What beer are we drinking this week? Episode 3

GBX

Giving a couple run this evening ...


Grafters working IPA
8 degrees full Irish IPA


Lovely stuff.

Equium

Had a 750ml La Chouffe tonight for the first time in ages. For me it's the best beer available in bottles in Ireland, and in the top 3 I've ever had anywhere.

Absolutely sensational. My first trip when these lockdowns ends is definitely back to Belgium.

For reference, the best beers I've ever tasted are the lenten beer from Augustiner Bräu Kloster Mülln, brewed by monks in Salzburg, and the wit on tap in the Gruut brewery in Ghent.

joficeduns1

Hopfully Graciosa, thoroughly enjoyed.

Black Sheep

Has anyone tried Heaney, a west coast IPA? Meant to be from a farmhouse brewery in Derry.

Saw it on the shelves yesterday but I ended up playing it safe and getting a bunch of Boundary offerings.

the beer revolu

Black Sheep wrote: »

Has anyone tried Heaney, a west coast IPA? Meant to be from a farmhouse brewery in Derry.

Saw it on the shelves yesterday but I ended up playing it safe and getting a bunch of Boundary offerings.

I like it.
It's proper bitter but well balanced.
Not just bitter by today's standards as I find some so-called West Coast IPAs.

bobbysands81

A few new ones on Saturday:

White Hag collaboration - Electricity Supply Board - didn’t think it was great. 6%

Origin of Darkness Baltic Porter with plums - subtle fruitiness and cognac aftertaste - not great either. 9.6%.

My Honningkage is bigger than yours BA Reserve 2020 - A massive 16.7% but didn’t taste liked it packed that much of a punch... the two above were drunk after this one so maybe I’m fairly vague on them! This was sickly sweet, so sweet that it hid the alcohol taste but also hid all the other tastes.

Lough Gill - Stranger’s Leap - I really liked this. Very good. 6.4%.

Also had a Chocolate Ox from Lough Gill on Friday which was the best drink of the weekend, a Shuttle Bucket from Kinnegar and a Work in Progress from Lough Gill, both of which were decent.

bobbysands81

Black Sheep wrote: »

Has anyone tried Heaney, a west coast IPA? Meant to be from a farmhouse brewery in Derry.

Saw it on the shelves yesterday but I ended up playing it safe and getting a bunch of Boundary offerings.

I’ve had their Gingerbread Imperial Stout and their “Style Over Everything” American IPA and both were top notch.

irish_goat

Heaney are solid, imo. They've a good core range, nothing wild and wacky about it, just decent, sessionable beers. Their specials tend to hit the mark as well.

Macy0161

bobbysands81 wrote: »

Also had a Chocolate Ox from Lough Gill on Friday which was the best drink of the weekend, a Shuttle Bucket from Kinnegar and a Work in Progress from Lough Gill, both of which were decent.

Had the Chocolate Ox and Work in Progress myself over the week. The Ox was probably my favourite too. I think the two pastry sours they've done recently have been excellent though.

I had Call of Juicy by Wicklow Wolf, and thought it was very nice - not the fruit bomb it looked, but well balanced.

Saturday was Stout/ Porter night, so as well as the Chocolate Ox...

• Torrent by Lineman - never a bad beer, and this was lovely
• Ballykilcavan's Blackwell Stout in a can - I think it's going to be a good addition to their core range.
• Sullivans Black Marble Stout, which was nice for the abv too. Never quite sure what to make of them - go big on the Kilkenny history, have the tap room, but then do they contract brew?
• Rascals Milkshake Stout - very coconut. Not sure I'll be buying again. It was no Candyman anyway.

I also had a St Mel's Pale Ale that I'd forgotten about, and also forgotten how good it is!

Yesterday was mainly sessions - I thought the tweaked Eden and Avalanche from Wicklow Wolf were very pleasant. Had a good stab at a fridge pack of Revolution too - great bang for it's buck at 6 for €10. Curious(?) to try their new ones.

joficeduns1

Craft Central getting yesterday's order out for delivery today is some going, considering it a Patrick's Day blessing.

Insect Overlord

Just opened a can of Big Bunny (Kinnegar), east coast-style IPA. It's beautiful. I think I had it back in December as well but it's really making the right impression tonight.

Insect Overlord

Due to a dodgy fridge, my can of O'Hara's nitro stout was frozen at the top and refused to pour for a few minutes!

I'm drinking it now nearly ice cold. Getting a lovely smoked effect on the taste (presumably from the malt?) and it's still nice and smooth.

Twee.

I've been tipping away at a few Kinnegar this week, namely Shuttle Bucket, Bucket & Spade, Rust Bucket and Scraggy Bay. Bucket & Spade didn't really do it for me but the rest were great as expected. First time having Shuttle Bucket, stupidly easy sipper for 8%! I'm guessing it's limited release with the theme, must nab a few more before it's gone. Also had Wide Street Brewing Peach Berliner but it wasn't for me.

Pen Rua

I gave in, and tried the White Hag Shamrock Shake Ice Cream ale (even typing it out sounds bizarre!). I could only stomach one - so artificial, gimmicky. Granted, it is for fun and a bit of a laugh given the theme and whatever - so marks for it there, I guess.

BeerNut

The absence of a by-the-pint draught version is the best thing this pandemic has done so far.

Zaph

Had an O'Hara's nitro and a Hope nitro last night. In the absence of any specific instructions I hard-poured both. I don't think I've ever had O'Hara's regular stout before, I'd normally drink Leann Follain if I'm having one of their stouts, so I don't know how this compares taste-wise to the bottle, but I thought it tasted fine, but nothing special. I thought the beer itself was a little thin, but that's probably because I tend to drink imperials if I'm having a stout. The widget in the can produced a nice creamy head that stayed to the end.

The head on the Hope beer, on the other hand, was pretty disappointing and had vanished to a thin line before I was half finished. The beer itself didn't seem as thin, but it definitely wasn't as smooth as the O'Hara's, almost as if it was half-way between a nitro beer and a CO2 carbonated one. However I enjoyed the taste of it more that the other one, it just had a bit more substance to it.

I'm glad I got to try both side-by-side, but ultimately neither was convincing enough that I'd buy them again. Both were OK, and if Hope improved the consistency, maybe by adding a widget to the can, I might be persuaded to give it another go, but in the meantime I'll stick to non-nitro stouts.

The Inbetween is mine

Can I ask, how does the O'Hara's nitro compare to the Left Hand nitro stout?
Has anyone done a test or comparison?

BeerNut

Left Hand's is a milk stout so it's going to be much sweeter than O'Hara's.

The Inbetween is mine

BeerNut wrote: »

Left Hand's is a milk stout so it's going to be much sweeter than O'Hara's.

Apologies, I understand that ..it was in relation to the pour / head, the previous poster made mention of the Hope being awful....I've found the Left Hand to be a perfect pour with a perfect head...I'm wondering about the aesthetics

dzilla

Lefthand has a great pour because it has the nitro widget built into the bottom of the can.

Thundercats Ho

Left hand always pours great.
I had the hope nitro last night and it was flat in under 5 minutes. It did taste good though.
I opened an O Haras nitro last night too and there was zero surge, zero head. I didn't even drink it tbh. If i had the almighty surger unit i would have popped it on to give it a lift, but alas.
Going off social media it looks as if i'm on my own, as all the images show lovely looking 'pints'

Effects

I had a can of O'Haras in the first batch that same into my local offie. It had a great surge, and decent head. Maybe you just got a dud one Thundercat?

Macy0161

Couldn't fault the pour on the O'Hara's either, and it tasted fine. However, I still don't think it's worth the premium over their bottled stouts*.

*with the caveat I go for a large bottle rather than draft, if I'm in a big brewery only pub (assuming they have them!).

Thundercats Ho

Effects wrote: »

I had a can of O'Haras in the first batch that same into my local offie. It had a great surge, and decent head. Maybe you just got a dud one Thundercat?

Yea i'd assume so. I'm gonna pick up a couple on my way home this evening.

Effects

For me, I'd still rather a bottle of Leann Follain any day!

DelmarODonnell

Did a side by side of the O'Haras nitro can vs the O'Haras bottle stout. It really rang home how much the flavour of a stout is hidden by the nitro. I must say, I can't fault the can, it does exactly what you would want from a nitro can, but I would stick to the bottle if I was buying a lot of them to drink for a session. The value is better at €2.50 for a 500ml vs €3 for a 440ml, and the taste quite a bit better from the bottle.

One of the few nitro stouts that has always managed to maintain most of its flavour for me is Porterhouse Wrasslers. I think big flavoured stouts like this are ideal for it and I wonder will they follow O'Haras lead. What I'd give for a Saturday drinking €4 pints of it though ........

BeerNut

DelmarODonnell wrote: »

One of the few nitro stouts that has always managed to maintain most of its flavour for me is Porterhouse Wrasslers. I think big flavoured stouts like this are ideal for it and I wonder will they follow O'Haras lead. What I'd give for a Saturday drinking €4 pints of it though ........

It defies science how Wrasslers tastes identical on nitrokeg, cask, and straight CO2. The cans are a good substitute if you're missing pints of it.

dominatinMC

DelmarODonnell wrote: »

What I'd give for a Saturday drinking €4 pints of it though ........

Amen

DelmarODonnell

BeerNut wrote: »

It defies science how Wrasslers tastes identical on nitrokeg, cask, and straight CO2. The cans are a good substitute if you're missing pints of it.

The cans have been great, try to always pick a few up if I am getting a selection in. I don't want the heartbreak of seeing it discontinued and knowing I could have done a bit more.......

On Cask sounds like it could be incredible. Never had the pleasure.

bobbysands81

Been waiting for one of these for a while now!