Irish Ale Challenge - Final

So it's come to this - The Irish Ale Challenge final. I honestly can't remember where I bought the beers below. The O'Haras and Dungarvan and fairly widely available in Off Licenses and Supermarkets, the other two, not so much.  For the uninitiated, here are links to SemiFinals1&2 and SemiFinals3&4

The finalists are as follows (l-r):
Independent Red Ale 50 cl 4.5% abv - €3.59 link
Kinnegar Devil's Backbone Amber Ale 50 cl 4.9% abv - €3.79 link
O'Hara's Irish Red 50cl 4.3% abv - €3.29 link 
Dungarvan Copper Coast Irish Red Ale 50cl 4.3% abv - €3.39 link


As usual, the format of the final is a blind tasting, with Herself being my own personal Debbie McGee for the evening. I'm hoping that the colours of the ales aren't too much of a giveaway - IIRC the Kinnegar is a noticeably amber colour and a couple of the others are a fairly full on brownish red. I genuinely have no favourite here and I hope it will be a good contest.

Here are the beers - looks like a game of two halves, Brian. Numbers one and two are dark as pitch whereas three and four have a distinctly amber hue.  Here are Your Humble Blogger's (and Herself's) tasting notes, verbatim.

#1
YHB - like it, good bitterness, nice maltiness and a long finish -
Herself - likes it but finds it a bit gentle
Guess - Independent

#2
YHB - OK - very pleasant, very smooth and quaffable. Improves after a few minutes of warming up
Herself - Likes
Guess - O'Haras

#3
YHB - Nice,  subtle flavour, smooth.
Herself - Loves this
Guess - Dungarvan

#4
YHB - Good, bit more zing to it than #3
Herself - Likes
Guess - Kinnegar
So it's between #1 and #2. As much as I enjoyed #3 and #4, I'm loving the full body and flavour of the darker ales, although both need to be poured with some vigour to generate a few bubbles.

This is a tough one. Both are well balanced with a decent malty spine; #1 has a hoppiness that's not present in #2, but #2 is incredibly smooth and shows more appealing character after about 30 minutes out of the fridge.

I'm going to give it to #1. The balance between the malt and the hops, the body and the finish just shades #2 smoothness. So now for the big reveal - What was the winner and how accurate was I with my guesses?

So the winner, by a nose, is Independent Red Ale followed by O'Haras Irish Red , with the two amber/copper ales in joint bronze (fittingly). On a related note, I got all four correct, which wasn't that difficult, once the colours were visible, only requiring two correct guesses, given that I had a fair idea which beer was which colour.

To be honest, all four are very tasty drops, with your own preference for darker fuller ales or (relatively) lighter amber ales driving your choices. That's it for me for a while. I'm off to the states for a well deserved holiday where I will attempt to sample as many of America's craft beers as possible.

I may, in my wisdom, do an Irish Golden Ale competition next - watch this space.

A Visit to the Cellar

I finally made in down to the Blackrock Cellar a couple of weeks ago and bought the beers above. It was quite struggle not to walk out a hundred euro lighter with a large box of beers. The selection is stupendous. I will be back when I'm feeling not quite so penurious.


Camden Pale Ale 33cl 4% abv €3.10
Straw coloured, lots of citrus fruit on the nose, not so much on the palate. Some bitterness but not much going on at the finish. No malt to speak of. Fine but a bit mild for my taste - lack of alcohol could be a factor. 

Fyne Ales Hurricane Jack  33cl 4.4%  abv €3.39
Unusual colour, kind of a washed-out watery lager hue. Crisp with some decent hops and a good finish. Probably not one to savour at the end of an evening with a single malt but perfect for a summers day. Not dissimilar to Black's Session (ale)... 

Red Hook Long Hammer IPA  35.5cl 6.2% abv  €2.75
I didn't care for this the last time I had it, I found it a bit ..meh. This time out, at the end of a long evening of grape, grain and whatnot I cracked this IPA. Nice full malty flavour and a decent amount of citrus. I liked it and it's reasonably priced compared to a lot of  the other 'Murican IPAs.

Camden USA Hells Unfiltered lager 33cl 4.6% abv €3.10
I remember writing a review of this as I drank it, but do you think I can find it now?  Not a chance. I suspect a wizard did it. I think it was...OK, drinkable but not memorable. Hmmm - sorry about that. I'll take better care next time...

Porterhouse Devils Half Acre 33cl 13.5% abv  €3.75
Didn't really care for this. Very strong (natch) and very sweet but not enough hoppiness and complexity to offset the sweetness.

Beers from Marks & Sparks

I knew M&S did beers in the UK but for some reason I thought they didn't in the republic, for some reason. It was only after a chat with m'colleague Ed, who knows his beers, that I realised it was worth a look next time out.

It turned out there were a number of beers on offer, I ignored the dodgy fruit beers and assorted stouts and purchased the three at left. 

M&S Staffordshire IPA 50cl 5.5% abv - €3.09
Brewed by Marston's with whom I have a chequered relationship. I have had a bunch of their beers before but haven't been wowed by any of them. This ale didn't buck that trend. It was perfectly fine it poured a deep golden colour with a thin white head. Mildly hoppy with a little malty sweetness. I was underwhelmed but then the curry arrived and it worked very well with the strong spices. One to have with food I'll wager.
 
M&S Italian Lager 50cl 5.0% abv - €3.39
To give this its full title it's "Italian Lager brewed with Pure Mountain Water from the Italian Alps". My first thoughts were - wow this is expensive for a lager. €3.39 for 50ml or about €2.50 for a regular 33cl bottle; for that money I'd want something special in a lager. I guess there must be a market for Italian lager as I know plenty of folks who live on Perroni on draught, which I find a bit thin and insipid. (Moretti is my go-to Italian beer...)

This was quite pale golden in the glass with a decent head, helped by the robust carbonation. It was light and refreshing with some mild grassy flavours. A good beer for a hot day and will find favour with those who like Perroni and its ilk but probably not a beer I'd buy again.
 
M&S Czech Pilsner 50cl 5.0% abv - €2.49
Not much to say here. Drinkable, well balanced with a touch of hoppiness but a little wishy washy compared to my current fave Budvar. Would be interesting to blind taste it against Staropramen or maybe Pilsner Urquell; see if I am prejudging this beer.

Irish Ale Challenge - Intro **Updated with 6 new Ales**

After the "success" of the Irish Pale Ale Challenge and the Irish Craft Lager Challenge , it seems like a natural progression to attempt an Irish Craft Ale challenge. Ale is a relatively loose term, so I decided what to exclude rather than what to include. So, I am excluding Pale Ales, Blonde Ales and Golden Ales. What's left should be Red and Amber ales.

After sourcing 13 Irish Craft Ales I think I have been pretty successful in choosing a group of similar beers, all (bar one) of the Ales come in between 4% & 5% abv, with the exception of the Brown Paper Bag Project Big Red, which is a whopping 8% abv.

I would have liked to include more Irish Ales, e.g. Porterhouse Red, but the beers below were all I could find in my (limited) travels. However, because of the revised format* of this competition, there is scope to include more beers, even after the competition has started.

*The format of the competitions I have run before has been a knockout competition with various rounds and a blind tasted final. This time out due to pure laziness I am going to eschew the knockout phases and just drink them all and pick three or four of my favourites at the end for the final.

All beers from Molloys, Supervalu, Dunnes, O'Neills & Baggot St Wines

Bo Bristle Amber Ale 50 cl 4.5% abv - €3.25
Galway Bay Bay Ale 50cl 4.4% abv - €3.29
O'Hara's Irish Red 50 cl 4.3% abv - €3.29
McGrath's Irish Red Ale 50cl 4.3% abv - €3.99
Dungarvan Copper Coast Irish Red Ale 50cl 4.3% abv - €3.39
Kinnegar Devil's backbone Amber Ale 50 cl 4.9% abv - €3.79

Whitewater Clotworthy Dobbin 50 cl 5.0% abv - €2.99
Franciscan Well Rebel Red 33cl 4.3% abv - €2.99
8Degrees Sunburnt Irish Red 33cl 5.0% abv - €3.79
Brown Paper Bag Project Big Red 33cl 8.0% abv - €3.29
McGargles Granny Mary's Red Ale 4.4% abv - €2.00
Bru Irish Red Craft  Beer 50cl 4.7% abv - €2.99 
Whitewater Belfast Ale 50 cl 4.5% abv - €2.99

**Update**
I finally made it into Baggot St Wines today and found a ton of mostly new (to me) Irish craft beers. Apart from the Porterhouse Red (which I love on draught) they are all new.

Hilden Halt Irish Red Ale 50 cl 6.1% abv - €3.49
Carrig Brewing Co. Brazen Amber Ale 50 cl 4.2% abv - €3.99
Porterhouse Red Ale 33 cl 4.2% abv - €2.10
Five Lamps honor Bright Red Ale  33 cl 5.0% abv - €2.79
Kenmare Irish Red Ale 50 cl 4.3% abv - €3.70
Independent Red Ale 50 cl 4.5% abv - €3.59

Irish Craft Lager Challenge - Final

The final will be contested by:

8 Degrees Barefoot Bohemian 33cl 4% abv €2.49 link 
Porterhouse Hersbrucker Pilsner 33cl 5% abv  €2.10 link
McGargles Gravy Maevey Pilsner 33cl 5% abv €2.00 link

 

I mentioned in the intro post to this particular competition I could only find six Irish Craft lagers, I think there are more on the way but for now I was gratified to find three good examples. I really don't have a clue how this is going to go, I think it will be close. As usual I had Herself set-up the blind tasting and also give her opinions on the beers.

Lager 1
YHB - It's a little sharp, not bad, but I ain't loving it. Guess - 8 Degrees
Herself - No, doesn't like it.

Lager 2
YHB - Rich and full flavoured. Guess - McGargles (also from the colour)
Herself - She likes it.

Lager 3
YHB -Also rich and full flavoured, some nice nice fizz too. Guess - Hersbrucker
Herself - She likes it the most.

It's very close between #2 & #3. Both are delicious, #2 has a great depth of flavour with the slightest hint of fruit, but #3 has fantastic mouthfeel and perfect carbonation; #2 is a tiny bit flat and while it's possible this particular bottle may not be representative, I have to judge on what I have in front of me. I'm gonna give it to #3 but it's agonisingly close. Time for the big reveal...

So I was right with my guesses. The Hersbrucker is the winner. It's a pity that it's not more widely available, apart from the Porterhouse I have only seen it in Baggot St Wines, although their other beers, particularly ales, I have seen elsewhere. The highest compliment I can pay it is that it reminds me of my favourite Pils, Krombacher , which won the International Lager Challenge.

Irish Craft Lager Challenge - Semi Final 3 - An arty antarctic adventure

Semi Final 3
8 Degrees Barefoot Bohemian 33cl 4% abv €2.49 link
Tom Crean's Irish Lager 33cl 4.2% abv €2.19 link

It's late and I'm tired (red eye to London and back late) so we'll keep this short.

8 Degrees Barefoot Bohemian 
Yep - cloudy and not a lot of head but tasty, with a reasonably rich full flavour. A solid entry in the canon

Tom Crean's Irish Lager
It's not bad, lighter and zingier than its opponent but it doesn't have the depth of flavour.

Winner  - 8 Degrees Barefoot Bohemian  (told you it would be quick)


The final will be contested by:
8 Degrees Barefoot Bohemian 33cl 4% abv €2.49 link
McGargles Gravy Maevey Pilsner 33cl 5% abv €2.00 link
Porterhouse Hersbrucker Pilsner 33cl 5% abv  €2.10 link

Irish Craft Lager Challenge - Semi Final 2 - A Parliament of Lamps

Semi Final 2
Five Lamps Dublin Lager 33cl 4.2% abv  €2.59 link
Porterhouse Hersbrucker Pilsner 33cl 5% abv  €2.10 link

I have to admit I've only ever had both of these on tap. The 5Lamps used to be available in Rock Lobster, formerly above Kielys, now in Dundrum. They served it in metal tankards, for some reason; but it was pretty good. The Porterhouse lager I think I've had a couple of times in one of their pubs, but it was years ago and I have no memory of it.

Five Lamps Dublin Lager
Oh I don't like this at all. It's got that sharpness I don't like in a beer, and which I don't remember from the draught.


Porterhouse Hersbrucker Pilsner 
Yum. Now that the mahoosive head has died down I can taste some malty sweetness and a little hoppiness to counterbalance it. Very nice and very well balanced.

Winner - Porterhouse Hersbrucker Pilsner

Irish Craft Lager Challenge - Semi Final 1 - Titanic Gravy

Semi Final 1
Whitewate Belfast Lager 50cl 4.5% abv  €2.99 link
McGargles Gravy Maevey Pilsner 33cl 5% abv €2.00 link

I've had the Belfast lager before but I couldn't tell you if I liked it; the McGargles is brand new (to me). I've been reliably informed that "It's not traditional Czech. It's pre prohibition American. Darker, smoother and fruitier"

Whitewater Belfast Lager
Standard lager colour,  decent head, OK carbonation. Tastes fine, good, clean, crisp.

McGargles Gravy Maevey Pilsner
Wow. This is different. Smells fruity and is like an amber ale in colour. This is a very unusual lager. It has some fruit, some malt and I liked it.

Winner - McGargles Gravy Maevey Pilsner, There's nothing wrong with the Belfast lager but the McGargles is different and interesting and nice.

Irish Craft Lager Challenge - Intro

So I've done Irish (India) Pale Ales, I am going to do the Red/Amber Ales very soon but in the interim I'm going to do Irish Craft Lagers. I've managed to find six, which it probably the minimum number for a competition. Three semi-finals follows by the (usual, blind tasted) final, of the three SF winners.

I've tried them all at one time or another, apart from the McGargles but I can't recall much about any of them, so I reckon this should be a fairly open competition with no clear ante post favourite(s).

There has been a huge number of new Irish Craft beers on the market in the last couple of years and that's a very good thing. For some reason there have been very few lagers. Note: The Porterhouse lager isn't new, it's one of three lagers they make. The other two are "Chiller" a light American style lager, and a medium Pils - "Temple Brau". I picked the Hersbrucker (it was also the only one I could find!).

Why so few lagers? I know they are more difficult to make, from my one failed attempt to make beer. Is it that lagers are a bit uncool, a bit yobbish, a bit low rent, compared to wonderful hipster-pleasing ales? Maybe it's because you can do more with an ale, so it allows new brewers to express themselves better?
 
The pairings for the semi-Finals are as follows: 

Whitewate Belfast Lager 50cl 4.5% abv  €2.99 link
McGargles Gravy Maevey Pilsner 33cl 5% abv €2.00 link 

8 Degrees Barefoot Bohemian 33cl 4% abv €2.49 link
Tom Crean's Irish Lager 33cl 4.2% abv €2.19 link

Five Lamps Dublin Lager 33cl 4.2% abv  €2.59 link
Porterhouse Hersbrucker Pilsner 33cl 5% abv  €2.10 link

All beers bought in Molloys/Baggot St Wines/Dunnes.

Random Ales

So I went looking in O'Brien's wines in Carrickmines for some Irish Craft Lagers, for the upcoming Irish Craft Lager Challenge. This was a hopeful aspiration; the Beacon store has a much better beer selection but is not on my way home from work. I was hoping to find a Porterhouse lager but no joy; I can't actually recall if I've seen any of their lagers in bottles.

Anyway, I couldn't possibly enter an off-licence with the intention to buy beer and leave empty handed, perhaps it's the high functioning alcoholic in me, so I decided to buy some ale(s).

To be honest there's no rhyme or reason to my choices, I just picked a bunch of ales I hadn't tried before, except the Brainblasta, which I think I had one night, but I suspect I may have been a bit jarred cos I have no memory of it, whatsoever. Having said that, the breweries behind the winners of the first two IPA competitions (ODells and Rogue) are represented here, so if pedigree counts for anything...

Left to right they are...

Rogue Dead Guy Ale 6.6% abv 355ml €3.49
When is an ale not an ale? When it's a Dead Guy apparently... According to the Rogue site  - "In the style of a German Maibock, using our proprietary Pacman ale yeast.". A German Maibock is a lager, according to Wikipedia,  "and, despite the name, Rogue Ales Dead Guy Ale." I don't know if this is a lager, an ale or a lager brewed with Ale yeast. It's bloody good though. It had a unique flavour, caramel, fruit a tiny hint of hops, very smooth and balanced. Delicious. I's say that the nearest comparison would be Anchor's Liberty Ale, which I like a lot, but this is better...

Black Sheep Ale 4.4% abv 500ml €3.19
Hmm - wasn't sure about this - 4.4%..but I like it. Some nice toffee front and a little bitterness. I wouldn't have sniffed at another percent or so alcohol, but it's a good solid ale.

Odells 90 Shilling 5.3% abv 355ml €3.59
Yummy. Rich and full flavoured. not sure aboot the Scottish pedigree but I'll give it a pass. One to buy again I think.

Fuller's ESB 5.9% abv 500ml €3.79
Very English, this ale and a keeper methinks. It belies it's strength with its subtlety. A step up in quality from London Pride which I also like.

Porterhouse Brainblasta 7% 330ml abv €2.19
This is strong. Not just in alcohol, this has a big hoppy tone with some caramel underpinnings. Not for the fainthearted, though.

Spanking New American IPAs

So I picked up a couple of new (India) Pale Ales in Molloy's the other night. Interestingly they are both in cans, which is claimed by some to keep the beer in better nick than bottles, we'll see. Also, the chap in the shop particularly recommended the Dale's. Both are pretty strong too...

From left to right they are: 
Dale's Pale Ale 6.5% abv 355ml €3.69 - Link
Sly Fox Route 113 IPA 7% abv 355ml €3.69  - Link

Dale's - Wow. I see what he meant. It's a hazy amber colour in the glass with enough fizz to excite the tongue. The taste is crisp and fairly hoppy with the bitterness lingering pleasantly on the palate. There's just enough light maltiness to make this extremely drinkable. It reminds me of my favourite American IPAs - Odells, Rogue, Goose Island etc which is quite a compliment. If this had been in either of the previous (I)PA competitions it would have given a good account of itself.

Route 133 - 
Hmmm - darker than the Dale's and also extremely tasty. It's a little more subtle;  the hops are more restrained here but the balance is exquisite. I think this is what the O'Hara's double IPA was going for, but it didn't quite pull it off.      

If you can find 'em, and you like big American style strong pale ales, you'll love these.

Irish Pale Ale Challenge - Final

Black's Kinsale Pale Ale 5.0% abv 33cl €2.69
O'Hara's Double IPA 7.5% abv 50cl €3.89
Mountain Man Hairy Goat  4.5% abv 33cl €2.69
Porterhouse Hop Head 5.0% abv 33cl €2.10

So here we are at last in the final. It has been pointed out that these beers represent very different styles of ale, and this is true. The entry criteria were that it had to be Irish (sorry Boom) and it had to have the words "pale ale" or "IPA" in the name. Hence we have a strong Double IPA, and three rather different styles of "pale ale". If I had, in fact, limited the competition to "actual" pale ales, it wouldn't have been much of a competition, numbers wise.

It's been said before, but it bears repeating. This is not, nor could it ever be, an empirical test of ales. All winners have done so based on my own personal tastes (or lack thereof) and if you yourself ran the competition you would probably get wildly different results. Here's how they all got here...

I feel sorry for the Full Sail which would probably have made the final if it had been in two of the other semi-finals and the Trouble Brewing which I like but tasted not at like an IPA at the time of tasting. I have discovered a couple or three "Pale Ales" that I might have included; McGraths IPA, Killegar Rustbucket Rye Ale, Franciscan Well IPA and others which I may review in due course.

As always, the final will be a blind tasting and I had herself do the pouring and preparing.  I hope colour won't be factor but I think at least one of them is quite dark. Anyway, here goes...(end Part 1!)

The contenders (after finalist 1 had been sampled)

Ale 1
YHB: Strong and sweet, this is almost definitely the O'Haras. Tonight I'm finding it a little sweet. Guess - OHaras
Herself: Interesting and she likes it.

Ale 2
YHB: Lots of hops, but not enough balancing sweetness. Nice but not a winner I think. Guess - Hairy Goat
Herself: Like it but prefers first

Ale 3
YHB: Yes, lovely, well balanced, hoppy. Ticks all the boxes. Guess - Kinsale Pale Ale
Herself: Really likes this, her fave of the four.

Ale 4
YHB: The only one with any head.A full deep rich flavour with some nice bittereness, halfway to a traditional ale I'd wager...
Herself: Doesn't like it.

For once, I got them all correct. I thought the O'Hara's would win, as I love a strong Double IPA and I swooned for it in the QF, but I'm finding it just too sweet tonight; perhaps the standard O'Haras Irish Pale Ale would have fared better tonight. The Mountain Man just doesn't have enough malt to balance the bitterness for me, so we're left with two...

As much as I like the Hophead (and I love it on draught in the Porterhouse) it's just not IPAish enough for me. So that leaves the Kinsale Pale Ale, and it's a worthy winner, it's suberbly balanced with just the right amount of hops and malt. I look forward to their forthcoming IPA and Double IPA. Well done, in fact, to all the finalists...

Irish Pale Ale Challenge - SF4 - I can't think of a snappy title with a pun in it based on the locations of the brewers, sorry.

Semi Final 4
Galway Bay Full Sail IPA 5.8% abv 50cl €3.29
Black's Kinsale Pale Ale 5.0% abv 33cl €2.69

I really liked both of these so I suspect this will be a close one. The Full Sail is one I have had regularly at the various pubs that Galway Bay own, whereas the Black's Ive only had twice, to my knowledge. By the way, the picture at left of the Kinsale Pale Ale is the old label. The new label looks like this.

Black's Kinsale Pale Ale
Yep, still got it. A good dollop of citrus fruit, a hint of malt and some delicious bitterness at the finish. A suggestion of tropical fruit around the edges completes the picture.


Galway Bay Full Sail IPA
Much darker in the glass this, almost a red ale colour. The hue is a clue to the flavour, which has much more earthy malts than the Blacks and a lot less citrus to the bitterness. But it is very well balanced and has a dynamite finish.

Winner - Again, there is nothing in it between these two and I'd be well happy with either but I'm gonna give it to the Kinsale Pale Ale.

The Line up for the final is as follows:
Porterhouse Hop Head
Mountain Man Hairy Goat
O'Hara's Double IPA 
Black's Kinsale Pale Ale 

Yummy! 

Irish Pale Ale Challenge - SF3 - Galway or bust, on the double.

Semi Final 3
Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale 4.4% abv 50cl €3.19
O'Hara's Double IPA 7.5% abv 50cl €3.89 

Probably my favourite IPA from the QF, The OHara's against probablay my least favourite, The Hooker, which beat the very poor Smithwicks Pale ale in  QF7.

Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale
This isn't bad. It has a nice little bit of hops, could maybe do with more alcohol/oomph/malt but it's a decent effort. It probably benefits from going first and so be it.


O'Hara's Double IPA
Yes. Full, rich, malty and strong. No contest.

Winner - O'Hara's Double IPA

Irish Pale Ale Challenge - SF2 - Boom vs the Hairy Goat. **Updated**

Semi Final 2
Stone Barrel Boom IPA 5.0% abv 50cl €3.59
Mountain Man Hairy Goat  4.5% abv 33cl €2.69

I expect another close run thing here. Reviewing the Quarter Finals (here and here) it appears I quite liked both of them. Both were moderately hopped and well balanced, so I guess it's down to which one I fancy on the night, not that that strategy hasn't got me in trouble before, mind you. I always drink the two contestants in alphabetical order, btw. That way there can't be any bias, intentional or otherwise. Who does this favour? I Dunno.

Stone Barrel Boom IPA
Yum, still good. Some nice hops and maybe a hint of malty sweetness and a little bitterness at the finish. It's nicely balanced and it works for me.


Mountain Man Hairy Goat
Now this is a different beast. It's a bit hoppier up front, but it doesn't have any balancing sweetness, but there's a little tinge of fruit coming through at the back of the tongue. It's less subtle but it's pretty tasty too.

**Update**
Winner - Em - It's desperately close again and there's not more than a hair between them. I'm gonna go with my gut...it's the Boom, because that's the ale that's working for me tonight. Your mileage, of course, may vary. Mountain Man Hairy Goat!

Kev from Stone Barrel DM'd me to let me know that they had decided to remove themselves from the challenge. Boom is currently contract brewed in the UK and as such does not meet the competition criteria of being an "Irish" Pale Ale. It's an honourable thing to do and I respect their honesty and wish them well in the future when the beer will be produced in Ballymount, I think?

So congrats to the Mountain Men and we'll see them in the final.

Irish Pale Ale Challenge - SF1 - Donegal Farmhouse Vs Dublin Porterhouse

Semi Final 1
Kinnegar Scraggy Bay India Pale Ale 5.3% abv 50cl €3.69
Porterhouse Hop Head 5.0% abv 33cl €2.10

While both of these were victorious in their respective Quarter Finals, I didn't love either one. It should be an interesting match-up which I hope will not result in the lesser of two evils going through to the final.

Porterhouse Hop Head
This a  a deep amber colour in the glass with a frothy long lasting head. Smells good, some hoppiness and maybe a hint of fruit. I have to say this is tasting really good right now. I'm digging the bitterness and this beer is working for me at this moment. Maybe it's because I haven't had any beer in 72 hours, who knows?

Kinnegar Scraggy Bay India Pale Ale
More of a cloudy lager colour with lots of fruit on the nose. This is a different beast altogether. Much more subtle but also well balanced. Ooh, this is a tough one.

Winner - Porterhouse Hop Head. It was very close, and it might have gone either way but I'm giving it to the Hop Head. Ceteris paribus, I'll always go for the bigger, stronger ale...

Irish Pale Ale Challenge - QF8 - The republic triumphant

Quarter Final 8
Black's Kinsale Pale Ale 5.0% abv 33cl €2.69
Trouble Brewing Sabotage IPA 5.5% abv 50cl €3-59

I suspect this will be a close run thing. I could maybe have drawn these apart but if an IPA is going to succeed in this endeavour, it will need to beat all comers, including some stiff opposition.

Black's Kinsale Pale Ale
There's a lovely citrussy nose here and some good solid bitterness up front. A decent amount of grapefruit but not as much tropical fruit as I remember from last time. Still, I like it, and while it's not one for the faint of heart, its right up my alley,

Trouble Brewing Sabotage IPA
This is much darker in the glass and the nose has more of a red ale aroma to it, with some yummy toasty caramel notes. This is delicious but it tastes to this reviewer like a red ale with some hops added, which is an attractive combo, but is not what I'm looking for in this competition...

Winner - Black's Kinsale Pale Ale

A bunch of (mostly) UK only IPAs from Sainsburys

I decided to take a break from blogging IPAs (7 QFs down and 1 to go) and blog some wine, and to that end I asked Herself to buy a couple of Spanish reds in Aldi that I had heard good things about, while she was buying a bunch of useless crap there. I then discovered that I had actually blogged both of them before; the lovely Ribera here and the not quite so lovely Rioja here.

Anyhoo, I was in Norn Iron a couple of days ago for work and decided to pop into Sainsburys, mainly to look for Whiskey bargains but also to see what beer they had. First up - Whiskey. Boom! - Highland Park 12yo for £26. I freakin' love this whiskey, I really freaking love the 16yo and as for the 18yo, don't get me started. The last Highland Park I bought was the duty-free only 1998, which I didn't really care for.

I came across a bunch of IPAs and bought one of each. As I drink them I'll blog them. They are (l-r)

Greene King IPA Reserve 5.4% abv £1.97
Never had this before - should be better than its little brother (below)
- Not bad. I liked this a lot more than than its little brother below but I wouldn't go running to buy it.

Greene King IPA 3.6% abv £1.77
Had this a few times on draught in the UK and it's fine for what it is. Blandish mass-market IPA.
- No, don't like this at all. It has that harsh aftertaste of weak ale that I don't like.

Marston's Pedigree Pale Ale 4.5% abv £1.99
Got this in Aldi and didn't love it. But I'll give it another crack of the whip, so to speak.
- As before, this is not doing anything for me. It's not unpleasant but...meh, just meh.

Marston's Pale Ale 2.8% abv £1.39
2.8%!!! I didn't notice that tragic number when I bought it. I'm not hopeful as I've never had anything like a decent beer below 4% abv. 
- Awful. Dishwater.

Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Tap Room IPA 6.3% abv £1.79
This guy liked it...link
- I'm not so sure. All I'm getting is a slightly burnt aroma. It smells hoppy, but tastes of very little. I hope this didn't taste like it was supposed to. Disappointing.

Sainsbury's Taste The Difference American Pale Ale 5.3% abv £1.79
Also liked this one...link
- This was pretty decent and light years ahead of the Tap Room above. Exactly what I would expect from an American Pale Ale. Moderately hopped and nicely balanced.

Sainsbury's Taste The Difference India Pale Ale 5.9% abv £1.89
But suspiciously quiet on this one...
- I was a little underwhelmed by this initially but I warmed to it after a while. Not a lot of hoppiness on display but it wears its alcohol well and has a touch of malty sweetness that I appreciated. Not one for the hop afficianado but good value as priced. It's brewed by Marstons, who have a couple of other beers in the frame - see above.

Titanic Quarter Beer Irish Pale Ale 4.2% abv £2.29
No idea. Pure punt.
- I have just discovered this is brewed by Hilden, who have form with IPAs. Looking at the abv I  wasn't hopeful but I like this. It's not massively hopped but it is clean and refreshing (I agree with the bottle on those terms), and would work well when something lighter is fancied.

Irish Pale Ale Challenge - QF7 - If it were done...

Quarter Final 7
Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale 4.4% abv 50cl €3.19
Smithwicks Pale Ale 4.5% abv 50cl €2.80

To be honest I haven't been looking forward to this match. The Galway Hooker underwhelmed me last time out and the Smithwicks I've only had on draught, when I found it too cold and fizzy. Let's begin (sigh).

Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale
Meh, not bad. Easy drinking and probably fine as the first drink of the night but it would taste like nothing at all after any kind of hoppy IPA. Could work if you were transitioning from lager...

Smithwicks Pale Ale
No -  I don't like this at all. Bland and soapy. Down the sink.

Winner - Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale (by default)

Irish Pale Ale Challenge - QF6 - Karma bites my a$$

Quarter Final 6
Porterhouse Hop Head 5.0% abv 33cl €2.10
8Degrees Howling Gale Ale 5.0% abv

I found a bottle of McGrath's IPA in Molloy's earlier, and I was planning to replace the Howling Gale with it (no loss I reckoned as I didn't expect it to progress) but the universe had other plans. The McGraths was corked/skunked/off  - I don't know what, but it wasn't right. So I went back to plan A...

Porterhouse Hop Head
I had this from a cask in The Black Sheep last night and I liked it, although it was in a blizzard of
IPAs so my memory might be fuzzy. Anyway, in bottles this is...OK. It's quite hoppy but I'm not sure the bitterness works, and the fancy peel-cap bottle top took a huge chunk out of my finger, so negative marks there.

8Degrees Howling Gale Ale
I don't think I'll ever forgive 8Degrees for not making any more Cylone or Amber Ella but lets see how this ale stacks up. To be honest it's a bit mild. Not unpleasant but not a huge amount going on, not much hops just a gentle tickle. Perfectly fine but not a competition winner.

Winner - Porterhouse Hop Head