New Format

The newest brand in Irish brewing, for now, is The Format, the creation of Mark Nixon, former head brewer at Trouble Brewing and latterly Hope. Everyone who has paid attention to the local beer scene in the last five or six years will be aware how much of a positive influence he was at both breweries. To say his own beers were eagerly anticipated is an understatement. Three offerings made up the first set, brewed at Third Barrel. The names tell us something about the psychological journey from employed brewer to standalone business, while the styles suggest that accessibility was perhaps not a major priority.

Imperial red ale had a brief heyday a few years back but seems to have all but disappeared after. The Format has brought it back for its opening line-up, with Things Done Changed. It's very dark, needing a light source behind it to show it as anything other than obsidian black. I expected a wallop of hops but it's very much a malt-forward beer, beginning with the warm aroma of dried fruit and cookies. The flavour is subtle, bringing chocolate cereal, red grape and a wisp of burnt smoke. It's 7% ABV and the big texture and rounded warmth are what it's all about. I felt something was missing: the esters of a dubbel or the hops of a red IPA or something. This seems like the base on which a more interesting style might be built.

The coffee imperial stout is called Glutton For Punishment and is 9% ABV. Upside Coffee provided the beans. And lots of them. There's a powerful fresh-ground aroma while the flavour is sweet and oily showing lots of concentrated filter coffee and a sprinkling of brown sugar. What's missing is the cream: it's surprisingly light for the strength, verging on thin, though. That delicious cold-brew flavour makes it very easy to drink; dangerously so, cliché be damned. If you like your coffee beer to really taste of coffee, this is for you.

The New England double IPA Vivid Illusions comes with a lengthy backstory: 2019 American harvest hops, Centennial and Strata, the latter new to me; 20 grammes per litre; London Fog yeast; 8% ABV. It's not custard coloured, which was the first surprise, being a bright orange colour instead. The aroma is sharp and spritzy with a solid dose of dank and some black pepper spice. The smooth hop oils contribute to the texture and hugely to the flavour: what malt is there is definitely for the hops' benefit. They bring orangeade, apricot and a finish of garlic. Unlike many a beer claiming New England credentials, this tastes finished: properly bitter with no interfering dreggy grit. The alcohol takes a back seat but does build. By half way through you know you're drinking a strong beer. This is complex, rounded and very satisfying, doing great work in a style I'm generally nonplussed by.

All three are around in can format as well as draught. I'm really looking forward to finding out which styles The Format tackles next.