The Original

Easter weekend saw the return of Ireland's longest-running beer festival, at Franciscan Well in Cork. Having missed last year's due to transport issues, this was the first I'd been to at actual Easter since 2019. It seemed rather more subdued than in the years of the Irish craft beer boom, with just ten visiting breweries plus the venue's own Original 7.

Wicklow Wolf had two unfamiliar beers for me, including a new draft-only Helles, called Hideaway. It's lighter than one would see in Germany, at 4.5% ABV, and has a bit of haze going on. When first poured in the chilly back yard it didn't taste of much, and it went downhill from there. Once the beginnings of warmth arrived it began to develop sweet estery flavours of banana, and then a strangely sharp pine detergent effect. It lacks the gentle, rounded, spongecake or white bread that Helles should provide, and I'm not sure it's a good example of any kind of pale lager. I'll be leaving it alone.

The event also saw the launch of Wicklow Wolf's new collaboration with Kentucky distillery Rabbit Hole. It's called Cavehill and is in the Kentucky common style. Wicklow Wolf had one of these in their original line-up, and I was quite fond of the crisp dark ale. There's no crispness in this bourbon barrel aged one, however, it's big and round and creamy, with a huge vanilla flavour up front. Caramel and chocolate follow it along, and there's a very obvious heat, more than might be expected for 7% ABV, though perhaps it's more pronounced because some of it derives from the whisky. I get what it's trying to be, but it wasn't to my taste. A half was plenty; more would be just too cloying.

There were two regular beers on offer from West Cork Brewing of Baltimore, plus a new one. Cape Clear is named for the nearby island which has become a centre of excellence for the cultivation of lavender, and the beer contains lavender grown on the island. Its base is an 80/- Scottish-style ale, finishing at 4.5% ABV, into which the lavender has been added at flame-out. While Tara the brewer said the amount was only a few hundred grams in the batch, the result is substantial, with a bright and summery floral perfume present in both the aroma and flavour. This matches well with the toffee sweetness from the dark amber base beer, resulting in something characterful and individual, but not overdone or gimmicky. Apart from tasting nice, it's an excellent example of beer making use of local ingredients and becoming part of their story.

My only other dark beer came from Third Barrel, a new Flanders-style red ale called, of course, Stupid Sexy Flanders. Rodenbach's Roeslare Blend of yeast and bugs has done the business beautifully here, and it really presents the cherry and strawberry notes of Rodenbach very well. It is a little sharp at first, delivering a vinegary burn on the first taste, but it settles quickly, becoming a more rounded and classy balsamic tang. A cleansing crispness finishes it off. My only criticism is that it's a little on the strong side at 7% ABV. Good and all as it is, I think it's one to enjoy in small doses.

Another lager to clear the palate next: Citrus Chiller, from Black's of Kinsale. This is a very light affair, being an extremely pale yellow, 4.2% ABV and thinly textured. The flavour doesn't provide anything more intense than some highly dilute lemon barley water, which makes it refreshing, I guess, but very basic. I don't know how the citrus effect was achieved, but it seemed a little artificial to me, with a lingering cordial stickiness as the aftertaste. It has its place, but sipped in a cold beer garden is probably not it. Wait until the mercury is high before tackling one of these.

9 White Deer also pre-empted the summer with a festival special they called Stag Lilt. Allegedly, it's a gose, but it was neither sour nor salty nor herbal, so zero for three on the Leipzig scale. From the name, you can probably guess that they've used some tropical fruit concentrate in the recipe. They don't tell us what, and I genuinely couldn't figure it out from the flavour. Much like with actual Lilt, it's a mish-mash of ersatz fruit characteristics, all on a theme of sweet. I got the same wateriness and artificiality as in the previous beer, though in this one the ABV is a ridiculously high 5.5% according to the festival brochure. Fair play to 9 White Deer for doing something beyond their usuals for the festival, but gose may not be a genre that suits them.

Hazy IPA is still in fashion, and I drank a whole three of them on the day. First up was Lough Gill with a 7%-er called Gaelic Amore. Modern enhanced hop product "Cryo x Phantasm" features, alongside Nelson Sauvin and El Dorado. The beer is brightly hazy, looking like a glass of Sunny Delight, topped with a fine froth. I got Calippo ice pop from the aroma, followed by a flavour which took me on a journey, beginning at soft lemon pie and vanilla, building to a harder grapefruit and lime pith, finishing up on a savoury kick of garlic and a burn of alcohol. Phew. It's quite a textbook New England profile, and I'm sure the enthusiasts will be delighted to see the style created so diligently. I thought it was OK, but unspectacular, and very much something that's readily available from any number of other breweries. I'm a fan of both the named hops and was a little disappointed not to find their individual characteristics on display in this.

We're now on version six of Lineman's Electric Avenue, where the hops are Citra, Mosaic and Ekuanot. This was scary fresh, exhibiting the hard bitterness of raw hop pellets. That made it quite hard work for me, especially late in the day as it was. I liked the boldness of it, and it's another that hop connoisseurs will particularly appreciate, but at the same time I think the bitterness should have been dialled down. I could tell that Mosaic's soft melon notes were present in the background, but they were getting comprehensively drowned out by the obstreperous Citra. It would be churlish to even introduce the word "balance" into the context of this beer -- such a multi-tonal hop symphony has no place for it -- but balance does serve a purpose, and this could have done it a bit better, for my taste anyway.

That leaves just our hosts, Original 7. Their recently-released New England-style IPA is called Juice Bomb and is a much calmer creature. That said, it's no lightweight at 5.8% ABV and there's a proper soft and fluffy texture. You get a squeeze of orange juice, some vanilla essence and a very slight savoury allium note, but none of it goes overboard. I've remarked before that the brewery makes pub beers for pub drinkers, and this does a good job of taking the style and adapting for pint drinking. In contrast with Electric Avenue, you could have a few without feeling overwhelmed by any part of it.

Brand new for the event was Basic Peach, and here comes the fruit syrup again. This purports to be an IPA, hopped with Cashmere and Belma, but the sticky additive dominates it completely, to the point where it creates an impression of drinking neat peach schnapps. Though an innocent clear gold colour, it's a full 6% ABV and quickly coats the palate. Belma, known for its sweet strawberry taste, is probably a good choice of hop for it, but whether any of its character was delivered, or whether the sweetness was solely peach concentrate, is impossible to tell. Still, I can't say I wasn't warned by the name, and it certainly delivers what's promised.

Cheers to all the brewers who brought an interesting an eclectic range of beers, and a particularly big thanks to the organisers who have kept this event alive and kicking for so long. I hope to see you next year, when we might get a warmer day for it.