May have been drinking

I nearly let May go past without a random Irish beer round-up. And it's not like I haven't been drinking random Irish beers. Let's see what's in the notebooks.

Whiplash made a few waves with its Northern Lights "micro IPA". It's only 2.8% ABV so obviously one would expect thin and watery. It's not though, not at all. The appearance is thickly beige, typical of many a haze-craze DDH DIPA. This continues in the creamy mouthfeel, and a flavour of milkshake-like vanilla, a twang of garlic and some yeast bite. It's not to my taste but I know plenty of people who like this sort of thing and it's very impressive at the strength. On the other hand, a 475ml glass in UnderDog cost €7.95, and that's a lot of money to pay to see a magic trick.

Lacada's new one, Escudos, is also going for a New Englandy vibe, and also at a modest strength: 4.5% ABV. I wasn't a fan of this either, the gritty yeast making it harsh and sharp, with an unpleasant whiff of bleach in the aroma with the stonefruit. There a soft, fruity and quenching beer in here somewhere, but the execution is off. Thanks to Simon for the pre-release preview taster.

Another juicy sessioner? All right then. This is Juice Ball from Black's of Kinsale, on tap at Drop Dead Twice for their Star Wars Day tap takeover. We're up to a dizzying 4.8% ABV here, and finally some clean flavours. Sweet yet pithy mandarin is the centrepiece, with a heavier resinous dank in the background. It's light, and maybe a little watery, but forgivably so; well built for a sunny summer session.

On the May Bank Holiday I took a spin up to Howth to see how the nanobrewery in The Harbour Bar was getting on. There didn't seem to be much action at the brewhouse but there is a house lager: Just Crafty. I was assured it's brewed on a separate pilot kit. Hmm. I was given a beautifully clear golden pint, one with a sweet corny foretaste followed by a drier mineral finish and emerging fruit esters as it warmed. No rough edges; nothing that suggests early-career out-of-town brewpub. A lot that suggests, to me, rebadged Wicklow Wolf Arcadia. Drop me a line if you know the full story, or if I'm being unreasonably suspicious.

Moving on to more transparent brewery/pub tie-ins: two new releases from Galway Bay Brewery. Trusty Chords landed last month, a 5% ABV reddish pale ale. The badge bigged-up its Simcoe usage so I was surprised by the big and juicy pineapple aroma and flavour. Where's the dank?! To be honest I didn't miss it; after the tropical fruit comes a chalky dryness and a tiny whisp of crystal toffee. It reminded me a little of that unfairly unlamented style, American amber ale, with its straightforward, hop-forward simplicity. And it's clear! Hoppy and clear is too rare.

May's release, Vignette, is definitely not clear. This is a pale and murky session IPA at 3.5% ABV. I got pineapple as an opener again, this time becoming bitterer almost immediately, introducing guava and then lime. The carbonation is low, the texture a tad thin, and there's a bit of yeast fuzz in the finish, but none of this spoils it. Up against the ice cream thickness of Northern Lights I'd take this crisp and citrus job for refreshment every time.

Reuben put together a beer with Kildare Brewing for his wedding, playing to the brewery's strengths with a Vienna lager. Pauline & Reuben's Wedding Brew was absolutely bang on style: 4.8% ABV, copper coloured with a very slight murk, which I'm sure had more to do with the drive down to Cork than any flaw in the brewing process. There's lots of cruchy oat cookie in here, a little caramel, and a substantial noble hop bitterness in the finish. Very gulpable, without distracting in any way from the festivities.

Appropriately enough for May, YellowBelly released a Maibock, named Paul's On Holiday since their designer wasn't around to do a label for it. Again this is very much true to type, and unfortunately so for me as I got an instant reminder of why I don't like Maibock. There's a harsh plasticky flavour which I often get from German hops in high doses, going beyond celery and spinach into whiteboard markers and acetone. 6.9% ABV gives it plenty of room for malt character, especially with that amber colouring, and while there's a pleasant marzipan sweetness it's not enough to counter the hop acridity. This is one of the ones I'll have to chalk up as perfectly executed but not at all to my liking.

The new canned special from Wicklow Wolf is, for reasons best known to the brewers, called Agnostic Pucker and is a double IPA. It's... not what I expected. Wicklow Wolf is unashamedly American in its influences, and when you think US DIPA you thick bright and zingy citrus or, if you're more inclined to fashion, vanilla/garlic soupiness. But this amber coloured 8%-er is more serious about its hopping, going for an altogether more English-tasting metals and tannins. There's a mature leathery quality, like you'd find in a barley wine or well matured old ale. It's thick and chewy, warming and boozy, with overtones of ripe strawberry and lime rind. I've opened bottles of long-neglected strong IPAs I've made, and they've tasted a lot like this; the fresh hops faded leaving just the punch behind. I was quite charmed by it, but those expecting double IPA the American Way are in for a let down.

Kinnegar released the second in its Three Bagger trilogy. The original saison was reviewed back in January. Ageing and Brettanomyces has turned it into a 9% ABV tripel, named Phunky Monk. From the 75cl bottle it poured a bright gold colour, clear for the first glass but murkier later on. It hasn't lost its saison qualities and I think calling it a tripel is a bit of a misnomer: there's none of the sugary qualities of tripel, and the spicing is quite different. What's on offer here is a light-bodied Belgian style beer, where the Brett has added a soft peach and raisin fruitiness as well as sparks of incense and sandalwood. A kick of mouthwatering citrus finishes it off. It's a wonderfully clean profile, the flavours polished and distinct. Drinking outside on a warm day I found it actively refreshing, which is not the norm for beer at this strength. Once it had warmed up a little there emerged a small honey note which perhaps could help it pass as a tripel, but I remain dubious. Style quibbles aside it's absolutely beautiful and I'm gagging to find out what the grand finale will be.

While we wait, the latest Kinnegar beer to hit the shelves is Thumper, a double IPA of 7.8% ABV. It's a medium amber colour and smells worryingly oniony: crisp and green and acidic. The flavour is mercifully softer, bringing in ripe tropical fruit -- your mangoes and your pineapples -- while the carbonation is remarkably low: it's not quite flat, but the sparkle is distinctly cask-like. That would be a problem if it were one of those thick and sugary double IPAs, but it's not, staying light and easy-going throughout. "Easy-going" is probably the most apt descriptor here: there are no fireworks, no big American punch, and certainly no *yawn* on-trend New England milkshake creaminess. It's a solid beer though, full of the joy of fresh hops, and only a wee bit onionish. An accessible, every-day sort of double IPA.

Staying in parts west for the next couple, I received this bottle courtesy of a fellow blogger who may wish to remain anonymous. He didn't think much of either the name or the beer inside. I am inclined to agree, on both counts. Dirty Lil' Blonde (ugh) is the first release from Heartland Brewing in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. In keeping with the title, perhaps, it poured a swampy ochre colour with only token carbonation. There's a distinct twang of swimming-pool phenols in the aroma, though a cheerier jaffa note is just about peeking through behind it. The flavour is swimming pool, however. Really nasty. I did my best to mentally filter that out, and I could detect more pleasant fruit in the background: lychee and white grape in particular. But this is very obviously infected and ought not to be on the market.

A couple of new beers in new venues to round things off. After years of neglect, the pub on the corner of Kevin Street and Patrick Street re-opened in March, taking the name The Fourth Corner as a knowing nod to the junction's notorious past. It's a dim but spacious bar, with a token selection of independent beers, which is something at least. What got me in the door was the presence of Loudons Pale Ale from a new brewery in Co. Clare. It's the only pub serving it in Dublin, as far as I'm aware, and is doing so for a damned reasonable €5 a pint.

It's 4.2% ABV, a medium gold colour and full of fruit esters to an almost Belgian degree, showing banana, mango and peach. There's no real heat or weight to all this, thankfully, and it remains easy-going, unfussy and decent. I was served it very cold and, counter-intuitively, it lost flavour as it warmed up. This is just complex enough to be interesting but seems very much to be pitched as a by-the-pint sessioner, which is fair enough.

I also paid my first visit to Klaw Pokē on Capel Street, using a bowl of fish and beans as cover for trying the house beers, brewed for them by Hopfully. KIPA is a 5.3% ABV pale ale with a gently peachy aroma and a perfume flavour which begins on juicy mango and melon before going bitterer with apricot skin, all topped by incense and white pepper spicing. The fruit gives it overtones of Little Fawn, but thicker and bitterer. It has enough presence to work well as a food beer, though the perfume does get a little full-on as it warms. Drink it quick.

I followed with Suck 'n' Shuck, a lighter offering at 3.8% ABV. I guess in keeping with the Pacific theme of the joint this is loaded up with Sorachi Ace hops so tastes powerfully of coconut. Too powerfully, I think, and I say that as an unabashed Sorachi fan. There isn't enough substance to carry the hop load and the only other flavour I got was muddy yeast. A bit more malt and some cleaning up would really improve this one, and I think a warning (or advertisement) about the Sorachi might be a good idea.

Klaw also has a house porter, but that'll have to wait until the next time I'm gone fishing.

There's something of a pale and hoppy theme running through this lot. Seasonal appropriateness is all well and good on paper, but I wouldn't mind a stout or two in the mix for summer 2018.