieties is a no brainer in the Barossa. The Valley has a Mediterranean climate with warm-climate vineyards. And so a red Rhone was the first Plexus: “Our affinity for working with old vine Barossa Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvédre began with John’s time at Penfolds, and continues with this wine - the first to be released by John Duval Wines from the inaugural vintage in 2003.”

 “The aim of Plexus is to express a wide spectrum of fruit flavours, whilst ensuring seamless integration of the contrasting characters of the three varietals. Shiraz provides rich dark fruits and mid palate weight, whilst Grenache delivers a bright flavour spectrum of red fruits and spiced notes. Old vine Mourvèdre is integral to the blend, ensuring a good firm backbone of savoury tannin and a long finish.”

I drew heavily on the Wine Australia website for info on the Barossa and John Duval (including the final two paragraphs).

Greywacke Riesling Marlborough New Zealand 2019, 11.5%

RRP € 27.99 The Wine Centre Sweeney's D3 Martins Off Licence Fine Wines Fresh - Dublin outlets

Light straw is the colour of this off-dry Greywacke Riesling from New Zealand. Exotic fruits feature in the intense aromas along with  the more humble such as apple, plus a hint of pepper, and diesel in the background. The fruit flavours, with citrus exuberant, dance across the palate, a little sweetness wafting in there too. But there’s a lively acidity helping bring it all together.  There’s quite a mouthfeel too and a fantastic long finish. Very Highly Recommended.

There’s quite a lot of attention to detail involved in the production of this Riesling. Here’s a flavour: Half of the juice was inoculated in a stainless steel tank using cultured yeast, while the other half was filled into old French oak barriques, where it was allowed to undergo spontaneous indigenous yeast fermentation. All of the wine was then transferred to a stainless steel tank where the fermentation was stopped, retaining 19 g/l residual sugar. The blended wine was filled into old barrels, where it remained on yeast lees for a further five months….

Greywacke was created in 2009 by Kevin Judd, chief winemaker at Cloudy Bay from its inception for 25 years and instrumental in the international recognition which Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc enjoys now. The name 'Greywacke' was adopted by Kevin for his first Marlborough vineyard located in Rapaura in recognition of the high prevalence of rounded greywacke river stones in the soils of the vineyard, a sedimentary rock which is widely found in Marlborough. Kevin is also an accomplished wine photographer.

The Riesling grade is a relative newcomer to New Zealand, first planted in the 1970s and steadily increasing in acreage since then. Marlborough is the leading area for both sweet and dry styles (Grapes & Wine edition. 2015).

Have you heard of the Arneis grape?

Giovanni Almondo Roero Arneis “Brico delle Ciliegie” (DOCG) 2020, 13.5%

Not too many of us will have heard about this Arneis grape. Indeed in the middle of the previous century, it was on the way out of the scene. The website wine-searcher.com says it “has been rescued from the verge of extinction”. Obviously the local Barolo producers, so rich in reds, took to it as a white to be proud of and that helped the revival as has its distribution in these islands by Liberty.

Now the Arneis wines are known as Barolo Bianco and are synonymous with the Roero region where this one is produced by Giovanni Almondo.

This single vineyard Arneis has a straw gold, bright and clear. Liberty Wines MD David Gleave, alerted by their local Barolo producers, tried this a few times before deciding to import it to the UK and Ireland. Aromas and flavours are modest and pleasant with touches of apple and peach, a hint of hazelnut too. And there’s a lovely fruity crispness about the initial contact on the palate, a contact that soon proves refreshing and is satisfactory right through to the lengthy finish. Highly Recommended.