#140: The Destrier Celebrates

To celebrate the Destrier's first birthday, I had a number of ideas. The first was to re-evaluate Sam Adams Boston Lager, the first ever beer I took notes on, and subsequently, the first beer written about on the blog. Unfortunately (and rather weirdly) it was nowhere to be found. The second idea was similar - revisit my favourite beers of the past year, namely St. Bernardus Abt 12, Piraat and Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout. The first two are currently on tap at the Abbot's Ale House, so there's my weekend planned. The third idea was to try something new, something that I've been wanting to try for a long time. Initially it was a lambic beer, but the recent arrival of Orval to the shelves of the Abbot's decided it for me. It would be that last* and most elusive Trappist brewery. 

Orval pours a hazy amber with a bright head, darker than I'd expected. The aroma first produces a soft, sticky, candied citrus fruit sweetness with highlights of sour lemon sorbet. It's earthy, herbal and even a little bit medicinal underneath. So far so good. Strangely enough, the complexity promised on the aroma doesn't seem to be all there on the palate. There's a grainy, farmhouse-like bread malt backbone and a very light hop bitterness that lingers long after the finish, but the real star of the show is the spicy character in the middle. It's what makes the beer great as opposed to good. Feeling a little underwhelmed by the taste, I decided to bring out some cheese and crackers - the first responders for any beery incidents. This brought out a nutty almond note in the flavour of the Orval, and the whole experience was more enjoyable for it.

Am I missing out on something here? Were my expectations too high? It was served at cellar temperature, as per the label's suggestion, and it was about as fresh as it could have been at just three months old. 

Perhaps that's the problem - age. Luckily, I have another bottle set aside for cellaring.

Another beer I have for cellaring is the Winter 11-12 bottling of Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout, one of my big finds of the year. However, I want to see how that tastes in another year or so, so I procured a fresh bottle for the occasion.

This Black Chocolate Stout is absolutely gorgeous. The thick dark chocolate malts and light hop character are there on the aroma as per usual, but the taste is certainly different from last year's, with strong roasted coffee notes and liquorice aplenty. Really, it's absolutely delicious. The malted biscuit opening is like the inside of a Malteser, while the dark chocolate bitterness lingers long after each sip.

I strongly recommend this beer, and for me, it is the chocolate stout to beat, as well as my number one Russian Imperial Stout.

*Correction: Second to last, I forgot about Engelszell in Austria

#139: The Destrier's First Birthday

That's right, today marks twelve months to the day since I started this blog. In truth, my journey into craft beer began a good few months prior, with my first systematic tasting (and subsequent note-taking) happening just weeks beforehand. The blog had only seen nine months of existence when the Golden Pints rolled around at the end of last year, so I decided not to take part. As such, I present to you, here, my own abridged and altered incarnation of the 'awards' - I think it would be rather silly of me to do the whole shebang in April. These beers can of course be considered for the real Golden Pints at the end of the year, assuming they are still relevant.

So, how did the first year of the Destrier go?

Best Irish Beer - 8 Degrees Howling Gale Ale became my go-to beer for any occasion, both on draught and from the bottle. It's balanced and very drinkable, but it gets my love for being delicious and interesting every time. It's followed closely by the brewer's Ochtoberfest and Metalman's Windjammer.

Best Overseas Beer - This was always going to be tough one, with my top three or four favourite beers all coming from overseas. The plaudits have to go to Piraat, which filled me with liquid joy every time. Very closely followed by Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout - it's effect on my palate in making me love stouts was a very important development indeed, one that just gives it the edge over the Abt 12 and Rochefort 10.

Pub/Bar of the Year - Hands down the Abbot's Ale House. Always something interesting, always good value for money. Not to mention it's relatively regular carriage of Belgians like the Piraat and Abt 12 up there.

Best Beer Blog/Website - For making me want to start my own blog, The Beer Nut.

For what's left of this year I'd like to - Travel more/explore more beer while travelling, finally start homebrewing.

Thanks to those who read, and I promise I'll reward your patience by keeping updates fairly regular. No ghost blogs here, no siree!

#138: Better Than The Best

Or at least, as good as.

That's what the O'Shea's range in Aldi is, when compared to it's flagship stablemate O'Hara's. I wasn't expecting much when I picked them up, so pleasant surprise was the order of the day.

First up is their Pale Ale. I pours similar to the O'Hara's version, albeit with a lesser head. The aroma is really nice, with a strong hop profile to the fore with fruity floral notes, backed up by biscuit malts. The taste delivers on the promise, with perhaps more toffee and butter from the malt than before. It's bitter, fruity and very drinkable. Perfect fridge fodder.

The Irish Ale of the range appears to be the equivalent of the O'Hara's Red, and reds don't often treat me well. This was more dark brown than red though, and the nose offered plenty of nice nutty and woody malts, with hints of toffee and even smoke throughout. It smells sweet, almost syrupy, with just a touch of roasted malt hidden in the background. The taste is more explicit, with a sticky, chocolatey malt backbone and a light hop bitterness that makes suggestions of dark and red fruits. The body is fuller than it has any right to be, for this price, and although the  style is mostly reminiscent of those boring English ale balance-a-thons, it's rich and warm enough to be thoroughly enjoyable (not to mention it lacks any of those metallic hop bites). Highly recommended.

I was mostly looking forward to the Irish Stout, seeing as how both O'Hara's stouts are delicious, so this was opened shortly after the red. It pours black and tan, and the aroma has plenty of roast character with a decent, herbal hop presence. The underlying sweetness is just hinted at here. As above so below, it seems, but it develops more coffee notes and a zestier bitterness. The only real problem is the carbonation, which was too active for me. Other than that it's a perfectly enjoyable beer, though it's surprisingly the worst of the three. I'll probably come back, but when I do, I'll be bringing a pale and a red friend.

#137: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2012

I've gotten to the stage in my beer stash whereby all I have left are things I was saving either for an occasion, or just to age. Luckily, I had a couple of Bigfoot 2012s, a beer I think I can still replenish. Decoding Sierra Nevada's cryptic bottling date number told me the ber in hand was a little over a year old.

So, how does 14 months in isolation treat Bigfoot?

Pretty well, by the smell of things. Sharp zesty hops are to the fore on the aroma, with big grapefruit notes, pungent, oily citrus fruit rind and of course, deep malty sweetness that brings Scots Clan to mind. After a while, I even got a trace of cinnamon in there. The intensity of the aroma is matched by the taste, with a big, powerful balance of potent, bitter hops and thick chewy malts. There's a honey and brown sugar sweetness and even a dark chocolate note that pulls Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout to mind, while pine needle, clove and bitter fruit notes stimulate the tongue and the inside of the cheeks.  

The harshness of youth is definitely toned down a bit here, but it's still a bit hot at the finish. Delicious as ever, looking forward to having one of these next year with 2 years of ageing. 

#136: Dublin - Round 2

I was planning on posting during the past week but I just didn't have the time. Thankfully, my time was all filled up with drinking and eating in Dublin.

Chocolate Truffle Stout

First stop in the capital is The Porterhouse Temple Bar, especially considering it's stone's throw distance from the hotel. It's always quiet early in day and it's a great place to sit for a couple of hours, especially if you're trying their seasonal Chocolate Truffle Stout. This nitro stout pours thick and black with a tell-tale creamy head. The nose promises plenty of roasty goodness laced to death with cocoa powder, and on an empty stomach, I start to feel like it could be a bit much. However, it's quite the opposite. It's very light, and the chocolatey character doesn't really take off like you'd expect. More interesting are the vanilla and hazelnut notes in the finish, and it's certainly a beer worth trying. For the all-out chocolate stout experience though, it still has to be Brooklyn for me. 

Vienna Lager

The beer on offer was their Winter seasonal Vienna Dark Lager, so I went for a pint. Slightly roasted malts and a generic sweet lager graininess roll off the aroma, with just a hint of a sharp hop bite. Things are better rounded in the tasting of the beer, with grassy hops and even a touch of smoke highlighting a lovely, lightly sweet malt backbone. This is actually quite delicious, I went back for seconds later in the trip. 

On cask was Pure Gold, from Purity in Warwickshire. It's nice enough, if a bit boring. Grainy and inoffensive, with a woody, nutty finish that just about prevents you from falling asleep mid-sip. I'm all for the balanced session beer, but this just takes you a bit too close to blandness. 

Purity Pure Gold

A short stop in Porterhouse Central later in the trip yielded some Hop Head on cask, something I think everyone should try and get if they can. Having only tried the bottled version, I never fully appreciated the power of the hops as I did form the cask, while never feeling the beer was any bit unbalanced. 

Finding ourselves up Capel Street, we decided to see what The Black Sheep was all about. In the end, it was a bit of a mixed experience for me. The tap range is great, and my Voyager NZ was beautiful. It's loaded with tropical fruit on the nose, with a hint of the underlying candy-like sweetness betraying the balance to be tasted later on. Those strong, fruity hops take centre stage, but there's plenty of the chewy malt backbone to keep them under control. Lovely stuff, highly recommended. I wish the venue was as good, but I'm afraid I found the atmosphere - and welcome - a bit cold, like I wasn't supposed to be there, not to mention the very expensive drinks. I thought the Galway Bay beers at least would be reasonable, but I still paid €5.50 for a pint. As far as I can remember, nothing on the beer list went below that €5 mark. I'd intended on visiting twice, but it was hard to justify those prices and a 10-minute walk when the Porterhouse, Bull and Castle and Czech Inn were all on my doorstep (or at least, the hotel's). 

Speaking of The Czech Inn, we decided to pop in for a late evening drink while everywhere else in the Temple Bar area was packed to the rafters. Here, we found a pretty empty bar and a cosy seating arrangement for a quiet one. Mine was a pint of Zlatý Bažant, a fairly bog-standard lager from Slovakia that has a drinkability and light sweetness that had me quaffing faster than I'd planned. My beer may be average, but I do recommend The Czech Inn. The bar consists of the usual Irish pub suspects, the slightly less usual golden Czech suspects, along with the lovely Kozel Dark and, of all things, O'Hara's IPA. So, there's something for everyone, especially if you're avoiding the Temple Bar crowd. That's the only disadvantage the area has - Farrington's looked a lovely place, with Chimay Tripel and Gouden Carolus on tap (the only Belgian taps I'd seen for the entire trip), but nothing kills the mood like a guy with a mic and guitar singing 'I'll Tell Me Ma' to a packed pub. No doubt there was some dodgy Irish dancing at some stage.

The Bull and Castle isn't exactly quiet, but it's big, dark and sensible, so you can take your drink and be left to it. Seeing some interesting Irish taps I'd not had before, I went for a four-beer platter. The Franciscan Well Hopfenweisse was my first of the style, so I was puzzled by it's mix of typical hefe fare with strong waxy bitterness. Interesting, but not an instant hit. I'd heard much about Sabotage's shortcomings in the hop department, and I must say that I agree. It's very fruity and has a nice sticky malt backbone, but while the hops are there and tasty, there's just not quite enough to take it into memorable IPA territory. Once that get's sorted though, I think it'll be a very good beer indeed. I hadn't seen Rower's Red around before now, so I said I'd give it a go. Unfortunately, like so many other Irish reds before, it just fails to get me excited in any way, with it's toffee and nutty characteristics ranging from bland to, at times, plain unpleasant. Finally, Metalman's Equinox, an incarnation of their Chameleon range. It's got a nice, refreshing biscuity graininess to it, with highlights of citrus and even a champagne-like touch of fruit. Strangely enough, I found it rather bland at first, but after the second and third sips grew to love it. Of the four, it's the only that I would drink a pint of, and I now regret that I didn't. Hopefully it'll be around Cork for a little while.

L to R: Fran Well Hopfenweisse, Sabotage IPA, Rower's Red, Equinox

#135: Franciscan Well Easterfest 2013

It's Easter Sunday, and that can only mean one thing in Irish Beerdom: The Franciscan Well Easterfest. Seeing as I got my festival over and done with yesterday, there's no time like the present to give my evaluation of it.

First impression upon walking through the arch was the feeling of relief, followed by joy and excitement. My last (and only other) festival experience here was a bustling mess, so to see the place so quiet and relaxed, with all kegs and casks full and ready for tapping put me in a good mood.

Kindred Spirit

Being from Cork, and being hopelessly biased, the first stop had to be Eight Degrees and their whiskey barrel-aged stout, Kindred Spirit. The last beer of this style I'd had was the understated Jameson Stout from the Fran Well, so comparisons were inevitable, and right away I can find more of a whiskey hit on the nose of this one. At 7.5%, it's even a little boozy. The taste is of a good, hearty stout, with roasty, toasty malts coming through at first, before some nice stickier malts, dark fruit and of course, whiskey follow through at the finish. The barrel-ageing process seems to have worked wonders here, as you can really pull the base stout apart from the vanilla and sweet woody malts of the barrel. Expect this to be bottled in the coming weeks, and I'd recommend you pick up a pair. It could very well be a nice one for ageing yourself.

Next stop was Dungarvan, who had their beers on cask. I'd tried everything else, so it was an easy decision to take their Mahon Falls Rye Pale Ale for a spin. Pouring a hazy copper with a weak, soapy head, it doesnt promise much in the glass. This effect continues with the subtle aroma that doesn't do much to describe what's happening inside, but at first tasting, things change for the better. It's light bubblegum-like sweetness does it's best to reign in a very hop-forward character, with fruity notes dotted here and there. I haven't got much frame of reference when it comes to a rye beer, so I didn't know what to look for in this. Perhaps the underlying graininess or hint of a spicy bite, but in truth, it's the hops that take centre stage here. The bitter aftertaste is lip-smacking, and the cask serving works wonders in showing off the freshness of the hops. Another one to try again.

Opus II

Moving onto the Galway Hooker bar, I found they had a tap of Opus II, a dark wheat beer brewed exclusively for Tigh Neachtains in Galway. Exploration is the name of the game, and explore I did. What I found was a very unusual beer, with roasted coffee bitterness playing off a potent fruit bouquet, none of which was suggested by the spritely wheaty aroma. It's nice enough and worth a try, but I don't think I could manage a pint, let alone a couple. I was hoping to try some Bonaparte Stout, listed on the menu, but it seemed to be absent from the bar.* Oh well, onwards then.

Returning to the hop-forward beers, I opted next for a taste of O'Hara's Double IPA. Reactions to this one appear to have been mixed, from what I'd been reading on Beoir, with many people suggesting that it was a little unbalanced and hopped to death. I can only say that I wholeheartedly disagree. While it truly is a hop bomb, with tropical fruit, citrus peel and even pine notes dominating, there's a gorgeous honey undertone that provides just enough balance to keep your palate intact. There's plenty to savour here, especially if you like your hops. I forgot to ask the brewer if this was to be bottled, but hopefully it will. I'll definitely be looking to try this again.

Tumbler

Heading upstairs to find out what the mystery keg of Sierra Nevada was, I discovered a row of apparently experimental casks from Sharps. Nothing caught my eye, so I went for the Sierra Nevada Tumbler on keg. I'd had it from the bottle before, but this is a completely different beer. A light grainy sweetness on the aroma belies a grassy, woody undertone in the taste, all of which is blown to smithereens by the very strong, almost peppery, copper-tasting hops. This was so potent that it made it very difficult pick out anything beyond the bitterness, even having an adverse effect on my next beer...

...which was White Gypsy's Mustang. I only went for a taste of this, seeing as it's extra alcohol points meant more money and less coherence, but it was actually a pretty good beer. Tropical fruit abound in this one, and there's a nice hop character, but ultimately, my tongue was still recalling the metallic hops of yesterbeer, making it difficult to enjoy. For what it's worth, it tasted like a more hop forward (and more American) version of Metalman's lovely Pale Ale.

Windjammer

Which brings us to Metalman. There were four iterations of their Chameleon on tap, as well as the Pale Ale, Alternator, and two versions of Windjammer. Tough decision, but I had to go for the Windjammer on cask, considering how great it was on keg last year. Anything hoppy on cask comes alive, and this was no exception. The strong, bitter, tropical fruit character you'd recognise from previous years is still there, while the whole thing is kept grounded by a slightly sweet, biscuit malt backbone. Very nice, I hope I can get this as regularly as I could last year. 

Stonwell Cider

Finally, for my last drink at my first succesful beer festival, I decided to try a cider. This was really a shot from the hip, my last cider being a Bulmers a few years ago. It could have gone either way, but with Stonewell Cider serving from keg and cask - both of which appear to be a rarity - it had to be done. I went for the cask, and boy was I glad. It pours hazy and very pale, with next to no head. To a beer drinker, it doesn't promise much. The taste, however, is sublime. My cider experience doesn't give me much flavour descriptors with which to enlighten you, but all I can say is that it tastes like the purest, most elegantly sweet and, above all, most beautiful apple juice you've ever had. Alongside so many great beers, I wouldn't have put my money on a cider to shine, but it really did. If you get the chance, I strongly recommend readers to try this wherever they see a tap. Failing that, their bottled Medium-Dry is closest to what I was drinking, and I'll certainly be picking up a couple.

It's impossible to pick a favourite from the eight drinks listed above. However, the Stonewell might have to be my find of the festival, because it truly was a revelation. The only down points of the day were the absences of UCC's brewery and the half-assed showing from the Porterhouse. Overall though, it was a great festival, and the Franciscan Well are great hosts. I'll definitely be attending in the future, and I recommend that you do too.

Next up for the Destrier? Dublin Round 2.

*Correction: It very much was on the bar. Curse these eyes.

#134: Achel Bruin

It's been far too long since I've had a Trappist beer, or even a really good abbey beer (come back to me St. Bernardus!) so to find a lonely bottle of Achel on the shelf of the Abbot's was truly a godsend, especially considering that I've never had it before. So, let's get to it.

Achel Bruin is the dubbel of the range, and pours very much like one. It's a rusted, dark ruby colour with a lovely smooth off-white head of tiny bubbles. The aroma is equally enticing, being sweet, malty, boozy and fruity in equal measures. However, it's not until you take the first sip that things really take off. But oh my, how they really take off.

Big woody malts open things up, with hinted toffee and caramel turning to the characteristic dark fruit and red berry flavours you'd expect from a dubbel. Raisins and green apple skins round things off, and the little kick of alcohol at the very finish does nothing to damage the flavour or drinkability of the beer.

I was expecting a good beer, and got a great one. This is a perfect dubbel, one that deserves to be enjoyed again and again. Hopefully I can source some more of this after the summer.

Next up is the Franciscan Well's Easter Beer Fest tomorrow, and it's about time for me to re-acquaint myself with the outside world of beer.