What beer are we drinking this week ?

Herb Powell

Waaaaaaaay too much Franziskaner, 5am Saint, Punk IPA, Sierra Nevada Torpedo, amongst other things. All delicious.

I think I'll have to take a break til my homebrew is ready.

limnam

I had a Punk IPA on tap, very enjoyable. Maybe a little overpriced at 6e

irish_goat

limnam wrote: »

I had a Punk IPA on tap, very enjoyable. Maybe a little overpriced at 6e

That's a bargain compared to some places.

€6.60 in the Black Sheep. I was really tempted yesterday but it's hard to justify at that price.

Colonel Sanders

irish_goat wrote: »

That's a bargain compared to some places.

€6.60 in the Black Sheep. I was really tempted yesterday but it's hard to justify at that price.

€6.25 last time I had it in ATG, that was a few months ago though

It was advertised as €6 in O'Neill's when I was in there on the 21st but was actually charged €6.30

the beer revolu

limnam wrote: »

I had a Punk IPA on tap, very enjoyable. Maybe a little overpriced at 6e

I really think that beer bars need to think about not working on a straight margin price structure when it comes to the more expensive beers.
They just work out too dear and people are put off buying them.
They could charge a bit less and still make the same profit as more standard beers (just not the same % profit).
But I know most retailers feel very strongly about margin!

BaZmO*

Fyne Ales Superior IPA to finish off the Christmas break. Fantastic beer

Heroditas

Bottle of Hommel Bier Limited Edition tonight with the darts.
Not my favourite by any stretch of the imagination. Very sharp "tang" initially but it has mellowed since I opened the bottle.
Might tuck into a Nogne #500 later.

Grayditch

Oooh. Never try drink an O'Hara's Leann Follain on a full stomach

Rookie mistake.

Heroditas

Currently having a Coffee and Oatmeal Stout.
Not nearly as nice as last year's batch or maybe it's a bad bottle. Quite a bitter, oaky taste from it. Just not hitting the spot

BaZmO*

Heroditas wrote: »

Currently having a Coffee and Oatmeal Stout.
Not nearly as nice as last year's batch or maybe it's a bad bottle. Quite a bitter, oaky taste from it. Just not hitting the spot

It must be a label switch?

Grayditch

I had a C&O stout last night that we nastily bitter upon the first couple of sips. Thankfully it was grand after that. It was on it's side for about 30 mins in the bottle before pouring, would that have anything to do with the sediment? I don't really know much about that.

Heroditas

BaZmO* wrote: »

It must be a label switch?

Dunno what it could have been switched with though. It tasted nothing like Black Rock stout.

BaZmO*

Heroditas wrote: »

Dunno what it could have been switched with though. It tasted nothing like Black Rock stout.

Well it sounds like it tastes more like the Black Rock Stout than the Coffee & Oatmeal.

limnam

the beer revolu wrote: »

I really think that beer bars need to think about not working on a straight margin price structure when it comes to the more expensive beers.
They just work out too dear and people are put off buying them.
They could charge a bit less and still make the same profit as more standard beers (just not the same % profit).
But I know most retailers feel very strongly about margin!

There's a bar off a side street in Milan that's run by an English couple. All alcoholic drinks regardless of what they were was 5e. I thought this was a great idea. It also has some positive knock on effects as the bar staff were extremely efficient and I didn't go home with a pocket full of change.

penev10

Had a bottle of St. Bernardus Abt 12 Festive brew on NY eve. Not quite as nice as the standard Abt 12 (the spicy, hints of mulled wine get a bit tiresome) but a tasty strong ale all the same.

BaZmO*

penev10 wrote: »

Had a bottle of St. Bernardus Abt 12 Festive brew on NY eve. Not quite as nice as the standard Abt 12 (the spicy, hints of mulled wine get a bit tiresome) but a tasty strong ale all the same.

Are you talking about this one?

I didn't think it was the Abt 12 with spices, etc.? I thought it was a separate beer?

penev10

BaZmO* wrote: »

Are you talking about this one?

I didn't think it was the Abt 12 with spices, etc.? I thought it was a separate beer?

Yeah, that's the one. Thought it said Abt 12 in the bottle but on second inspection you're right!

dzilla

im drinking a bit of everything, got a box of craft beer for xmas, best out of it was the fullers black cab stout, very impressed with it

blueshed

got a btl of VILKMERGE'S JAUNO DERLIAUS http://pingvi.com/tasting/alaus-naujienos-23/

cant find any info in english, being told it's an ale.

keano_afc

dzilla wrote: »

im drinking a bit of everything, got a box of craft beer for xmas, best out of it was the fullers black cab stout, very impressed with it

Yeah was pleasantly surprised with that, I'll definitely be trying it again.

Baneblade

had a brooklyn black chocolate stout last night, think i found a new favorite, very nice

Seaneh

Had a glass of the Flying Dog edition of International Arms Race the other day, €4.50 for a 330ml glass in The Salt House.

It is without doubt the most unusual beer I have ever tasted.

Well worth a try!

BaZmO*

Seaneh wrote: »

Had a glass of the Flying Dog edition of International Arms Race the other day, €4.50 for a 330ml glass in The Salt House.

It is without doubt the most unusual beer I have ever tasted.

Well worth a try!

I have a bottle of both versions so I'm interested to try them back to back.

stuchyg

The brewdog version was cack, tasted like acai berry. I really missed the hops

slayerking

House made pork scratchings in Porterhouse Templebar and Bohemia dark lager on draft is beer of the day, at 4 euro a pint, it would be rude not to.

BaZmO*

Just started on part one of my International Arms Race experience, Brewdog version. Hmmm, not sure what to make of it. Nice(ish) but very unusual. Kinda tastes like an unusual cola or maybe a spiced rum with coke. I'll try the Flying Dog one next.

Heroditas

What a great afternoon:
Wings in Elephant and Castle followed by pints in:
Black Sheep and then:
More wings and pints in Against the Grain.

Love the board games. Love the staff. Thumbs up!

Now that I'm a bit more sober, think my two favourite drinks were the Hook Norton winter ale and the Thorn bridge Black IPA.

BaZmO*

BaZmO* wrote: »

Just started on part one of my International Arms Race experience, Brewdog version. Hmmm, not sure what to make of it. Nice(ish) but very unusual. Kinda tastes like an unusual cola or maybe a spiced rum with coke. I'll try the Flying Dog one next.

Flying Dog one is certainly more drinkable. I'm getting lots of spicy white pepper from it.

Great experiment from the two breweries but I can't say the two beers would be beers that I'd ever rush to try again.

Seaneh

Just had a bottle of Scheyern Kloster Doppelbock Dunkel which was lovely and washing it down with a pint of Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest which is also delicious.
And I say I don't like lagers!

Mickolob

Gotta love the old Peroni or Grolsch

baconsarnie

Heroditas wrote: »

Now that I'm a bit more sober, think my two favourite drinks were the Hook Norton winter ale and the Thorn bridge Black IPA.

Thornbridge Raven? Superb stuff. Have only had it in bottle. Hmmmm

Heroditas

baconsarnie wrote: »

Thornbridge Raven? Superb stuff. Have only had it in bottle. Hmmmm

Yeah, they were selling it in 400ml? glasses. When I was there, they were emptying the tap in question of the remainder of their Left Hand Milk Stout and washing through the line with the IPA.
Managed to taste a mouthful of the tankard in which they had a mix of the IPA and Stout - I have to say it was extremely nice!

baconsarnie

Heroditas wrote: »

Yeah, they were selling it in 400ml? glasses. When I was there, they were emptying the tap in question of the remainder of their Left Hand Milk Stout

The Milk Stout was still on? Had a few glasses of that on the 21st and thought it wouldn't last too long!!

GLaDOS

Was drinking Porterhouse Plain last night, very tasty

Glebee

Got to sample a few fine beverages over the Christmas break and at last got to visit Against the Grain (twice) and WJ Kavanaghs. Both excellent pubs and I really wish them every success. Have to get back to Kavanaghs soon as thought it was a really nice set up and a million miles from the original Kavanaghs that I remember from going to matchs in Croke Park over the years. How do they get on of a match day????

Some beers that I was not that impressed with from my Chrismas stash was College Green Brewerys Chocolate Stout, very watery and bland I thought. Also Goose Islands Christmas Ale was nothning special.

munchkin_utd

Glebee wrote: »

Got to sample a few fine beverages over the Christmas break and at last got to visit Against the Grain (twice) and WJ Kavanaghs. Both excellent pubs and I really wish them every success. Have to get back to Kavanaghs soon as thought it was a really nice set up and a million miles from the original Kavanaghs that I remember from going to matchs in Croke Park over the years. How do they get on of a match day????

<snip>.

on a match day its a potential goldmine gone wrong due to lack of availablity of whats popular with the normal folk of Ireland.

I managed to get to Donegals all ireland quarter, semi and the final and was in Kavanaghs after the semi and quarter and was passing by after the final. The place was empty relative to the amount of folks in the area looking for a post match pint. Many dropped in, were told there was no bud/ miller/ guinness and simply buggered off. Others stopped for a pint and then headed. Before the all ireland final it was the only pub not wedged in an area where there were so many milling about that it was causing traffic disruption.
Maybe its naieve management or a philiosophical dislike of commercial beer (even as a one off for match days) but they definitely have missed a trick.

It reminds me of a conversation I had with my uncle, a recently retired catering lecturer in GMIT about michelin star restaurants where he pointed out that in Ireland despite such establishments being really good, they nearly always close down because they are so far up their hole that they will make no compromises to at least acknowledge that normal folk exist.
When you loose sight of commercial reality in a commercial enterprise then you may end up loosing your commercial enterprise by going bankrupt!

Now, Maybe Kavanaghs has such low rent on their quite large premises that their profit margins are so great that they can look a gift horse in the mouth and actively discourage the masses by not offering what they want (on match day). I somehow dont think so.
If I were them I would do as the porterhouse and other establishments specialising in craft beers and allow a small selection of mainstream beers to apease those with hard earned money in their pockets but lack of willingness to experiment.

Anyhow back on topic - had a Leffe Kerstbier/ Bier de Nöel (xmas beer) last night and it was spot on. Flavoursome and sweet but not overly so. The promised spicy twinge of a taste really couldn't be detected by me but nevertheless I'm happy I have 5 more bottles of it at home to tide me over the winter months along with the other stuff I have in stock.
Straight afterwards I cracked open a Leffe tripple which was positively bland in comparison.

neilthefunkeone

Popped into the porter house last night and had a pint of Oyster then tried the White Gypsey Yule Ol.. Wants too impressed with it to be honest..

baconsarnie

munchkin_utd wrote: »

on a match day its a potential goldmine gone wrong due to lack of availablity of whats popular with the normal folk of Ireland. .

I like craft beer.

I wasn't aware i was abnormal

Thanks for pointing that out.

munchkin_utd

baconsarnie wrote: »

I like craft beer.

I wasn't aware i was abnormal

Thanks for pointing that out.

grand so .
maybe should have said "the common folk of Ireland. ." - but then you could have said I was looking down on the majority of people in Ireland who couldnt care less for a craft beer and only want the familiar heavily advertised big brewery tipple.

normal means to conform to the norm, and the norm is (or are you also arguing this too) that the vast majority of beer sold in the country in general is not craft beer and more importantly on a GAA match day the vast majority of folks from down the country up for the match have absolutely no interest whatsoever in trying a craft beer.

baconsarnie

munchkin_utd wrote: »

normal means to conform to the norm, and the norm is (or are you also arguing this too) that the vast majority of beer sold in the country in general is not craft beer and more importantly on a GAA match day the vast majority of folks from down the country up for the match have absolutely no interest whatsoever in trying a craft beer.

Easiest thing would be to say the majority of beer drinkers.

Colonel Sanders

I hear what you're saying re Kavanagh's but I know ATG often post on Facebook "Life's too short to drink crap beer" so if they started selling what they consider crap beer it it would be a bit of a turn up

I think solely craft beer pubs are trying to carve out a niche, if they're still there in a few years that niche obviously worked & is profitable.

I find it very difficult to get people to drink craft beer. Most drink one with a scowl having made their minds up they won't like it before tasting, then want to go to a different pub selling macros (I'm into "funny beers" apparently). Some enjoy it but then simply return to macros. It's a shame but I suppose it shows that macros don't run multi million euro ad campaigns for the fun of it

Martyn1989

munchkin_utd wrote: »

on a match day its a potential goldmine gone wrong due to lack of availablity of whats popular with the normal folk of Ireland.

I managed to get to Donegals all ireland quarter, semi and the final and was in Kavanaghs after the semi and quarter and was passing by after the final. The place was empty relative to the amount of folks in the area looking for a post match pint. Many dropped in, were told there was no bud/ miller/ guinness and simply buggered off. Others stopped for a pint and then headed. Before the all ireland final it was the only pub not wedged in an area where there were so many milling about that it was causing traffic disruption.
Maybe its naieve management or a philiosophical dislike of commercial beer (even as a one off for match days) but they definitely have missed a trick.

It reminds me of a conversation I had with my uncle, a recently retired catering lecturer in GMIT about michelin star restaurants where he pointed out that in Ireland despite such establishments being really good, they nearly always close down because they are so far up their hole that they will make no compromises to at least acknowledge that normal folk exist.
When you loose sight of commercial reality in a commercial enterprise then you may end up loosing your commercial enterprise by going bankrupt!

Now, Maybe Kavanaghs has such low rent on their quite large premises that their profit margins are so great that they can look a gift horse in the mouth and actively discourage the masses by not offering what they want (on match day). I somehow dont think so.
If I were them I would do as the porterhouse and other establishments specialising in craft beers and allow a small selection of mainstream beers to apease those with hard earned money in their pockets but lack of willingness to experiment.

Anyhow back on topic - had a Leffe Kerstbier/ Bier de Nöel (xmas beer) last night and it was spot on. Flavoursome and sweet but not overly so. The promised spicy twinge of a taste really couldn't be detected by me but nevertheless I'm happy I have 5 more bottles of it at home to tide me over the winter months along with the other stuff I have in stock.
Straight afterwards I cracked open a Leffe tripple which was positively bland in comparison.

I'd imagine owners/management have put much consideration and deliberation into their stance of supplying macro beer on a match day, they've deicided to stick to their image and stay faithful to their 'ideology' that pulls in their regulars every other day of the year. They may miss out shifting some beer but they also avoid the large riled up crowds and alot of the unpleasentness that comes with it.

Its not entirely similar to a Michelin star restaurant? From what I understand they find it very difficult to even cover costs in Ireland, they are also under pressure to provide constant excellance or risk losing the star. To be fair restaurants like that aren't aiming for the majority and why would they? Would he consider a French Michelin star restaurant to be less up its own hole? As a nation we aren't very discerning when it comes to our food and drink anyway.

symbolic

Had the Cask Galway Bay milk stout in Brewdock today. Recommended if you are passing by!

Grayditch

My friend said the other day "You can keep your fancy beer".

I told him a lot of the stuff I drink is made in Cavan, Waterford etc, in modest breweries but to enjoy his slick imported Danish beer.

Who's fancy now, hai?

Colonel Sanders

symbolic wrote: »

Had the Cask Galway Bay milk stout in Brewdock today. Recommended if you are passing by!

I want!

Off the beer for a month though....

Colonel Sanders

Grayditch wrote: »

My friend said the other day "You can keep your fancy beer".

Has (s)he ever tried micro brewery beer?

I've no problem with someone telling me Bud, for example, is their favourite beer as long they've actually tasted other beers. In most cases they've had Bud, Heineken, Carlsberg and maybe some cheap canned stuff

I've often tried to interest people in micro beers or even something different like Pilsner Urquell on draft. Often the response is a screwed up face followed by "nah, I wouldn't like that". Of course you'll never like it unless you actually bloody try it

Grayditch

9 times out of ten I give someone a Spaten (baby steps, remember) or especially a Magic Hat no. 9 or Galway Hooker, they're mad about it, but are back on the Bavaria the next time I see them. That might be down to cash, to be fair.

A lot of people who know I like craft beers often offer me a beer with the warning that 'all I have is Heineken, you probably won't drink that'. I'm not a snob, ha ha, sure ill have a Heineken.

I'm looking forward to craft beers taking off more in Ireland. I'd say out of my top ten beers, 5 of them are probably Irish.

Lovely Bloke

About WJ Kavanagh's - I love the place, but I do find it hilarious that they have big lit up Heineken and Bavaria signs on the wall outside the pub. The round, side-on signs that you see on a lot of places.

BaZmO*

TheNinthGate wrote: »

About WJ Kavanagh's - I love the place, but I do find it hilarious that they have big lit up Heineken and Bavaria signs on the wall outside the pub. The round, side-on signs that you see on a lot of places.

Yeah I was laughing at that too, but as my other half pointed out to me, there is an Off Licence there too, so they can be excused for it.

BeerNut

TheNinthGate wrote: »

About WJ Kavanagh's - I love the place, but I do find it hilarious that they have big lit up Heineken and Bavaria signs on the wall outside the pub. The round, side-on signs that you see on a lot of places.

Getting permission to change anything on the exterior of a pub like that is a nightmare, I'm told. I reckon metal window shutters would be higher on the shopping list than removing the signs.