George's Dock is a platform moored in a basin just off the Liffey in the heart of Dublin's financial district. It's used for events, concerts and the like, and this week is hosting the first Paulaner Dublin Oktoberfest, affording the nearby bankers an opportunity to drown their sorrows, or celebrate the government decision to prop up their industry, however you want to look at it, with lashings of Paulaner beer.Heineken International seem to be at this lark quite a bit -- Boak spotted them in Spain, for instance -- and the whole thing is as shameless as marketing ploys get:
another weapon that the Irish branch of the Dutch megabrewer is using to strongarm every Erdinger and Hoegaarden tap in the country off the bar. Still, you can't fault their authenticity, with a big tent full of long tables and a house band cranking out the cheesiest rock and country classics imaginable.
Unlike the real thing, however, there was an actual choice of beer, though all were from the Paulaner stable. I'd never had Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel before, so that's what I opted for. I'll admit to being quite fond of plain old Paulaner Weissbier when there's nothing better -- it has a nice spicy hop profile in amongst the banana fruitiness. I was hoping for some caramel on top of this with the Dunkel, but I didn't get it. 
There are marginally more sweet estery notes in here, but they come very much at the expense of the bitterness, the whole experience leaving a slightly empty sensation at the finish up.Should I find myself back there this weekend I might just stick to the oktoberfestbier. Or go no further than Ely CHQ at the water's edge: they have O'Hara's Stout on draught.
Not many out in the Lederhosen there eh? Did you bring your pointy drinking hat?
ReplyDeleteA fair few of the staff were in lederhosen or dirndls.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, the occasion was insufficiently special for festive millinery.
There's a shop beside my hotel in Freising selling dirndls and all sorts of Landhaus style stuff that I reckon would make me look like Frodo Baggins. Tempting!
ReplyDeleteAdeptus I am sure there are a few Germans that are into that
ReplyDeleteClearly. Landhaus style is very popular here, and not just in Bavaria (although they seem to wear even more traditional country style stuff down here than home in North Rhein-Westfalia).
ReplyDeleteOr did you mean a few Germans would be into me looking like Frodo?
I think if they want to elbow the bland Erdinger off the bar, more power to their elbow. I like Paulaner H/W too.
ReplyDeleteI'm fond of a drop of Hoegaarden, so they can keep their mitts off that!
On the one hand, no, I wouldn't miss Erdinger if it all became Paulaner overnight. However, while Paulaner is imported and distributed by one of the country's Big 2 brewers, Erdinger is brought in by a small local company on whom we also depend for our Budvar, Shepherd Neame and other quite decent stuff. Without the revenue Erdinger brings in I can see them going under, which would be a Bad Thing.
ReplyDeleteA-B InBev Ireland are in a much fitter state to stand up to Heineken, so I can see the Hoegaarden taps coming out of the few bars that have them and limited just to the fashion-victim joints.
This is the thing isn't it. When you try and do one thing it affects another. Chaos theory?
ReplyDeleteInitially I thought Paulaner replacing Erdinger would be a good thing, but in typical style TBN has outlined the more subtle aspects and complicated everything. Oh well.
ReplyDelete