Clik here to view.
A wine time
There seems to have been a bit of a slowdown in new release beer from Otterbank, though there have been welcome rebrews of old favourites like Gimp Mask and Just the One. The most recent set included...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Party in my mouth
Today marks nineteen years since this blog got underway, and my al fresco celebration beer is the new special edition from Rye River: Piñata Party. It's a daring recipe, created in collaboration with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Full immersion
I was back in England for yet more family business a couple of weeks ago. This time the destination was the most genteel city of Bath. It's not exactly known for its quality beer offer, but I think I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A glass, please
Galway Bay has been one of the more prolific breweries in 2024, which I very much welcome. Their third new beer of 2024 landed in mid-March, an imperial stout called Obsidian. The name references more...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Browns around
Everyone loves an American brown ale. In fact I don't think I've met anyone who has expressed the contrary opinion, yet new examples of the style are thin on the ground around here, and most everywhere...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Assorted naughtiness
Rascals did a brand refresh recently, and with it came a new core-range IPA, called Sidekick. It's 5.3% ABV and promises "retro" citrus and resin. In the glass it's a clear golden-amber colour, quite...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Eight Degrees of separation
I really missed the regular new releases from Eight Degrees Brewing, which came to an end after the brewery was bought out in 2018. So, shortly after it was re-purchased by its founders earlier this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ronbridge
Mr Ronald Pattinson of Amsterdam was in Dublin last month, as he has mentioned on his own blog. The hard taskmasters at the National Homebrew Club forced him to talk at length about brewing history in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tropic of chancer
Time for another round-up of the pale ales of Ireland. Here, randomly, is what's new over the last couple of months.Hopkins & Hopkins has spread its wings a little, though still strictly local,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The art of Hope
Deckchair dude, Hope's longest-serving employee, is back for another season on the can of their summer beer. For 2024 it's nothing fancier than a New England IPA with Mosaic, Idaho 7 and Azacca. It has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A foot in both camps
I hadn't seen much from Munich's answer to American-style craft brewing, Camba, in quite a while. Then three arrived at once.Chiemsee Hopla is where we start. I'm guessing they're actually pitching to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Geuze Bus Tours: The Reboot
Five years! It's hard to believe that it was five years since I last spent a weekend trundling around the breweries of the Pajottenland. The world has changed a lot since then. For one thing, the Toer...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The new batch
The thing that stopped me from doing something sensible with my Toer de Geuze weekend, like getting the train to Boon and staying there, was the presence of unfamiliar locations on the itineraries. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On automatic
I've almost reached the point where I don't bother looking for flights home from Brussels now. There are better options from Schiphol and, oh yes, you get to spend a bit of time in the Netherlands....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Garden party
It has taken them a while. Almost eight years have passed since the Smithwick family opened the Sullivan's Taproom in Kilkenny, a brand home for their contract-brewed beer which would one day be a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Stranded
After writing recently about Eight Degrees coming back to form following a change in ownership, here's another Munster brewery of similar vintage with a new lease on life. Although, for Dungarvan...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fruit tone
Two beers from Colorado fixture Ska Brewing today, both on a fruity theme.The Raspberry Blonde is quite self-explanatory, being a blonde ale with raspberry. As the name implies, it is indeed a coppery...
View ArticleClik here to view.
And we're back
After an extended winter hiatus and the third major refurbishment in nine years, the Guinness Open Gate Brewery re-opened to the public last month. I detect a change in more than just the furniture; it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The missing link
I hadn't even twigged that I missed it. The Toer de Geuze didn't happen as planned in 2021 but there was still a commemorative Megablend by the participating brewers for that year (and very good it was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lodger and badger
I picked up today's beers together and, other than that, the only thing they have in common is that they're black.We have an oatmeal stout to begin, a gentle affair at only 4% ABV. This is Bearded...
View Article