What beer are we drinking this week ?

baconsarnie · 07-01-2013 09:44AM

Heroditas wrote: »

Now that I'm a bit more sober, think my two favourite drinks were the Hook Norton winter ale and the Thorn bridge Black IPA.

Thornbridge Raven? Superb stuff. Have only had it in bottle. Hmmmm

Heroditas · 07-01-2013 10:55AM

baconsarnie wrote: »

Thornbridge Raven? Superb stuff. Have only had it in bottle. Hmmmm

Yeah, they were selling it in 400ml? glasses. When I was there, they were emptying the tap in question of the remainder of their Left Hand Milk Stout and washing through the line with the IPA.
Managed to taste a mouthful of the tankard in which they had a mix of the IPA and Stout - I have to say it was extremely nice!

baconsarnie · 07-01-2013 02:11PM

Heroditas wrote: »

Yeah, they were selling it in 400ml? glasses. When I was there, they were emptying the tap in question of the remainder of their Left Hand Milk Stout

The Milk Stout was still on? Had a few glasses of that on the 21st and thought it wouldn't last too long!!

GLaDOS · 07-01-2013 03:06PM

Was drinking Porterhouse Plain last night, very tasty

Glebee · 07-01-2013 03:14PM

Got to sample a few fine beverages over the Christmas break and at last got to visit Against the Grain (twice) and WJ Kavanaghs. Both excellent pubs and I really wish them every success. Have to get back to Kavanaghs soon as thought it was a really nice set up and a million miles from the original Kavanaghs that I remember from going to matchs in Croke Park over the years. How do they get on of a match day????

Some beers that I was not that impressed with from my Chrismas stash was College Green Brewerys Chocolate Stout, very watery and bland I thought. Also Goose Islands Christmas Ale was nothning special.

munchkin_utd · 07-01-2013 03:51PM

Glebee wrote: »

Got to sample a few fine beverages over the Christmas break and at last got to visit Against the Grain (twice) and WJ Kavanaghs. Both excellent pubs and I really wish them every success. Have to get back to Kavanaghs soon as thought it was a really nice set up and a million miles from the original Kavanaghs that I remember from going to matchs in Croke Park over the years. How do they get on of a match day????

<snip>.

on a match day its a potential goldmine gone wrong due to lack of availablity of whats popular with the normal folk of Ireland.

I managed to get to Donegals all ireland quarter, semi and the final and was in Kavanaghs after the semi and quarter and was passing by after the final. The place was empty relative to the amount of folks in the area looking for a post match pint. Many dropped in, were told there was no bud/ miller/ guinness and simply buggered off. Others stopped for a pint and then headed. Before the all ireland final it was the only pub not wedged in an area where there were so many milling about that it was causing traffic disruption.
Maybe its naieve management or a philiosophical dislike of commercial beer (even as a one off for match days) but they definitely have missed a trick.

It reminds me of a conversation I had with my uncle, a recently retired catering lecturer in GMIT about michelin star restaurants where he pointed out that in Ireland despite such establishments being really good, they nearly always close down because they are so far up their hole that they will make no compromises to at least acknowledge that normal folk exist.
When you loose sight of commercial reality in a commercial enterprise then you may end up loosing your commercial enterprise by going bankrupt!

Now, Maybe Kavanaghs has such low rent on their quite large premises that their profit margins are so great that they can look a gift horse in the mouth and actively discourage the masses by not offering what they want (on match day). I somehow dont think so.
If I were them I would do as the porterhouse and other establishments specialising in craft beers and allow a small selection of mainstream beers to apease those with hard earned money in their pockets but lack of willingness to experiment.

Anyhow back on topic - had a Leffe Kerstbier/ Bier de Nöel (xmas beer) last night and it was spot on. Flavoursome and sweet but not overly so. The promised spicy twinge of a taste really couldn't be detected by me but nevertheless I'm happy I have 5 more bottles of it at home to tide me over the winter months along with the other stuff I have in stock.
Straight afterwards I cracked open a Leffe tripple which was positively bland in comparison.

neilthefunkeone · 07-01-2013 03:55PM

Popped into the porter house last night and had a pint of Oyster then tried the White Gypsey Yule Ol.. Wants too impressed with it to be honest..

baconsarnie · 07-01-2013 04:07PM

munchkin_utd wrote: »

on a match day its a potential goldmine gone wrong due to lack of availablity of whats popular with the normal folk of Ireland. .

I like craft beer.

I wasn't aware i was abnormal

Thanks for pointing that out.

munchkin_utd · 07-01-2013 04:50PM

baconsarnie wrote: »

I like craft beer.

I wasn't aware i was abnormal

Thanks for pointing that out.

grand so .
maybe should have said "the common folk of Ireland. ." - but then you could have said I was looking down on the majority of people in Ireland who couldnt care less for a craft beer and only want the familiar heavily advertised big brewery tipple.

normal means to conform to the norm, and the norm is (or are you also arguing this too) that the vast majority of beer sold in the country in general is not craft beer and more importantly on a GAA match day the vast majority of folks from down the country up for the match have absolutely no interest whatsoever in trying a craft beer.

baconsarnie · 07-01-2013 04:53PM

munchkin_utd wrote: »

normal means to conform to the norm, and the norm is (or are you also arguing this too) that the vast majority of beer sold in the country in general is not craft beer and more importantly on a GAA match day the vast majority of folks from down the country up for the match have absolutely no interest whatsoever in trying a craft beer.

Easiest thing would be to say the majority of beer drinkers.

Colonel Sanders · 07-01-2013 09:41PM

I hear what you're saying re Kavanagh's but I know ATG often post on Facebook "Life's too short to drink crap beer" so if they started selling what they consider crap beer it it would be a bit of a turn up

I think solely craft beer pubs are trying to carve out a niche, if they're still there in a few years that niche obviously worked & is profitable.

I find it very difficult to get people to drink craft beer. Most drink one with a scowl having made their minds up they won't like it before tasting, then want to go to a different pub selling macros (I'm into "funny beers" apparently). Some enjoy it but then simply return to macros. It's a shame but I suppose it shows that macros don't run multi million euro ad campaigns for the fun of it

Martyn1989 · 07-01-2013 10:35PM

munchkin_utd wrote: »

on a match day its a potential goldmine gone wrong due to lack of availablity of whats popular with the normal folk of Ireland.

I managed to get to Donegals all ireland quarter, semi and the final and was in Kavanaghs after the semi and quarter and was passing by after the final. The place was empty relative to the amount of folks in the area looking for a post match pint. Many dropped in, were told there was no bud/ miller/ guinness and simply buggered off. Others stopped for a pint and then headed. Before the all ireland final it was the only pub not wedged in an area where there were so many milling about that it was causing traffic disruption.
Maybe its naieve management or a philiosophical dislike of commercial beer (even as a one off for match days) but they definitely have missed a trick.

It reminds me of a conversation I had with my uncle, a recently retired catering lecturer in GMIT about michelin star restaurants where he pointed out that in Ireland despite such establishments being really good, they nearly always close down because they are so far up their hole that they will make no compromises to at least acknowledge that normal folk exist.
When you loose sight of commercial reality in a commercial enterprise then you may end up loosing your commercial enterprise by going bankrupt!

Now, Maybe Kavanaghs has such low rent on their quite large premises that their profit margins are so great that they can look a gift horse in the mouth and actively discourage the masses by not offering what they want (on match day). I somehow dont think so.
If I were them I would do as the porterhouse and other establishments specialising in craft beers and allow a small selection of mainstream beers to apease those with hard earned money in their pockets but lack of willingness to experiment.

Anyhow back on topic - had a Leffe Kerstbier/ Bier de Nöel (xmas beer) last night and it was spot on. Flavoursome and sweet but not overly so. The promised spicy twinge of a taste really couldn't be detected by me but nevertheless I'm happy I have 5 more bottles of it at home to tide me over the winter months along with the other stuff I have in stock.
Straight afterwards I cracked open a Leffe tripple which was positively bland in comparison.

I'd imagine owners/management have put much consideration and deliberation into their stance of supplying macro beer on a match day, they've deicided to stick to their image and stay faithful to their 'ideology' that pulls in their regulars every other day of the year. They may miss out shifting some beer but they also avoid the large riled up crowds and alot of the unpleasentness that comes with it.

Its not entirely similar to a Michelin star restaurant? From what I understand they find it very difficult to even cover costs in Ireland, they are also under pressure to provide constant excellance or risk losing the star. To be fair restaurants like that aren't aiming for the majority and why would they? Would he consider a French Michelin star restaurant to be less up its own hole? As a nation we aren't very discerning when it comes to our food and drink anyway.

symbolic · 07-01-2013 11:46PM

Had the Cask Galway Bay milk stout in Brewdock today. Recommended if you are passing by!

Grayditch · 07-01-2013 11:50PM

My friend said the other day "You can keep your fancy beer".

I told him a lot of the stuff I drink is made in Cavan, Waterford etc, in modest breweries but to enjoy his slick imported Danish beer.

Who's fancy now, hai?

Colonel Sanders · 08-01-2013 12:08AM

symbolic wrote: »

Had the Cask Galway Bay milk stout in Brewdock today. Recommended if you are passing by!

I want!

Off the beer for a month though....

Colonel Sanders · 08-01-2013 12:12AM

Grayditch wrote: »

My friend said the other day "You can keep your fancy beer".

Has (s)he ever tried micro brewery beer?

I've no problem with someone telling me Bud, for example, is their favourite beer as long they've actually tasted other beers. In most cases they've had Bud, Heineken, Carlsberg and maybe some cheap canned stuff

I've often tried to interest people in micro beers or even something different like Pilsner Urquell on draft. Often the response is a screwed up face followed by "nah, I wouldn't like that". Of course you'll never like it unless you actually bloody try it

Grayditch · 08-01-2013 01:44AM

9 times out of ten I give someone a Spaten (baby steps, remember) or especially a Magic Hat no. 9 or Galway Hooker, they're mad about it, but are back on the Bavaria the next time I see them. That might be down to cash, to be fair.

A lot of people who know I like craft beers often offer me a beer with the warning that 'all I have is Heineken, you probably won't drink that'. I'm not a snob, ha ha, sure ill have a Heineken.

I'm looking forward to craft beers taking off more in Ireland. I'd say out of my top ten beers, 5 of them are probably Irish.

Lovely Bloke · 08-01-2013 07:46AM

About WJ Kavanagh's - I love the place, but I do find it hilarious that they have big lit up Heineken and Bavaria signs on the wall outside the pub. The round, side-on signs that you see on a lot of places.

BaZmO* · 08-01-2013 08:45AM

TheNinthGate wrote: »

About WJ Kavanagh's - I love the place, but I do find it hilarious that they have big lit up Heineken and Bavaria signs on the wall outside the pub. The round, side-on signs that you see on a lot of places.

Yeah I was laughing at that too, but as my other half pointed out to me, there is an Off Licence there too, so they can be excused for it.

BeerNut · 08-01-2013 01:37PM

TheNinthGate wrote: »

About WJ Kavanagh's - I love the place, but I do find it hilarious that they have big lit up Heineken and Bavaria signs on the wall outside the pub. The round, side-on signs that you see on a lot of places.

Getting permission to change anything on the exterior of a pub like that is a nightmare, I'm told. I reckon metal window shutters would be higher on the shopping list than removing the signs.

munchkin_utd · 08-01-2013 02:24PM

Martyn1989 wrote: »

I'd imagine owners/management have put much consideration and deliberation into their stance of supplying macro beer on a match day, they've deicided to stick to their image and stay faithful to their 'ideology' that pulls in their regulars every other day of the year. They may miss out shifting some beer but they also avoid the large riled up crowds and alot of the unpleasentness that comes with it.

Its not entirely similar to a Michelin star restaurant? From what I understand they find it very difficult to even cover costs in Ireland, they are also under pressure to provide constant excellance or risk losing the star. To be fair restaurants like that aren't aiming for the majority and why would they? Would he consider a French Michelin star restaurant to be less up its own hole? As a nation we aren't very discerning when it comes to our food and drink anyway.

if Kavanaghs and the likes can make a go of it by rigidly shunning anything that isnt strictly a craft beer then fair enough. I was just struck on one of my last spins to Dublin on how full the Porterhouse(s) were and they seem to strike a balance of shifting a heck of a lot of pints to pay the rent and being seen as a pub championing craft beers - but they do stock an odd major label to keep happy those who only drink heavily advertised beers.

anyhow getting back on topic, last night I had the pleasure of trying a Strafe Hendrik Tripple 9% beer from De Halve Maan family brewery in Bruges aka Brugge.
http://www.halvemaan.be/index.php?id=14&L=2
As it says in the blurb, its a strong blonde ale. Not terribly aromatic fruity or sweet but on the other side thankfully they arent killing you with a lashing of hoppiness either. To be honest it reminded me of a decent Munich Oktoberfest (i.e. Augustiner) but just that bit more robust.

Afterwards I couldnt bring myself to open the last Augustiner Oktoberfest that I have chilling which would have been the logical progression, so popped open a Grimbergen Double instead.
It was a bit dissapointing to be honest and not as good as I remember the last one I had to be. Maybe speeding along in 1st class on the TGV getting it served to my seat made it more enjoayble?
Anyhow, It was your typical dark belgian ale abeit just with no real complexity. A little like a strong smithwiths or something. The Leffe christmas edition (Kerstbier) that I had the night before was a far better tipple.

Krusty_Clown · 08-01-2013 03:39PM

munchkin_utd wrote: »

if Kavanaghs and the likes can make a go of it by rigidly shunning anything that isnt strictly a craft beer then fair enough. I was just struck on one of my last spins to Dublin on how full the Porterhouse(s) were and they seem to strike a balance of shifting a heck of a lot of pints to pay the rent and being seen as a pub championing craft beers - but they do stock an odd major label to keep happy those who only drink heavily advertised beers.

The model seems to work for the 'Against the Grain' group of pubs, who now have four pubs in Galway, three pubs in Dublin, and are now in the process of renovating the Avoca in Blackrock, for a potential launch date in a week or two and all without a macro beer in sight. In a time when traditional beverage pubs are closing, this group will have opened four new pubs in the last 12 months.

I really like the dedicated craft beer pubs, but at times, the pubs that supply a mixture of both are a godsend, as I have many friends who cannot see past the pint o' plain. So I always try to steer these groups in the direction of a pub that has both (O'Nells, Bowes, etc.). Everybody's happy. Thanks for the tip by the way; Kavanaghs sounds like a great spot to go on a match day!

...and also back on topic. I enjoyed the last of my Christmas beers, finishing in style with a Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait. I've only ever had a few lambic beers, but after a christmas with a disproportionate number of hoppy IPAs this was a really refreshing change and I really enjoyed the sourness. Will look out for more beers in this style. Followed up with a Brooklyn Black Chocolate stout. Ok, opposite ends of the scale and hardly complementary, but two magic beers all the same.

baron von something · 08-01-2013 03:49PM

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

I've often tried to interest people in micro beers or even something different like Pilsner Urquell on draft. Often the response is a screwed up face followed by "nah, I wouldn't like that". Of course you'll never like it unless you actually bloody try it

Pilsner Urquell is one of my all time favourite draught beers.

i was in the porterhouse for the first time the other day and quite like their brew too.at the mo i'm drinking tsingtao beer.tesco are selling 640ml bottles for 1.49.bargain

Seaneh · 08-01-2013 05:13PM

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

The model seems to work for the 'Against the Grain' group of pubs, who now have four pubs in Galway, three pubs in Dublin, and are now in the process of renovating the Avoca in Blackrock, for a potential launch date in a week or two and all without a macro beer in sight. In a time when traditional beverage pubs are closing, this group will have opened four new pubs in the last 12 months.

The Cottage and The Scholars Rest (and maybe the Oslo) Both have Guinness and Heiniken, but that's mostly because of location and the history of the bars.

Seaneh · 08-01-2013 05:14PM

On topic, having a bottle of Clothyworthy Dobbin to wash down the dinner. Nom.

Son0vagun · 08-01-2013 08:09PM

Just celebrated moving into our new house with a Golden Glory by Badger Ale. Lovely peachy beer!

Colonel Sanders · 09-01-2013 10:09AM

baron von something wrote: »

Pilsner Urquell is one of my all time favourite draught beers.

Strangely it's the beer that turned me against the Ubiqutous macros

I drank it in the Czech Republic in 2005 & came home basically saying to myself there is no way I'm drinking the slop that's thrown at me at home anymore. I drank Veltins for a long time, closest off licence to me sold 3 bottles for €5. When they stopped stocking it I moved onto Polish, German & Belgian beers & it's only recently I started on micro beer

A long & tasty journey!

Grayditch · 10-01-2013 12:08AM

Brooklyn Chocolate stout was a bit strong for what I was in the humour for. My bad for not reading the % first. Fuller Past Master Old Burton Extra is quite nice, though.

Colonel Sanders · 10-01-2013 12:20PM

Grayditch wrote:

Fuller Past Master Old Burton Extra is quite nice, though.

Is this the 7.4% stuff?

I've seen it in Sweeney's but never bought as the ABV put me off. I do love London Porter so might try it

Grayditch · 10-01-2013 01:23PM

It's this one...
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/fullers-past-masters-old-burton-extra-obe/183252/

I liked it. Lovely amber colour and a nice strength. I'll get another at the weekend to make sure

But I really want to get this one:
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/fullers-past-masters-xx-strong-ale/136293/

What beer are we drinking this week ?

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