Category: Beoir

2016, Beer Review, Beoir, IPA, Irish Craft Beer

Summer’s Here courtesy of 8 Degrees

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Summer’s Here courtesy of 8 Degrees

I was looking back over the site and realised, it’s been a while since I last actually wrote anything that resembled a beer review. It’s all been podcast episodes. Well, i’m going to correct all that.

Everyone that knows me, knows i’m a hop head. I love me some great IPAs, and i’m always seeking out the next face melter, or juicy banger. Thankfully, in Ireland, we’re lucky to have those lads down in 8 Degrees in Cork. They have regularly released some of my favourite Irish made IPAs, so I was delighted to have a pint of Hurricane in Drury Buildings last week.

They have been releasing special Single Hop IPAs, which included a Citra one (which i loved as I love Citra), and in this review i’m going to taste the Mandarina Bavaria one.



Single Hop IPA Series: Mandarina Bavaria

ABV: 5.7%
Hops: Mandarina Bavaria
Appearance: A lovely amber / orange hue with a mousse like white head.
Aroma: Mandarina Bavaria is a new German hop which imparts an amazing mandrina orange aroma into the beer.  There are also notes of other tropical fruit and citrus on the nose also.
Flavour: A very pleasing taste, nice juicy sweet citrus. The sweetness of the malt carries a pleasing bitterness into the finish.

I really enjoyed this beer, even though i’ve always been a little wary of Single Hop beers, as sometimes they can lack balance. But, with skilled hands they can be really enjoyable, and the team at 8D have managed to make a beer thats very quaffable, and very enjoyable. Seek this one out.

Summer Days Seisún IPA

ABV: 4.5%
Hops: Amarillo, Mandarina Bavaria, Equinox, and Citra.
Appearance: Pours a pale yellow, with slight haze, and compact white head.
Aroma: Lovely tropical nose, mango, and pineapple. Slight biscuity malt aroma.
Flavour: Nice level of carbonation, makes this smooth and easy to sup. Soft bitterness mixed with citrus fruits leads to a slightly dry finish. The combo brings you back for another mouthful.

Like Grand Stretch before it, 8D have again produced a rock solid Session IPA. Even though it’s 4.5% I found the body a little too thin, considering some other beers at that strength carry a bit more. But, it fits the purpose of Lawnmower Beer category, light, flavoursome, and something you could pack a few away with your faculties still in tact.

Cheers 🍻
Wayne

2016, Beoir, Champion Beer of Ireland, Chili, Killarney Beerfest, Melissa Cole, Mild, podcast, Porter, The Shire Pub, Yellowbelly

IBSC EP0024 – Yellowbelly Fierce Mild & The Wexican

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IBSC EP0024 – Yellowbelly Fierce Mild & The Wexican
In this latest episode from the Irish Beer Snob team our intrepid duo look back on the recent Killarney Beerfest which took place the weekend of 27th to 29th of May in beautiful sunny Killarney, in South West Ireland.
It also included the Beoir (www.beoir.org) Champion Beer of Ireland Awards. A full list of the winners in each catergory can be found here
While reviewing the latest news and updates from the Irish Beer Scene, we also sample the aforementioned beers from Yellowbelly from Wexford, in the South East of Ireland.
You can find more info on the brewery on their website here
We also had the opportunity to sit down and Interview, world renowned Beer Writer, Melissa Cole, you can find out more about Melissa on her website http://www.letmetellyouaboutbeer.co.uk/ and on her social media; Twitter is @MelissaCole, Facebook is MelissaColeBeer

Thanks for listening.

Direct link is available here and you can find us on iTunes.

2014, Beoir, Bru Brewery, Copper & Spices, Dubh, Dublin Beer Ladies, Guest Blog Post, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Irish, Irish Craft Beer, Le Cheile, Mrs Irishbeersnob, Music, Rí, Rua

Music Festival, In a Brewery? It can only be the Le Cheile launch in Brú Brewery

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Ok, in a world exclusive, Its not me doing this blog post, i’m handing over the reigns to the long suffering Mrs Irishbeersnob. Janice. 

Janice, over to you.

Sampling some craft beers

Ok, a little about me. For a long time i’ve enjoyed craft beers, and I am the one who created the Irish Beer Snob, no matter what he may tell you. My love for Timothy Taylor Landlord is famous the land over. My name is Janice, i’m a proud Dublin Beer Lady, member of Beoir, and tryer of craft beer. Its all a lot of fun, and i’m looking forward to featuring a bit more here, and hopefully in podcasts in the future. Now, i’m going to talk to you about the awesome night we had, well, I had cos poor Wayne was toiling away pulling pints for a thirsty music crowd, while I hung around with my partner in crime Carmel, supping those lovely Brú Beers.

Every August in Oldcastle, they hold a music festival called Le Cheile, this event was ran as a facebook competition for people to win entry to the brewery, and have a few beers while they were rocked by 3 local bands, all of whom will be playing at Le Cheile. I was lucky enough to be one of the forty winners.

It all kicked off at 8pm on a Friday evening and when we arrived the band were sound checking and it was still very bright out. As you’ll see from the pictures below. Famished after a day at work we went straight to Carmel from Copper and Spices for some yummy Chicken Curry with Pilau Rice. Curry and Beer, what a great combination. Now we had the curry, but not the beer. So out we went to get some Rí. Poor old Wayne couldn’t even finish the bowl before he was hooked in behind the bar to help out Neil.


There was a good crowd, but the atmosphere really took off when a bus load of music and beer lovers came down from Oldcastle. Once they got in, and were fed and watered, the bands kicked off. It was still quite bright out so Daire closed down the main loading door at the back of the brewery which made the brewing area dark, and perfect for the music that was going to come next. 

The first band was an acoustic duo called T4AA, they were perched up over looking the crowd strumming away as people continued to drink. It was notable a lot of these people wouldn’t be your typical craft beer drinkers. Most of them were Craft Beer Virgins! Lucky for them Wayne was waiting to eagerly convert each and every one of them. He even said how one lad said he’d never go back to Guinness after drinking the heavenly Brú Dubh. We all know my love of Brú is massive! 

The next band up were Travis Oaks, who were an original band, who played all their own material, and this was the group most of the crowd were here to see. They got them all worked up. Or was that the beer? Probably both. But they were rocking, and it’s a good thing that there was plenty of Copper and Spices Curry, and Samosa’s to go around. 

In fairness to Wayne, he never let my glass of Rua empty, its just delish, and it doesn’t get any better than served at the brewery.

Last up, then for the night were local covers band, No Halo, playing lots of familiar rock hits, kicking the crowd into overdrive. 

All in all, it was a great night, but, more importantly, it was very unique. 3 Bands, in a Brewery, with great curry. Where else would you get it? The organisers from Le Cheile and Brú should be commended for their imagination, and execution of a great event. 

Tickets for this great festival, are available for purchase at www.lecheile.com and several outlets in Meath. If you’ve no plans for the August Bank Holiday weekend you should check it out. Oh, and don’t worry about it being rubbish beer, the beers at the Festival will be Brú!

*****************************************************************

Now that i’ve wrestled the laptop away from Janice, as supping a lovely Blackstairs Ruby IPA, I just want to thank Janice for being so supporting with all my beery escapades, and to let you all know this will not be the last time Janice will be posting to my blog. Hopefully soon, you too will be able to listen to us waffle on in our very own podcast, once Ian teaches me how to do it!!

Thanks for reading, please share this with all your friends! Mrs Irish Beer Snob, has arrived.




2014, Beoir, Election, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Irish Craft Beer

Beoir – Wayne Dunne for Chairman – Election 2014 – 2015

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My name is Wayne Dunne, known on Twitter and Beoir as Irish Beer Snob. I’ve been a member of Beoir since 2013.

I’ve been writing a blog since July of 2013 related to Craft beer and related topics on a regular basis, having grown my readership steadily to on average now 2500 views a month. I have also helped local off licences and pubs with their craft beer offerings and how to market these to potential customers.

I acknowledge all the hard work that has been done by others before me, and this had laid a very strong foundation with a fantastic app, which continues to guide people to craft beer in their location. I feel very passionately about the craft beer industry in Ireland and have made some steadfast friends. 

I am running against Rueben Gray, a fellow beer blogger and current chair of Beoir. I’ve been reading his blog for yonks. His manifesto is here at Ruebens Blog . 

1 Grow the Beoir Membership

We currently only have 370 odd members, one of my focuses for my chairmanship will be more attention given to recruiting more members to Beoir. I propose that we, where possible have a recruitment stand at any of the major events that happen throughout the year. I would also like to host more regular informal events where everyone is welcome to come along and learn about beer, and different styles of beer. I would propose that these would fall into the remit of the regional reps, and can also be used as recruitment evenings. Alongside this, I would have membership sign up posters displayed in any pub that will display them and i’ve had discussions with several who would be more than willing to do that for us.

2 Engage in an “inclusive social media” approach to both new and existing members

While we have an active forum, I believe we can reach out more and go to where people want to be met, and by that I mean using more social media content, using Youtube, Facebook groups, Google Hangouts etc. We will continue to have the forum, but will be delivering our message in new ways. We will publish our Beoir magazine, and continue with our email updates, but we will compliment these things with a regular update from the PRO or Chair using youtube, google hangouts etc.


3 Build on Relationships “One for Beoir, Beoir for all”

Ultimately we support the Independent Craft producers, as a Consumer focused body. If there are any questions re the products, we should engage with the producer directly and not allow it to get out of hand, and only state the facts as we know them. We should act as a conduit between brewer and consumer. 

From an advocacy point of view I would like to strengthen our relationship with National Homebrew Club and the Dublin Beer Ladies. There is so much we can learn from these groups with regards to regular events. Also make more use of the skills within our membership for various projects that will come up during the course of the year. 

4 Educate, Inform, Demystify, and not Geekify

We need to encourage more people to try craft beer, and we will be a lot more successful if we can become more welcoming and less intimidating. Be more visual, and vocal about the fantastic products that are available, and we can help make this industry sustainable for everyone’s benefit.

5 Promote, Promote, and did I say promote!?

I firmly believe that if we promote our message around the fantastic craft beers and ciders we have here in Ireland that we will build a much larger membership and more vocal consumers group who will have numbers that can not be ignored.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and your consideration for the position of Chair of Beoir.

2014, Beoir, Black IPA, Blacks of Kinsale, Brewday, Cork, Day out, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Indiegogo, Kinsale, Sharers

Beoir Brewday – Blacks of Kinsale #Beoirbrew

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As a lot of you will know there are more and more breweries opening up in Ireland these days, but some are taking different approaches. Sam from Blacks of Kinsale who last year served up his delicious Kinsale Pale Ale through a Randal at the Irish Craft Beer & Cider Festival in the RDS, needed to get his own kit, so he went about it via Crowdfunding. He chose indiegogo to raise the coin for his Kit. 

Those familiar with Kickstarter et al will know the way it works, but basically in exchange for a donation you got a perk, ranging from having your name on the wall, to being able to brew beer. The members of Beoir decided to follow the National Home Brew Club who raised enough to name a fermenter. Initially there was 20 of us donating €50 each in return for the opportunity to brew beer on Sam’s pilot line. The 20 places were snapped up, so another 20 places were made available when Sam said we could brew a 1200L batch. Each person who donated would received 10L of the beer, and Sam would get to sell the rest of the batch. I’m sure there will be a launch party of it when its kegged too!

Rather than me waffle on about the process Brian one of the members in attendance has put a great video together.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/YoenLOU7fkI&source=uds


Needless to say it was a long day, I drove down on the morning picking up Andrew and we got there around 1030. (We missed the heavy lifting!) The mash was well under way at this time. We are brewing a Double IPA so the recipe sheet made for very interesting reading and is probably going to come in round the 9% ABV mark. 

Andrew and I looked after the BBQ making up Burgers and Sausages for the hungry troops. I must say the Kinsale Pale Ale as fresh as it was, literally recently kegged was sensational. Along with the Black IPA. However Steve brought a good few sharers down for us to taste, and there were some crackers in there. Double Bastard by Stone was a cracker. Andrew also as part of his perk got three Specials that he was only to kind to share with the group.

The “Ink” Black IPA was unbelievably smooth and easy to drink, totally deceptive given its ABV

After all the high jinks and everything cleaned down we retired to the tasting room where the sharing continued and the banter for the evening. We soon left the brewery under cover of darkness to sample the KPA in its natural environment.

Thank you so much to Sam and Maudeline for their hospitality, it was a fantastic day and can’t wait to taste the finished article.

We returned to Dublin on the Sunday a little shook but had an immense time. The members of Beoir are currently voting on the name and tagline and expect to hear more about this in the coming weeks.

The wall of fame of all people who donated via Indiegogo


2014, 57 The Headline, Against the Grain, Beoir, Beoirfinder App, Brewdock, Bull and Castle, Farringtons, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, JW Sweetman, Porterhouse, Visit Dublin

Craft Beer Pubs – Dublin – A guide for visitors

by irishbeersnob5 Comments on Craft Beer Pubs – Dublin – A guide for visitors

Those that reside and work in Dublin’s fair city take it for granted and work on the assumption that people know what we’re talking about when say “Go to X pub and Y Pub”.

Lets face it, the Craft Beer movement in Ireland is small, a vibrant and growing market, but small scale compared to the macro movement, and also the craft market in the states. The crucial thing is it’s improving all the time.

Out of the blue last week I got an email from James in Houston, Texas who is travelling to Europe at the end of March and has a 2 day layover in Ireland on their way to the Czech Republic. James asked me for some suggestions of where they should go on their stay.

First things first, this list is not in any order of preference, just places I recommended as I think they are great in their own right.

The Brew Dock, Amiens St, Dublin 1 (http://www.galwaybaybrewery.com/brewdock/)
Ok, this place has been a staple for me ever since they opened in 2012. Couple of reasons for that, 1, it has a great range of beer, but 2, it is right next to where I get my bus home! But the main reason I hold this place in such high regard is that the staff are super, the range to go in both bottle and draft. But also two cask ale engines. Match this with good food you’ve got a winner, and a very good representation of the growing Irish Craft beer scene.

JW Sweetman, Burgh Quay, Dublin 2 (http://www.jwsweetman.ie/index.html)
Dublin’s only brewpub. But they also do good views of the liffey, and serve good food with their beers. They also pour from the mainstream brands, so if you’re keen on the craft beer, but are with people who aren’t, you can keep everyone happy here. The staff are very enthusiastic and they run tours of their brewery which is literaly in the Cellar! 

Against the Grain, Wexford St, Dublin 2 (http://www.galwaybaybrewery.com/againstthegrain/)
The original Craft beer bar, based just off St Stephen’s Green this is a sister bar of the Brew Dock, but has also the same great staff, good food and fantastic bottle and draught menu. 

The Butcher’s Bar formerly The Bull and Castle, Lord Edward St, Dublin 2 (http://bull-and-castle.fxbuckley.ie/the-butchers-bar)
Opposite Christchurch Cathedral, this FX Buckley owned establishment, specifically the beer hall upstairs,is the perfect place to have a nice bite, and some great beers. A good pitstop on the way back into town if you have done the Storehouse tour. 

57 The Headline, 56/57 Clanbrassil St, Dublin 8 (https://www.facebook.com/57theheadline)
A newer addition to the Dublin Craft Beer scene, this bar is located a little outside the centre, but well worth the trip out. Craft Beer, Fine Whiskeys, pies, charcuterie and cheese. What is not to love. Also now with a restaurant upstairs with great food paired with beers.

L Mulligan Grocer, Manot St, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 (http://www.lmulligangrocer.com/)
La piece de la resistance in terms of Gastro Pubs in Dublin, definitely a bit off the beaten path, but it is only a stones throw from Smithfield. They are renowned for their food, and great list of beers and whiskeys. They’ve even featured in the New York Times. If you are in the area it is definitely worth checking out, and it’s across the road from Drinkstore, one of the best independent off licenses in the country. 

Now, as we all know, everyone comes to Temple Bar when they visit Dublin, believe me, there is more to this part of Dublin than rampaging stag parties and excessively expensive pints. You just have to know where to look.

Two gems in this fantastic area would be

Porterhouse Temple Bar, 16/18 Parliament St, Dublin 2 (http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/bars-dublin-temple.php)
The longest established craft beer pub in Dublin, they used to brew on site, but due to growth and demand they’ve moved to bigger things out in West Dublin. The pub remains, and they offer all the porterhouse regular beers, with good food, and a beer menu that is more reminiscent of a phone book. Live music most evenings, and has Zaytoon across the road for post drink munchies. 

The Norseman formerly Farringtons Essex St, Dublin 2 (www.norseman.ie)
It is ironic that this place is directly across from Fitzsimons, a place where punters regularly pay in excess of €6 a pint. A pub with a great range of whiskeys, craft beer, and whats more all next to the mainstream stuff like Guinness et al. Live music and food also round it out as a great place to stop to take a load off. Manned by friendly staff, this place continues to surprise me. Note that recently there’s been a change and now only craft beer is O’Haras and Franciscan Well – which is still better than the guinness et al

Cassidy’s, Westmoreland St, Dublin 2 (http://www.yelp.ie/biz/cassidys-dublin-2)
Not quite Temple Bar, but not far away from this area is the eclectic Cassidy’s Bar (also sister pubs in the city,PMac’s up on Andrew St, and Blackbird in Rathmines) here we have a bar that has a mix of Macro & Micro brews, some great beers, and they even have their own beer, Vietnow, brewed for them by Trouble Brewing. Loads of crazy stuff on the walls, board games, and random furniture. This is a good boozer, with a great soundtrack to your evening.

The Beer Market, High St, Christchurch, Dublin 8 (http://www.galwaybaybrewery.com/beermarket/) 
A new venture from those pioneers in Galway Bay Brewery – this place is only about beer. Rare beers, stuff you wouldn’t normally get, for instance they’d a keg of Brewdog Born to Die, the only one in Ireland. A large tap list of ever changing beers, once they’re gone, they’re gone. Check their twitter feed for whats on tap. If you get peckish there are some great pies on offer from the Pie Man!

So if you find you are going to visit our fine capital, these places are highly recommended.

Finally, you should download the Beoirfinder app, available both in Itunes, and Google Play store. This is a free app where members of Beoir populate the database with pubs that serve Irish Craft Beer. The app is free and works on Geo Location. Chances are if a pub has Irish Craft, they will have foreign stuff too. 

Thanks for reading and hopefully we’ll be welcoming you sometime soon.

Updated June 2015