A Quart of Ale± #122. On the craft journey with Hope Beer including two new Limited Editions

A Quart of Ale± #122

On the craft journey with Hope Beer including two new Limited Editions

I have often reviewed the beers of Dublin’s Hope in these posts and they are usually pretty good. Recent reviews include regular beers such as Handsome Jack and Underdog.

Hard to beat those that make up their Limited Edition, their Classic Gose a fine example. They are moving on relentlessly with this group and kindly sent on their most recent, Nos 27 and 28, each available widely in 400ml cans.

Hope Limited Edition No. 27 Munich Helles 5.3% ABV

It’s a slightly hazy amber with no shortage of bubbles and a slow sinking head that is foamy and while not snow white, just a little off. Aromas, which are gentle and persistent, are mostly floral plus a touch of herbal. What is outstanding on the palate is the well-judged malty flavour and the long-lasting refreshment at the finish.  Much thought went into this one, the balance is spot-on for the style and the result is really excellent.

They say: This Munich style Helles Lager holds back on hops and bitterness to allow the sweet and full bready flavours of malt take centre stage. Nonetheless there is a noticeable hop presence from the traditional German Hallertau hops used in the kettle and the Whirlpool…….Enjoy it in the garden, or with salty pretzels and bratwurst.

Geek Bits

Serve: 6-8 degrees

Bitterness: 19 IBU

Alcohol: 5.3% ABV

Colour: 8 EBC

German lager types

“Pils” may be Germany’s most well-known lager. Aromatic, crisp and moderately bitter it is refreshing and a terrific session beer.

Maibock is the spring beer (Mai = May). Hops and malts get a turn here. Quite versatile at the table with pasta dishes, salmon, or shellfish recommended.

Märzen has traditionally been brewed in March to be enjoyed at festivals starting in September. Again, there’s usually a good balance between malts and hops and you can enjoy it at Oktoberfest with the schnitzel, brockwurst and game.

Helles can be easily found in Munich, its crisp finish similar to Pils. Cool and refreshing, this everyday beer goes well with salads, shrimp, or fish, an excellent session beer.

There are quite a few other types including Rauchbier. You'll also come across Kolsch which is a hybrid, meaning that its producers employ elements and techniques of both lager and ale.

How To Pour A German Lager From A Bottle*

1. Tilt the glass or stein at a 45 degree angle.

2. Place the tip of the bottle in the glass, and pour the beer quickly down the side.

3. Start to straighten the glass as the beer reaches the top to create a nice head of foam.

* from kegworks.com 

Hope Limited Edition No. 28 Double Rye IPA 8.5%.

This big Rye IPA comes in an attractive amber/orange colour and is quite hazy. The spice of the Rye and the citrus of the Centennial feature in the aromas. And you also meet them on the palate where the interaction is absolutely outstanding.

I was quite taken aback by this, even though I like Rye beers such as Dungarvan’s Mahon Falls Pale Ale, Kinnegar Rye Lager and also their Bucket & Spade Session Rye IPA. Rye is a traditional grain in Scandinavia and Russia, used for both bread and beer. “The baking of bread and the brewing of beer go hand in hand,” said Russell Garet, head brewer at Elbow Lane, at a recent tasting in the tiny Cork brewery. Perhaps the first sentence of this paragraph should start as “I was quite impressed by this…”

Hope balanced the strong influence of the malted rye firstly by “a

mountain of Centennial, the classic American citrus hop, which

we use in the kettle, whirlpool, and in two dry hop additions”.

They also used CryoPop, a new product from Yakima Chief, that

blends various Cryo Hops.

“The result,” they say, “is a huge IPA, which combines the spicy malt flavours of Rye, with the orange and grapefruit flavours of Centennial, all lifted by the tropical fruit flavours of Cryo-Pop hops”. Well worth checking out. But take your time and enjoy this a sip at a time as it is very easy-drinking for a beer that packs an 8.5% ABV.

Whenever, or at least most of the time, I am drinking strong drinks, I think of César Saldaña, then Consejo Regulador in the Sherry region of Spain, and his words during a lecture in Ballymaloe: “When drinking sherry with your meal you should always have a glass of water at hand. When you want to ‘wash’ down the food use the water and then take ‘a few drops’ of the sherry as it goes a long way!” You’ll find that a sip of this excellent beer will also go a long way, so why hurry?

Geek Bits

Serving Temperature: 8-10 degrees

Bitterness: 70 IBU

Alcohol: 8.5%

Colour: 18.5 EBC

Hope American Pale Ale 2022 5.5%, 440ml can Yards & Crafts

Malty. Juicy. Citrusy. It’s a super fresh juicy pale ale dry hopped with El Dorado, Citra, Azacca and Idaho 7.

That’s what Hope say about this American Pale Ale , their summer special for 2022. It is a hazy amber/orange colour and the aromas are citrus and tropical fruit, pretty intense too, as you’d expect from the four hops employed: El Dorado, Citra, Azacca and Idaho 7.

The hops are at work on the palate also and here the balancing comes from the pale malt from Ireland’s South Coast before a zesty finish. Despite all the hops, it has a relatively low bitterness count of 18 IBU.

Geek Bits

Bitterness: 17.6 IBU

Colour: 9.5 EBC

Alcohol: 5.5% ABV

Format: 440ml can

Great with: Picnics. Sunshine & Friends.

*****

Hope produces a core range of five beers which are available all year round as well as two seasonal and a wide range of limited-edition beers. All Hope beers are brewed, bottled, canned and kegged at Howth Junction on Dublin’s Northside.

Why not visit? 

Join us for the best micro-brewery tour in Dublin! Enjoy a guided tour of our state-of-the-art German brewery. Plus enjoy a beer tasting in our taproom while enjoying a great view of the brewery floor. More on tours here.

Taste of the Week. Boyne Valley Bán.

Taste of the Week. 

Boyne Valley Bán (Tomme Style) Cheese

These little holes are also seen in the French Tomme

Tomme? You may well ask. Tomme is an old French name for cheese and you'll find lots of it in Eastern France in hilly and mountainy areas. It has a mild creamy flavour that is pleasant and lasts in the mouth. 

When we, and the kids, used to visit France on holidays, Tomme (usually de Savoie) was always on the shopping list. We liked it and importantly so too did the kids. The Lost Valley Dairy and Creamery near Inchigheela make a semi hard cheese in a Tomme style and it is excellent. Theirs and all the French ones that we ate are made from cow milk.

When I spotted this Boyne Valley Tomme on sale in On The Pig's Back in the English Market, I had no hesitation in buying a wedge. Then when we unwrapped it at home, we realised that it was a paler colour than the French and soon found the reason: it is produced from goats milk. 

Boyne Valley are well known for their goats cheese, including their Blue. Five years ago, they developed this white goats cheese similar in style to the French Tomme cheese. There are very few cheesemakers producing goats tomme cheese on a commercial scale in Ireland and this Bán proved a perfect fit for the market.

We could taste why. It may not have the depth of colour and may lack some of the nuttiness of the Savoie cheese of the French or Macroom versions, but is has the smooth supple texture and enough of its own very pleasant flavour indeed to make it immediately wake up those taste buds, enough to make it our Taste of the Week.

Michael and Jenny Finegan run the 400-goat enterprise together. "We believe the lush grasses of the Boyne Valley produce a unique taste in our ‘Boyne Valley’ goats cheese. The lack of Irish produced Blue Goats Cheese lead to the creation of Boyne Valley Blue and soon after our award winning Bán was also produced here on the farm."

They didn't have to wait for my endorsement. In 2018 Boyne Valley Bán won gold and ‘Best Irish Cheese’ in the British Cheese Awards, received 3 stars and was nominated for a ‘Golden Fork’ award in the Great Taste Awards,  In a relatively short space of time Boyne Valley Bán has grown and has now outstripped Boyne Valley Blue in sales.

A duo of characterful wines, one from the unique Corbieres terroir, the other from the prolific Rhone.

A duo of characterful wines, one from the unique Corbieres terroir, the other from the prolific Rhone.

A Rhone village

Château de Bastet “Aeris” Côtes du Rhone 2019, 13%,

RRP €17.95-€18.25. The Grainey, Scarriff//

Taste, Castletownbere// The Olive Branch, Clonakilty// Mary Pawle

Aeris, from Avignon, is a Biodynamic Rhone white made from (mostly) a blend of Marsanne, Rousanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier grapes. It has a pale straw yellow colour. Aromas are not the strongest but are not delicate either, beautiful and inviting floral scents and ripe fruit too. Initial sip makes a tart impression but soon the fruit (citrus and apricot and exotic too) asserts itself all the way through to a fresh finish. 

Generally, white Côtes du Rhone have a clear and crisp appearance, with a floral and fruit bouquet and a well balanced palate. This “Aeris”, organic and biodynamic, certainly fits that description. Serve at 9 to 11 degrees and you’ll find it is the perfect match to grilled fish, shellfish, fish stew and goat cheeses. Would be a good match too with a vegetable tart or with a chicken dishes. Salade Nicoise too. Pretty versatile.

Château de Bastet lies on the outskirts of Sabran, a village in the Gard region 45 km west of Nîmes and 35 km north of Avignon. The story of Château de Bastet is one of family traditions and a profound love of this land, a passion reflected in the wines made here. Welcome to a truly unique winemaking estate where past, present and future are united under the banner of biodynamic agriculture, a cohesive combination of traditional craftsmanship and the Art of Living.

Highly Recommended and, by the way, well priced. Aeris is one of a trio in the winery’s four elements series. The others are Terram (a fruity red C-d-R) and Ignis (an intense red C-d-R). Don’t think they have a fourth on offer. Might not be appropriate to call a wine Aqua!

Sainte Croix Pourboire Nature 2018, 13%

RRP €18.50-€19: Little Green Grocer,Kilkenny// Organico, Bantry// The Connemara Hamper, Clifden.  

As usual, the Sainte Croix label tells you most of what you need to know about the wine in the bottle. This is the story of this one: terroir -  hautes Corbières - limestone - Carignan - delicious fresh fruit - living soils - soft tannins - wild herbs - passion - wine without compromise. 

Colour is a deep red with purple hints. Crushed blackcurrant leads the aromatics and there’s a floral presence as well and more than a hint of outdoor freshness, perhaps from the local garrigue (popping and cracking in a hot summer). And that melange of fruit and floral, matched by a fresh acidity, all born and bred in the unique Corbieres terroir, makes for a superb palate. Tannins are featherlight, barely a tickle, and the finish is long and satisfying. Very Highly Recommended.

Saint Croix tell us there is nothing added. “Nothing, ie no SO2, yeast, tannins, enzymes, fining products etc etc. A red that remains very close to black fruits and garrigue herbs. From the Free Electron Series. Fermentation in vats at 23-26°C for 15 days, with indigenous yeasts and without input. On fine lees in vats for 6 months; breeding without SO2. Bottled without SO2.”

Sainte Croix in the Languedoc is owned and run by the English husband and wife team of Jon and Elizabeth Bowen, who have extensive experience of working both in classic French stone ‘caves’ and giant, steel wineries in many parts of the world. From first sight of the unique geology and ‘climat’ here, professional intuition made it clear that it is an area of immense potential, a potential they consistently realise in their wines and illustrated well in this lovely wine, a blend of 80% Carignan and  20% Grenache.

Most of the world’s Carignan is grown in the south of France, both in the Languedoc and in neighbouring Côtes Catalanes. Surprisingly, former French colonies Tunisia and Algeria come second and third. While the fruit may have been grown in the Corbieres, it doesn’t get the AOC and is labelled simply as a Vin De France. A rather superb one though!

I read that Wine Folly recommends  Carignan as an “amazing choice for Thanksgiving and holiday fare” as it works well with cinnamon spiced dishes, berry based sauces and smoky meats. 

Friday is wine night at Grainstore and Ballymaloe House

Wine Events at Ballymaloe

Friday 2nd and 9th of September

Thomas (left) and Colm

There's a@feastcork wine event Friday 2nd September 6.30pm in the Grainstore at Ballymaloe. Colm McCan is enthusiastic: "I'm

looking forward to Thomas Walk @thomaswalkvineyard #irishvineyard #irishwine joining me for the wine talk and tasting @feastcork event in @ballymaloe_grainstore - Thomas will talk about his Co.Cork vineyard and taste his wine." #irishwine @ballymaloe_grainstore with Ted Berner @wildsidecatering #feastcork #eastcork #wildsidecatering

www.ballymaloegrainstore.com/events/wine-tasting-and-sharing-plate-e

*********

 

Hosted by Niels and Penny Verburg of Luddite Wines.

Friday 9th September at 7pm in the Long Room at Ballymaloe House

€155 per person

Book via 021 465 2531

Limited availability, so please book early via 021 465 2531

An entertaining and delicious South African wine event with the wonderful Niels and Penny Verburg of Luddite Wines, Bot River, Western Cape, South Africa.  Guaranteed to be a delicious and interesting evening with these entertaining duo returning to Ballymaloe House for the first time since 2012.  We are looking forward to welcoming them back.

https://www.capewinemakersguild.com/users/niels-verburg

https://luddite.co.za/about/

More info here.

A Quart of Ale± #121. On the craft journey with Bullhouse, 12 Acres, Wicklow Wolf, Eight Degrees

 A Quart of Ale± #121

On the craft journey with Bullhouse, 12 Acres, Wicklow Wolf, Eight Degrees

12 Acres Pale Ale 4.6%, 440ml can O’Brien’s Douglas

Not my first time coming across this 12 Acres Pale Ale, from County Laois, with its soft white head that sinks fairly quickly. The colour has more amber than pale. And the aromas speak more of malt than hops and so it continues onto the palate. In addition to their own malt, they also use a small quantity of three European speciality malts, giving even more malt body, texture and additional caramel flavours to the beer. 

But the three Americans hops,Cascade, Willamette and Citra, help give bitterness plus citrus and tropical flavours to balance the malt sweetness. So what you get is a delicious refreshing dry hopped golden pale ale.

They say: Our award winning flagship beer, our pale ale is a take on the American Pale Ale (APA) style, with more emphasis on the malt flavour than a traditional APA. Our own spring water is the main ingredient and we add our own pale ale base malt which forms the majority of the grist, to give the fermentable sugars and flavour to our beer…By brewing with our own malted barley and Killeshin spring water from deep beneath the same land, we are producing unique Irish craft beers with traceability from our ground to your glass.”

A lot of attention to detail here and it pays off. Best served 6-8 degrees and it goes great with spicy foods.

****

8 Degrees Citra Single Hop IPA, 5.7%, 440ml can O’Brien’s Douglas

They, 8 Degrees, say: Citra, with its fruity, juicy aroma and flavour, is one of our favourite hops. To showcase it, we’ve used a simple, yet elegant, malt body …. This is a beer that is both sweet and tart, with a gloriously juicy mouthfeel.

Orange/gold is the colour of this Citra Single Hop from Eight Degrees, the adventurous brewery. It’s got a white bubbly head. Aromas are, surprise, surprise, citrus with a floral touch as well. The combined fruit flavours come out to play on the juicy palate and you’ll note peach, melon, lime, gooseberry, passion fruit and lychee in the mix with the malt on display. It’s a refreshing really well-balanced beer, with a nicely judged bitter finish. 

Geek Bits
2020 World Beer Awards – Gold
2019 World Beer Awards – Gold

Style: Single hop IPA
Malt: Irish pale ale malt
Hops: Citra, Citra and…Citra!
Strength: 5.7% ABV
Bitterness: 62 IBUs

Food pairings from the Mitchelstown brewery are among the best around:
The bitterness in this Citra Single Hop IPA will cut beautifully through sweet low-and-slow pulled pork served with a chilli-spiked peach relish. The beer also will counterbalance the bold flavours of barbecued chicken wings and play nicely with some grilled spicy fresh Gubbeen chorizo sausages. Try it with a not-too-sweet Key Lime pie for a full-on citrus ending to your meal.

*********

Bullhouse Suds DDH Pale Ale 4.5%, 440ml can Yards & Crafts

Slurp down some Suds! More hops.

That’s the can label encouragement from Belfast Brewery Bullhouse. And this Double Dry Hopped murky orange coloured Pale Ale is certainly well endowed with hops  (Eldorado, Talus and Azacca) especially in the aromas, and also on the palate.  By now the soft pillowy head has slumped to mere disc but you won’t be worried as the tropical fruits and an input of citrus take over on the smooth and satisfactory ride to the finish. Well made, well balanced.

Last May, Bullhouse took delivery of a brand new (to them) 25HL brewhouse and 6 additional 25HL FVs. 

“We’ve always invested more heavily in our cold-side equipment than in any hot-side stuff, because you can make really good wort on pretty basic kit, but you can’t make really good hoppy beer with poor quality cold-side equipment.”

“We ended up going for a system from a cask brewery in England that had closed down. We now have a 50HL direct fire HLT, 40HL German made mash tun (with side manway) and a 30HL direct fire kettle.” 

The new kit means Bullhouse have the capability to “double our weekly production to 60HL with the same amount of effort”. Well if this Suds is anything to go by, the investment is well worthwhile. Best of luck.

****

Wicklow Wolf Jeff Bezos Hopfenweisse 6.3%, 440 ml can Bradleys

Introducing No. 30 in our Endangered Species series; Heff Bezos. This release is another example of our brewer’s passion and creativity running wild. A modern twist on the classic hefeweizen beer style, Heff Bezos is a hop forward wheat beer. 

That’s the Wicklow Wolf intro to Heff Bezos. Colour is a murky, opaque, orange with a. Soft slowly sinking bubbly white head. Aromas are a puzzle. I’m expecting banana and clove but initially getting a smoky bacon whiff but go again and it is somewhat closer to the expected combo.

On the palate, the Hopfenweisse continues to carry the banana clove combo yet is is somewhat tartier than the usual. Perhaps the yeast ( a hefeweizen yeast strain from our friends at WHC) is the disrupting factor? No shortage of flavours though with notes of citrus, tropical (including mango) and pine. And, as this first meeting comes to an end, I’m feeling very much at home with Jeff, sorry Heff!

I’m presuming the name Heff Bezos is a play on Jeff Bezos. Jeff, the multi-billionaire (ex Amazon), may be rare but hardly endangered.

Wicklow say this is a style of beer “that we have planned to brew for quite some time now, this Hopfenweisse is brewed with modern hops (Citra, Idaho 7 & Talus)  and fermented using a hefeweizen yeast strain from our friends at WHC*. You can expect a burst of citrus & tropical fruit flavours complimented by aromatic, fruity esters coming through from the hefeweizen yeast.” 

* WHC Lab is a Fermentation and Quality control company in Wicklow

Talbot Collection relaunch innovative Trainee Chef Development Programme

  

Left to right: Dr. Deirdre Keyes, Chief Executive KWETB; Philip F. Gavin, Managing Director, The Talbot Collection; Eileen Cullen, Head of Training Services and Innovation, KWETB; Natalie Power, Group HR Manager, the Talbot Collection. The Talbot Collection, one of the country’s well-established hotel groups has announced the relaunch of their hugely successful Chef Development Programme for a second consecutive year in partnership with KWETB .

 

 

Talbot Collection relaunch innovative Trainee Chef Development Programme

Training programme first of its kind in Ireland proved huge success in 2021 and returns for 2022

According to the Restaurant Association of Ireland, there is currently a shortage of 7,000 chefs in Ireland. 

As Ireland’s hospitality industry continues to struggle to return to pre-pandemic service levels, The Talbot Collection, one of the country’s well-established hotel groups, had their own novel solution to reducing chef shortages across the group by investing in the development of an innovative training programme for Trainee Chefs.

With an investment of more than €250,000, the Talbot Collection set a precedent last year with their Chef Development Programme, the first of its kind in Ireland.

The programme will return for 2022 following the success of last year’s course which saw 19 chefs across the hotel collection have the opportunity to learn from the best in the industry at the KWETB professional training kitchens and upon completion of the 25-weeks of full-time training, each candidate will receive a City and Guilds Level 2, Diploma in Culinary Skills (the equivalent to a QQI Level 5 Award). 

Running in conjunction with Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB), all trainees will receive a salary, accommodation, meals, and transport for the duration of the 25-week programme. The aim of the programme is to help trainee Chefs learn, progress, and excel in their careers with a growing, progressive, and family-owned Irish company.

Following the programme, they will have the opportunity to learn and work on-the-job with a team of experienced Chefs in one of The Talbot Collection’s six hotels: Talbot Hotel Wexford, Talbot Hotel Stillorgan, Talbot Hotel Carlow, Midleton Park Hotel, Oriel House Hotel or the Talbot Hotel Clonmel.  This will be a continued permanent, full-time, and salaried contract as a Junior Commis Chef.  Throughout their time on the job, candidates will receive continuous development by way of on-the-job training and experience, as well as additional online modules.  They will also have the opportunity at the end of this tenure to take part in the Level 6 National Commis Chef Programme. 

Nigel Corbett, Head Chef of the Talbot Collection Wexford, said of the training “We spent several months last year carefully creating and developing this programme to ensure that participants receive the highest level of training from some of the most skilled professionals. The success of last year’s programme and the talent and creativity produced was instrumental in our decision to relaunch the course this year, it really is a brilliant opportunity for anyone seeking to further their career as a chef in the hospitality industry.”

Group Managing Director of the Talbot Collection Philip F. Gavin said he is extremely proud of the work that’s gone into the training programme. “I had the pleasure of visiting the trainees on site last year in one of the training centres and to say I was excited and proud at what I experienced is an understatement! This training programme remains the first of its kind in Ireland and we’re hopeful that other businesses and groups will follow suit and start to invest in our hospitality industry in a similar way. The experience and practical skills that these trainee chefs are learning are truly second to none and after the success of last year’s programme I am very excited to see the talent that will emerge from this year’s programme.” The content covered and skills taught will immerse up-and-coming chefs in the very latest in all things culinary.

Celebrity chef Derry Clarke heaped praise on the initiative, adding it was a wonderful initiative for anyone who has ever considered becoming a chef.

“The Talbot Collection is very forward-thinking in providing this opportunity which is open to all.  Cheffing is a life skill not just a way of life,” Mr Clarke added.

Jelena Medvedeva was one of the trainees who completed last year’s very first Chef Development Programme, she now works at the Talbot Collection Carlow as a Commis Chef. She said this of her experience: “The Chef Development Programme taught me a lot and shaped me into the Chef I am today. I have reached many milestones during my time completing the programme at the Talbot Hotel Carlow.

Our level 5 had a mix of existing industry members and complete newbies, but nonetheless we all mixed and worked as a team to make sure that we all moved along as one unit. We were pushed by our teachers to be the best we could be by the time we finished up, and either went back to the industry or went on further in the education field. 

I can honestly say that I wouldn't be where I am today without Talbot Collection Chef Development Programme and the guidance and mentorship of Head Chef William Bayle, I loved my experience here and I am excited for all the opportunities that lie ahead.

 

Eileen Cullen, Head of Training Services and Innovation in Kildare and Wicklow ETB said they are delighted to have partnered with the Talbot Collection on this initiative:

“I am delighted to see the return of the Chef Development Programme this year, the programme is returning at the perfect time to assist in combating staff shortages in the hospitality industry and we welcome the investment in training and support by the Talbot Collection.

 

“The success of last year’s programme is evident, with 11 chefs now working in full-time positions within the industry. The KWETB looks forward to working with The Talbot Collection again this year and we would encourage those looking to improve their skills in a supportive and progressive environment to consider applying.”

Further information on The Talbot Collection Chef Development Programme can be found www.talbotcollection.ie #TeamTalbot

Should you be interested in working with an innovative, progressive Irish-owned Hotel Collection, contact your nearest Talbot Collection Hotel or email Natalie Power, Group HR Manager at npower@talbothotelgroup.ie.

press release