Celtic Cousins Linked By Wine. Galicia's Albariño Very Popular Here

Celtic Cousins Linked By Wine. 

Galicia's Albariño Very Popular Here 

Our Celtic cousins in Galicia, in Spain’s North West, are thrilled to know that their Irish relations are huge fans of their Albariño wines from the Rias Baixas region. Believe it or not, we are the fourth largest importers of this particular wine in the world!

Lynne Coyle MW

It has all happened quickly and relatively recently.  “It is a young industry,” said Lynne Coyle MW one of our hosts at the Rias Baixas Tasting in L’Atitude last Tuesday, “In 1975 there were just 200 hectares of Albariño here, now there are over 4,000, lots of small holdings, cottage farming. Indeed, Lynne herself has made Albariño in Rias Baixas, on an 11 hectare vineyard “which is regarded as quite large”.

“It is not organic here”, she told us. “It is a difficult area to go organic and they focus more on improving sustainability.” One method they use is to grow the vines on pergola type horizontal trellises. This helps ventilate the grapes and also allows the farmers grow their cabbages underneath!

Our afternoon of tasting and masterclass began downstairs in the renovated and always impressive L’Atitude. Lots of chat and lots of bottles lined up on ice for a silent tasting. Not quite silent though.

Basque vines grown in "pergola" system

They had a few sparkling Albariños on show and I immediately gave a big thumbs up to the Bodegas As Laxas Sensum  Brut NV, a gorgeous opener, from a winery in the sub region of Condado do Tea. The same winery also had an excellent still wine from 2020. 

As Lynne Coyle indicated, there are few large-scale producers but Martín Códax is one and a very consistent one. The winery is named after one of the most important medieval Galician troubadours and was founded in 1986 thanks to the idea of a group of winegrowers; as a winery made by people for the people. 

Their 2020 is of medium intensity with ripe citrus notes and tangerine. On the palate it is fresh with good balance and the citrus is there right through to the finalé.

Bianca points to the rias

Soon, maybe not as soon as planned, we were seated upstairs and Lynne filled us in on the area and later Blanca Valencia would enthusiastically tell us all about the similarities between Galicia and Ireland and also about the food of the area. And the first dish up was a beauty and typical: Razor clams, Mussel and potato crisp and a lively Olive and anchovy combo.

Val de Salnés, towards the north, is the main region. And it was from here and its granite soil that our first upstairs wine came from, the Mar de Frades 2020 in an eye-catching blue magnum with a big white wave splash as a label, the blue chosen apparently to remind us that this comes from the Atlantic coast where some vines have their roots in the coastal sand. And that ocean influence was evident in this dry crisp and elegant whine. “No oak, really fresh”.

Number 2, the Granbazan Etiqueta Verde 2020, also came from this area. Citrus and floral, “with more salinity, a quintessential Val do Salnés. The other sub regions are Ribeira do Ulla, the tiny Soutomaior, Condado do Tea, and O Rosal. 

Terras Gauda is perhaps my favourite from O Rosal and their 2020 tasted very well. This is, by the way, a blend. Mainly Albariño of course but with 20% Caiño and 8% Loureiro. 

You can expect more fruit in O Rosal and Condado do Tea, maybe not quite as fresh as those further north. O Rosal still benefits from the ocean of course while planting at altitude helps keep the wines of inland Condado fresh.  One of the big takes from the afternoon was that we were learning that not all Albariños are the same, that is there is quite a variety.

Lynne is often asked what should they change to make Albariño more popular? More sparkling? The use of oak? More blending? She was emphatic in her answer: "More of the same!”

Now, as Blanca took her turn we enjoyed a plateful of mainly bonito and sardines. Delicious, as was the final plate of cured meats and Galician cheeses. She told us that the area inland was very mountainous. “But the coastal areas are vibrant and dynamic. The scenery reminds me of Ireland.” 

She invited us to visit and not just for the Camino. But if you do find yourself in Santiago di Compostela, then head for the market and choose the seafood. It is not expensive. “So you don’t have to do any penance to enjoy it!”

And if you want to spend more, then there are scores of Michelin starred restaurants in the general area, one with a menu at less than 30 euro. 

People are very similar to the Irish, “they don't like to say no!” Someone suggested the phrase “I will, yeah!” They love their vegetables and greens. Pork is important, veal too and the cheeses are mainly from cows milk. Albarino works fantastically well with Indian, Asian and Mexican food also.

Tetella cheese (DO)

By now we were making progress on the second flight of wines. I noted two, both citrus and dry, each lip smacking. One was the Señorio de Rubios 2020 (imported by Honest 2 Goodness), the other, regarded as a modern classic, the citrusy mouthwatering Pazo Señorans 2020 (imported by O’Briens). 

Great to be back at a full room tasting again after the Covid enforced drought, not so much a lack of wine but a lack of company. And good too to have experts on hand such as Lynn and Bianca, with Lynda and Sinead of Wine Tasting Ireland keeping it all together with a pour and a laugh.

Taste of the Week. Fermented Lemonade

Taste of the Week. 

Fermented Lemonade

Popular across cultures, fermenting food has made a comeback as a provider of 'good' bacteria that contributes to a healthy digestive system. BBC Good Food continues: Fermentation is an ancient technique for preserving food and drinks that has been practiced since long before the days of refrigeration.   

Read more here. Or visit the Midleton Farmers Market on a Saturday morning.

I visited Midleton Farmers Market recently and spotted some fermented drinks on the Ballymaloe Cookery School stall. I started asking questions and Aoife told me all about them. 

Most of you are probably familiar with sourdough where a starter is used to kickstart the fermentation. There were quite a few varieties of liquids on the BCS stall but I played it safe and bought the Lemonade one. Here a "ginger bug" is used to convert "sugar into friendly probiotic compounds". 

My little 250ml bottle is finished by now. I enjoyed a shot glass of it for a few mornings in a row. It is slightly sour, nothing major, and easy to swallow; indeed, it is similar to a very good quality lemonade. No miracles to report on the gut front but I'm open to trying more of our Taste of the Week and even some of those more far-out ones!

Not surprised that BCS is doing these drinks as fermentation guro Sandor Katz made a huge impression here during those marvellous Literary Fest years.

A Quart of Ale± #103. On the craft journey with a trio of beauties: Hope, Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash.

 A Quart of Ale± #103

On the craft journey with a trio of beauties: Hope, Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash.

Hope Limited Edition 26 Born To Be Free Amber Lager 5.5%, 440ml can Bradleys

Amber lagers have become the centrepiece of the world’s most famous harvest festival, a beer of celebration. So says The Beer Bible. Author Jeff Alworth is talking about Oktoberfest in Munich and in other cities. And number one of his Beers to Know for this annual fest is none other than Paulaner Oktoberfest. Pilsner and Munich are the malts while the hops are Herkules, Hallertauer Tradition; ABV is 5.8 while IBU is 20. 

The only Amber Lager I have this evening is this Hope Limited Edition. Let’s get it (the lederhosen) on. This, the beer not the short pants, has a lovely amber colour with an off-white head that sinks away slowly. There’s a spicy and floral aroma with fruity notes. There’s an inviting melange of toffee and caramel on the palate but well balanced by slight bittering from the hops, both American. One is Cluster, once the most widely grown hop in the US and a great choice for lagers. Amazing how well it all comes together, very impressive indeed. No crowded tent but applause of two hands clapping.

They say:  Our first Limited Edition of 2022 is an amber lager with a malty medium body. The beer is a throwback to some of the popular American beers before the craft beer boom of the 80s and 90s. A descendant of the Vienna Lager style,…. The body is lightened somewhat by the addition of flaked corn to the grain bill….

The beer is brewed using the extremely traditional European mashing technique of double decoction, which intensifies both the colour and the malt flavour.”

Geeks Bits:

Hops: Cascade, Cluster (IBU: 25

Malts: Lager, Munich, English Crystal

Serve: 6-9 degrees.

Wicklow Wolf Far Far Away NZ Indian Pale Ale 6.0%, 440ml can Bradleys

Introducing our latest Endangered Species release - 'Far Far Away'. A beer we have been planning to brew for over a year, following on from our Endangered Species No. 15, Somewhere Far Away.

The colour of this Far Far Away, #26 in the series, is a muddied orange, with a white head that doesn’t hang about, at all. Aromas of this New Zealand India Pale Ale are at once homely (gooseberry) and exotic (passionfruit). 

They mention two super fresh New Zealand hops and in fairness, and to my delight, it is indeed fresh as if just pulled at a bar. Again the fruit flavours dominate the palate, citrus along with the gooseberry and passionfruit, floral hints too. And those generous soft fruits take us smoothly on to a very satisfactory and hoppy finish.

The Wolf team tell us: "Fermenting at a warmer temperature and with the ale yeast has amplified and added to the hop aromas and flavours as well as the body of the beer. Sit back and enjoy this one while thinking of somewhere far far away.” Not too difficult at all!

One of the brewers is a Kiwi. “The brainchild of our brewers coming together, this is an IPA that champions two super fresh New Zealand hops, Nelson Sauvin and Motueka. Two bountiful dry hop additions allow these hops come to the forefront of the beer bringing a burst of soft fruits, grape, gooseberry and floral hints.”

Whiplash Melted Roggenbier 5.4%, 440ml can Bradleys

This Roggenbier is the latest in the Whiplash lager series and “is a big, huge rye affair”. Colour is an eye-catching copper with a soft off-white head that flops down quickly enough but then hangs about. Aromas give off a slight spice and some fresh crusty bread. It is soft and smooth on the palate, where the rye is a major actor, before exiting with an assertive bitterness.

CraftBeer.com says: “Roggenbier is a message in a bottle, timelessness in a glass—and I suggest you try one.” Why not start with this Whiplash effort.

Whiplash themselves certainly took to it in a big way: “Just look at that copper colour…..It definitely leaves us wanting another sip. Melted was a huge hit at our weekly team tasting, thanks to Enric for putting it top of his ‘to brew’ list!” And the plan became a reality when the Dublin brewery launched it last March.

Geek Bits

Vienna Malt

Rye Malt

Crystal Rye

Caramel Aromatic

Magnum (cedar pepper resin)

Hersbrucker (grass tobacco bergamot)

WLP833

Launched: March 2022

Crew in Limerick have a mighty May lined up!

Street Food Sundays

Every Sunday, 1pm to 9pm

Street Food Sundays are still curing us of the weekend’s antics, so in May we’ll continue to collaborate with our friends at Street Food Done Good at Wickham Way to bring you the best global street eats paired with fresh local beer. Every Sunday, from 1pm to 9pm, we are offering any dish from Street Food Done Good and any Crew brew for 12. Just let us know your food order at the bar! This month, Street Food Done Good are treating us to Portuguese dishes.  Their full menus (and recipe cards from previous months) are available on Instagram @streetfooddonegood.

To celebrate Indie Beer Week at the end of May, we have something exciting in the works. In collaboration with Street Food Done Good, we’ll be hosting a beer and food pairing evening here at Crew! There will be more details to follow on our social media channels, but for now, keep the 31^st of May free.

Barnabrow House: Splendid Sunday Lunch

Barnabrow House 

Splendid Sunday Lunch

I was glad to hear that Sunday Lunch had resumed in Barnabrow and great too to find out recently (24.04.22) that the standard is as high as ever. It is all quite the occasion, the well coordinated confluence of excellent staff, top notch produce and a skilful kitchen, all combining to serve up a leisurely lunch of three courses plus tea or coffee (with petit fours).

Barnabrow means "Top of the Fairy Fort” and reigned over by the Fairy of Cloyne. Now, thanks to the magic, not to mention the hard work, of owner Geraldine Kidd who has been restoring and developing the ancient house and its surrounding acres over the past 26 years, Barnabrow stands strong and ready to serve again following the Covid 19 onslaught.

After working in London, Geraldine came to visit Ballymaloe (next door to Barnabrow), saw the melons growing in the greenhouse, "an epiphany moment",  and signed up for a three months course. 

She added to her cooking experience with a stint in the Arbutus and also worked with Denis Cotter of Café Paradiso and also in Midleton’s Farmgate. She bought Barnabrow in the mid 90s. It has proved very popular as a wedding venue.

Sunday lunch is not the only sign that the big house is finding its place in the East Cork food diary again. Back in September, Geraldine welcomed a group to the opening of her Tea Rooms in the main house. Here, customers now enjoy Afternoon Tea and there’s also the option of a light lunch. Check out the details here. 

The Sunday Lunch venue is in the main restaurant. This church-like building stands alone and is also used for the wedding receptions for which the house is quite well-known. 

After a warm welcome, we started to study the menu as we nibbled on some of their lovely breads. I got off to a terrific start with my Oak Smoked Salmon with roast beetroot, wasabi cream and a poppy seed Dorito. A really superb opener, the salmon excellent, even the beetroot, from their own garden, was magnificent.

CL meanwhile was happily engaged with her Clonakilty Black Pudding Salad with green apple, Feta, crispy potatoes and spiced tomato dressing. Quite a lot going on there but all in delicious harmony. Also available were Ardsallagh Goats Cheese (with confit red onion and Kalamata Olive tapenade, hazelnuts) and a Tomato and Roast Red Pepper Soup with Toasted Almonds. 

As you see, local producers are well supported and that continued into the mains. Mine was magnificent: Roast Striploin of O’Connell’s Beef, truffle potato, ragout of Ballyhoura Mushrooms and shallots, and a red wine jus. The beef was perfect, tender and so well cooked, and enhanced no end by a notable jus. A compelling combination.

Pan roast supreme of chicken was CL’s choice and that came with Chive mash, Cannellini Beans, Chorizo cassoulet and Port reduction. Quite a chicken dish, well executed and, like mine, accompanied by a packed dish of roasties and root vegetables (all nicely cooked, not too soft, not too hard). There was also a fish option and a veggie option of a Wild Mushroom Ragout.

The finalé wasn’t half bad. We enjoyed a Lemon Tart with Raspberry Coulis and also Chocolate Marquise, spiced oranges and crystallised nuts before finishing off with Bewley's coffee (Barry’s tea was also an option) and Petit Fours.

Kids are often at Sunday lunches and here they may have half portions of the adult dishes plus a few other options. For the big boys and girls, there is a short list of red and white wines.

Geraldine likes nothing better than to see her guests stroll around the grounds and meet the other inhabitants. The donkeys have long been popular here but it seems the friendly pygmy goats (relatively recently introduced) are now getting a lot of attention. Enjoy your food and the visit.

Barnabrow is on the Shanagarry Road out of Cloyne, about ten minutes from the Lakeview roundabout on the N25 at Midleton. More here. 

A Local and Multinational Feast at Cork's Marina Market

A Local and Multinational Feast

 at Cork's Marina Market

Taylor's New Jersey Roll

You walk past a tall concrete silo into an old warehouse on Cork Docklands. The area has seen better days but rarely better food. 

For this warehouse is full of food stalls and is the base of the thriving Marina Market where influences from as far away as Brazil and Sicily, from East Coast US and Korea, are seen at their delicious best in a variety of dishes, big and small. Of course there is a large local input too, beef from Tom Durcan and spuds in many guises by Prátaí for example.

Languages galore as well. Aside from the spuds,here are a few random samples from the menus: Nua Asador, Fusilli Amatriciana, Latke, Carnitas, Funky Shoom, Koreole, and more. Might have to re-christen that silo Tower of Babel. But you don’t have to worry about the languages. Just get the food into your mouth where no translation is needed! And enjoy.

Picanha Steak by Nua Asador

I started this visit with a call to two stalls from the many that were operating in midweek. First up was the Nua Asador looking rather splendid with the wood fire blazing away in the rear, the whole operation lit by vintage lights (by James Gibbons Electrical). 

Here Chef Victor Franca, in partnership with Tom Durcan Meats, serves up, without gas or electricity, the best of Irish beef in a Brazilian style. You’ll also get chicken and pork here and there’s a daily special. They are open Mon - Sun from 12pm.

The menu appears on a long board, you give your order, pay and then wait for a few minutes for it to be cooked. I couldn’t resist the Picanha Steak with sourdough bread, grilled baby potatoes, chargrilled onions, Farofa, and Chimichurri Sauce (13.00).

Dine out

This is a tender traditional Brazilian rump cut steak, served in a cardboard container on a bed of potatoes, a generous amount of the sauce and that tasty Farofa (a traditional Brazilian side dish made with toasted yuca flour/cassava flour). The steak is a winner for sure and very highly recommended. It reminded me of a phrase from James Joyce in Portrait of a Young Man: "Stuff it into you, his belly counselled him." 

Must call back soon to try some of the other items on the menu. And the same goes for our other call, that to is to Taylor’s of Cork, specialising in New Jersey Rolls, New York Subs and Latke Dishes. Latke are little pancakes with a huge tradition - I'll be checking them out next time.

This time we picked the most popular dish of the day, one of the New Jersey rolls, this called “Make it Rain”. For €8.00 you get Taylor’s Bacon slices, Latke, Cheese, Fried Egg and House Hot Sauce (other sauce options available). The fried egg by the way is runny in all three Jersey Rolls, the others called Sight for Sore Eyes and Lord I’ve Been Changed.

A superb lunch feed, made even better by the fact that we could eat outside in the hot April sun; full of flavour and textures and very enjoyable, even with the messy egg! Taylor's Deli at the market is open seven days a week from 9.00am.

Plenty of soft drinks and water available at the various stalls which also include Sicilian Delights, Prátaí, Poulet Vous, Burritos & Blues, Alchemy for coffee and bites, and many more. There’s even a baby shop here. And you may also get your hair cut. Many reasons to go back to the Marina Market.

Dine in

2022 Beer of the Year

2022 Beer of the Year 

Confirmed to date

April: Whiplash True Love Waits Dry Hopped Pils

March: Lineman Schadenfreude Schwarzbier

February: Wicklow Wolf  “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout.

January: Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel

December: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut

Best of April (Short list)

Pils: Whiplash True Love Waits Dry Hopped Pils

Pale Ale: Wicklow Wolf Tundra Tropical Pale Ale

Brown Ale: Whiplash Smoke Stack Lightnin’ Oaked & Smoked

Gose: Dot Brew When the Going Gets Gose

Session: Boundary Love is Here Hoppy Table Beer Pale Ale 2.6%

Ciders to note: Killahora Bottle Conditioned Dry Bittersweet Cider 2019, 5.9%, 750ml (champagne style) bottle Longueville House Cider 5.9%; Longways Medium Sweet Elderflower Cider.

Best of March (short list)

Schwarzbier: Lineman Schadenfreude Schwarzbier 5.9%

IPA: Boundary Inefficient Knowledge IPA 6%;

Weizenbock:Whitefield The Viscount Weizenbock 7.5% 

Pale Ale: Third Barrel Shut Up Juice

Black IPA: Rascals Rude Girl Black IPA

Session: Boundary Trees We Didn’t Plant Pale Ale 4.0%

Best of February 2022 Short List

Oatmeal Stout: Wicklow Wolf  “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry 

BA Stout: Bradleys & Dot Brew Shady Dealings

Milk Stout: Trouble Brewing Nocturne Milk Stout

IPA: Killarney Scarlet Pimpernel

Smoked Porter: Whitefield Old Smoke Smoked Porter; 

Porter: Clonakilty Smuggler Irish Porter. 

Bitter: West Cork Baltimore Bitter

Session: Blacks The Session Pink Grapefruit IPA 3.4%

Rye IPA: Wicklow Wolf Canis Rufus

Dark Lager: Whitefield Ivy Hall

Gold Lager: Whiplash Dawn Chorus Helles. 

Best of January 2022 Short List

Dark Lager: Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel

Oats IPA: Hope Overnight Oats IPA.

Session IPA: Porterhouse Sundown Session IPA

American Pale Ale: O Brother The Chancer APA

Barleywine: Brehon Brewhouse Red Right Hand Barley Wine Beer

NEIPA: Porterhouse Renegade New England IPA

Stout: West Cork Stout X Stout West

Blonde: Killarney Golden Spear Blonde

Best of December (2021, for 2022) Short List

Brown Ale: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut.

Single Hop IPA: Eight Degrees Citra Single Hop IPA 5.7%

Cask-Aged Porter: Brehon Brewhouse Shanco Dubh Porter 8.8%

Coffee & Oatmeal Stout: Third Circle Shot In The Dark

Pale Ale: Lineman Fluid Dynamic Extra Pale Ale.

Single Malt IPA: Eight Degrees Full Irish 6.0%

Session: Whitefield Brewery “Woodville” Session Pale Ale 4.3%

Lager: Whiplash Das Model.