Irish IPAs - Poker School Blind Tasting

So it was my turn to host Poker, and I decided to mix it up by MCing a blind tasting of four Irish IPAs. I attempted to pick four similar Pale Ales, in terms of style, abv etc. This wasn't a selection of my favourites, btw. Of late I have been loving White Hag IPA, and Herself has been guzzling the classic Brewdog Punk IPA.

Anyhoo, after we had been playing for a couple of hours I brought out the beers, in unmarked plastic (?) cups to Alan, Josie, Brian and Paud. The scores are below, although I was obviously not tasting blind...

	Beer1	Beer2	Beer3	Beer4
Alan	6	5	6	9
Josie	7	5	6	7
Brian	8	6	7	6
Paud	7	5	6	8
YHB	7	6	7	5
Total	28	21	25	30

There were some interesting comments too..

Beer 1 - "Flowers", "Fruity", "Pleasant"
Beer 2 - "Excrement", "Doesn't smell as good", "More Bitter. Less pleasant after taste"
Beer 3 - "Flowers", "Better than last one"
Beer 4 - "Mild taste of seamen" (sic), "Tastes like lager", "Sweetly interesting", "Bland"

So here are the beers revealed:

Beer 1: Black's Kinsale Pale Ale 5.0% abv
Beer 2: Trouble Brewing Sabotage India Pale Ale 5.5% abv
Beer 3: Galway Bay Full Sail IPA  5.8% abv
Beer 4: O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale 5.2% abv

The last comment is mine. After the bold flavours of beers 2 & 3, I found Beer 4 a bit lacking. And I really like O'Hara's, especially on draught, and although it did win, it would have fared better (with me) if it had come up before 2 &3. I liked the Black's IPA (as always) and the Galway Bay, which I tend to only drink when I am in Against The Grain but is pretty solid in bottles.

As for the Poker, I finished "up" on the night, courtesy of four bullets in the last hand, if you can't be good, be lucky.

Irish Ale Challenge - Semi Finals 3 & 4

Semi Final 3
Kinnegar Devil's Backbone Amber Ale 50 cl 4.9% abv - €3.79 link
Franciscan Well Rebel Red 33cl 4.3% abv - €2.99 link

Franciscan Well Rebel Red
Reddy Brown - thin white head. Nice, well balanced, but not a huge flavour, bit of malt and little fruit on the finish. Tonight this just isn't doing it for me, sorry.

Kinnegar Devil's Backbone Amber Ale
Amber red, off white head. Fruit on the nose, hints of caramel to taste with a little hoppy bitterness at the end. For once, in these Semi-finals, I am going for the lighter of the two ales.

Winner - Kinnegar Devil's Backbone Amber Ale



Semi Final 4
Dungarvan Copper Coast Irish Red Ale 50cl 4.3% abv - €3.39 link
Whitewater Belfast Ale 50 cl 4.5% abv - €2.99 link

Well I found Belfast Ale once but I can't find it again, so Dungarvan is the winner, by default.

Irish Ale Challenge - Semi Finals 1 & 2

Semi Final 1
O'Hara's Irish Red 50 cl 4.3% abv - €3.29 link
Porterhouse Red Ale 33 cl 4.2% abv - €2.10 link

This should be a close one, the O'Hara's put up a good show in the heat and the Porterhouse has long been a favourite of mine.

O'Hara's Irish Red
A more traditional red ale here with a deep red colour. Good Creamy head. Full rich flavour, with a hint of caramel and a pingh of fruit. 

Porterhouse Red
This seems so much milder and lighter tasted immediately after the Oharas, and it's fine but not the winner today. I think this ale needs to be sampled on draught, it just doesn't work quite as well in bottles.

Winner -  O'Hara's Irish Red

Semi Final 2
Independent Red Ale 50 cl 4.5% abv - €3.59
McGargles Granny Mary's Red Ale 4.4% abv - €2.00

I really liked the Independent first time out so I suspect the McGargles has its work cut out. BTW I have been reading some very sniffy things about McGargles on the intertubes and it appears that it is currently contract brewed in the UK. In which case I will have to disqualify it under the Boom rule, if it wins.

Independent Red Ale
Very dark red, small creamy head. Oh yes - great flavour, great mouthfeel. Complex lingering finish.

McGargles Granny Mary's Red Ale
Lighter, with more of an amber ale flavour profile. Nice
I like the McGargles but the Independent is a class above. It's probably the bookies favourite at the moment...

Winner -  Independent Red Ale

That's it - 4 down, 4 to go.

Irish Ale Challenge - Semi Finalists

It has taken quite a while, but I've whittled the numbers down to eight.  I'm not going to go into detail on the whys and wherefores. The only contentious decision was to exclude the Brown Paper Brown Project Big Red. Availability-wise, I've only found it twice in several months, but mostly it's because of the apples and the oranges. It's delicious, but it's the odd man out in this company, so reluctantly, it's out. Sorry.

The remainder are all pretty good and I, for one, am fascinated to see where this goes.
I have paired them up, seemingly at random, into the following four semi-finals.

O'Hara's Irish Red 50 cl 4.3% abv - €3.29
Porterhouse Red Ale 33 cl 4.2% abv - €2.10

Independent Red Ale 50 cl 4.5% abv - €3.59 
McGargles Granny Mary's Red Ale 4.4% abv - €2.00 

Kinnegar Devil's backbone Amber Ale 50 cl 4.9% abv - €3.79
Franciscan Well Rebel Red 33cl 4.3% abv - €2.99

Dungarvan Copper Coast Irish Red Ale 50cl 4.3% abv - €3.39 
Whitewater Belfast Ale 50 cl 4.5% abv - €2.99

Here's how we got here by the way...
Part 1
Part 2

Irish Craft Ale Challenge - First Round (Part 2)

At the start of this exercise I had it in mind that I would pick four of the ales for the final, but I have five or six from the first batch of ten. I'm gonna have to limit it to eight in total and then run four semis to bring it down to an acceptable final of four. Anyhoo, on with the drinking - it's the cross I have to bear...

Brown Paper Bag Project Big Red 33cl 8.0% abv - €3.29
Pours a deep red, almost brown. With lots of head, thick and creamy. Sweet strong and tasty. The only beer so far with sediment and it's also the only beer of this strength in the field.

Galway Bay Bay Ale 50cl 4.4% abv - €3.29
Classic classic classic red ale. Perfectly fine, drinkable but nothing special.

8Degrees Sunburnt Irish Red 33cl 5.0% abv - €3.79
Deep amber, frothy head. A bit of caramel up front, light on the finish. Not bad but a bit expensive for what it is,

McGargles Granny Mary's Red Ale 4.4% abv - €2.00
Very dark red, small head, got better as it got warmer. Full flavour, nice rich finish.

Whitewater Clotworthy Dobbin 50 cl 5.0% abv - €2.99
Deep red, not bad, a little fruit, some bitterness. Decent All rounder

Hilden Halt Irish Red Ale 50 cl 6.1% abv - €3.49
Deep amber, thick head which dispersed quickly. Slightly sweet but with a sharp unpleasant aftertaste. Can't get over that aftertaste, down the sink with it.

Whitewater Belfast Ale 50 cl 4.5% abv - €2.99
Reddy brown with a thin but creamy head. Nice bitterness throughout, good mouthfeel, solid finish. It's not earth shattering but it's well balanced and reasonably priced. I like it. 

Kenmare Irish Red Ale 50 cl 4.3% abv - €3.70
Reddy brown with a decent head. Nice fruity nose and a good start, but there's no body and it has a thin finish. Not for me, this one.

That's it! Now the difficult task of picking the eight semi finalists. Back soon.

Irish Craft Ale Challenge - First Round (Part 1)

As mentioned in the intro to this competition, I'm not going to pair off the beers, as I normally would,  I'm just going to drink them all and then pick three or four for the final. As I drink them I'll add them below so check back here until all 13 19 or so are done.

McGrath's Irish Red Ale 50cl 4.3% abv - €3.99 link
Pours a deep amber colour with a thin white head and I'm not loving it. It's perfectly fine but it's not bursting with flavour. There's some mild caramel and a hint of fruit, not much hops and a bland finish. Drinkable, but expensive for what it is. However, it did improve as it warmed up so maybe a half hour out of the fridge is required here...

Bo Bristle Amber Ale 50cl 4.5% abv - €3.25 link
A little toffee on the nose and quite amber in the glass with a small but respectable white head. It's tasty with some nice flavours but it's a little mild for my jaded palate. I need something bigger and bolder. You could argue that I should be tasting their Red Ale, but it's not out yet so I have to work with what I can find...

Dungarvan Copper Coast Irish Red Ale 50cl 4.3% abv - €3.39 link
Definitely getting better as we go so far. It's copper coloured, natch; with a good fluffy creamy toned head. I like the mouthfeel and it has a good, tasty finish with a little hint of bitterness. Like their Rye Pale Ale, I'd buy this again.

Kinnegar Devil's backbone Amber Ale 50 cl 4.9% abv - €3.79 link
Slightly cloudy amber colour with some good bitterness from the off. I liked this a lot
Great depth of flavour and long complex finish. A modern style of ale if I can get away with saying that, and I like the strength.

O'Hara's Irish Red 50 cl 4.3% abv - €3.29 link
A more traditional red ale here with a deep red colour.
A subtle bit of nice fruit and a good depth of flavour. A solid entry from Carlow.

Franciscan Well Rebel Red 33cl 4.3% abv - €2.99 link
I love this on draught so I was hoping for a lot here and was not disappointed. It's a deep red colour and it's smooth, baby. Well balanced with nice mouthfeel and a good finish make this a contender. 

Bru Irish Red Craft Beer 50cl 4.7% abv - €2.99 link
Amber coloured with a white head. It was late and I was "tired" (my notes are sparse) but this didn't do a lot for me. It was OK but didn't have enough oopmh on the flavour front. I wish I could love all the competitors but it's inevitable that some won't gel with my personal preferences.

**NEW**

Independent Red Ale 50 cl 4.5% abv - €3.59 link
These guys are new to me,  never saw any of their beers before.
Very dark red in the glass, almost brown in fact, with a frothy bubbly head. I liked this a lot, it had some nice fruit and lovely finish. Very accomplished, and their IPA is pretty decent too.
 
Carrig Brewing Co. Brazen Amber Ale 50 cl 4.2% abv - €3.99 link
This is another beer I'm going to damn with faint praise. Amber coloured in the glass (natch) with a medium head. I even used my wine thermometer to check the beer was served at the specified temperature. This was fine, mild, easy drinking and perfectly pleasant. A very different style to the ale above but just not "enough" for my tastes. Your mileage may vary.

Five Lamps honor Bright Red Ale  33 cl 5.0% abv - €2.79 link
Didnt love this, reddish amber in the glass with lots of head that disappeared rather quickly.
There was plenty of sweet caramel upfront but not much going on at the finish. Hmmmm.
 
Porterhouse Red Ale 33 cl 4.2% abv - €2.10 link
I love this on draught and  when in the Porterhouse I have converted large numbers of people to its charms. Reddish hued with a creamy white head. Traditional full slightly fruity flavour, a touch of bitterness at finish. Well balanced and very moreish.


The remainder of the Ales will be in First Round (Part 2)

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.

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

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