The Twelve Brewers of Christmas 8: The White Hag

Today the Sligo brewery White Hag is under the spotlight. Earlier this month they asked me to test their online shop by placing an order which landed me a free case of one of their beers. I picked Unfinished Business, described as a "tropical lager" seemingly solely because it's hopped with Mosaic. It's good, but I think "tropical" is a bit of an overstatement. The aroma is peachy, promising juice which is delivered in the foretaste. That doesn't last long, however, being overtaken by a hard lemony bitterness. And then that fades too, bringing on a neat and clean lager finish. It's nothing fancy but it's tasty and characterful. Getting through a full box will be no hardship.

A collaboration with Milan's Lambrate, Festa Nuda, is recklessly badged as a "barrel aged imperial Irish coffee pastry stout". The ABV is 9%. The use of pastry is not metaphorical here, it smells like actual pastry: warm buttery dough with a mix of dark chocolate and burnt sugar. The sweetness is beautifully balanced for something incredibly sweet. It just manages to avoid tipping over into a harsh saccharine twang. There are flavour elements from all across the Milk Tray box: wafer, caramel, nougat, Turkish delight, coffee and more. A firm tobacco bitterness seals the edges. I went in sceptical but I was properly wowed by this. If every pastry stout blended its complexities so melodiously, the style would get more respect than derision.

And finally, I wasn't expecting this. Last year White Hag released No. 40 Table Saison, in collaboration with Brew By Numbers. They didn't tell us at the time it was the second runnings of something much bigger. And here it is: No. 40 Rye Wine, a beast of a thing at 13% ABV, black as sin and caring nothing for head formation. The aroma is certainly winelike: a heady herbal mix of retsina, vermouth and similar highly-processed grape-based drinks. There is a certain amount of fizz, helping offset the worst excesses of the syrupy texture. The herbs arrived first, followed by a mix of dark chocolate, soy sauce and old oak. I am instantly reminded of Samuel Adams Triple Bock, a beer I've always loved but I know isn't for everyone. Regardless, this is fun, fascinating, and uniquely flavoured.

That's White Hag finishing another year as one of the country's top brewers, then. They've been making great use of the brewery space too, with three festivals this year. If you haven't been yet, make it one of your resolutions for 2020.