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Bring the hops
I had one of my occasional impromptu tastings with Richard recently, which tend to consist of random stuff we've accumulated. There was a bit of an abiding theme with the last one, though: hops. Lots...
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What's in a name?
Festival season kicked off a couple of weeks ago with the first of 2013: the Franciscan Well's Cask and Winter Ale Festival in Cork. The emphasis was very much on the first part of the offer, with a...
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Hope springs Italian
Spring? But I haven't finished my winter beers yet! Oh well, back in the stash they go.First of the new season is New Morning from Birrificio del Ducato near Parma. It's 5.8% ABV and the label lists a...
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Counting them in
I have far too much beer. Belgian beer, mostly, due to the good offices of my wife who travels there a lot. It gathers in my attic and my beer fridge and I just don't seem to get through it as quick as...
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Too much too soon
International craft brewing's current affinity for saison shows no sign of slowing down so I guess we'll just have to weather it out. I didn't realise I was a saison hater until recently: I've enjoyed...
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Crosstown traffic
A couple of new American double IPAs took me on a bit of a tour of the Cottage Group's Dublin pubs recently.Starting at Against the Grain on the southside there was Anderson Valley Imperial IPA, an...
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Ancient beer
Poking around in the back of the fridge turned up this bottle of Gruut Bruin which I'm sure has been there longer than a year at this stage. At least I don't have to worry about the hop character...
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Tír Chonaill a-brew
The growth in Ireland's craft brewing scene seems to be concentrating in the north west at the moment: not terribly surprisingly since it's woefully under served with drinkable beer, though it's nice...
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Coming on strong
The Irish Craft Beer Village is still going on at Dublin's IFSC. I was down a few evenings late last week, mainly to see what's new and interesting in the line-up. It's probably not the best...
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Admirable of the fleet
I first encountered Hook Norton's Flagship on keg in Against the Grain and was a little surprised that this oh-so-traditional English brewery would have any truck with such a dispense method. Still, it...
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Bumper amber nectar
Ever since I met Speakeasy Prohibition, American amber ale has been one of my favourite beer styles. And happily it's a fairly straightforward sort of beer to brew: a generous helping of dark crystal...
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Slap and tickle
In the pubs at the moment Ireland's spring seasonals are starting to poke their heads tentatively out, ahead of the full bloom heralded by the Franciscan Well Easter Beer Festival happening this...
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Spice of life
Knowing my prediliction for beers with odd ingredients, my wife frequently brings me back strange beery concoctions from Belgium, where unorthodox recipes seem to be much more commonplace than here. I...
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Amber is in
As usual I trooped down to the Franciscan Well on Easter Saturday for their annual festival of Irish beers. There's generally a wide range of offerings at this, and 2013 was no exception, despite a...
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Don't fall over
The beer/life balance is a perennial concern: trying to sate my curiosity for new beers while staying on the upright side of healthy; trying to enjoy favourites and home-made beers while also leaving...
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Hello Munich!
It was gone 10am by the time Kieron, Brian and I landed in Munich, so well past beer o'clock local time. The city that will do her level best to get beer into you at all times in all places has a...
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Beer speed dating
Although I've been to bigger festivals, BrauKunst Live! in Munich was among the most daunting. Even setting aside the familiar breweries -- headline locals like Schneider and ubiquitous festival...
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Broadening the horizons
I finished yesterday's post on a bit of a whine about BraufactuM and the whole overpriced corporate "gourmet" beer angle they seem to be pushing. I can't complain too much, though, as there were some...
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The shape of things to come
German IPAs and imperial stouts are one side of the changes being wrought in teutonic brewing these days, but arguably of more interest is how the native styles are being altered, played with, by...
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All beers to all people
I mentioned in passing recently that Molson Coors's operations in Ireland seem to be ramping up somewhat, after three of years of light-touch beer distribution. It really hit home in the weeks that...
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