Let there be lager

It's an all cold-fermented Irish session today. Nearly half of the offerings are from Galway Bay, a brewery which has been fairly churning out the lagers this past while. No complaints here. In time for Wies'n season they popped out Festbier, an Oktoberfestbier looking very much in the modern German style: 5.8% ABV and a rich golden colour. It's a while since I last had one of the six Munich archetypes, but this seemed pretty much on the money for a clone. It's richly full bodied with a matching golden syrup sweetness. The hop side is rather more pronounced than in the real McCoy, however: they're subtle; this goes big on peppery green noble hops. That's a little jarring at first, but you get used to it. There's a surprise in the finish when a weird almond/marzipan effect shows up. I wasn't expecting that, I don't think it's part of the spec, but I liked it. I think it's fair to say Galway Bay have put their own spin on Oktoberfestbier here, while staying true to the fundamentals. The result is a million times better than those awful sticky orange efforts from the Americans so, if nothing else, thanks for not giving us one of them.

I was excited to learn that the brewery followed up last autumn's Czech-style pale lager with a dark version, so here's Tmavý Ležák, brewed with the same attention to detail (decoction, Saaz) as the last one. It looks a little on the pale side to me, ruby-red rather than cola-brown. The aroma is toasty and wholesome and the texture full and satisfying, while still fully quaffable. 5% ABV seems to be the sweet spot for these. It's not hugely flavourful, but what's there is good: a gentle mix of caramel and liquorice with floral topnotes and Saaz's grassy rasp on the end. Most of all it's a comforting beer, one to take hearty mouthfuls of, not delicate sips. I hope to get to try a pub session on it at some point this winter as it's ideally suited.

Galway Bay moves away from the continental takes with the next one: NZ Pils: Motueka. It's paler and pilsier, 4.9% ABV and yellow with a very slight haze. I think of Motueka as a very herbal and bitter hop, with harsh medicinal characteristics, so I was surprised by the fresh lemon aroma, one which has a certain meringue-pie sweetness. The flavour pivots again, though staying on the dessert trolley, with overtones of coconut and oaty flapjack. There's spelt in it, which might have something to do with the unusual grain taste. It's fun, and possibly a little silly, and very far from a classic pils -- sweet, bitter, but not crisp. If the aim was to put the titular hop at the centre of the flavour then it worked. Fair play. Which Kiwi variety is next?

While we wait for that, let's head for the Back Lawn. This is a pale lager of indeterminate style from Ballykilcavan. Unfiltered and unfined, the label tells us, though after a month or two upright in my fridge it was perfectly clear and a rich Czech-like golden. The aroma is mild, but lagerish: grain, and maybe a hint of golden syrup, or maybe I'm just in a Czech frame of mind. For all that, the flavour is not complex. There's not much going on here -- balanced to the point of boring. There's a maybe a little white bread and a faint hint of grass, but otherwise it's not-sweet, not-dry and utterly sparkling clean. I guess it's an impressive achievement for a farmhouse microbrewery, but I think this 4.2% ABV job is really designed for tap-based quaffing rather than long-winded analysis from the likes of me. Let's move on.

Something more in my line from the same brewery follows: Clancy's Cans #7: Haunted Wood, a dunkel. It looks the part: a proper clear garnet colour with a generously thick Germanic head. The aroma is soft caramel with a hint of roast and a pinch of green noble hops. It all seemed in danger of being authentic but dull, but the flavour woke me up. There's a surprising bitterness up front, dry with a mixture of wax and cabbage leaf. That softens in the middle, as far as liquorice and well-done toast, before turning full-on metal and spinach in the end. This is quite nice, being flavourful and assertive, but it lacks the nuances of the real thing. I'm still pleased to see locally-brewed dunkel, though. More please!

Eight Degrees is rattling through its late-starting annual series of specials. Third up is Original Gravity Hoppy Lager. The ABVs start to pass beyond the mainstream here, with this one at 5.7%. It seemed a little thick as it poured too, though maybe that's more a function of the low temperature at which I served it. It's a nicely autumnal golden colour and very slightly hazy. Eight Degrees's founders cut their teeth at VLB in Berlin and use a brewkit built for German lagers so I expect this one to be done properly. It promises a blend of noble and new world hops though the aroma says neither to me, specifically. There's a floral and spicy character like you might find in an English golden ale, which was a surprise. The spice becomes citrus on tasting, grapefruit in particular, and there's a softer peach and cantaloupe juiciness behind this. Finding the noble side took a minute, but it's there in the finish: peppery rocket and dry hay. In keeping with proper lager, the flavours don't scream. It's subtle yet complex and far from bland. Crispness comes as standard, of course, and there's no aftertaste to speak of. I enjoyed its calm and classy cleanness keeping the promise of "Hoppy Lager" without falling into any of the usual India Pale Lager traps.

A bruiser to finish: Lupulos Borealis, a seasonal special from Rye River. They call it a "hoppy pils" but let's not get too hung up on style as it's a big 6% ABV. In the glass it looks like a typical India Pale Lager, being a bright golden with just a cheeky misting of hop haze. The aroma is all about those hops: grassy with tropical fruit, reflecting the use of Motueka and Strata, and seemingly in quantity. The contrast is even more intense on tasting: Motueka's bitter herbal/medicinal side is out in force, yet softened in the finish by juicy mango and mandarin. The body is quite slick and heavy, reflecting the strength, but there's just enough crispness to keep it refreshing and prevent it coming across as just another pale ale. There's a slight bum note in a savoury caraway dryness that spoils the party a little but I found that faded after the first couple of mouthfuls. Overall, it's a good time. IPLs usually trip up somewhere along the line but this one strikes an excellent balance. Maybe an unorthodox high strength is the path to success with these.

A renaissance of lager in craft brewing is a common overstatement -- there aren't that many in Ireland at least. These fit into a broader picture of style diversity which we've been seeing this year, along with all the IPAs. Continental brewers still have the edge, I think, but there's not much wrong with any of this lot.