#183: On the Hop

I've finally gotten around to drinking some Kinnegar, after realising the amount of Irish beer I've left  hitherto untouched. 

It started with Rustbucket, a rye pale ale. True to it's name it pours a rusty orange, and the aroma gives fistfuls of lovely juicy citrus and pine hops, with a coppery sharpness and a bubblegum sweetness underneath. Good stuff. This promised a decent bitter bite which was duly delivered, along with some slightly peppery notes. A touch of pineyness lingers on the  caramel malt backbone, and you know you're drinking one of the nicest pale ales in the country. 

I followed this with Limeburner, which takes the form of a more cautious Irish pale ale. It's as drinkable as you'd like with a biscuit malt backbone propping up some light grapefruit hops, with not much assertiveness on either side of the palate. A good half-litre, but lacking the punch and impression of the Rustbucket.

The Devil's Backbone amber ale was last up, making the shopping basket thanks to the success of a more recent, more local amber. Unlike the 8 Degrees offering, however, there's not a whole lot on the aroma. Yes, it's berries and malt here and there, but things really don't take off until the palate. It does take off though. Sugary toffee, toasted bread, sweet biscuit malts, even a slightly smoky note, all punctuated by a very light and very much back-seated hop character. 

Three worth trying from Kinnegar, with Rustbucket my pick of the bunch.

I'll be having more of these, please.