What Larks!

Wicklow's lager specialist, Larkin's, has been busy with the warm-fermenting yeast of late, dropping two new IPAs, both of which I caught up with at 57 The Headline.

The lower-strength one is called Dog Days, being a mere 3.5% ABV. It's a murky orange colour, but then pretty much everything is these days. I'm guessing from the name that it's intended as a summer beer, and I think it'll do that job well with its zingy thick-shred marmalade flavour. There's a little vanilla alongside this, and the whole thing shows a lot more body than might be expected from the strength. The finish is very quick, however: I would have liked a longer citrus buzz. While the murk makes it taste a little rough when it's cold, it does mellow and soften as it warms, and I was thoroughly enjoying it by half way down.

While there were hints of New England influence in Dog Days, the other IPA was much less subtle about it, even if it doesn't use the words. Outlier's badge simply says it's an IPA and 5% ABV. The hazy yellow-orange colour is a dead giveaway of the Vermont sensibilities, however, and the bright and peachy aroma is another. There's a slight yeast bite in the flavour but it's almost comprehensively buried by the hops. First there's a pure orange juice foretaste, then zesty lemon meringue, building in bitterness to a tangy citrus crescendo. And that repeats with every mouthful all the way down. NEIPA purists will enjoy the mild vanilla note as well; I'm not pushed. This is luscious and summery, pressing some of the same buttons as the beer above but really using the extra strength well. I hope it'll be around for a while.

A Larkin's post needs a lager, of course, and this one has Black Pine Rising. I thought from the name that it was going to be a black IPA, until Mark set me straight that this is actually a schwarzbier. It certainly didn't taste like a black IPA, nor at all piney, so that confusion was cleared up. It didn't really taste like a schwarzbier either, however. What I got was a soft-textured and wheaty dark beer, watery of texture low in hops, and with a touch of coffee in the flavour, almost like a mild. The crisp dark dryness I enjoy in its purported style is unfortunately absent. The result is inoffensive, but I know Larkin's is capable of better dark lagers than this.

Still, it's good to see the turnover and the variety. Keep them coming.