Last week I reviewed Eight Degrees Back to Black range and porterhouse's new barrel aged black IPA. This week we turn to the lighter side with an APA, IPA and Tripel.
Up First is new Dublin based brewery Stone Barrel With Boom a "Session IPA" (AKA American pale ale). Its an attractive burnished gold with fluffy white head collapsing to lacing.
Starts nicely with juicy peaches on the nose but unfortunately falls flat (literally) with no carbonation to speak of. This unfortunately accentuates the bitterness and grainy cereals over the delicious hops I know are in there. It shows much promise but needs the carbonation fixed!
Without such issues is Brown Paper Bag Project's Trinity Tripel. Now I like me a good tripel and this one fulfils the brief admirably. Pale, slightly hazy gold with fine yeast suspension. Those typical belgian yeast aromas of cloves, sweet
bubblegum and rich yeast esters are followed by a fairly sweet, full bodied taste with more spicey yeast esters and a fruity Belgian character. Some
noble hop pepperiness prevents it from becoming cloying but its still very rich. Great to see breweries stepping beyond the usual stout/pale/red comfort zone.
Brown Paper Bag Project
Mountain Man's Hairy Goat is an improvement on their Green Bullet release a few months back. Very hazy mid amber with fluffy offwhite head, pineapple sherbet and
mango rind but also a strange gravelly minerality. Medium body, mango,
fairly sweet at first but plenty of pithy bitterness to balance.
Certainly one to try fresh and an indication of things to come.
Mountain Man Brewing Co@MountainManCork
And finally for today, a beer that's been re-jigged and released in a larger format bottle. Shane at Franciscan Well asked me to have a taste of the latest IPA iteration (bottle #1 of 1200 no less) and of course I am happy to oblige. Last time carbonation issues in the bottle led to a sweet sticky beer which lost its hop aromatics. No such issues this time however. Rich pine resin and vanilla come across on the nose. Its full bodied, bitter pine and rich resin,
toffee, also watermelon as it warms. Resinous finish with lasting bitterness. It also works really well with curry. 
I found the same results with the Boom. It has potential but just a tad under carbonated.
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