Dropping well

I love finding cans from the tiny Irish country breweries which don't really sell in Dublin much. Dew Drop in Kill, Co. Kildare is one such, and here are two, both of which have been around for over a year. Better late than sober.

First up is Magnum, intended, I guess, as a showcase for the famous German bittering hop of the same name. It's not quite as clear as a German brewery would make it, though is an enticing sunset gold colour, suggesting depth beyond what 4.3% ABV would suggest. The aroma is faintly floral, while the condition is faint too: where I expected lots of busy fizz there's a mere prickle of carbonation. So far, so kellerbier. The flavour reverts to type for the low strength with a bit of a hollow middle, trimmed at the edges by notes of dry grain and drier herbs. The finish, unsurprisingly, is dry, and it's unfortunately not strongly flavoured enough to be properly pilsner-bitter. It fits the clean-and-drinkable pilsner profile, well suited to pub drinking, but shades a little too much into blandness for my liking at home.

Dew Drop is better known for its more traditional styles so I wasn't sure what to expect from Ellipsis, something advertising itself as a "tropical pale ale". It's 5% ABV and a barely-hazy watery yellow colour. The flavour does deliver the tropical, however. There's an almost jammy, dessert level of mango, passionfruit and cantaloupe. While not a lager, it's crisp like one, the sweetness given a balancing spicy paprika kick. Fashion dictates a bigger body than this light lad shows, but I think lighter is better for this sort of thing. Nicely done, Dew Drop.

As usual, it's quality stuff. For a small pub-based operation they seem to have their processes dialled in quite precisely. I hope the people of Kill appreciate what they have here.