Cask Conditioned O'Hara's Red in the Bull and Castle.

Red Sleeping Beauty

I was in the Bull tonight. I got a pint of cask Curim because I bleedin' loved the bottle of it I got! Anyway, either I just don't like this from the cask in a pint or I got a really bad one. It just did not taste right at all. It was nothing like the bottle (I had that at slightly cooler than room but warmer than "fridge for 2weeks"... so I got the flavour) . I really didn't know what to do. Wasn't sure if I should return and say it's dodgy or what.

How should it be poured ? He pulled on the lever a few times but then left it while he went and sorted out some knives and forks and came back to me with it. It just did no taste right at all but i don't know if it was just bcause I'd never had before of did I get a crap one ?

Red Sleeping Beauty

ciaran76 wrote: »

drinking Galway hooker now and its a lovely ipa.

I don't like it. I've a feeling the reason I don't it is because I've never had "proper ale" . I've only every had McArdles, Smithwicks and Newcastle Brown. Still though I won't be ordering that any time soon.

kenmc

Alan Rouge wrote: »

I don't like it. I've a feeling the reason I don't it is because I've never had "proper ale" . I've only every had McArdles, Smithwicks and Newcastle Brown. Still though I won't be ordering that any time soon.

It's got nothing to do with these; it's modelled on American IPAs e.g. Sierra Nevada; oodles of cascade to the fore would be the typical of the style. It's pretty much by far the hoppiest beer available on the Irish Draught market.

BeerNut

Alan Rouge wrote: »

I just don't like this from the cask

I thought it was superb and far better than the bottled version. Full of lemon bitterness and a definite Belgian-style spice.

Alan Rouge wrote: »

How should it be poured ? He pulled on the lever a few times but then left it while he went and sorted out some knives and forks and came back to me with it.

No beer's flavour is affected by how it's poured.

Alan Rouge wrote: »

It just did no taste right at all but i don't know if it was just bcause I'd never had before of did I get a crap one ?

I think you just didn't like it. Have something else next time.

kenmc

Alan Rouge wrote: »

How should it be poured ? He pulled on the lever a few times but then left it while he went and sorted out some knives and forks and came back to me with it. It just did no taste right at all but i don't know if it was just bcause I'd never had before of did I get a crap one ?

That would be pretty much exactly how it should be poured, it is hand pumped, not gas driven. I suspect he let the head settle while he went off and sorted out the knives, and then topped it off for you.
Cask ale tastes different than bottle or keg for various reasons. If you didn't like it you should have mentioned it to the staff first - they are very approachable and reasonable - and if had no satisfaction then come on here moaning.

ladhrann

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

World's worst beers eh? I take it you haven't traveled outside of Europe much.

I haven't no, but the argument that X,Y or Z is worse than here is totally irrelevant. Stuff here is less bad than elsewhere so we should put up with mediocrity??? Budweiser is slightly less bad than a kick in the balls ergo we should start necking it by the gallon....?

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Don't worry, its purely psychosomatic. The next time someone gives you a pint of Guinness tell yourself it was made at midnight on the winter solstice by monks from a small village outside Skibbereen - then you'd be extolling its health virtues.

This was a genuine question, I have allergies to certain products and have noticed that most draught beer in this country really sets them off. I have got the same reactions from cans and bottles, of mass-market stuff and some small producers. I am genuinely curious to see if this has happened to other people, otherwise I wouldn't have asked. Of course it could also be due to most bars using vast quantities of line-cleaner and not rinsing the lines out properly afterwards.

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

It sounds like you don't care about the quality of the ale so long as it is in a bottle (and is unpopular). Spitfire is a foul tasting peppery ale, but because it's Real Kentish Ale I'm sure you'd rather it to Smithwicks, Kilkenny, Rebel Red and the likes.

I don't actually don't like Spitfire either, but at least I can drink three pints of it without waking up with sinus headaches, bloodshot eyes etc. etc. compared to Kilkenny, Smithwicks, Guinness.....
I had no idea that O'Hara's was unpopular either. Because if its unpopular it must be a poor quality product. Oh wait, if it's unpopular then it must appeal to my indie or trendy sensibilities and I'd better keep drinking it until it becomes popular and then I'll just have to switch to something else because I can can only exist in binary opposition to mainstream tastes.

ciaran76

I also tried the Red and O'Hara's both I liked. Usually drink Guinness in my local. The O'Hara was quite light I thought and smokey but at that stage I did have about 5 Galway Hookers!

johnnyskeleton

ladhrann wrote: »

I haven't no, but the argument that X,Y or Z is worse than here is totally irrelevant. Stuff here is less bad than elsewhere so we should put up with mediocrity??? Budweiser is slightly less bad than a kick in the balls ergo we should start necking it by the gallon....?

I didn't say we should put up with mediocrity, but to say that we have the worst beer in the world is quite an exaggeration.

ladhrann wrote: »

This was a genuine question, I have allergies to certain products and have noticed that most draught beer in this country really sets them off. I have got the same reactions from cans and bottles, of mass-market stuff and some small producers. I am genuinely curious to see if this has happened to other people, otherwise I wouldn't have asked. Of course it could also be due to most bars using vast quantities of line-cleaner and not rinsing the lines out properly afterwards.

Didn't mean to cause offence by this (more a gentle ribbing) and for that I apologise. I have heard people say that Brahma gives you much worse hangovers because of the chemicals in it, although I think those reactions are due more to the large quantities of ethanol consumed. Do you have any specific allergies? I suppose its possible that the particular type of yeast used in Guinness could cause an allergic reaction if you have a very specific allergy, but most of the regular beers, whether they be draught, in a can or in a bottle does sound unusual.

BeerNut

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

I suppose its possible that the particular type of yeast used in Guinness could cause an allergic reaction

It's not. All traces of the yeast in Guinness -- and in most industrially-produced beers -- is filtered out after brewing. It's one of the reasons why artisan beers will generally taste better, or at least of more, than factory-made ones.

kenmc

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

I didn't say we should put up with mediocrity, but to say that we have the worst beer in the world is quite an exaggeration.

He didn't say we we have the worst beer in the world. He said

ladhrann wrote: »

Amen. The very sad fact is we have have some of the greatest pubs in the world and some of the worlds' worst beer is sold in them.

Which is not an exaggeration at all; the choice of beer is typically restricted to Heineken, coors, bud, carlsberg, guinness and smithwicks - 4 lagers of equal blandness, a stout and an ale. Occasionally you will find a pub which has murphys or beamish as well, maybe kilkenny or some other ale, perhaps even a weissbeer. Very occasionally you will find an exceptional bar which has a wide range of different styles, with particular emphasis on the smaller brewers, or unusual styles.

For a country that is stereotypically known for it's association with pubs and drink, it's a sad irony that in general, you will find no more than 3 or 4 different styles available; contrast that to many other countries around the world.

We actually have some very good beers, but unfortunately you have to look quite hard to find it at times

Red Sleeping Beauty

kenmc wrote: »

He didn't say we we have the worst beer in the world. He said

Which is not an exaggeration at all; the choice of beer is typically restricted to Heineken, coors, bud, carlsberg, guinness and smithwicks - 4 lagers of equal blandness, a stout and an ale. Occasionally you will find a pub which has murphys or beamish as well, maybe kilkenny or some other ale, perhaps even a weissbeer. Very occasionally you will find an exceptional bar which has a wide range of different styles, with particular emphasis on the smaller brewers, or unusual styles.

For a country that is stereotypically known for it's association with pubs and drink, it's a sad irony that in general, you will find no more than 3 or 4 different styles available; contrast that to many other countries around the world.

We actually have some very good beers, but unfortunately you have to look quite hard to find it at times

Not everywhere will have Smithwicks on tap. Some places have the label on the tap but don't actually have the drink!

There's also Becks and Stella which you find in equal proportions to Coors I'd say.

Shame more places don't do O'Hara's stout actually. Real shame.

BeerNut wrote: »

I thought it was superb and far better than the bottled version. Full of lemon bitterness and a definite Belgian-style spice.

I think you just didn't like it. Have something else next time.

I've had a couple of O'Hara's stout and I tried a Rebel Lager. I love the O'Hara's but the Rebel did nothing for me. As I said I also tried the Galway Hooker which I wasn't mad on it but I might try it again some day.

What else is there Irish on tap ?

BeerNut wrote: »

No beer's flavour is affected by how it's poured.

Is this true ?

Does it mean that this video is a lie....

With all the O'Hara's I got the barman was tipping out some into a waste glass when topping it up.

BeerNut

Alan Rouge wrote: »

What else is there Irish on tap ?

You'll find all of them, with the pubs which sell them, listed here.

Alan Rouge wrote: »

Does it mean that this video is a lie....

No. He says (around 2.25 to 2.35) that the pour is just about how the beer looks. He makes no association between how the beer tastes and how it's poured.

Alan Rouge wrote: »

With all the O'Hara's I got the barman was tipping out some into a waste glass when topping it up.

The alternative would have been waiting for the head to subside before pouring more in, which might have taken a while. Diageo has a team of contractors driving about in Guinness-branded vans ensuring that the gas mix for their beers is correctly set up in pubs. Microbreweries don't have that, so you'll often get the likes of draught O'Hara's Stout running high. It won't affect the pint you get, it's just more wasteful.

Red Sleeping Beauty

Sorry I think that's the second time you posted that link to me
I should've checked it first. I might make a list of them bars and have a potter around actually.

I think I've been to Anseo before.

Is there a general O'Hara's/Irish brew thread here ? Can we have one ?
I tried a bottle of O'Hara's extra stout. Wow, the "complex" chocolate and coffee flavours are very strange. I like Guinness' foreign extra for the kinda fruity flavour so I thought I'd give this one a go.
What's this Mao lager ?

BeerNut

Alan Rouge wrote: »

What's this Mao lager ?

It's a very pale dry lager which goes quite well with spicy food. Review here.

The Minstrel

How much is it a pint, this O'Hara's stuff? I would hope that these Irish beers are easier on the pocket. I always liked the O'Hara's stout out of a bottle.

Red Sleeping Beauty

€4.40. That's probably slightly under average for a Guinness in town I'd say.

Saruman

The Minstrel wrote: »

How much is it a pint, this O'Hara's stuff? I would hope that these Irish beers are easier on the pocket. I always liked the O'Hara's stout out of a bottle.

Don't think these beers are cheaper than mass produced beer like Guinness, they can not compete with that level of mass production.

Still, in Dublin the price is less or about the same as a Guinness.

kenmc

Aye, it's not all about the price, you're paying for the quality and the small production compared to the megabrewers. Well worth paying for though.

Red Sleeping Beauty

Saruman wrote: »

Don't think these beers are cheaper than mass produced beer like Guinness, they can not compete with that level of mass production.

Still, in Dublin the price is less or about the same as a Guinness.

I think it was "beernut" that said a few pages back that Diago could sell pints for a euro and still make a profit.

Bottles are pretty expensive though I think but I never drink bottles in a pub that I can get in an off license.

BeerNut

O'Hara's is hideously expensive in O'Neill's of Suffolk Street, as is Galway Hooker. I reckon they just see "specialty beer" and whack up the price.

Amalgam

Do they ever do Fuller's from a cask, London Pride or otherwise?

Saruman

No the cask is a new feature. With time let us hope they get some in but for now I am happy with them doing cask Irish beer.

kenmc

BeerNut wrote: »

O'Hara's is hideously expensive in O'Neill's of Suffolk Street, as is Galway Hooker. I reckon they just see "specialty beer" and whack up the price.

Even still, I will pay the extra for something like this if it's available, rather than revert to Guinness. Wouldn't bother for Erdinger or Paulaner though, I'd only do it for an Irish beer, do my little bit to help it survive.

BeerNut

Amalgam wrote: »

Do they ever do Fuller's from a cask, London Pride or otherwise?

Importing cask beer from foreign parts isn't really practical for a pub.

BeerNut

kenmc wrote: »

Even still, I will pay the extra for something like this if it's available,

Oh jaysis yeah. If the price of my beer was all I was worried about I'd never be in the pub in the first place.

It's amazing really, when you look at the price differential between mass-produced and hand-crafted food, that you can get hand-crafted beer for around the same price as the machine-made stuff; often less. It shows just how big a gouge the factory brewers are on.

kenmc

BeerNut wrote: »

Oh jaysis yeah. If the price of my beer was all I was worried about I'd never be in the pub in the first place.

It's amazing really, when you look at the price differential between mass-produced and hand-crafted food, that you can get hand-crafted beer for around the same price as the machine-made stuff; often less. It shows just how big a gouge the factory brewers are on.

true that.

oblivious

BeerNut wrote: »

It shows just how big a gouge the factory brewers are on.

An how much the marketing machine take to run

Red Sleeping Beauty

Passed by Tramco Brewery today on the bus. Anyone got any more info on it ?
I actually got a bit excited . It's very weird because that Tramco club/bar that was there before with its faux sex and city was pretty knaff. Saw a dude get a glass in the beck there!

Red Sleeping Beauty

Just got another bottle of Curim and a stout. I really like the Curim out of the bottle. Not mad on the cask though. I don't know how different the curim is to other wheat beers though cause I'm not that cultured. Can't beat this stout though

The fella in the off license was telling me about some Russian stout. I couldn't really remember what he was saying though. The only thing that rang through was "no I've not got any"

kenmc

Alan Rouge wrote: »

Just got another bottle of Curim and a stout. I really like the Curim out of the bottle. Not mad on the cask though. I don't know how different the curim is to other wheat beers though cause I'm not that cultured. Can't beat this stout though

The fella in the off license was telling me about some Russian stout. I couldn't really remember what he was saying though. The only thing that rang through was "no I've not got any"

You're wrong , the cask is WAY better than the bottle - there's a depth of flavour there that is missing in the bottle, it's a much tastier beer from the cask. Never liked it in the bottle, have tried it a few times.