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Rather would Hatherwood?
Lidl has given its own-brand Irish beers a smart makeover, and removed the worrying "limited edition" wording from some of the good ones, happily. They've also brought some of their UK counterparts...
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The jong ones
I came back from the Toer de Geuze weekend in May with a bunch of bottles for the cellar and a handful of others to drink in the shorter term. Most of them are quite summery in style so I waited for...
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Down from the mountains
A selection of beers from Odell today, none of them brand new releases as far as I know.Pink Sippin' Pretty is fruited and sour, and for a change is actually sour, though not in an especially complex...
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Handy Scandis
Today we have a mix of random Scandinavian beers, because why not?We start with one from Lervig, called Skogen. It's the second of their collaborations with lambic blender Oud Beersel to come my way --...
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Canny move
Back in July, time was running short on my Leeds trip. It's awful when time is running short and there are so many beers still left to drink. Luckily, the Head of Steam where I had my final pint has a...
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Beer + Wine = Cider
I had no real idea what I was buying when I impulsively threw this bottle into my shopping basket at an LCBO in Toronto. It's called Ilegal, it's from Chile, and it's a blend of beer and Sauvignon...
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O'zapft over there
This year's absence of the raucous Erdinger Oktoberfest from Dublin's George's Dock was mourned by few. Neighbouring brewpub Urban Brewing spotted an opportunity, however, and is staging its own...
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The break-out room
The World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) rolled into Dublin in mid-August. I'm far from a serious fan, but when a world event arrives in town it would be a mistake not to go. So I went. And...
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Buy in haste, drink at leisure
Today's beers were impulse purchases, acquired on my way through Wrocław airport back in June. "Browary Sezonowe" is the purported manufacturer, which turns out to be a brand owned by the local arm of...
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Take me to Wichita
Lineman isn't exactly a new brewery. Homebrew whizz Mark Lucey bought the Rascals kit in Rathcoole when Rascals moved in to Inchicore and has left it in situ. Everything else is brand new, though,...
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While my back was turned
September was a busy month for me; lots of travelling and drinking; not so much poring over notebooks and writing beer reviews. The Irish brewers didn't take a rest though, so here's a rundown of what...
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Never mind the sugarbombs
I've been drinking Mikkeller's Spontan beers, occasionally, for eight years now. Yet I've never had Spontancherry, which must be among the oldest varieties. This is the Frederiksdal edition, with...
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A Wide range
Ireland's Brett-specialist brewery has kept the new releases coming. Today I'm giving them a post of their own.Wide Street's second can release was Brett Grisette with Hallertau Blanc. There's some...
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Wait for it
During the summer I made a couple of outings to brewery taprooms-to-be just ahead of the beginning of production.Treaty City in Limerick was one such. The main production brewery is, and will remain,...
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Loud Sirens
I think this bottle of Fred in London may have been close to, or past, its best-before when I bought it. Still, I figured that a strong rye ale at 11% ABV would be done no harm by a few months of...
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Strolling the Boundary
Continuing my overdue exploration of the beers from Belfast's Boundary. Let's see what's in these particular arty cans of murk.Forever Ago I bought with a fried chicken sandwich when having a nosy at...
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Zagreb brews
My summer holiday this year began with a few days in the Croatian capital Zagreb. It has a busy beer scene with a number of specialist bars, both tied and independent, offering beers from all around...
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Zagreb drinks
Concluding my beery adventures in Zagreb today, the first leg of a four-city trip I took last month.Arguably Zagreb's top beer bar is Craft Room on Opatovina, the pedestrianised thoroughfare in the old...
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New country, who dis?
Slovenia isn't an easy place to get to from Ireland, which is why my quest to tick it off began in Croatia and finished in Italy. From the train coming in westwards to Ljubljana it looks like a...
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Union city booze
Slovenia has two megabrand industrial beers, both owned by Heineken these days though still brewed in separate locations. Laško is in the spa town of the same name, while Ljubljana has Union. The site...
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