What beer are we drinking this week? Episode 3

Hotblack Desiato · 03-07-2020 05:45PM

Yesterday I picked up one I haven't seen before, O'Hara's White Haze, really like it. Is this a limited edition or will it be a regular?

Macy0161 · 04-07-2020 06:16PM

Helmet wrote: »

Had the Mac Nutty a few weeks back and really enjoyed it!

Really loved the Mac Nutty. And the apex actually.

Shared a few new ones last night. I was a bit underwhelmed by Around the World in an 80's Haze, didn't really have the depth of flavour I'd expect at that abv.

Lough Gill Cutback, 12 acres Pallet Jack, Kinnegars Bucket and Spade, Ballykilcavan Line Blocker were all nice without being outstanding. Reel Deels Irish Blond was very nice, but the show stealer of the lighter beers I had was Dead Centre's Teeny Tiny!

RasTa · 05-07-2020 10:12AM

Storm Katz by Wander Beyond and Kees. Very nice, straight imperial porter. No lactose or any of that crap but still tasted creamy.

themandan6611 · 05-07-2020 08:51PM

Porterhouse XXXX, a very nice pleasant stout one must say

BaZmO* · 06-07-2020 01:36PM

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Yesterday I picked up one I haven't seen before, O'Hara's White Haze, really like it. Is this a limited edition or will it be a regular?

Picked up one of these a few weeks ago and really loved it. One of those beers that just seemed to tick all the boxes for my tastes. Hopefully it becomes a regular.

Macy0161 · 06-07-2020 01:48PM

White Haze is definitely my current favourite of their IPA/ Pale Ale line up. It's listed with the likes of 51st State, Notorious (another nice beer), Freebird etc which have been around for ages.

My local Tesco had it last week, but not as part of the normal 4 for 10 like the rest of their (non-DIPA) line up.

senordingdong · 06-07-2020 06:00PM

Macy0161 wrote: »

I wonder was there two batches made?!

Had another one last night and it was much improved, the metallic taste was replaced with robust melon. Much more appetising.

Pen Rua · 07-07-2020 02:24PM

Some really solid cans over the last two weeks or so - standouts from O Brother (On Reflection) & Whiplash (their All Together brew). Almost time for a resupply! Speaking of...

Bradley's and the usual places sharing pictures of their new stock... Levrig has a nitro chocolate stout out, DOT have two birthday specials (both stouts)

Ruben Remus · 07-07-2020 02:49PM

I've had fresh bottles of Kinnegar's 'Rustbucket' and 'Crossroads' recently, and both were beautiful.

L1011 · 07-07-2020 07:33PM

Got two "Hop Foundry" beers in Aldi.

I haven't found the hops... both are exceptionally bland.

MonkstownHoop · 07-07-2020 07:44PM

L1011 wrote: »

Got two "Hop Foundry" beers in Aldi.

I haven't found the hops... both are exceptionally bland.

LOL glad you did, was tempted to buy them on saturday as i pottered around waiting on Blackrock Cellar to open :pac:

dominatinMC · 07-07-2020 08:52PM

Ruben Remus wrote: »

I've had fresh bottles of Kinnegar's 'Rustbucket' and 'Crossroads' recently, and both were beautiful.

Can't go wrong with Kinnegar IMO. Had a few Limeburners at the weekend - a beauty.

Currently having a Dungarvan Mine Head American Pale Ale. Wasn't expecting much but am pleasantly surprised.

Geuze · 08-07-2020 12:21AM

Aldi are selling Guinness ES pint bottles 568ml.

Are pint bottles of Extra Stout usually sold in the retail off-trade?

Maybe this is pub stock redirected due to pub closures?

12 for 24 euro.

irish_goat · 08-07-2020 08:09AM

Geuze wrote: »

Aldi are selling Guinness ES pint bottles 568ml.

Are pint bottles of Extra Stout usually sold in the retail off-trade?

Maybe this is pub stock redirected due to pub closures?

12 for 24 euro.

If they are returnable bottles they are probably pub stock. You'll know if they're returnable cause there'll be scuff marks on the side of the bottles.

BeerNut · 08-07-2020 08:14AM

Lots of off licences do sell the returnable pint bottles, usually the older independent specialists. In Dublin the likes of DrinkStore and Deveney's Dundrum always have them. Redmond's of Ranelagh has pint bottles of Smithwick's, which is a real rarity around here.

BaZmO* · 08-07-2020 10:07AM

Actually, why don't we do more returnable bottles in Ireland in general? AFAIK it's a big thing in Germany?

Pen Rua · 08-07-2020 10:15AM

Where I was in Belgium for a semester you could take the bottles to an automated machine inside a grocery store. Deposit all the bottles (maybe it was €0.10 per bottle on average) and the machine prints a ticket. You bring the ticket into the store to get the cash back.

It didn't seem worth it for a couple of bottles, but then we found a rake of crates from the previous tenants...

BeerNut · 08-07-2020 11:05AM

BaZmO* wrote: »

Actually, why don't we do more returnable bottles in Ireland in general? AFAIK it's a big thing in Germany?

Germany does it by having very little imported beer and two standard bottle shapes used by almost every brewer. It's the sort of system you can retain if you've always had it, but when companies and consumers are used to choice it's nigh-on impossible to implement.

Diageo and C&C have an interchangeable system for pint bottles but they'd be the first to object if you told them they can't have all the different custom-embossed shapes they also use. And to widen that out to every other drinks company? Forget about it. Nobody would see the benefit to the massive cost and commercial disadvantages of switching over.

L1011 · 08-07-2020 01:21PM

Only way to get it introduced here would be either positive or negative incentivsation basically

pre-lockdown and can deliveries, we went through quite a lot of Rye River bottles - brewery is a few KM away but the bottles would end up leaving the state to be recycled and Rye River would use 'new' (heavily recycled content in them obviously) bottles. So while there's obvious environmental advantages to being able to send a crate of empties back; it likely wouldn't actually save them any money. There's space as well as capital and operational costs in putting in the kit to sort and sanitise the returned bottles as well as two way logistics

Are pub size bottles of soft drinks even reused anymore? I don't see any careful handling on the bins used for them so I'd presume not.

Pen Rua · 08-07-2020 01:31PM

L1011 wrote: »

Are pub size bottles of soft drinks even reused anymore? I don't see any careful handling on the bins used for them so I'd presume not.

I used to be in a hotel a couple of years ago & had to do the skips now and then (the trauma). Depended brand to brand/distributor. iirc, Coca Cola generally went into a bottle bin whereas 7up/Club Orange went in crates to be returned.

BaZmO* · 08-07-2020 02:09PM

BeerNut wrote: »

Germany does it by having very little imported beer and two standard bottle shapes used by almost every brewer. It's the sort of system you can retain if you've always had it, but when companies and consumers are used to choice it's nigh-on impossible to implement.

Diageo and C&C have an interchangeable system for pint bottles but they'd be the first to object if you told them they can't have all the different custom-embossed shapes they also use. And to widen that out to every other drinks company? Forget about it. Nobody would see the benefit to the massive cost and commercial disadvantages of switching over.

Very good points. Makes sense when you put it like that.

08-07-2020 02:12PM

It’s enough of a pain going to get the beer in the first place these days without having to go back again with bottles.

L1011 · 08-07-2020 02:34PM

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

It’s enough of a pain going to get the beer in the first place these days without having to go back again with bottles.

It's entirely optional, if you feel flush just bin them

BeerNut · 08-07-2020 02:37PM

Or donate to a friendly home brewer. Reusable bottles be thicc.

Macy0161 · 08-07-2020 02:56PM

L1011 wrote: »

pre-lockdown and can deliveries, we went through quite a lot of Rye River bottles - brewery is a few KM away but the bottles would end up leaving the state to be recycled and Rye River would use 'new' (heavily recycled content in them obviously) bottles. So while there's obvious environmental advantages to being able to send a crate of empties back; it likely wouldn't actually save them any money. There's space as well as capital and operational costs in putting in the kit to sort and sanitise the returned bottles as well as two way logistics

Possibly because they have to leave the State to be recycled, but Wicklow Wolf used cans being more environmentally friendly as one of the reasons they switched away from bottles.

BaZmO* · 08-07-2020 03:13PM

Coincidentally I just saw this post on Twitter by BrewDog

https://twitter.com/brewdogjames/status/1280797162578808832?s=21

BeerNut · 08-07-2020 03:37PM

In a first for BrewDog, it's possible that this announcement is more about the publicity now than actually changing anything in the future.

L1011 · 08-07-2020 05:24PM

Macy0161 wrote: »

Possibly because they have to leave the State to be recycled, but Wicklow Wolf used cans being more environmentally friendly as one of the reasons they switched away from bottles.

Think cans may also leave the state for recycling, although we do have some aluminium industry here (including a larger alumina plant, not the most common).

The main advantage is that they're lighter which impacts fuel consumption at all stages of transport, and slightly smaller also. Recycled ones should generally be at least somewhat crushed and even smaller.

senordingdong · 08-07-2020 05:54PM

Have a lervig cheap breakfast waiting for me this evening. Really looking forward to it.

OOnegative · 08-07-2020 06:03PM

senordingdong wrote: »

Have a lervig cheap breakfast waiting for me this evening. Really looking forward to it.

Are you sure your not a meal behind yourself!!

What beer are we drinking this week? Episode 3

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