Category: The Winehouse

Bees, Blonde Ale, Craft Beer, English Ale, Hiver, Honey Beer, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, The Winehouse, Trim

Hiver – The Honey Beer

by irishbeersnobLeave a Comment on Hiver – The Honey Beer
On a recent beer restocking trip to The Winehouse in Trim, I came across this. A blonde beer that has been brewed with honey. This very much appealed to my sweet side.

This is a traditional English style beer. Brewed proudly using urban London, English blossom and heather honeys. The use of challenger and UK cascade hops are so mild that they truly let the honey shine through.

Once I popped the bottle the aroma was tantalizing. I thought from the smell of the honey, the taste was going to be over bearing, but I was wrong. Its perfect. Not too sweet at all, it actually tastes like more. 
Its a wonderfully light beer that leaves a refreshing taste. I think this will be perfect as a summer beer. I can imagine enjoying a few of these with friends at a BBQ.

For more on the bee keepers visit www.hiverbeers.com.

Cheers 

#Brewsweplate, 2014, Beavertown, Brewdog, Bru Brewery, Carry Out Off Licence, Craft Beer Growlers, Drinkstore, Golden Pints, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Norseman, podcast, Probus Wines, Smyth's Bar, The Winehouse

Golden Pints 2014 – The Podcast Edition

by irishbeersnobLeave a Comment on Golden Pints 2014 – The Podcast Edition



This year, rather than the traditional written scribe of Golden Pints, we decided to do it as a podcast. 


It’s up on Itunes now, the feed link is http://redpn.jellycast.com/podcast/feed/56 for those on Android or don’t use Itunes, and the direct link to the MP3 for download is here

 
We broadly followed the same format as the Golden Pints, and ramble on a bit too.

So here are some of the areas we cover.
  • Best Irish Beer 2014 – Keg / Bottle
  • Best International / UK Beer 2014 – Keg / Bottle
  • Best Beer in Can / Bottle
  • Best Cask
  • Best Pub
  • Best Beer Experience
  • Best Off licence

Having listened back to the podcast, i’ve decided to summarise here (Janice’s in Italics)

My Best Irish Beer 2014 – 8 Degrees Full Irish – a full on hop forward pale ale – deliciously drinkable. Honourable mentions to Bo Bristle Imp Red and their Double IPA
Bo Bristle Imperial Red – big malty hoppy beer that we were privileged to have at Snobfest in Navan

Best Uk / International Beer: Brewdog – Black Eyed King Imp what a great dark beer, barrel aged version of Cocoa Psycho essentially – as mad as it sounds, and tastes amazing. Honourable mentions to Gamma Ray and Black Betty by Beavertown, and Magic Rock – Cannon Ball
Beavertown Gamma Ray – on Draught and Can one of my absolute favourites

Best Can – Gamma Ray – Beavertown – honourable mention for Oskar Blues G’Knight
Same as Wayne – Gamma Ray

Best Cask – Brú Autumn Ale was fantastic, as well as their core beers. Honourable mentions to Stone Barrel with their fantastic Day Trippin’ American Pale
Brú Autumn Ale – really enjoyed this at the ICBCF

Best Pub – This year, for me Farringtons  The Norseman, have stepped it up a gear – not only do they have a huge range of craft with macro to keep everyone happy they do nice food and have a massive whiskey selection – the new website really sends them over the top. Honourable mentions – Brewdock (aka my 2nd Home) Smyth’s on the Square Navan, The Oarsman Carrick on Shannon, and PJ Kavanagh’s Portlaoise. 
Smyth’s on The Square Navan – Huge Range of Craft in Bottles, and Arthur is such a great host

Best Beer Experiences, you’ll just have to listen to the podcast 🙂
Ditto

Best Off Licence: Drinkstore, both for Offline and Online dealings – Superb. Honourable mentions to Smyth’s Navan, The Winehouse Trim, and Probus Wines which gave me one of the best experiences of 2014.
Carryout in Tyrellstown because they’ve a great range of craft, but the added bonus of the growler station – meaning we can enjoy some great draught only beers at home

Please share yours with us. Merry Christmas to all our readers/listeners, hope your 2014 was as good, and that 2015 is a great year

11pm somewhere, 2014, Against the Grain, Brewdock, Bru Brewery, Farringtons, Galway Bay Brewery, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Mikkeler, podcast, Rí, Rua, The Winehouse, Tool

11pm Somewhere Podcast – featuring me!

by irishbeersnobLeave a Comment on 11pm Somewhere Podcast – featuring me!

Anyone who knows me, knows I love talking. This past Saturday I met up with Ian from 11pm Somewhere Podcast who rages against crap beer, fizzy piss with a healthy amount of distain.

I’ve love listening to Ian’s podcasts, and was fortunate enough to meet him to give him the Brewdog glass I smuggled from Brewdog Manchester in January. 

We met in Rodney Leonard’s pub The Malthouse in Trim, County Meath, which has The Winehouse off license attached to talk my blog, my work with Beoir, and beers!

Big shoutouts to Brewdock, Against the Grain, Galway Bay, and of course my boys the lads in Brú Brewery.

The podcast can be found on Itunes, and also @ http://www.11pmsomewhere.com/, make sure to follow Ian on @11pmsomewhere on twitter.

Enjoy the show! 

Belgian, Kwak, The Winehouse, Trim

What’s the Kwak? It ain’t no duck that’s for sure

by irishbeersnobLeave a Comment on What’s the Kwak? It ain’t no duck that’s for sure

I can’t believe, i’ve never had this beer before. I’m a fan of Belgian ales, and visiting Belgium is on my agenda for 2014. Maybe the Brussels Beer Fest later this year.

Anyway I digress.

For Christmas my wife bought me a 750ml bottle with the accompanying glass complete with wooden handle. Now i’m sure you’ve all heard that story about the Delerium cafe in Brussels which takes your shoe as a deposit should you decide you want to scarper with the glass. 

Now, thats impressive glassware.

Onto the beer. 

Kwak, an amber strong belgian ale, weighing in at a hefty 8.4%. In the proper glass it pours a clear earthy amber, with an off white head. The head soon disapates however. The toffee flavours, with sweet mouth flavour, finishing slightly bitter. Very nice beer I must say. 

I got this at my local off license Trim Winehouse, I know it was for me for Christmas but i’d to pick it up myself. An altogether not unreasonable €16 approximately, with a show stopping glass.

Cheers



2013, Against the Grain, Brewdock, Bru Brewery, Drinkstore, Dungarvan Brewing, Franciscan Well, Galway Bay Brewery, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Mountain Man Brewing, The Winehouse, Trouble Brewing

Golden Pints 2013 – A Year in Review

by irishbeersnobLeave a Comment on Golden Pints 2013 – A Year in Review
Shamelessly hotlinked from Beermack

Talk about leaving it to the last minute – I’ve only been blogging really for 6 months but have been consuming craft beers a long time. Its been a great year for the Irish Breweries, some fantastic innovation and product out in the market. Its great to see. 

Ok, so here goes, I personally found it very difficult to whittle the categories to winners, so i’ve bottled it and am going to list my favourites! 

Best Irish Keg;
The obvious choice would be Of Foam and Fury by Galway Bay, Jason and Chris really have upped the ante with their beers. It is of course an unbelievable DIPA. However we saw some great other beers, 8 Degrees had 3 Standouts this year, Amber Ella, and the Northern vs Southern Hemisphere Hop off of Cyclone and Hurricane. Since its debut at ICBCF Amber Ella was sensational. Also a shout out to my local Brewery, Bru, with their cascade hopped Red Ale, Rua, after some initial carbonation teething issues, this has gone from strength to strength. Blacks of Kinsale also impressed with their debut Kinsale Pale Ale and their Black IPA. So for me, after all that Amber Ella just shades it.

Best Irish Cask
As others have mentioned, there hasn’t been a whole lot of Irish Cask, but there are some stand outs, I haven’t tried many, but I enjoyed Coffee Porter by Franciscan Well on a recent trip south. The lads in Bru managed a Cask version of Rua, which when I tried it it was a bit young. Metalman Pale Ale on cask never disappoints, but the standout for me was Galaxy Pale Ale by Trouble Brewing – pulled with a sparkler – a rarity over here, was smooth and kept a lovely creamy head all the way down.

Best Irish Bottle
I normally stick to draught however I have some great bottled beers this year from our breweries. 8 Degrees with their Back in Black series late in the year rocked in with Zeus Black IPA was very good. Dungarvan’s traditional winter seasonal Coffee & Oatmeal Stout was once again superb. But I really enjoyed Mountain Man’s Hairy Goat

Best Pub
Being based in Dublin means i’ve some great bars to choose from, the Cottage Group is strongly represented in Dublin, and I must say The Brewdock has regained my favourite status, after a lull midyear, the management team was tweaked and the place is bouncing again. It would be remiss of me not to mention Against the Grain which is capably run by Paddy, however its just the wrong direction for me on my trip home. Also have been very impressed by WJ Kavanagh’s and their 5 cask taps, and their great food. We also had a great time in Cork, the Bierhaus, and Abbotts Ale House were both fantastic. So it’s the Brew Dock this year.

Best Off License
This is where it gets more difficult. Drinkstore in Stoneybatter, has an unparalleled range in what is an Aladdin’s cave of beers from around the world. They also have a great online store with reasonable delivery charges. My favourite in Dublin for 2013 though is Probus Wines on Fenian St. Not only does Paul carry a great range of world wines and beers. He also has a knock out deli on site. There are regular tasting events, which are ran each week and are suitably themed. A special shout out must go to The Winehouse in Trim, ran by Alan & Rodney attached to the Malt House Pub, this is a veritable treasure trove in the royal county, and people come from near and far – mainly to snaffle the Rua in Bottles! 

Best Tweeter
I’ve got to say, @thebeernut and @beoirfinder both have great dry sense’s of humour. Andrew usually makes me chuckle. Even when taking the mick out of me. Keep it up in 2014. Also special mention to @taleofale, and @beermack_

Best Blog
I really enjoy reading Alex’s blog – Beermack Blog as he always has a wide range of beers for review. I also really enjoy Beernut’s Blog and Tale of Ale blogs. I’ll give the not to John and the beernut blog.

Food and Beer Pairing
I matched 8 degrees Howling Gale with Smoked Salmon Parcels on Christmas Day, and I must say the citrus matched the cream cheese salmon pate beautifully. 

100, Founders, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Porter, The Winehouse, Trim, Ugly Duckling Dublin

Founders – Porter – The Ratebeer Centurion

by irishbeersnobLeave a Comment on Founders – Porter – The Ratebeer Centurion

Founders have certainly been making an impact since they’ve arrived on our shores. I’ve already sampled the All Day Session IPA – link is on the right hand side.

I was eating out with a friend in Dublin recently, and it finished a little earlier than expected. So I decided to pop into my friends in Ugly Duckling Cafe to say hi, and also wait for Mrs Irishbeersnob who was on the late shift at work. Chinwagging as people who know me is my speciality and Derek and Darragh were really keen to tell me about their new beer additions, Founders. I asked for the porter as i’d not had this yet.

Firstly, I had had a few drinks already so I wasn’t really paying much attention in terms of notes etc, but I was blown away by it. Served at room temperature this was sensational. However I said to myself i’ll have to pick this up and try it again.  

So I was also more than pleased to see this in Trim Winehouse on my recent visit there, but have noticed it in O’Briens Navan. The Winehouse in Trim were selling this for €2.69 a bottle. I think they’ve also a special on with 6 for €15.00

This beauty pours dark. A lovely sweet aroma from the hops but notes of chocolate are there. You can also get a lovely hint of coffee. This has skyrocketed up the list to top of the pile as far as bottled porters go for me. Its also very easy to see how this has an average score on Ratebeer of 100.

At 6.5% its not a wimp, but this is perfect to sup on during these dark winter evenings.