Carlowboration

Its been a while since I've featured Irish beers on this blog; so hopefully this post goes some way to redressing that omission. As I mentioned in my post earlier this year, Carlow were the first brewery in Ireland to collaborate with an international brewer (to my knowledge!) with Lublin to Dublin, an oatmeal stout brewed with Pinta last year ( which was very well received, coming in as 4th best Irish beer on RateBeer). I've just received a bottle of this year's release sticking to similar themes but as a milk stout this time around. Last year Polish hops were used, I'm not sure what they brought to the party this time as it was again brewed at Carlow.

So how does this years stack up? In my mind it betters even last years excellent release, with a full bodied chocolatey slightly milky mocha taste. This is no sickly sweet dessert beer however, being a proper robust porter first and foremost with the lactose accentuating rather than dominating the flavour profile. Seems the Beer Nut agrees with me.

Carlow also teamed up with American brewer Starr Hill to brew foreign affair, a red IPA. Of course IPA these days is a catch all term and often the beer is very different from even the modern reinterpretation of India Pale Ales. Colour aside, this one makes a good fist at the style being both hoppy and bitter thanks to the Falconners flight hop blend employed; though perhaps a little excessively due to an ABV on the low side at 4.8%. I'm a big fan of hoppy amber ales and there's much to like however with a decent level of carbonation, Big body for its strength and fresh hoppiness with red berry notes. but there's something in this one that doesn't sit right for me with a savoury almost meaty quality that jars somewhat with a tannic nettley bitterness.

Carlow also sent me a cider and hop adventure sorachi ace which I'd previously tried with my own coin. The former I found to be an entry level dryish uncomplex affair but rather enjoyed the latter, the malt bill allowing sorachi ace hops to work their magic - but very much an acquired taste. I'm looking forward to seeing more collaborations with from Carlow, particularly the promised Beoir beer. I also hope to hear whether they decided to use blogger input they gleaned from the conference in Dublin last year to inspire any of their beers.

Thank you to Carlow for sending me the samples, all the beers featured in this post are available bottled from all the usual suspects.

London(ish): Sirens blaring

Siren opened to a bit of a buzz at the end of 2012 and understandably so as brewer Ryan Witter-Merithew has had a good upbringing through various superstar breweries. Naturally I was keen to find out what all the fuss was about, doubly so after having sampled two of the core range Half Mast (a "quarter IPA") and Broken dream (a breakfast stout). 
First thing deserving mention is the great artwork. Standing out and suitably mythical it fits in well with the Sirenous theme:

Up first is a collaboration hoppy wheat beer or hopfenweizen  if you will. Ryan collaborated with omnipollo and homebrewer Rick Gordon Lindqvist to produce the fantastic 6.4% beer that is Näcken. It pours hazy dark blonde with towering white head collapsing to a few mm. Very estery nose of banana and bandaid followed by rich gooseberry and tangerine hops. Really fruity NS hops, sharp, full bodied, creamy wheat spice, gooseberry and watermelon, light carbonation and mouthwatering moreish finish. If you're quick you may be able to pick this up at  alesela or ales by mail.

 

 Another special next,  Aussie soundwave (5.6%) is an antipodean hopped variation on sound wave, one of their regulars (review below). Pouring a murky tan brown its a bit off putting but that is countered by a rich peaches and passion fruit nose. Fairly pithy dry bitterness, kumquat and passion fruit peel with a quinine like bitter finish. This shows off what those oz hops can bring to a beer and (Appearance aside) is pretty tasty.

Undercurrent is part of the core range and at 4.5% would be a sessionable pale ale. Its hazy dark amber with fluffy off white head, rich citrus aroma and red berries. Full bodied bright citrus, creamy oats, sharp red berries, slightly chalky bitterness and long red berry fruit finish

Siren's regular Soundwave also 5.6% looks completely different to the aussie version, pouring much darker. Citrus takes the lead in the aroma here resin and orange oils. Fairly light bodied but full flavoured,hop led but malt balanced.

 

Next up is another collab beer Siren / Cigar City / Grassroots Neither (8.3%) Its a very hazy dark chestnut brown with fluffy offwhite head with rich peaches and raspberries on the nose. Light carbonation and full bodied, fairly sweet at first then long citrus pith and red berries plus something else I can’t quite put my finger on. Really well balanced, belies its strength, superb

 

Liquid Mistress (5.8%) Deep garnet with pillowy caramel head and rich Seville orange and sticky toffee pudding nose. Full bodied, rich caramalt and digestive biscuit well balanced by pithy orange hops and dry finish.

 Rainbow Red (7.9%) is perhaps the most "normal" of the bunch (as much as a 7.9% beer can be normal at least...). Its a hazy dark amber fluffy offwhite head collapsing to a lacing. Fruity yeast esters and sharp citrus hops. Medium body and carbonation pithy citrus, chalky dry bitterness, not particularly red but certainly tasty.

   
Siren   
@SirenBrewCo  
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Autumn Beer Extravaganza (Wetherspoon Autumn Beer Festival 2013)

Its that time of year again, autumn is upon us which can only mean one thing...Wetherspoon are back with another selection of cask ales for their real ale festival. This time around we have an extra special treat, all ten of the collaboration (collabeeration!) beers (that's 20% fact fans!) were brewed by American brewers with UK breweries. Brewers from 7 states took part producing beers in 8 different styles. Plenty for the tickers amongst you! Remember they're all one offs too; so make sure you get along to try them out. Here's a preview of those beers and others that I'm most looking forward to.

Shaun O'Sullivan from 21st amendment in San Francisco California travelled to Wychwood to brew American Bitter Red a sessionable Amber Ale with "agressive" hopping. 

The brewery is of course named for the repeal of prohibition, without which this brewery and all of the others below would have been unable to exist. @21stAmendmentBrewery

Next up is Restoration Pale Ale brewed by Mark Wilson of Abita Brewing Co with Wetherspoon collaboration stalwarts Wadworth. Normally based in Louisiana Mark rocked up in Devizes and used a large amount of cascade to get plenty of citrus character into this beer. @TheAbitaBeer

Ballast Point are a well known US craft brewer from San Diego California; so  "session IPA" Even Keel brewed at Marstons should be something special (and is a recreation of a 3.8% regular beer in cask form). Again using new world hops; so expect plenty of citrus character but there's also some noble hops in there to provide plenty of bitterness too. @BPBrewing

There's an unusual sounding brew from Will Meyers of Massachusetts' Cambridge Brewing Co - Beatles inspired Sgt Pepper is a saison with rye malt and four types of peppercorn. I think its great that Wetherspoon make this kind of creative ale available to the UK drinking public at large and well done to Everards for collaborating on this!
@CambridgeBrewer





Another fantastic sounding beer is Seattle's Elysian's Avatar, a jasmine IPA brewed by brewer Dick Cantwell with Thwaites on their "Crafty Dan" kit on 17th September.

via Thwaites

Featuring the fairly recent Glacier hop alongside superstar Amarillo and bittering stalwart Northern Brewer. At 6.3% its fairly hefty too and should work well as a warmer for the journey home.
@ElysianBrewing



 Sunshine Daydream is a 5% brew named for a Grateful Dead documentary released in 1972. It was brewed by Matt Cole owner of Ohio's Fat Head's brewery at Batemans on 9th September (welcomed by an Ohio state flag!) with centennial, citra and simcoe triple-teaming on the hop-front to produce a citrus bomb IPA.
@FatHeadsBeer






Harpoon IPA was brewed by brewer Jamie Schier at Bank's. Its been brewed in their Boston brewery for 20 years; so great to get a UK cask version brewed over here.
 @harpoon_brewery






Another uncommon beer style for the UK and the first outing at a Wetherspoon fest is Cream Ale. This one has been brewed by Oregon's Ninkasi at Caledonian in Edinburgh. Cream ale is a light fruity ale using simcoe and liberty for fruity apricot and mango notes, then lagered (cold conditioned) a hybrid style akin to kolsch.
@NinkasiBrewing





 
Mitch from Stone has documented his trip to the UK here. He brewed Supremely Self Conscious alongside Fergus at Adnams. I'm a big fan of Stone beers and Adnams is a well respected brewer plus I love Black IPAs; so this is surely my most anticipated beer at the fest this year.
@StoneBrewingCo







And last but not least is Spike Buckowski of Georgia brewery Terrapin's collaboration with Shepherd Neame - Treehugger. Its another rarely seen beer for the UK a German style Altbier with authentic Hallertau region hops.
@TerrapinBeerCo

I'm also looking forward to Roosters All Star Brewster's Aromatic Porter and even the GK Abbot's Confession. but there should be something for everyone with 50 beers to choose from! I think you'll agree with me that Wetherspoon have outdone themselves with the selection this year, I'm not sure how they'll raise the bar again in 2014!

All the tasting notes for these beers may be read in the festival program, along with interesting background stories for each of the brewers. All of the beers have already been added to ratebeer, so I've linked them in to the above. Remember that you can get three thirds for the price of the pint during the festival, making it easier to try the full range (don't try 50 in one day!)

Northern Ireland CAMRA and Beoir are coming together to celebrate the festival in the Bridge House Belfast on Saturday 19th October, all are welcome. Its a chance for you to meet fellow beer enthusiasts, a brewer or two and hopefully try all ten US cask beers at the same time.

Thanks are due to Gary Holmes and the marketing team at JDWcreative for sending me through a PDF with all of the pumpclip artwork, cheers guys.

Wetherspoon Spring 2013 Beer Festival

Wetherspoon do a lot to further the availability of real ale in the UK and the biggest push comes twice a year during their fortnight-long real ale festivals. The Spring 2013 list has just been released and seems to feature even more international collaborations than ever, including one with the illustrious Kelly Ryan of Good George (formerly Thornbridge and Epic).

It runs from 3rd to 21st April.

By my reckoning there are 34 new beers, which is a major improvement on previous beer festivals, though there a lot of similar breweries again. There a umber of interesting styles including the obligatory spiced beer, but there is also a California common beer and two black IPAs as well as a Belgian dubbel brewed by a Trappist monastery's head brewer.

I'll be looking out for the Corfu coffee porter, the Deschutes beer, Wadworth's strong anniversary ale and the IPA from Acorn.

Read on below for more info on the beers and Ratebeer links. As always I'll post some thoughts on whatever beers I get to try once the thing's over.

Arundel Budding Beauty
Inveralmond Frisco Steamy
Shepherd Neame New World Pale Ale
Titanic Molly Brown
WharfeBank Spring Hop
Otter Seville Bitter
Cairngorm Pollination
Marstons Single Hop Pacific Gem (cask)
Conwy Riptide
Leeds Vienna Mild
Lancaster 1842 Pilsner
Corfu Ionian Coffee Porter (cask)
Lodewijk’s Fly By Night (Cask)
Banks’s Cereal Thriller
Hawkshead American Red
Skinners Sennen
RCH Wheat Beer
Pivovar Kocovnik Vivat Bohemia (Cask)
Robinsons Hoptimus
Elgoods Spring Gold
Central City Red racer IPA (cask)
Nethergate Bowler
Hydes Burnt Sienna
Wadworth 6X Anniversary Ale
Everards Malty Tasker
Vasileostrovsky Siberian Red
Devils Backbone American Amber

Deschutes Twilight Ale (cask)
Celt Experience Continental Drift
Acorn Barnsley IPA
Orkney 1878
Daleside Spring Tide
Good George Pacific Pearl
Hilden Number Four   Rudgate Pursuit of Hoppyness Caledonian Brewer's Passion Phoenix St George's Flag O'Hanlons Red Brains Willy Nilly Holts IPA Belhaven Black Lymestone Pounamu Wickwar Station Porter Adnams Belgian Style Abbey Ale Batemans Mocha Moorhouses Amber Rambler Mauldons Blackberry Porter Wolf Tasmanian Wolf Thwaites Daniels Hammer Wood's Twist Grip

Dogfighting

Shiny-beers pre-supping

You've probably heard about this by now, a great idea but, in my view, with disappointing results. The "International Arms Race" challenge set before Brewdog by Matt Brophy of Flying Dog was to brew a zero IBU IPA using a number of alternative bittering agents, among them spearmint, bay leaves and juniper berries. Both beers were duly made and bottled with had-designed labels from Johanna Basford and Ralph Steadman respectively.

Flying Dog's attack

The labels are both real winners, with Ralph's depicting a literal dog fight and Jo's taking the more mythical route of a battle owl. The latter is the winner for me, after all, I'm rather fond of owls. 1-0 to Brewdog.

Its on the pour that you sense something is up. Though both brand spanking new brews, neither is able to hold up much of a head, with Brewdog's effort an instant flop. It doesn't get much better in the nasal department either, with a sweet frankincense and Turkish delight combo with perhaps a hint of pepperiness underneath in both beers. 2-1 to Brewdog

Brewdog's retalliation

The Flying Dog pulls ahead in the tasting department with  sweet crystal malt, cardamom, honey, slight medicinal taint and some (not unpleasant)  vegetal astringency.Its let down by some kind of mini-jellyfish floaties hanging around mid-glass. Brewdog seems to fall over with a whimper with quite spiky carbonation, a big flurry of unidentifiable spice then quickly fades to bready sweetness. There's a touch of what could be cardboard oxidation or a similar flavour from the herbs which I don't like at all. 3-2 to Flying Dog

In all Flying Dog wins the day and whilst interesting to try I certainly wouldn't have them again and plan to give away my additional bottles (bought a six-pack). Disappointing from two of my most-enjoyed breweries.

If you'd like to try the beers yourself then they'll be available on the Brewdog online store shortly or you can head along to one of their taste-offs over the next few days.