Random German Beers (from Ballyogan)

Doing some shopping in Dunnes in Ballogan I noticed some new cheap lager, and  I'm always on the lookout for good cheap lager. There were three beers from Eichbaum, a Pilsener, a Weissbier (I ignored that one) and the last of the three was a huge (950ml) of "Premium" beer, which I just had to buy.. 

Eichbaum Pilsener 50cl 4.8% abv  €1.50

Best way to describe this is probably "solid". Nice balanced taste, good mouthfeel and a decent finish. Good value as priced and  I'll be buying more.

Eichbaum PremiumBier 95cl 5.5% abv €3.50  
Didn't really care for this. The extra strength and "premium-ness" translates into a slightly unpleasant heat and a touch bitterness at the back of the palate. Don't like.

I was in Molloys looking for new Irish beers and IPAs and I cam across these two premium looking German types so I decide to take a punt on them. Link 

Stortebeker Atlantik-Ale 50cl 5.1% abv €3.75
When I bought this I had no idea what kind of "ale" this was. It came out a very pale if slightly cloudy lager like colour, so I guess it's probably a pale (or golden) ale. First things first, its got loads of lovely tropical fruit, loads. Not a huge finish but there's a little hoppines to counterbalance the fruit. If you like the tropical fruit thing then this a lovely example.

Stortebeker Pilsener-Bier 50cl 4.9% abv €3.25
Quite pale in the glass with a pretty thick white head with a slightly grassy aroma. I like it. It has a crisp and clean flavour. It's very well balanced with a hint of hops at the finish. It's a pretty solid Pilsener, problem is it's not cheap at €3.25 a bottle. Is it significantly nicer than other decent euro lagers e.g. Veltins, Spaten, Pilsner Urquell, Krombacher etc? You be the judge.

More New Irish Beers & Some Bonus Tesco "Craft" beers

Pokertree Red Earl Ruby Ale 5.5% abv €3.95
Didn't like this at all, while it had some caramel and fruit at the start, the overpowering flavour was a sharp, unpleasant bitterness. Down the sink.

St Mel's Helles Lager  (Bottle Conditioned and dry Hopped) 5% abv €3.99
Ugh. Awful nasty bitter, same as their Pale Ale. There's something wrong with their beers OR my taste buds but both were undrinkable vile, sorry.

West Mayo Brewery Clew Bay Sunset Red Ale 4% abv €3.95
Dropped this on the way to the fridge so only got half a bottle -lots of caramel and sweetness, bit light tho, need more depth of flavour, alcohol or something.

Note: I'll be reviewing the 8 degrees in a separate post

Colgan's IPA 6.0% abv (4 for €6-50)
Amber red in the glass with a thin head. First impressions - light on the hops, heavy on the sweetness. Unf. it's not the deep malty sweetness that I like, it's a tiny bit cloying and syrupy. I had high hopes for this, especially when I saw the big "ALC. 6%" on the bottle. Sorry, this one ain't for me - and I bought four of them!

Rye River Brewing Solas Red 5.5% abv €1.89
Rye River are also responsible for the McGargles range of craft beers which some people have been VERY sniffy about. I don't have that problem and quite like all three of their beers with the lager being a personal favourite see this post. Not quite sure where this beer fits in the pantheon but here goes. First taste - not bad, mild. As its warming up its developing some subtle fruit and earthy notes. Not a huge flavour experience but a decent if unremarkable ale.

BONUS - Tesco Own Brand Craft Beers

Tesco California Common Steam Beer 4.7% abv €2.99
Brewed by Marston's. I don't know much about steam beers. These are brewed using lager yeast at higher then normal temperatures, which produces a sort of ale/lager hybrid. I found this a little light and watery but I liked the taste. I'm not sure how much more I'd buy of it at €3 a pop though.

Tesco Craft Lager 5.0% abv €2.99
Also brewed by Marston's, this is apparently "dry-hopped with Admiral and Boadicea", "refreshing citrus orange flavour". I have to say, after a few sips, I am finding it quite refreshing and it does have a tang of oranges off it. While it has some good mouthfeel I'm not sure I'd buy it at this time of year, feels more like a summer sunshine beer.

New Irish Beers!

I'm always happy to see new Irish breweries/beers and the three below represent two new breweries (to me) Brehon & St Mel's. The Kinnegar Black Rye IPA was on draught at the recent Craft Beer fest, but I declined to avail of it as I was feeling a bit full (and jarred).

Brehon Brewhouse Killany Red   50cl 4.5% abv €2.99 link
A darkish cloudy reddish brown in the glass, white persistent head. First taste is fruit followed by a light malty but lingering finish. I like it. It's only 4.5% but it tastes a bit bigger.

Kinnegar (Special)  Black Bucket Black Rye IPA 50cl 6.5% abv €3.99 link
Yummy. This was big and bold. Lots of hops, lots of toasty roasted malt and a nice hoppy lingering finish. I like the standard Rustbucket Rye Ale a lot (although it ain't cheap  €7-50 for a bottle in Kelly's Rosslare) and this

St Mel's Pale Ale 50cl 4.8% abv €3.99 link
Sorry - I don't like this, it's got that really sharp bitterness that I can't abide, and that I have found in a few beers, Dungarvan Comeragh Challenger for one. Down the sink.

Weird Beard Beers

I found a selection of beers from Weird Beers in Molloys on my last visit there, so I bought them all as an experiment, like. They are a London Brewery and seem to make a wide variety of ales. Link 

Five O'Clock Shadow - American IPA 33cl 7.0% abv €3.49
This is more like it. Big, bold, hoppy, malty. Like it a lot and will buy again

Hit The Lights  - Mixed Up IPA 50cl 5.9% abv €4.39
Hmmm. Crisp, light, not masses of hops. Orange flavours (like those effervescent vitamin tablets). A little bitterness at the finish. Maybe needs food. A summer ale I think. Expensive though as priced.

Fade To Black - Black IPA 33cl 6.3% abv €3.49
While this is nominally an IPA, it's not really. I've had a few black IPAs and while they have some nice coffee/chocolate and roasted notes, they are, at heart, hoppy IPAs. This is the opposite; a thick, rich, chunky porter with a little bit of hops at the margins. I shouldn't complain, because it is rather good. There is an extraordinary breadth of complex flavours on show here. I don't tend to drink much in the way of bottled stouts/porters but I will definitely buy this again.
**Update ** I bought it again and gave it to Herself and she loved it, a cracker.

Little Things That Kill 50cl 3.0% abv €3.99
A violently hoppy little beer. Smells nice. Its very fizzy - lots of big bubbles and a pale slightly cloudy hue in the glass. Reminds of Brewdog Dead Pony Club, low abv, no malt and lots of hops. I don't tend to like weak beers but this is a tasty session ale, I'd miss the malt though.

Mariana Trench - Transpacific Pale Ale 33cl 5.2% abv €3.29
First time around I had this with some hot chilli crisps and couldn't really taste it, so I decided to give it another try. so I liked it but didn't love it. It's well balanced, with some nice tropical fruits and a touch of malt, and its very drinkable. One for those who don't like their Pale Ales too big or hoppy, with perhaps a little subtlety.

Black Perle 50cl 3.8% abv €3.99
A Coffee Milk Stout. This is different; sweet, like milky mocha. Not sure I really like it though. It's a milk stout which is traditionally made with lactose to sweeten it. It resembles cold sugary coffee with a hint of vanilla. It is actually made with coffee - here's a blog post from the brewer on the history of this ale. Hmmmmm, worth a try for the experience but not one I'd buy again.

The Scottish Play (Beer)

Some more beers that I picked in Molloys on the Ballyogan road. They have upped their game recently and now have a very very good range of craft beers. The three below were new to me and  were available for a bargain €9 price, sweet.

Drygate Galdeye IPA 50cl 5.5% abv €3.99* link
Like this. Full bodied with lots of malt. Not a huge amount of hops, so if that's your bag, look elsewhere, but it worked for me. Would I buy it ahead of my favourite American IPAs? Probably not but I'd still recommend it.

Williams Joker IPA 50cl 5.0% abv €3.99* link
For something with such a great name this IPA was a tad underwhelming, especially for something that trumpets "wickedly hoppy" on the bottle. There was nothing wrong with this ale but I found it desperately bland. Not a lot of hops, malt or much else, I'm afraid. It could be that I'm holding it to too high a standard, but that's the great thing about a blog - it's my nickel.

Drygate Bearface Lager 50cl 4.4% abv €3.99* link
Let's also review this lager based on the claims on the label. This says "heavy on the hops light on the tongue clean and crisp citrus hints lager...". Heavy on the hops - there certainly some hops, more than you get in a normal lager; Light on the tongue clean and crisp - yep, it's light , clean and quite crisp; citrus hints - yes, this too.  So far so good, but how does it all work in toto?
Well enough IMHO, a fine summer drink but I'd need a little more; more alcohol, more malt, more something, to round out the flavour. If you like those light Italian lagers thsi will probably work well for you...

**Update**
Just picked up the Drygate Outaspace (sic) Apple Ale 4.7% €3.99  link  and a Harviestoun The Ridge Pale Ale link 5.0% €2.69

The apple ale didn't work for me (or Herself btw), it was a bit of a curates egg to be honest. The Harviestoun was OK, a bit bland but drinkable. I used to love their Schiehallion but the last time I tried it I really didn't care for it, whaddya know?

Here are some other random capsule reviews that never made a post...

Rogue Brutal IPA 66cl €7.79 5.8% link
Underwhelming. Not bad but for nearly eight notes I'd expect to have my socks (or something else) blown (off). Perfectly drinkable but not patch on their Yellow Snow IPA.

Independent Pale Ale 50 cl 6.0% abv - €3.99 - link
Liked this a lot, cloudy amber in the glass, lots of tasty citrussy  hops at the back of the palate and a long lingering finish. Definitely will buy this again, Their Red Ale is pretty damn good too.

Kenmare Irish Pale Ale 50 cl 5.0% abv - €3.70 - link
Disappointing - not a huge amount of flavour.

Autumn Ales from Molloys

Buxton Axe Edge India Pale Ale 33cl 6.8% abv €3.79 link
Yummy, yummy, yummy. A perfect balance of citrus bitterness and malty sweetness. Very similar to all those US IPAs that I bang on about (blogs passim)

Tiny Rebel Urban IPA 33cl 5.5% abv €3.19 link
Pine freshness and lots of it. I'm drinking thsi straight after the Axe Edge and it's coming off second best. Not bad, decent long finish but doesn't have the magic balance of the above. 

Mariana Trench - Transpacific Pale Ale 33cl 5.2% abv €3.29
Reviewing this as part of a separate Weird Beers post.

Beavertown Neck Oil Session IPA 33cl (can) 4.3% abv €3.49 link
Loved this. Loads of hops, malt full of big flavours. Very impressed that this level of flavour was present in  4.3% ABV ale. Would expect this level of flavour in a big 6%+ US ale 

Trouble Brewing Whistle Blower IPA 50cl 7.6% abv €3.99 link (seasonal)
I just went to get this bottle out of my beer fridge and it wasn't there. I'm getting a flashback to last Friday and a poker game in Naas. I think I enjoyed this but it's all a bit hazy, perhaps because this beers comes in at a whopping 7.6%, sorry.

Blackstairs Ruby Red IPA 50cl 5% abv €4.35  link
I tried this at the Craft Beer Fest this year and didn't like it, at all. But it was late I was jarred, my glass could have been dirty, yadda yadda yadda...I saw it in the shelf and decided I'd give it another shot. I'm glad I did, it's quite good. It's a deep reddy brown in the glass with a decent, healthy head. It reminds me of Kinnegar Rustbucket Rye which is quite a compliment. It's got lots of nice hoppy bitterness and a smattering of sweetness. If this is their first effort, bravo.

Irish Craft Beer Fest 2014

So this year, it was just me and Chester at the Irish Craft Beer Fest. The invitation had been extended to all of the FT boys but only five had confirmed. However, at the last minute, due to some shamefully egregious bad legs, our party ended up being but a twosome. 

Then there was a mix-up with the guest list, which was most excellently resolved (Thanks Ed!), So I curtailed my ticketing activities, sallied forth, and infiltrated the place of purveyance to negotiate the imbibing of some hoppy comestibles...

8 Degrees brewing Hurricane IPA 5.8% abv - Never had this is on draught, lovely as it is in bottles. A good way to start the evening and I sipped this as I wandered the hall, getting my bearings and waiting for Chester to hove into view. FYI I also sampled their Saison 7%, which I did not like at all, much too wheatbeer for me, but Chester loved it. Tasted the Alba Abú too but it was at the end of the evening, after many strong IPAs and I couldn't really taste it, sorry.

Stone Barrel Brewing Day Trippin American Pale Ale 5% abv - Hoppier, with more body than their previous IPA - Boom. Had a nice chat with the chap/brewer behind the counter. I hope they make this as a commercial offering.

Bo Bristle Imperial Red Ale 7% abv -Apparently the only Imperial Red Ale in Ireland - who'd a thunk it? It was a touch sweet but very moreish. A dangerous beer as it belies its abv.* 

O'Hara's Hop Heavy - Slightly Sweet but still tasty. Halfway between the regular IPA and the Double IPA.

Blacks of Kinsale Rocketship 6.5% abv - Really liked this, strong and hoppy. A turbocharged version of their standard IPA, which I like a lot and which won my Irish IPA Challenge. Chester tried the Black IPA and really liked it, which was nice.

OHara's Helles Lager 4.5% abv - I needed a break from all the strong ales so I plumped for a lager. Crisp and tasty, did the job.

Trouble Brewing Vietnow - very good, very hoppy. Like this a lot, even in my late evening beer haze.

Kinnegar Otway 4.2% - I decided to finish with something a bit milder, I didn't really care for this in bottles but it was perfectly pleasant, and what the doctor ordered at this late stage of the evening.

 *Recommended by Ed