How we celebrate

The Taphouse in Ranelagh's Taphouse Celebrates event series was back with a bang during the summer, with an event in July and another in August, both of which I'm squeezing into this bumper celebratory post.

The first was a joint gig by our own Whiplash and their recent collaborators/collaboratees Wylam from Northumberland. Headlining it was the latest Whiplash release Sunshine Under Ground. This 5.4% ABV pale ale was dry-zested with real lemons, and the effect then accentuated through the use of Lemondrop hops. Added lactose allows it to self-describe as a "lemon smoothie" pale ale, but I found it reminiscent of a sorbet, with more of a bitter edge than you'd find in a smoothie, and more refreshing too. It's undoubtedly thick and creamy, though that doesn't seem to affect the drinkability. It's fun and sunny, giving a certain ice lolly effect without losing sight of its beeriness.

Whiplash also brought a pair they'd brewed with another northern English brewer, Track. Hard On Me is a table beer: 3.2% ABV, murky and loose-bubbled. It has a lip-numbing menthol and eucalyptus quality, a smack of garlic and light custardy vanilla: all par for the course in this rough-and-ready style. It's still thirst-quenching and complex with a solid dose of hops, so gets my approval.

Its companion is Hard On You, a double IPA of 8.2% ABV. There's a greenish tint to the murk in this one, though not much of an aroma. I got fresh and juicy pineapple as the main flavour, and was expecting a finishing bitterness, but no, it's tropical juice all the way down. I didn't even feel the alcohol until it settled in my stomach and began radiating warmth to the rest of Dublin 6. This is a dangerously smooth and sinkable beast. I detect a certain cruel irony in the name.

The actual Whiplash/Wylam collaboration will be along in a future post, but Wylam also brought three from its own Northern Powerhouse sequence, collaborations with other brewers in its local region.

Northern Powerhouse 003 was done with Black Lodge Brewery and is officially described as a "Mixed fermentation farmhouse [beer] with apricot, peach and mango", though the phrase "New England saison" might sum it up more succinctly. It's simultaneously juicy and spicy and dry. I didn't get those particular fruits but instead a charming blend of celery, white pepper and pineapple. There's no doubting the alcohol content here: the 7.5% ABV providing a definite boozy buzz right from the outset. It probably deserved more considered analysis than I gave it, but still it's a thumbs up from me and we move along.

The next one was probably a bit better suited to standing about chatting and bobbing one's head to the music. Northern Powerhouse 005, produced with Magic Rock, is a different kettle [sour] of fish altogether. A mere 4.5% ABV it's one of those yoghurty soured beers, with added forest fruit flavour. It's the appropriate shade of pinkish-purple, with no head. A sudden lactic sharpness opens the flavour and then fades quickly, letting the berries blossom on the palate. It's decent but unexciting and uncomplex, enjoyable for what it is but never really escaping its Yoplait nature.

Last of the sequence on tap was Northern Powerhouse 006, this time with Hawkshead: a 5% ABV super-hopped hazy pale ale. It's a custard yellow colour and mixes sweet and smooth vanilla with a light pine bitterness, adding some yeast spice. The comparison with Trouble Brewing Ambush was inevitable, and it doesn't stack up. There's just not enough hop fruit here, especially considering the double dry-hopping has employed Amarillo with Citra and Chinook. On the other side, the bitterness lacks punch and the whole picture is just a bit dim and dull.

Only one of these three powerhouses managed to generate any excitement.

Three weeks later, Hopfully stepped up to the plate at the Taphouse with three brand new offerings. The first was a black lager called The Bootlegger, and I'm always pleased to see a new Irish black lager, as I may have mentioned once or twice before. This one though... it's not a bad beer by any means; maybe a little on the brown side, but it has a proper clean lager finish and a lovely tarry bitterness so meets the style requirements perfectly. My problem is just that it uses Sorachi Ace, and tastes strongly of coconut as a result. Unlike a lot of drinkers I don't usually object to Sorachi, but it's not what I was expecting here and its intensity was an unwanted intrusion into the beer. Hopfully already has a California common using Sorachi, and I liked that more, maybe because I'm less precious about the style. With this one I just wanted to pull the hops out and have them afterwards.

Tropicale was next, a pale wheat ale at a mere 4% ABV. Per the name, there's added passionfruit and mango in this, and they really ride roughshod over any character the base beer may have had. Obviously it's extremely sweet and juicy, though light enough to stay drinkable, and there's a zesty bitterness on the end that to me just tasted like the fruit again rather than any hops. If you want your beer to be nothing more than a tropical fruit delivery system, this one works. I was a little bored by it after only a few mouthfuls.

To finish, we get real with the coconuts, in what I thought was the best of the night. Lime in the Coconut is a saison, brewed in collaboration with Bullhouse who were also in attendance, and there are no prizes for guessing what's been added. It's a cheery 4.5% ABV, so none of your warm saison esters. Citrus zest dominates the aroma instead, and the first flavour is a clear and pure tang of real fresh lime juice. This settles into a fun lemonade vibe, with an added twist of black pepper. The latter is what steers it back to proper saison and away from novelty. I really enjoyed the zestiness and wasn't at all bothered that this one didn't really taste of coconuts. Maybe it needs some Sorachi Ace.

Thanks once again to Adam and the Taphouse crew, as well as all the brewers on both occasions. It was particularly great to see a Bullhouse beer on tap in Dublin, if only for one night. More of that kind of thing please.

@ManusCronin introduces the teams from Bullhouse and Hopfully