A riot of colour

Limerick's Treaty City Brewery seems to have found a new gear in recent months. Their output of seasonal specials has seen a big increase at a time when others have been putting the brakes on somewhat. Now they've also taken the opportunity to refresh the core range with three bright and distinctive cans, and were kind enough to ship me a set.

Outcast is the first of the new bunch, a very pale session IPA of 3.8% ABV, hopped with Columbus, El Dorado and Idaho-7, in generous proportions, according to the label. I liked the appearance, particularly the way the head looked like it had been freshly poured from a pub tap. The promised juice, or at least an orange squash effect, is right there from the start in the aroma. It's light without being watery, and quite heftily bitter: pithy; maybe even a little waxy. The sweet orange is still present too, tasting like a juicy segment of the fruit rather than actual juice. Where it falls down a little is the murk. There's an unpleasant dirty grittiness, particularly in the finish, which the hops can't quite overcome. This is nearly very good but will have to settle for an OK.

The one survivor from the original range is the pale ale, Harris. It's still 5% ABV, amber in colour, and hopped in retro fashion with Cascade alone. The earthy side of the hop comes out in the aroma, alongside caramel from the big malt base. Just as the appearance is pin-bright, the flavour is completely clean. Interestingly, crystal malt doesn't feature on the ingredients list, but it has that toffee quality which crystal normally brings. On top there's a pinch of lemon and a sprinkling of cedarwood spice. It shows that this is a recipe well-honed over many iterations. The flavour intensity isn't much higher than the previous beer, and I think the alcohol boost warrants a bit more than is delivered here. Again, though, it's fine, and even delightfully old-fashioned. I don't know of any other similar Irish beer on the market at the moment.

The former Shannon River IPA has been superseded by Invasion, coming in slightly stronger at 6% ABV. Once again it's single hopped, this time with Centennial. In the glass it's a clean and clear golden shade, with a wholesome biscuity aroma, which I'm crediting to the Vienna malt. The mouthfeel is nicely full, but far from overdone or sticky, reminding me more of a bock lager than an IPA, which I'm perfectly happy with. Hop character takes centre stage in the flavour, bringing a straightforward sort of bitterness with elements of lemon and pine. It's very much in the west-coast style, and while not madly complex is likely to provide balm for the palate of anyone fed up with haze. Perfect core beer material.

In with this set was one of their specials from last year, Savage Beour milk stout. The brewery has been rightly called out for the sexist imagery deployed on the can and has done a woeful job on social media trying to defend it. I've certainly been disinclined to buy any of their beers while that remains the response.

Turning my attention to the contents, it doesn't smell sweet or milky, but quite dry, with a lot of toasty burnt roast. The flavour is similarly serious, with coffee and high-cocoa dark chocolate to the fore. There's a background complexity going on as well, a little floral, with a hint of coconut too. This isn't the rich and sweet stout I was expecting but I appreciated its balanced restraint.

That's it from me on Treaty City for now. There'll be more if and when they get round to fixing their branding.