As St Patrick’s day is drawing ever closer I thought now would be as good a time as any to try Jack Cody’s Hail Glorious St Patrick Extra Stout. I’m already a big fan of their amber ale Smiggy! I was delighted when they recently sent me a couple of bottles and a branded glass in exchange for some thoughts on this new stout recipe. It was originally launched in 2015 which I didn’t actually get to try. This version is brewed with Madagascan vanilla pods, special roast beans and oatmeal.
As I popped open the bottle and poured the beer, I was instantly hit with the beautiful aroma of roasted malts, coffee and dark chocolate. There is a very faint hint of vanilla. It pours a lovely rich dark colour with the creamy head. On taste its lightly carbonated with lovely coffee notes. Feels quite thin with a nice sweetness to the finish. All in all for an extra stout weighing in at 6.3% abv its enjoyable to drink. They won a silver medal at the Killarney beerfest in 2015 and more recently, a Bronze at the 2016 Dublin craft beer cup held at the Alltech Brews & Food festival. Its easy to see why. I’m currently enjoying this with some homemade freshly baked bread and blue cheese! This is a limited edition and is currently available nationwide in O’Briens and very good value at €2.55
Well the hunt for Max has finally ended thanks to the good folk in O’Briens in Navan. I’m a big fan of this brewery and when I saw it was available on draft I knew I had to have it. Max is the latest brew from O Brother Brewing based in Co. Wicklow. It’s a “Rockin Session Ale” at 4.4 % abv. I just love the label. They’re branding has to be one of my favourites. On the nose its piney with citrus hops. It pours a nice golden colour with a decent white head. On taste its light and fruity with a good dry bitter finish. It would go perfectly well with a nice chicken curry or a spicy stir fry! A very enjoyable beer that I’ll look forward to having more of in the summer. Very much worth the wait! Its available nationwide in O’Briens at €3.70 for a 500ml bottle.
Irish Beer Snob 