This evening I had a Whitewater Copperhead Ale. They describe it as a pale ale but I think it’s a bit more like an English bitter myself. It’s got more toffee malt than hops and has decent flavour despite only being 3.7%. It accompanied my dinner of chicken stew with dumplings and I have to say it wasn’t a bad combination on a cold night.
So I’ve been doing this blog since late September and am 30 posts in. Today I read about NaBloPoMo, it’s a challenge to write a blog every day in November. A spin off of NaNoWriMo for those who like me aren’t going to write a novel any time soon. Now that’s a real toughie, it means I will have to drink or at least write about beer every day. This is a month normally marked by abstinence among some of my fellow countrymen, typical me to go against the grain!
Speaking of beer, this is one I’ve kept up for a while; O’Hara’s Barrel Aged Leann Follain Irish Stout. This stout is stored in Irish Whiskey barrels for 90 days which infuses the already fine flavours of the beer with more than a hint of whiskey. It’s a dry stout with some bitterness and a touch of dark chocolate. Fantastic, get a bottle while you can!
Happy Halloween everyone!
Last night I found myself in a four star hotel in Dublin at a work function. I asked at the bar for a bottle of one of the beers from Dungarvan (the internet said they had ’em)and the barman looked at me like I had two heads. Now it would be churlish of me to give out about the ‘free beer’, but I was somewhat disappointed that they had no craft beer of any description. And no Diageo, Smithwicks Pale Ale does not count!
Tonight I celebrated Samhain, not with some witches brew, not even a Dead Guy Ale was in my fridge but I more than made do with a Black Sheep Ale. This North Yorkshire beer is perfect for supping beside the fire. It’s a fittingly autumnal shade of amber and has a great bitter hops/sweet malt balance. An excellent ale. Next year I will plan my Halloween beer shopping well ahead of time!
Proper Job the IPA from the Cornish St Austell brewery has been mentioned favourably here before. Big Job is his big brother as it’s a ‘double IPA’. It’s quite strong at 7.2% and they really don’t hold back on the hops. The beer is a lovely gold colour. In some ways it’s akin to the ultra hoppy IPAs which are coming thick and fast from American micro breweries. It has a citrus aftertaste which is very pleasant. Recommended.
O’Brien’s in Athlone got in a few bottles of Gouden Carolus Classic this week. I was whisked back to the dim distant past (January) when I visited the Cambrinus Beer Brasserie in Bruges. (Www.cambrinus.eu) The place is dedicated to the celebration of beer and they have great food too. The legendary Cambrinus was the original King of Beer and he looked a jolly fellow.
Anyway, back to the beer in hand, last year it won best dark beer at the World Beer Awards, that’s not to be sniffed at! It has a lovely rich dark colour, is unfiltered and has a fruity aroma. It can be cellared like a wine, but it won’t be kept that long in this house! So if you can’t make it to Bruges head into O’Brien’s, it’s the next best thing!
