It all kicked off in Athlone last night with the first official meeting of the Athlone Beer Club in The Malt House. We said we’d see if we could make a dent in their latest delivery of craft beers. I put together a suggested drinks menu for the evening.
It was very casual and there were no hard and fast rules. We started off with Crean’s Lager from Dingle *, my thinking was that we’d start with something very accessible.
I had undestimated my audience, the general consensus was that it was a little bland. One of the group was coeliac and she was impressed with the Estrella Daura.
Next up we had Bru Rua, their red ale and that got the event on the right track. There were nods of approval around the table.
Next we went for the Schneider Weisse or Fruli according to taste.
The weisse went down alright but the Fruli was a real winner especially with the ladies.
After that it was a choice between two fine Irish Pale Ales; Blacks of Kinsale or Galway Hooker.
Opinions were split on which was the better beer and there was some sampling, swapping and sharing of both.
Then it was time to get hoppy and the Hairy Goats from Mountain Man came out. If I had to declare a favourite from the night this was it. Almost all present gave it the thumbs up.
As the evening neared it’s conclusion the beers started getting darker and we finished up with Galway Bay Stormy Ports or Old Tom’s Chocolate Ale. Two lovely beers and perfect to finish on.
Ritche and Sandra provided musical accompaniment for the evening, I suspect Ritche was itching to join us.
I was about ready to hit the road but that didn’t mean the fun was going to stop in The Malt House. Some of the group didn’t have to work the next day and decided a wee Bo Bristle was a fantastic idea.
I really enjoyed the night, I think we can safely say it was a success. I’d like to thank everyone for taking part and The Malt House for having us. The next installment will be in Murphy’s Law on Friday the 25th of April. If they’ll have us!
(* I know that Crean’s isn’t made in Dingle!)