Of hops and smoke

As I mentioned last Wednesday, Ireland's breweries have been in overdrive recently, resulting in lots of new beers coming on the market now. Pale ales seem to be particularly popular among the brewers and at the weekend I sampled the second one out of Carlow: O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale. It's a bit of a heavyweight, this. 5.2% ABV with a massively full body that demands your full attention while you get stuck into it. Not that it's a malt bomb or anything: it has been hopped extensively with more of the no-nonsense varieties found in Buckley's. There's a waxy bitterness at the base of the flavour while the high notes are herbal and grassy. Fruit, citrus or otherwise, does not enter the equation. I'm not sure that it's really to my taste, but I'd certainly be willing to give it another go.

It was, of course, at the Bull & Castle that I tried it. They've also taken a big forward step in their promotion of Irish beers on cask with the introduction of polypins from the Hilden brewery now and again. Among the first to be tapped was Gael Rua, a new red ale. It roughly follows the biscuity caramel lines of Irish red with one major diversion: the inclusion of lots of peat-smoked malt. The result isn't going to be to everyone's taste but it hit the spot perfectly for me. The sweet smokiness gives it an aroma akin to incense, and the flavour is all bacon and toffee. If there was a Schlenkerla pale ale, I'd imagine it would be something like this.

Lots more new Irish beer to come. I'm in Galway next week for the Irish Blog Awards and hope to squeeze a return visit to The Salt House in there. The following weekend it's off to Cork for The Franciscan Well's Easter Beer Festival incorporating the Irish Craft Brewer Beer of the Year Awards. With the diversity currently in evidence in Irish beer it's going to be a particularly interesting gig, I reckon. And don't forget The Porterhouse's annual Independent Irish Beer & Whiskey Festival starts today across their estate in Dublin, Bray and London. Once again they're running a competition among the beers on offer -- beers from themselves, White Gypsy, Hilden, Whitewater, Galway Hooker, Carlow and Franciscan Well. As with last year, when Cuilan's MM Bock took the grand prize, Laura and Séan are on the judging panel. Stay tuned for more from this event too. Interesting times all over...