CorkBillyBeers #4. Craft journey with IPA, including Cotton Ball’s first can, a Whiplash session , the famous Thornbridge Jaipur and Duvel Tripel Hop.

CorkBillyBeers #4

Craft journey with IPA, including Cotton Ball’s first can, a go-to session from Whiplash, and the famous duo of Thornbridge Jaipur and Duvel Tripel Hop. 

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Cotton Ball Fury Tropical IPA, 5.4%, 440ml can sample.

This is a Hazy East Coast style IPA, brewed with Irish malt, hopped with Galaxy (Australia), Columbus (USA) and “our favourite” Amarillo (USA) to give a tropical flavour and aroma. That’s the intro from the Cotton Ball Brewery for their Fury, the first of their beers to be canned (Dec 12th 2022) at the brewery, which is attached to the late 19th century pub in the north-east Cork suburb of Mayfield.

Colour is a dense orange with a fine bubbly white head. Aromas feature citrus, herbal notes too, even a hint of dank. The palate is a pleasure, more of the citrus, plus grapefruit, peach and a hint of resin, all in super balance, all before a very satisfactory finish. Very drinkable indeed.

The Cotton Ball is quite close to me and I often pass it while out walking the dog of a morning. On one of those jaunts, I met Eoin Lynch and he told me, that after a few minor tweaks, they went ahead with the canning of this, just a tiny batch as the machine is no bigger than your average sized kitchen table. He was happy with the outcome and I was happy when he handed me a can to sample and even happier now having sampled it!

This hazy IPA style has, over the past ten years or so, become one of the more popular beer styles in the world, thanks to the juicy exotic aromas and its smooth almost creamy texture, not to mention its bold fruity flavours and low bitterness. The Fury sits comfortably in the range.

Quite a few Irish examples at this stage, including Black’s “Ace of Haze” and Rascals’ "Hazy In Love” and the Heaney New England IPA. An American worth considering would be the Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing.

Very Highly Recommended.

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Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8% ABV, 330 can Bradleys

Looking for a decent session beer? No shortage but my go-to is this Whiplash Rollover. Murky orange is the colour - no way you’re going to see through this haze - and it boasts a big foamy white head! Aromas are packed with ripe citrus-y fruits. It was our session beer of 2020 and this most recent tasting confirmed it’s as gluggable able as ever.

The quartet of hops dominate the palate. Amazing that this juicy beer has so much hops and still weighs in at less than 4.00% ABV. Quite a concentration of hops then, but all soft and smooth before a lip-smacking finalé.

They say: Same hop rate as our DIPA’s, less than half the alcohol. A very heavily hopped Session IPA: this comes at you with buckets of Simcoe, Ekuanot, Citra and Mosaic hops with a light touch of malts and an easy crushable body. Unfiltered, hazy, hoppy and juicy – Rollover is a New England inspired IPA without the heavy alcohol in tow.

With its burst of aromas and flavours and low ABV, this is what a session beer is all about and is Very Highly Recommended.

Very Highly Recommended

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Duvel Tripel Hop Citra Belgian IPA, 9.5% ABV, 330ml bottle Bradleys

This Belgian beer pours a cloudy light gold, with an attractive white head. Looks like an IPA and smells like one too, citrus mostly with hops there also. Rich concentrated flavours, mostly tropical, flow across the palate, a subtle bitterness in the mix, and a hint of the high alcohol, yet all the elements combine in a very pleasant harmony indeed. An unanimous thumbs up for the folks at Duvel! They sure can make a devilish beer.

The Brewery says they noted the “trend towards more hoppy beers - thanks to our first brews in 2007 and 2010 - was set to continue. This Duvel Tripel Hop will please special beer lovers, while we will continue to ensure that the intrinsic characteristics of Duvel are preserved.”

It was in 2016 that Duvel went in search of the ultimate Duvel Tripel Hop. More than 5,000 fans tasted and voted, and Citra was clearly the favourite. And so they added Citra to the Saaz-Saaz and Styrian Golding already used in their regular strong ale.

Duvel is a natural beer with a subtle bitterness, a refined flavour and a distinctive hop character. The unique brewing process, which takes about 90 days, guarantees a pure character, delicate effervescence and a pleasant sweet taste of alcohol. The Beer Bible lists the Tripel Hop Citra as one of a handful of essential “beers to know” if you are trying to get a handle on IPAs.

The Duvel story though goes back well beyond 2007. It all began when Jan-Léonard Moortgat and his wife founded the Moortgat farm brewery in 1871. Around the turn of the century, Moortgat was one of the over 3,000 breweries operating in Belgium and is still going strong. The beer is still brewed with profound respect for the original recipe and the time it needs to mature. More details here .

Geek Bits

HOPS: Saaz-Saaz, Styrian Golding & Citra

Dry Hopping: Citra (Yakima Valley, Washington, USA)

TASTING PROFILE: Grapefruit and tropical fruit

EBU: 40

ALC: 9.5%

SHELF LIFE: 18 months

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Thornbridge “Jaipur” IPA, 5.9% ABV, 330ml can Bradleys

This beauty from the UK brewery, with six hops aboard, wears its complexity lightly and you’ll have no problem sipping your way through. 

It has a fairly cloudy pale yellow colour and hoppy aromas (whiffs of citrus and pine). Smooth on the palate, hoppy, citrus notes too, and a beautiful balance all the way to the lip-smacking hoppy lingering finish. Not too much more to say except that this is more or less the perfect IPA.

Match with Thai Curry, they say. No problem, I say, I love my massaman!

Thornbridge, based in Derby, are regarded by many as Britain’s leading 21st century brewery. Not surprised that their award tally worldwide has soared to over the one hundred mark

The complexity of this multi award winning American style IPA is down to no less than the six hops used: Chinook, Centennial, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Columbus and Cascade. Low Colour Maris Otter is the malt used.

They say: Jaipur is our flagship beer, and the one that really put us on the map back in 2005 when we were just starting out.… We are often told “this is the beer, that got me into beer” and we are always very proud to hear this. It’s usually recognised as the first UK craft IPA, and was brewed with a huge amount of US hops at a time where this was very unusual.

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December's Very Highly Recommended Irish Beers

IPA: Third Barrel Electric Eyes Idaho & El Dorado IPA

Witbier: Whiplash Alma Witbier 

Stout: Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout; Dungarvan Coffee & Oatmeal Stout; Lineman (with Craic Beer Community) Pulse Irish Extra Stout; Whiplash The Wake Export Stout; 

Ales with Wild Yeast: Black Donkey Underworld Rua Amber Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Allta Farmhouse Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Savage Farmhouse /Saison Ale.

Two Excellent Wines from Chile's Aconcagua Coast DO, where "the vines grow happy and the grapes ripen slowly".

Two Excellent Wines from Chile's Aconcagua Coast DO where "the vines grow happy and the grapes ripen slowly"  

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Montes Alpha Pinot Noir Aconcagua Costa (DO) 2019, 14.5% 

RRP €23.99. The 1601; Martins Off Licence; Sweeney's D3; Higgins Off Licence; Blackrock Cellar; Wineonline.ie

“It is totally coastal influenced. In morning there’s mist and fog and then a shy sunshine from mid day. The vines grow happy. The grapes ripen slowly.” This was Aurelio Montes speaking of the Aconcagua Coast during a 2020 Zoomed masterclass as he sipped a Pinot Noir (Quite possibly this one).

Montes are serious players. According to the Wines of South America, Montes (founded in 1988) is credited for its pioneering work in the Colchagua’s Apalta district, the first to realise its potential as one of the best locations for red wines in Chile and “is among the most important wineries in Chile today”. As a further endorsement, their Alpha “M” (very limited production) is listed as one of the top 20 South American wines to drink before you die.

Bright ruby red is the colour of this 2019 Pinot Noir. It is quite aromatic, full of cherry, blueberry and raspberry, hints of vanilla too, sweet spice in there also. It is juicy and that bit spicy on the palette, hints of its time in oak (integrated), well rounded tannins, and a vibrant acidity helping the balance, keeping it smooth and elegant, as well as interesting, right through to the abiding and perfumed finish.  Very engaging,  totally likeable and Very Highly Recommended.

Montes Alpha wines are elegant and easy to drink, faithfully expressing the variety and terroir. “This has spent twelve months in French oak barrels, 20% new, for structure and complexity.” 

Their website tells us: Just 7 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean and located in the northern part of the Aconcagua Costa winemaking region, Viña Montes is the only winery with vines planted in this new D.O., characterized by cool, cloudy summer mornings, with sun at midday, and afternoons that see clouds reappearing with low temperatures. These conditions favor a slow ripening of the grapes that allow them to develop complexity and powerful aromas.

Importers Liberty Wines add: The proximity of the vineyards to the Pacific coast endows the wine with tremendous freshness, minerality, and cool climate typicity. The granitic soils of the Coastal Mountains have varying percentages of clay, which contributes elegance, creaminess and a unique sense of place.

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Best Value Wines 2022 Under €18.00. With Reviews & Irish Stockists. 

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Montes Classic Series Sauvignon Blanc Aconcagua Costa (DO)  2021, 13.5% ABV, €14.95 Bradleys Cork

Chilean Sauvignon blanc is usually pretty good and good value too, especially at entry level, as is the case here with this engaging Montes from the coastal vineyards of Aconcagua.

Colour is pale straw with green tones. Aromas are quite intense: herbaceous, pineapple, lime, and more. It is much the same on the palate, where a lively acidity comes into play, but you may also notice orange blossom and a light spice. 

No oak used by the way. An everyday wine they say. But a good one and Highly Recommended. Serve at 12 to 13 degrees and you’ll find it goes well with sushi, Caesar Salad, ceviche, garlic shrimp, grilled Mahi-Mahi, pasta primavera, seafood chowder and lemon chicken. 

Don’t think the Mahi-Mahi suggestion will be of much use to you. It is a fish of the Americas, also known as Red Snapper, and not usually available here, though I had it once at an early gastro pub in Passage  (I was told it had been flown in that morning!). You could try bream instead.

I was a regular visitor to that pub and the food was good. One of the best dishes I remember was a Scallop Pie. They must have been relatively inexpensive then for the dish was packed with them. They had a French chef I recall; my mobile phone (an early version) rang out loudly one night and the chef started singing along to the  “incoming call” music, which was the Marseillaise. 

The Montes Classic Series of wines represent the outstanding value Chile can offer for everyday drinking. “Grapes are hand-picked and transported to the winery with the utmost care, to keep bunch damage to an absolute minimum.” You don’t have to stop at this Sauvignon as the Series also include wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, and Chardonnay.

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Top Wines 2022. With Reviews & Irish Stockists. 

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Warm Welcome and Superb Food at Finín’s of Midleton

Warm Welcome and Superb Food at Finín’s of Midleton

Venison

You walk in from the wind and the rain and there’s a buzz of conversation and then a smiling welcome and soon you are warming up at your table in Finin’s of Midleton on the last Thursday of 2022. It’s your final meal out of the year and it is a good one!

The packed downstairs room, and the staff  led by example by manager Tomislav, exudes welcome and warmth and you are immediately at ease, soon at your table and checking the menu from new Portuguese Head Chef Miguel Soares. 

Chicharrones

The long-standing and popular restaurant was taken over by Blue Haven of Kinsale and opened mid 2022 after a period of renovation. In addition to this downstairs room, with the a feature along much of one side, they have also opened the room upstairs. 

And there’s more to come.  The frontage, on the main street, is slated for a makeover. And there are plans are in hand for another upstairs space in 2023; this new private dining room cum Whiskey Tasting Room will be  in conjunction with Redbreast.  But you won’t have to wait until then for whiskey. They have a splendid selection in the bar and that includes the complete Mitchell & Son Spot collection.

The new owners are pleased with the way things are going here: We have ambitious plans to build Finins into something special over time including some exciting additions in the new year in conjunction with Red Breast with a new private dining room and Whiskey Tasting Room. 

We are very excited about what the future holds for Finins and appreciate the support and warm welcome we have received in Midleton and look forward to playing our part in the local community for many years to come. 

Croquettes

And we was well pleased with our meal there. You can start with either something from the Nibbles or Starters section on the menu or both! Don’t forget to check the Specials before you start  - the staff will tell you anyhow.

We shared the Slow Cooked Oxtail Croquettes (with Dijonnaise Sauce & Smoked Gubbeen Cheese) and the Pork Belly Chicharrones (served with Avocado Cream & Mojito Sauce). The first (5.50) was from Nibbles, the second (8.50) from Starters, and both were excellent though the Chicharrones were my favourite!

From this and a previous visit, it seems that their burgers along with Fish and Chips are very popular dishes here; the restaurant caters for family groups.

Finin’s responds to the seasons and I absolutely enjoyed the excellent Wild Venison Loin (with Celeriac Purée, Garden Peas, Berry Medley & Smoked Jus).  This was just exquisite, so tender, so well executed and those little berries added so much to it.

Apple Tart

Another excellent mains, enjoyed by CL,  is the East Cork Lamb Rump with Organic Carrot Purée, Romanesco, Caramelised Silver Skin Onions & Jameson Jus Barley. And each of our mains was accompanied by a side of mash and greens.

We finished off with a shared dessert of Apple Tart and cream. It was one of the better ones,  a terrific warm dish and a boost against the windy weather outside!

   

Opening Times: Tuesday - Saturday 12.00pm - 11.00pm; Serving food until 9.00pm

Address: 75 Main Street, Midleton, Co. Cork P25E6F7

Tel: (021) 463 1878. 

Web: Finín's

CorkBillyBeers #3. On the Craft journey, Underworld, with Roscommon's Black Donkey Brewery

CorkBillyBeers #3

Craft journey with Black Donkey Underworld Series

Richard Siberry, owner and brew-master at Roscommon’s Black Donkey, tells us “The Underworld series was born out of our quest for adventure, our sense of history, and our respect for tradition”.

“Before industrialisation, before lab techs in white coats took over the brewing industry, beer was fermented with whatever wild yeasts occurred in and around a brewery." 

Before we start on the trio of Underworld beers, just a brief word on yeast which is, as you know, an agent of fermentation. It converts sugar in the wort into alcohol. But it is much more than that. It also adds flavour (fruit notes, known as esters) and spicy and herbal notes (phenols) to the final beer.

Back to Richard: Work started on Halloween 2017 when we gathered samples of the air, flora and substrate from in and around Oweynagat cave, also known as the “Hellsmouth of Ireland”. …These samples were returned to IT Tallaght where they were isolated, purified and yeast strains identified. The resulting samples were then propagated, monitored, analysed and classified. Three successful strains returned home to Roscommon in early January 2018. 

See more on this quest here. 

Morrigan Strain 1 was the yeast eventually propagated for use, and named after the legendary warrior goddess who once inhabited the Oweynagat cave. It was harvested from a blackberry bush just above the cave’s tiny entrance. On March 8th 2018 the first pilot batch of beer was created and this new native Irish beer was called “Underworld”.

Ancient tales and stories of Queen Medb and the warrior Goddess Mórrígan inspired the beer label designs and the Underworld artwork. The Underworld logo was inspired by the entrance to Oweynagat cave. Each of the three beer represented by an animal connected to the legendary cave, with its accompanying backstory on the label. They were designed by Roscommon creative Dimple Design.

Quite an amazing venture by Richard Siberry and his team at Black Donkey and they certainly seem to have got the very best from Morgana 1, achieving a stunning harmony, across the range, of flavour and complexity from all ingredients without any single part dominating.

Not the only wild yeast used in Irish brewing. In 2019, Peter Curtin of the Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna introduced me to Euphoria, a no-hop beer that used a wild yeast from. the locality. Link here. And then you have Galway Bay and Wide Street using the coolship method of harnessing local yeast.

Black Donkey Underworld Rua Amber Ale, 6.0% ABV, 500ml bottle BD Online

This Irish ale, available year round, is introduced by Black Donkey: Rich Irish and Belgian malts combine to deliver a full, rounded maltiness with notes of candy sugar and stone fruit, coupled with the spiciness of Morrigan 1, our unique wild Irish yeast.

Colour is an opaque copper/red with a tan head. Not a red ale according to Black Donkey but an amber ale.  With an Irish red you are expecting a full maltiness, an extra touch of sweetness. And that is what you get here, along with the spiciness of Morrigan 1.

But that sweetness hardly holds sway on the palate. Here you find a touch of toast, stone fruits and again that floating fog of spice from the Roscommon yeast, that unreal spirit of the cave that adds an unique ethereal quality to the ale, not otherworldly mind you, just an enhancement of this often dull world.

Put it like this. I don’t believe in ghosts or spirits but these beers take me beyond the normal, not to the paranormal, just to a better place for an hour or two and, if I have company to join in, then so much the better. And if one or two prefer to drink something else, choice is fine, after all that is what craft beer is all about.

And if someone else offers food? The Black Donkey suggest “It is great with hearty dishes; this brew also holds its own with the spiciest foods, Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican and Sichuan. Go ahead turn up the heat. It goes well with cheeses also such Cloonconra raw milk cheese, Dozio Barr Rua and other full flavour cheeses.” Traditionally, red (or amber) ale is one of the reliable food beers and this beauty is an exception only in its excellence.

And the label? “Like a red mist, a flock of birds poured from Oweynagat cave every Samhain, withering every plant they breathed on. The growing season was done and a lean winter lay ahead. Samhain first celebrated at Oweynagat, is today better known as Halloween. Those same red birds represent Underworld Rua; native Irish ale exclusively fermented with “Morrigan 1”, our wild Irish yeast.”

Black Donkey Underworld Allta, 4.6% ABV, 500ml bottle BD Online

Colour is a beautiful burnt gold with a soft white head. Aromas are hoppy, citrusy. Citrus too on the palate, notes of pine as well with a wisp of spice from the yeast. The malt and the hops, not to mention the yeast, are in harmony here, in a medium body. All the way to a satisfying refreshing finish. 

Hard to beat their own take: Our wild yeast, Morrigan 1, extends a tendril and embraces New World hops in balanced synchronicity. …. 

Pairs with pizza, grilled chicken and zesty salads. Coolattin and 15 Fields cheddars, along with other mature hard cheeses.

And the wolf on the label? “Her romantic notions spurned, the outraged goddess Morrigan unleashed her fury. Taking the form of a silver wolf she caused a cattle stampede, aimed squarely at the object of her unrequited desire, Cú Chulainn.”

Again available all year round.

Black Donkey Underworld Savage Farmhouse Ale, 5.6% ABV, 500ml bottle BD Online

Savage, a 5.6% ABV native Irish Saison style and another of the Underworld Series, also has a burnt gold colour and a soft foamy head. Moderately intense aromas of citrus, sweet notes too, with the yeast and malt also getting a look-in. Medium bodied on the palate, its is once again superbly balanced; though the malt gets an edge here, Savage is quite dry with rounded fruit flavours and always the yeast spices ghosting in the background. A complex refreshing beer then with the lip-smacking finish lingering.

Again they have excellent pairings for us: Supremely versatile at the table roast & grilled meat, game and seafood. Cheese? Yes please, Velvet Cloud, Cooleeney Farmhouse, Durrus and Gubbeen to start with.

Good news is that it is available all year round. In 2020, Underworld Savage won a gold medal at the international beer challenge awards.

“A legendary shapeshifter was the goddess Morrigan. After the warrior Cú Chulainn repeatedly rejected her advances, she assumed the form of a crow, and alighted on his shoulder as he lay dying on the battlefield. Together at last! That same crow represents Underworld Savage; native Irish ale fermented with “Morrigan 1”, our wild Irish yeast.”

Tastes and Producers of the Season. Christmas & New Year Treats

Tastes and Producers of the Season

Christmas & New Year Treats

Okay, let us start with bread. Make that cake! The arrival of Angela Nöthlings

German micro-bakery in Cork, specialising in organic artisan sourdough breads, especially rye, was a highlight of the year 2022. 

Her Stollen, the traditional German Christmas Cake, was a highlight of our festival days. And we can't forget her sweet "little" stuff: the decadent Berliner Brot, her shortbread fingers and her Salted Rye cookies, and more.

Stollen

The Germans have no shortage of sweet wines to pair with their Stollen. They also use Schnapps (which often has apples in its ingredients) and that put me thinking of something far closer to home.  

Pom’O is an apple aperitif made from rare apple varieties by Killahora Orchards in Glounthaune. The fruit is grown "in our 200 year old orchards on the south facing slopes of Ireland’s County Cork. We mix the juice from our bittersweet apples with the finest apple brandy, then age it in Irish whiskey barrels for at least a year."

They recommend serving it lightly chilled as an aperitif, with cheese or in a cocktail, with strong, nutty cheddar, fruit desserts. No mention of Stollen but I carried on regardless and the pairing was just perfect.

No bother in finding highlights. Another mega one was the Heritage Ham by James Whelan Butcher. And since we weren't entertaining on the big day, we had most of this beautiful piece of cooked meat all to ourselves (not all on the one day!). This award-winning Heritage Ham has already been lovingly cooked low and slow for over five hours. All we had to do was slice, serve and savour.  Our favourite accompaniment came via the Bord Bia recipe pages and was/is a Redcurrant sauce or glaze. You'll find a few variations here.

The perennial favourite Cashel Blue Cheese was again enjoyed, Wicklow Blue also and some Knockanore Cheddar. These were enhanced by our own Autumn Tomato Chutney made with some excess tomatoes from the back-garden, the recipe from BBC Good Food. 

Lomo

We've still got a few jars of that but will have no shortage of opportunities to use it. Another great match is the cold cured sliced Pork Fillet (lomo) from the Heart of Spain at Fota Retail Park where I had gone to get some of their Spanish wines and also to get Serrano (which was sold out). Here too I bought their Smoked Sliced Duck "Ham", another meaty gem. You could also have a mixed platter of cheese and charcuterie and the chutney will also do the business here! 

Also in the Fota Retail Park, I got myself a jar of the award winning Wild About Sloe Jelly from The Pantry at Bakestone. Very versatile indeed and it too goes very well with the cured pork, if used sparingly, and they also say it is great with duck or pate, so I'll be trying it with the duck. If you warm it, just drizzle it over desserts and ice cream and you have another winning combination thanks to this Wexford producer.

While I think of it, The Pantry was also my source for the Killahora Pom'O. That too was put through its paces with various bits and pieces and proved quite a match with the Stollen and also with our the cake and even more so with the pudding (from Barnabrow). 

Barrel aged beers tend to go well with Christmas pudding and we tried a few. Perhaps the best were the Brehon Oak & Mirrors BA Imperial Porter (7.5%) and the 9 White Deer Stag BA Export Stout (7.4%). Whiskey is almost always a winner with pudding - there was already some whiskey in the Barnabrow one - and the new 7-year old Single Malt from West Cork Distillers was a treat with it.

Barnabrow House Christmas Cake

We regularly get our hands on the Christmas double by Barnabrow House and got the cake and pudding in early this year when we bought them from the hard-working owner Geraldine Kidd who was selling them at the Ballymaloe Craft Fair. They are as good as ever!

Of course we had some other sweet bits and pieces around for the Christmas including regulars Mella's Fudge, Miena's Nougat and Turkish Delight, all bought on that visit to The Pantry at Bakehouse.

I'm thinking that this blog post may well be my shopping list for Christmas 2023. In the meantime, Happy New Year to you one and all.

Two refreshing alcohol reduced drinks with a light refreshing fizz from Germany

Two refreshing alcohol reduced drinks with a light refreshing fizz from Germany

B Secco White 5.5% ABV

This is a carbonated wine based drink (from a blend of white wines with no vintage stated). It is moderately sweet, nothing excessive. You see the bubbles immediately and there is a pleasant fizz on the palate. Nice and refreshing when chilled, flavours of apple, pear and citrus. Food pairings recommended are Asian, Fish, and Vegetarian; would do well also as an aperitif while waiting for the BBQ, or the cook,  to perform! 

As well as having low alcohol and low calories, it also has a low price tag. Both this and the rosé are widely available in Dunnes Stores, Tesco and SuperValu and other outlets for 5 euro each.

B Secco Rosé 5.5% ABV

Another “refreshing alcohol reduced drink with a light refreshing fizz” from the same stable. Quite a lot of bubbles crowd the top of the glass and the fizz is evident in the mouth. Fresh red berried fruit feature in the aromas. Fruit on the palate also, more light and slightly tart now though. It is refreshing. 

Black Tower say it  “is the perfect alternative for celebratory occasions, but with the benefits of low alcohol and low calories”. Asian Cuisine, Salads and Vegetarian Cuisine are again suggested as pairings but I think its best role, as with the white, may be as aperitif.

Black Tower? Yes, the same Black Tower that may well have introduced you to wine through its semi-sweet white Liebfraumilch, if you started back in the second half of the swinging sixties. It is a brand of the German Reh Kendermann company and a very successful one indeed. It is Germany’s most widely exported branded wine (selling over 13 million bottles in 2019).

It has expanded hugely over the decades and in 2012 launched lower alcohol still wine options with the B on the label and followed that with B Zero in 2021.  They also sell their products in various colourful formats, in 3L cartons, in 1.5L pouches and in a 330ml can, as well as in bottles of course.