Tap tap tap in the taproom

Today's look at recent specials from Dublin's bar-breweries begins at Urban, where I was well overdue a visit.

The occasion was the re-launch of their EPIC (that's its name) lemon verbena IPA, first released last summer, but there was also a brand new Cardamom White IPA to try. It's a gentle soul, a pale hazy yellow with a wit-like lemony flavour. It doesn't resemble an IPA in any way, which is perhaps unfortunate, but it also isn't one of those horribly soapy white IPAs, something definitely in its favour. A mild bite of bitterness on the end is as hopped as it gets. This is unexciting fare, but as a sunshine-infused outdoor refresher, it works very well.

I was hoping for a similar effect from Urban Pilsner. I'm guessing they were going for something in the Czech style rather than German because it's a big-bodied fluffy candyfloss job with a meadowy grass-like hop flavour and very low bitterness. The strength is on the high side for pils, at 5.3% ABV, and doubtless that too contributes to the texture. The overall execution is perfect: the beer clear and the flavour completely clean with none of the twangs or rough edges you often get with brewpub pilsner. I only had a half which, frankly, was an error on my part.

The extra time I spent on Urban Grapefruit Lager. It was unlikely to be a step up from the previous, and so it proved. This is just 4.3% ABV and hazy orange coloured. The base lager must be very basic indeed as there's almost no flavour contribution from it. The citrus juice on top of that is no more than a squeeze. I think this might be one of those beers created for people who don't really like beer -- every brewpub gets them. It's inoffensive, I guess, but doesn't compare favourably with the pilsner that preceded it.

To Rascals, then, where I made the rare move of ordering a flight to catch-up with the latest from their busy pilot kit. That began (far left) with Peachy Blinders, a brut ale aged on white peaches. It's a bright but hazy custard yellow colour and smells like real tinned peaches, specifically the syrup they float in. The soft and sweet tinned-fruit effect is the bulk of the flavour, though a toasty dry finish also features. It's a bit silly; a fruit salad or peach melba dessert substitute rather than a serious beer, and a little heavy for only 4.2% ABV. It avoids being janglingly sweet or boringly attenuated, though, balancing its two aspects well. I could well believe it could get a following if moved to full production.

There was a time when Irish breweries wouldn't risk a Summer Ginger beer, given the possibility of rain and gales from June through August. Thankfully the ongoing climate catastrophe has fixed that so Rascals was safe to brew one for July release. The bonus addition to this golden 4.4%-er is honey, and I'm not sure I'd have known that was there, unprompted. The ginger is light, providing flavour without any burn, and there's a sweetness which is likely the honey but could easily be malt derived. Like Peachy above, it's a little heavy for something presumably designed to refresh, and a tad bland for a spiced beer. The base is solid though. Enhance the kick of ginger and it could be a winner.

Speakeasy is the third beer along, another brewery attempting to make an old fashioned as a beer. It looks pretty beery: a hazy pale amber with a long-lasting head. I didn't get much of an aroma but boy there's a big flavour. What even is that? Sharp limey citrus, vermouth herbs and spices, a Campari dryness, and a gentle herbal quality which I couldn't quite pinpoint but which turns out to be star anise. Makes sense. 6.3% ABV translates to an almost greasy viscosity on the palate, with an attendant spirit heat. The initial citrus bite turns to juicy sweet tangerine in a long fade-out. I'm glad I just had a taster as there's a whole heck of a lot going on here and I imagine even 33cl could be hard work by the end. It's fun, though: a proper beer character, with substance and fizz, but also an almost literal explosion of cocktail.

Advance information on Wunder Weisse is scarce, the menu promising nothing more than an easy-going traditional weisse at 5.2% ABV. It doesn't look it, being almost kristall clear. But yep, the flavour is gently clovey, the texture soft. It finishes quickly and more cleanly than a typical weisse, and I'm guessing the lack of hefe is the reason for that. It's fine: tasting authentically Bavarian, though too sweet for one of the top-flight varieties.

And here comes another brut IPA! Last time I was here, there was a pilot grapefruit brut IPA. I didn't really like it. Shows what I know because it since made its way up onto the big brewkit, getting an ABV adjustment, down to 6% from the previous 6.3. Absolute Brut is the name. In keeping with the style it's a pale and glowing gold. Juicy grapefruit arrives early in the aroma and makes up the bulk of the flavour. It's a delightful refreshing spritz, pushed forward by a busy prickle of carbonation. The lovely peppery spice I always get from real grapefruit skin is present too, though I don't detect anything that says brut IPA: no toast, like in the peach lad. I don't miss it. This is a perfect summer seasonal; maybe a little fizzy-pop-ish, and certainly hiding its sizeable strength to a dangerous degree. I'm starting to think that hacking brut IPA with fruit may be the path to its redemption.

More sauce from the source in due course.