What beer are we drinking this week? Episode 3

BonnieSituation

After that week it was only right that I ended it on day 29, but it was it worth it:



This is an absolutely wonderful porter. Fresh and clean, malty, no bitterness. Just incredible stuff.

Very much looking forward to cracking into the rest of the WK range. Roll on the Carraig Dhubh.

A wonderful world awaits you.

TylerRyan28

Birra Moretti tonight

the beer revolu

BonnieSituation wrote: »

no bitterness.

Is that a good thing, now?

BaZmO*

the beer revolu wrote: »

Is that a good thing, now?

Yeah, I would’ve thought it’s something you’d want in a Porter/Stout

conor05

Anyone know where I could buy bottles or cans of gosser in Louth?

Looking to try it out

BonnieSituation

the beer revolu wrote: »

Is that a good thing, now?

There's a range of bitterness. I should have graded it I guess.

You know when you have a stout or ale sometimes where the bitterness hangs in your mouth too long but not pleasantly. I was expecting that for some reason.

Perhaps I should have said not overly bitter.

Either way, it was class stuff.

BonnieSituation

Molloy's in Ballyfermot came up trumps today with some CS Pilsner.

Also, the Manislav is indeed a cracker.



Cheers for that lads.

Should also say there's a 200 Fathoms in Molloy's! I had it in my hands before I saw the CS. I couldn't justify another one given there's 3 still in the pantry!

Let us know what the Pilsner is like and if it’s just a generic job.

Zaph

Whiplash Dark Steering. Schwarzbier is a sadly neglected beer style in this country, but Whiplash have nailed it with this one. Full of deliciously dark roasted maltiness, only complaint I'd have about it is that it's maybe a little on the expensive side for what it is.

Poorside

Did a meet the brewer with Wicklow Wolf organised by Mother Mac's, very interesting chat, they said they had some Pliny recently and it was very similar to their Mammoth, drinking it now and it's a lovely beer, if it is really similar to Pliny, I don't think it deserves the accolades.

BaZmO*

Poorside wrote: »

Did a meet the brewer with Wicklow Wolf organised by Mother Mac's, very interesting chat, they said they had some Pliny recently and it was very similar to their Mammoth, drinking it now and it's a lovely beer, if it is really similar to Pliny, I don't think it deserves the accolades.

Pliny has been on my “to try” list since I got into craft beers many moons ago, back when it was extremely hard to get a decent selection in Ireland. I still haven’t had the chance to try it but I know I won’t be overly impressed. The main reason is that the landscape has changed now. Hoppy beers are ten a penny, and really good hoppy beers are easy to come by. It’s popularity is also based on the difficulty to get it.

youcancallmeal

Poorside wrote: »

Did a meet the brewer with Wicklow Wolf organised by Mother Mac's, very interesting chat, they said they had some Pliny recently and it was very similar to their Mammoth, drinking it now and it's a lovely beer, if it is really similar to Pliny, I don't think it deserves the accolades.

I remember February 2013 I was in San Francisco on a holiday during that 2 week period that Pliny the Younger was available in small quantities in a select few bars. It was pure luck and I had never heard about it before hand. I was in a bar one night and people were raving about it so I queued up with many others the next day before a bar opened to get some, thought it was lovely but way overhyped. Just exclusivity increasing people's opinions really

Geuze

I couldn't face yet more of the cans of draught Guinness from the shed, for which I paid a remarkable 32-35 for two cases.

So I went to ALDI, and now have:

Einsiedler Hell
Strana pilsner

A few questions:

Does anybody have any comments on the Einsiedler Hell? Are they a large brewery? I note it is based in Chemnitz.


Many of the own-brand ALDI beers seem deliberately designed to have labels that copy mainstream beers.

This Strana seems to be an imitator of Staroprammen?

Some labels are so similar you'd wonder are the macro brewers annoyed?



Anyways, I prefer the Hell, more mouthfeel to it.

FES after this, then slumber.

BeerNut

BaZmO* wrote: »

the landscape has changed now. Hoppy beers are ten a penny, and really good hoppy beers are easy to come by.

100%. There's no great secret to IPA and plenty of Irish breweries turn out beers the same grade as Pliny the Elder and Heady Topper every week.

Pen Rua

Kinnegar's Big Bunny was on my menu last night, and I'm confused. It's labelled an East Coast IPA, with Untapped labelling it as a New England IPA. It poured clear into the glass and there was little fruit flavours going around. Bitter for sure, but not much else going on. I had a look through the Untappd photos and I'm convinced other peoples' pours were cloudier than mine. Weird. This could all very well be my imagination though.

Maybe my experience is tainted by overdosing on haze/juice overloads from Whiplash et al.

BaZmO*

BeerNut wrote: »

100%. There's no great secret to IPA and plenty of Irish breweries turn out beers the same grade as Pliny the Elder and Heady Topper every week.

Header Topper was one that I got to try recently. Wasn’t overly impressed tbh. It was nice enough but it had a strange spicy hoppy twang. The label also instructed you to drink straight from the can. Which I’d say was due to the amount of hop particles in suspension. Something that doesn’t bother me but I’d say was a hard sell when it was first released.

If it was first released tomorrow I doubt it’d make Top 100, let alone Top 10. Their Focal Banger is much nicer.

Losty Dublin

Last night I cracked open a bottle of Kinnegar Bucket Brigade that had been hidden for a while, BB July 2018. Cracked it open and it was definitely the better for the long long sit IMO.

Beanstalk

Geuze wrote: »

:

Does anybody have any comments on the Einsiedler Hell? Are they a large brewery? I note it is based in Chemnitz.

I don't know much about the brewery big I love the beer. Very clean and a fantastic expression of Helles (although a little more light in body than say the Augistinier. It seems to have formed a core part of the lineup and long may it's stay. As a homebrewer, they're my favourite types of bottles to re-use too

hitemfrank

Currently sipping a Rye River / Yeastie Boys Intergalactic Yuzu. It's right up my street and I'm now disappointed it was a limited release.

I need to hunt out similar beers now.

BeerNut

Beanstalk wrote: »

As a homebrewer, they're my favourite types of bottles to re-use too

The Bauarbeiterhalbe. They're lovely, though at least some of that is due to me associating them with Augustiner and Schlenkerla.

Effects

Had a bottle of Night Porter last night. Wasn't too wild on it myself. Maybe it's not just a style I like. Reminded me a lot of old bottled Guinness.

bobbysands81

BaZmO* wrote: »

Header Topper was one that I got to try recently. Wasn’t overly impressed tbh. It was nice enough but it had a strange spicy hoppy twang. The label also instructed you to drink straight from the can. Which I’d say was due to the amount of hop particles in suspension. Something that doesn’t bother me but I’d say was a hard sell when it was first released.

If it was first released tomorrow I doubt it’d make Top 100, let alone Top 10. Their Focal Banger is much nicer.

Heady Topper is a decent IPA but nowhere near as good as I thought it would be.

bobbysands81

Any pastry stout fans about?

Had the new collaboration between Wicklow Wolf and Lough Gill, it’s called “Ocean of Storms” and is a salted caramel and Oreo flavoured imperial stout.

I absolutely loved it. Really really good and up there as a top class beer. Highly recommend (if pastry stouts are your thing).

Only bought one in the shop the other day but will pop back in to get more.

BonnieSituation

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

Let us know what the Pilsner is like and if it’s just a generic job.

I had another one this evening and it's less memorable than it was in Saturday night. The bitter/sharp crispiness I got in the first can I didn't get in the second.

I wonder if it's because it's too cold coming from the beer fridge; though the Manislav was unaffected as was everything else.

I'll take it out for a bit longer tomorrow before I have it and judge again.

As it stands it's a cheap and inoffensive Irish pilsner. And that has its place.

BonnieSituation

Effects wrote: »

Had a bottle of Night Porter last night. Wasn't too wild on it myself. Maybe it's not just a style I like. Reminded me a lot of old bottled Guinness.

Interesting to read that.

I'll be over to Fairview on Thursday to grab a few more.

bobbysands81

Anyone tried Baby Boom by Kildare Brewing Co? Had a few cans of it and, as a session stout, it’s very good.

L1011

Got it in mixed cases from them a few times, decent. Don't think they have any specifcly bad beers. Might need to look at their brewery capacity because they had very patchy can stocks when the pub was open.

Macy0161

I did the Craic mini festival on Friday...

• I really enjoyed the two limited edition Craic collabs. Gose with Hope (with the promise of a Hope one at some point); and an Imperial Brown with Dead Centre which was absolutely lovely.
• Another new one for me was Canvas Brewing Pixel 4 - really liked this interesting beer. I really need to drink more mixed fermentation.
• The other new one to me on the night was Rascals "Breakfast of Champions" - I actually enjoyed this much more the Whiplash Heart of Chambers. Coffee was much more toned down compared to the latter.
• Others on the night was Larkins IPA (a while since I've had this, but reminded me how good it is) and O'Brother "One Beating Heart" which I already knew was lovely.

I had a couple more from the box over the weekend - Wicklow Brewery Locknut Kveik IPA, which is good but nothing special for me (grand for the €2.50 I've picked it up for previously), and the Western Herd Turlough Porter which was decent for the 4% abv.

Effects

BonnieSituation wrote: »

Interesting to read that.

I'll be over to Fairview on Thursday to grab a few more.

I think it just had a kind of sharp taste that I generally don't like in some porters/stouts that I've had.