Whitewater’s Hoppelhammer is of course a triple hopped India Pale Ale which is brewed in the Mourne Mountains. A friend recently enthused that it ‘…is bloody lovely! Best Irish Pale Ale I’ve ever had, so impressed.’ And you know what? He was right! Brief history lesson for any non beer buffs: India Pale Ale came into being out of necessity when extra hops were added to beer to help it stay fresh on the long sea journey from England to India during the 19th century. Soon the English developed a taste for this hoppier Ale and it has since become a very popular style among microbreweries in America and now here in Ireland! So back to where we started, Hoppelhammer has plenty of hops as the name would suggest and slight fruitiness too, this combination makes it a very enjoyable ale.
Where can you get it Simon?
It’s in O’briens in Athlone. Want me to pick you up a bottle?
One of my favourite Irish beers and right up there with O’Hara’s IPA and Galway Bay’s Full Sail as the bench mark for pale ales on the island. Very hoppy but perfectly balanced.