What beer are we drinking this week ?

Seaneh

Today it has been an Anchor Porter and cask Bkackrock Stout day. Gad a Hooker in the middle for ****s and giggles.

Krusty_Clown

Picked up a selection of beers from Marks and Sparks. Big mistake. Expensive, at around €3 for a 500ml bottle, and entirely unimpressive. Cheshire Chocolate porter, Staffordshire IPA, Belgian wheat beer... All awful. I'll be shopping local in future.

Only saving grace was that I was in 'The Pub' in Monkstown earlier and had a pint of Buckleys Golden Ale, which was top notch. Pity it's not more readily available.

Defiler Of The Coffin

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Picked up a selection of beers from Marks and Sparks. Big mistake. Expensive, at around €3 for a 500ml bottle, and entirely unimpressive. Cheshire Chocolate porter, Staffordshire IPA, Belgian wheat beer... All awful. I'll be shopping local in future.

Have to disagree with you on the Cheshire Chocolate Porter, really enjoyed it. Didn't look anything like a porter mind you but that hardly matters. Did you see the Carlow Porter there?

Krusty_Clown

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

Have to disagree with you on the Cheshire Chocolate Porter, really enjoyed it. Didn't look anything like a porter mind you but that hardly matters. Did you see the Carlow Porter there?

Initially, I thought it was ok, but after a few sips I found it sickly sweet, and it tasted like the chocolate flavour was an additive (flavour enhancer), rather than part of the brewing process.

Didn't see the Carlow porter. Is it an O'Haras? I've had the Winter IPA (Adnams Innovation) before (and really liked it) so thought I've give the rest of the range a try. I've a few more to try, but they just seem to be poor copies of established (cheaper) beers.

BeerNut

The Cornish IPA is another stand-out -- based on St Austell Proper Job. As is the Southwold Winter Ale -- a straight re-badge of Adnams Tally Ho. And the Carlow Irish Stout is good too (I've preferred it to O'Hara's in a blind taste). There is a fair amount of overpriced dreck in the range, though. It's worth paying attention to who the breweries are and whether their beers are any good to begin with.

irish_goat

Couldn't get a seat to watch the rugby in the Porterhouse or O'Neills today so I begrudgingly agreed to go to Doyle's though I knew from last time that they only did bottles of Erdinger or Budvar and nothing else exciting. Pleasently surprised when I walked in and saw O'Hara's Red and IPA on tap. €3.50 a pint all day cause of the match too. :D

Defiler Of The Coffin

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Initially, I thought it was ok, but after a few sips I found it sickly sweet, and it tasted like the chocolate flavour was an additive (flavour enhancer), rather than part of the brewing process.

Didn't see the Carlow porter. Is it an O'Haras? I've had the Winter IPA (Adnams Innovation) before (and really liked it) so thought I've give the rest of the range a try. I've a few more to try, but they just seem to be poor copies of established (cheaper) beers.

Could be that have I haven't developed my taste to the same extent so I will be a bit more critical next time I buy it, to be honest I don't bother much with M&S but I agree that it was a bit expensive. That's M&S's business model though. They have to differentiate themselves from Tesco somehow!

Carlow porter is indeed an O'Haras. Worth a try if you see it, but could well be a rebranded version of another of one of their own.

johnnyskeleton

irish_goat wrote: »

Couldn't get a seat to watch the rugby in the Porterhouse or O'Neills today so I begrudgingly agreed to go to Doyle's though I knew from last time that they only did bottles of Erdinger or Budvar and nothing else exciting. Pleasently surprised when I walked in and saw O'Hara's Red and IPA on tap. €3.50 a pint all day cause of the match too. :D

On the other hand, I was pleasantly surpised by a good beer on tap in an otherwise standard selection pub, until I tasted it and it had probably been sitting for weeks or months since the last person had a pint of it.

Krusty_Clown

BeerNut wrote: »

The Cornish IPA is another stand-out -- based on St Austell Proper Job. As is the Southwold Winter Ale -- a straight re-badge of Adnams Tally Ho. And the Carlow Irish Stout is good too (I've preferred it to O'Hara's in a blind taste). There is a fair amount of overpriced dreck in the range, though. It's worth paying attention to who the breweries are and whether their beers are any good to begin with.

Perhaps I just chose poorly. The other one I had was the Belgian Wheat Beer, which is a pretty good knock-off of Hoegaarden, but didn't add anything more than you'd get in a bottle of the original. The beers I've yet to sample are: Southwald Dark Ale (another Adnams beer), Cornish IPA (glad to hear it's good), and the Cherry Wheat beer, so perhaps I'm saving the best until last.


BTW: Delighted to see that Hollands of Bray will shorty have Brewdog Punk IPA on tap. Super news. I understand (from Twitter) that it'll also be coming to a few more pubs soon.

BeerNut

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

the Cherry Wheat beer

I rarely say this about any beer, but I wouldn't touch that one with a very long barge pole. I don't trust the brewery (I suspect this is a very close cousin to the awful Floris Kriek), it's got very little alcohol in it and is outrageously expensive, even by M&S standards.

Farringtons and The Black Sheep already have draught Punk.

slayerking

Dipped in to my Belgian stash over the weekend. Had some beers that had been there for about 2 years.

Westvleteren Blonde, Orval, Westvleteren 8 and Rochefort 8.

Orval is one of those beers that changes so much with ageing, its taste changes constantly! Very interesting beer. I really wana try both aged and young Orval side by side!

I think I preferred the Rochefort to the Westvleteren also, but its very close.

Big Nasty

slayerking wrote: »

Dipped in to my Belgian stash over the weekend. Had some beers that had been there for about 2 years.

Westvleteren Blonde, Orval, Westvleteren 8 and Rochefort 8.

Orval is one of those beers that changes so much with ageing, its taste changes constantly! Very interesting beer. I really wana try both aged and young Orval side by side!

I think I preferred the Rochefort to the Westvleteren also, but its very close.

Quality beers, every one of them!:)

I especially like Rochefort 8 myself.

KJ

On the subject of Belgian beers, I'm currently drinking a st. Bernardus triple. It's lovely. I should start ageing more beer. I only have a few at the minute.

oblivious

KJ wrote: »

On the subject of Belgian beers, I'm currently drinking a st. Bernardus triple. It's lovely. I should start ageing more beer. I only have a few at the minute.

I wound not really age a triple too much, unless the are some bugs in it like Orval

johnnyskeleton

Rumble oak aged ipa from the great divide brewery.

The last great divide I had was the mediocre yeti stout that made me think the whole range was overpriced.

This one is fantastic.

Balanced IPA with lots of hops but also fairly malty and heavy. Great aftertaste, presumably due to oak ageing.

Only flaw is, as with many such aged beers, can fill you up towards the end and it would be very hard to have a second one after.

Losty Dublin

A wee trip saw me pick up some Youngs London Ale. Deceptively light, fresh and fruity, this one could do some damage given the chance.

One of the nights last week, I had Marston's Oyster Stout. Where was it all my life?:)

BeerNut

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

it would be very hard to have a second one after.

I don't think that sort of beer is really meant for session drinking. I doubt the brewer would see this as a flaw.

Martyn1989

I bit the bullet and ordered a bottle of the Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada collab. Life and Limb. 750ml at 10% for €16 :eek: It would want to be amazing.
Im going to store it as Ive heard that it was brewed with that in mind. Some bottles seem to be capped and some corked. If I get a corked one will I store it on its side to stop it drying out?

Picked up the M&S Wiltshire Rum Beer from the Wadworth Brewery just out of curiousity.

mongdesade

Picked up 750ml 2010 Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer in Redmonds & a Tripel Karmeliet 4 pack with glassware...delish

stuchyg

Blue Moon, Innis & Gun Whiskey Cask Beer - amazing

roro_utd

stuchyg wrote: »

Blue Moon, Innis & Gun Whiskey Cask Beer - amazing

Had that last week, it's so good, pretty high percentage aswell

roro_utd

Sierra Nevada (think there's a few varieties) is delicious, well whichever one I got in o'briens was anyway

Seaneh

roro_utd wrote: »

Sierra Nevada (think there's a few varieties) is delicious, well whichever one I got in o'briens was anyway

What colour was the label?

Did it look like this?

johnnyskeleton

Seaneh wrote: »

What colour was the label?

Did it look like this?

Fire at will:

Dermighty

If you like the Sierra Torpedo then try the Odell IPA, it's 7%, tastes amazing and is superior to the Torpedo in almost every way.

Sierra Pale Ale is still the best I've had.

Seaneh

Dermighty wrote: »

If you like the Sierra Torpedo then try the Odell IPA, it's 7%, tastes amazing and is superior to the Torpedo in almost every way.

Sierra Pale Ale is still the best I've had.

If you like Sierra Nevada Pale Sle, try O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale, you'd be head pressed tell them apart in a blind test.

BaZmO*

Seaneh wrote: »

If you like Sierra Nevada Pale Sle, try O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale, you'd be head pressed tell them apart in a blind test.

I disagree, I'd be able to tell them apart from the bottle. However, I only recently had a SNPA draught version and it was totally different from the bottle version (quite similar to O'Hara's so maybe that's what you're comparing?)
The bottle version is slightly unfiltered so on appearance alone it's quite different.

Sarky

Trying the Bierhalle's guest beer, Hirschbraü Sonthofen Weihnachts-Bier.

It's pretty bloody good. A little dark, crisp and tasty. orth a fiver for the 500ml bottle.

roro_utd

Seaneh wrote: »

What colour was the label?

Did it look like this?

Yeah, that's the one. I thought it was really nice, you ever had it?

Lapsed Catholic

Porterhouse Celebration Stout. Very nice, coffee, chocolate and smooooooth. 7% and dangerously drinkable.

Great to see more quality stout on the market.

Seaneh

Had a Williams Brothers Midnight Sun Porter today, was very nice!

Also had an Williams Brithers 80/- Scotish Ale. Was nice but very very sweet!

Elbow

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Seaneh wrote: »

What colour was the label?

Did it look like this?

Fire at will:

had a few bottles of this in the pub over the weekend, very nice

themandan6611

6 x sierra nevada celebration 2011

some porterhouse celebration for tomorrow

imo the o'dells ipa is superior to the sierra nevada torpedo / pale ale

Elbow

themandan6611 wrote: »

6 x sierra nevada celebration 2011

some porterhouse celebration for tomorrow

imo the o'dells ipa is superior to the sierra nevada torpedo / pale ale

personally I'm not a fan of the sierra Nevada pale ale, and brewdog hardcore is far superior to the torpedo but considering the normal trash you can get in a nightclub the torpedo went down nicley

johnnyskeleton

Dermighty wrote: »

If you like the Sierra Torpedo then try the Odell IPA, it's 7%, tastes amazing and is superior to the Torpedo in almost every way.

Sierra Pale Ale is still the best I've had.

The five barrel is very nice, but I wouldn't say the odells Ipa is superior to torpedo. I would be reluctant to assert one beer is better than another, but I personally find many of the odells range to be over rated and dear. They aren't bad, but aren't particularly memorable for me either. The rumple pale ale is, IMO, something of an exception

Seaneh

roro_utd wrote: »

Yeah, that's the one. I thought it was really nice, you ever had it?

Yeah, I'd say most of the lads on here have had it to be honest, it's pretty much a standard barer for micro brewed beers, and you are right, it's a lovely beer!

Very good choice dude, you should keep looking around, you have a good pallet!

Try O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale, it's a very similar beer brewed in Carlow and one of the best beers brewed on this Island in my opinion.

BeerNut

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

I personally find many of the odells range to be over rated and dear. They aren't bad, but aren't particularly memorable for me either.

I'd definitely agree with that. I think the IPA and Myrcenary are superb, and 5-Barrel is good, but the others are lacking, especially the darker ones.

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

The rumple pale ale is, IMO, something of an exception

The which?

Ronan cork

I think he means rumble ipa from great divide

BeerNut

Dermighty wrote: »

If you like the Sierra Torpedo then try the Odell IPA, it's 7%, tastes amazing and is superior to the Torpedo in almost every way.

Sierra Pale Ale is still the best I've had.

No-one's commented on how lovely my yarrow and fennel plants are in the background of that photo

Ruben Remus

Top-notch yarrow and fennel plants there BeerNut!

Loire

Rossini beer from Aldi...very nice. A bit like Peroni but a lot cheaper.

the beer revolu

Abstrakt 08
Deconstructed blonde imperial stout ???

Nice, full of flavour and alcohol. Interesting beer but it does seem to make Nogne O look cheap and very good value!

Martyn1989

Had Anderson Valley Hop Ottin IPA, really enjoyed it, good hops flavours!

Lapsed Catholic

Double Diamond, excellent

old hippy

Does the trick. Very nice in a sausage casserole.

Technocentral

Had a couple of Galway Hooker's in ATG for the first time in a while, is so much nicer from the tap imo.

Herb Powell

Picked up a 4 for €10 deal today, Galway Hooker, and the other 3 are all from Dungarvan Brewing Co. They even gave me a pint glass
Can't wait to try them, I've been meaning to taste them for a while now

evercloserunion

Herb Powell wrote: »

Picked up a 4 for €10 deal today, Galway Hooker, and the other 3 are all from Dungarvan Brewing Co. They even gave me a pint glass
Can't wait to try them, I've been meaning to taste them for a while now

That sounds great, where did you get this deal?

Rangi

Just got a similar deal,2 grozet and 2 Fraoch for €10.

The Drink Shop(I think it's called),in Stoneybatter. Great selection of drink,good prices,and a short stumble from L Muligan Grocers.

Herb Powell

evercloserunion wrote: »

That sounds great, where did you get this deal?

Just an off-licence in Carrigaline. Bradley's in Cork are doing the same deal I think (couldn't go there though, cos all I had on me was my college ID)
edit; ****, just see your location is Dublin, so that was no use to you