What beer are we drinking this week? Episode 3

BeerNut

L1011 wrote: »

But the store is TINY and basically just fridges, I can't see where they can even store boxes between order and collection.

They've taken the unit between Stephen Street News and The Hairy Lemon and it really is all done from there. The place is packed with shelving. There are no fridges, so cold-chain points off there I think the secret is that they have a big range but don't buy a lot of each, hence popular items tend to go out of stock quite quickly.

L1011

Looking on Streetview, they actually used to be in that unit that is now between them and the current location, and moved over between the 2014 and 2017 pics.

The DPD van / depot overnight usually chills the beer to drinking temperature at least, cold chain break or not :pac:

Order number went up by ~1800 in the three weeks since my last order from them, assuming a minimum of 12 cans being normal for delivery and that's a hell of a lot of cans to shift. They're doing normal retail sales too on top

BeerNut

L1011 wrote: »

They're doing normal retail sales too on top

They're not. The shop has been closed through all of the Level 5 restrictions.

L1011

Hadn't been by, due to said restrictions - and probably most of the conventional customers aren't anywhere near too come to think of it. During the pre-Christmas rush I presume they were open.

I noticed the click and collect hours were restricted compared to what their normal retail hours had been but didn't think as to why.

BaZmO*

Beer Elves. No other logical reason.

BonnieSituation

Macy0161 wrote: »

Virtual ExBEERiences are doing blind tasting, one from each province next weekend around the French match. I think it may have closed now. Too early in the day for me though!

Now my team is promoted, hoping to get to Rascals pre-match for a Pats match. Many years ago, McDowells was always my favourite "away" pub.

Just stay away from the Glen. After this year, it's all mine!

Losty Dublin

BaZmO* wrote: »

Yeah, I would've never considered Craft Beer and Rugby as being bedfellows. Guinness and Heino, in particular, would be inextricably connected with Rugby.

For many years Con Houlihan was a sole light in the mainstream media when it came to speaking of beers from other shores and climes. Indeed he observed in the Evening Press that one of Ireland's greatest problems was the woeful lack of bitter in her bars.

Many of the exotic beers that he occasionally mentioned were ones that he tippled upon when away on his many expeditions out of Dublin for matches, which inevitably involved away games of rugby. No Untappd in them days ya know.

Incidentally I have never tired his preferred tipple; brandy and milk. Apparently the brandy took the schting out of the milk

BonnieSituation

Losty Dublin wrote: »

For many years Con Houlihan was a sole light in the mainstream media when it came to speaking of beers from other shores and climes. Indeed he observed in the Evening Press that one of Ireland's greatest problems was the woeful lack of bitter in her bars.

Many of the exotic beers that he occasionally mentioned were ones that he tippled upon when away on his many expeditions out of Dublin for matches, which inevitably involved away games of rugby. No Untappd in them days ya know.

Incidentally I have never tired his preferred tipple; brandy and milk. Apparently the brandy took the schting out of the milk

Brandy and Baileys was a favourite last order in my younger days.

Picked it up from a guy from Raheny that I worked with in Arnotts back in the day.

Krusty_Clown

Had a Wicklow Wolf Apex Espresso last night. Fantastic beer. I was pleasantly surprised, because often I find coffee stouts quite muted in terms of coffee flavour (compared to some I've had in the US), but this one was full-on - perhaps even more than the Founders KBS Espresso and a lot more approachable at 6.5%. Will definitely be having more.

the beer revolu

the beer revolu wrote: »

I really enjoyed Lineman Imperial IPA last night.

Really good description of the beer on the can, too.

Is it much different from Amplify or is it a replacement for it?

irish_goat

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Had a Wicklow Wolf Apex Espresso last night. Fantastic beer. I was pleasantly surprised, because often I find coffee stouts quite muted in terms of coffee flavour (compared to some I've had in the US), but this one was full-on - perhaps even more than the Founders KBS Espresso and a lot more approachable at 6.5%. Will definitely be having more.

Rascals Breakfast Stout that's been released recently is probably up your street too. Plenty of coffee in it as well.

OOnegative

Frontaal - Selfcare.
Foley Brothers Brewing - Prospect.
Pomona Island Brew Co - Energy Fools the Magician.
Horizont - Nightshift Vintage 2020 Russsian Imperial BA with Chocolate & Coconut.

For this weekends sporting entrainment.

Poorside

Kriek Boon, not nearly as sour as I was hoping, little bit sweet really.

Stone

For what it is worth ... sampled "The White Hag - NELSON SAUVIN Smash Single hop IPA" - I was sceptic, but dang it is a lovely and a very drinkable beer.
Very recommended imho

BeerNut

Poorside wrote: »

Kriek Boon, not nearly as sour as I was hoping, little bit sweet really.

Little bit? It's very different to their proper gueze range. You need the Oude Kriek or Kriek Mariage Parfait for the real thing.

OOnegative

Poorside wrote: »

Kriek Boon, not nearly as sour as I was hoping, little bit sweet really.

https://untappd.com/b/brouwerij-3-fonteinen-3-fonteinen-oude-kriek/14597

Had this last weekend & I ain’t a sour/kriek/gueze fan but I loved it.

ThunbergsAreGo

Left Hand Peanut Butter Stout

Exactly what it says on the tin, but way too sweet for me. Wouldn't get it again.

youcancallmeal

Stone wrote: »

For what it is worth ... sampled "The White Hag - NELSON SAUVIN Smash Single hop IPA" - I was sceptic, but dang it is a lovely and a very drinkable beer.
Very recommended imho

Yeah the best of the 6 in their smash series imo

bobbysands81

L1011 wrote: »

Based on the volume of product craftcentral are shipping out of that small unit, I need to ask - how? And can they sell their logistics skills as a training package to others :pac:

It definitely seems to be coming from there, as there's click and collect. But the store is TINY and basically just fridges, I can't see where they can even store boxes between order and collection.

Few weeks ago a 24 can order of 12 different beers (8x singles, 4x4) was packed and a DPD number assigned and emailed to me in ~20mins after ordering; arrived next day.

They have a unit very close by that they use to store their beers.

Beanstalk

irish_goat wrote: »

Rascals Breakfast Stout that's been released recently is probably up your street too. Plenty of coffee in it as well.

Just had it there its lovely. Not as nice as the whiplash & 3FE Collab which is a little drier but it's still pretty damn good.

Insect Overlord

Raided my stash this week and pulled out my final bottle of 2017 release 200 Fathoms for tonight. This one held up fabulously, especially in contrast with the 2016. It was supposed to be "best before March 2019".

Zaph

A few months ago I bought a White Hag Black Forest Pastry Stout as it sounded right up my street, but for some reason never got around to drinking it. Then people here started posting about how bad some of the other White Hag stouts were, so I wasn't rushing to try it. But tonight I went for it and I have to say it's the worst beer I've tried in quite some time. At 5.5% I wasn't expecting a thick, syrupy stout, but I wasn't prepared for how thin and watery it was either. My wife was wondering where the smell of caramel came from all of a sudden, which isn't a great sign for a chocolate and cherry stout. But worse was to come when I tasted it, it was the most awfully artificial taste I've ever gotten from a beer. It was like someone just added a whole load of Sodastream cherryade syrup to the mix and hoped nobody would notice. There was a hint of chocolate, but it was overwhelmed by the "cherry". Two sips and the rest went down the sink, The White Hag should be ashamed of themselves for releasing this into the wild and inflicting it on an unsuspecting public.

I replaced it with a Dot Brew State of Mind barrel aged blend. I was a big fan of their Birthday BA blend, and this one didn't disappoint either. According to the label it's a mix of unaged imperial stout, imperial stout aged in classic bourbon casks, red ale aged in Irish peated single malt whiskey casks and an oatmeal stout aged in ex-15 year old Irish single malt and cognac casks. The flavours every bit as complex as you'd expect from all that, but they're so well balanced that nothing overpowers the mix. I don't know what sort of voodoo they're at in Dot lately, but I hope it produces a lot more of these BA blends.

the beer revolu

Poorside wrote: »

Kriek Boon, not nearly as sour as I was hoping, little bit sweet really.

As BN said, the regular Kriek, while being a lambic, isn't sour at all.
However, it does age really nicely. It goes a lovely mahogany colour, the cherries and sweetness sit back a touch and there's a lovely kind of woody complexity. Needs about 5 years to really change.

the beer revolu

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

Is it much different from Amplify or is it a replacement for it?

I don't know.

A new brand/brewery on me, last night.
Beer hut.
Pale ale. Really well made, crisp, citrusy pale ale.
I enjoyed.

munster87

ThunbergsAreGo wrote: »

Left Hand Peanut Butter Stout

Exactly what it says on the tin, but way too sweet for me. Wouldn't get it again.

Where did you buy it?

bobbysands81

munster87 wrote: »

Where did you buy it?

Blackrock Cellar deffo have some at the moment.

As do craft central - https://craftcentral.ie/products/left-hand-peanut-butter-milk-stout-355ml-can-6-abv?variant=31720563671075

bobbysands81

Zaph wrote: »

A few months ago I bought a White Hag Black Forest Pastry Stout as it sounded right up my street, but for some reason never got around to drinking it. Then people here started posting about how bad some of the other White Hag stouts were, so I wasn't rushing to try it. But tonight I went for it and I have to say it's the worst beer I've tried in quite some time. At 5.5% I wasn't expecting a thick, syrupy stout, but I wasn't prepared for how thin and watery it was either. My wife was wondering where the smell of caramel came from all of a sudden, which isn't a great sign for a chocolate and cherry stout. But worse was to come when I tasted it, it was the most awfully artificial taste I've ever gotten from a beer. It was like someone just added a whole load of Sodastream cherryade syrup to the mix and hoped nobody would notice. There was a hint of chocolate, but it was overwhelmed by the "cherry". Two sips and the rest went down the sink, The White Hag should be ashamed of themselves for releasing this into the wild and inflicting it on an unsuspecting public.

I replaced it with a Dot Brew State of Mind barrel aged blend. I was a big fan of their Birthday BA blend, and this one didn't disappoint either. According to the label it's a mix of unaged imperial stout, imperial stout aged in classic bourbon casks, red ale aged in Irish peated single malt whiskey casks and an oatmeal stout aged in ex-15 year old Irish single malt and cognac casks. The flavours every bit as complex as you'd expect from all that, but they're so well balanced that nothing overpowers the mix. I don't know what sort of voodoo they're at in Dot lately, but I hope it produces a lot more of these BA blends.

I’ve tried all the recent White Hag pastry stouts and enjoyed every one of them. I think they’ve done a great job on them.

senordingdong

Zaph wrote: »

But worse was to come when I tasted it, it was the most awfully artificial taste I've ever gotten from a beer.

That is the key feature of the dark druid series, along with their eggnog ale. Synthetic sweetness. It's like they chucked some of the ghastly syrup you see in Starbucks, into a watery stout.
The only one I found passable was the orange one, but the rest went down the sink.

A few black boars have since washed the taste away.

munster87

bobbysands81 wrote: »

Blackrock Cellar deffo have some at the moment.

As do craft central - https://craftcentral.ie/products/left-hand-peanut-butter-milk-stout-355ml-can-6-abv?variant=31720563671075

Sound

Macy0161

Had the Lineman Electric Avenue last night. Really nice non-hazy IPA.

Also had Revolver. It's very good for the money if it really is in a 6 for 10 multipack (yet to see it, I got a couple of cans from craft central)