Krushing it

I'm due to post another of my round-ups of assorted Irish pale ales soon, and these three are offcuts from that work in progress. Third Barrel tends to do hoppy and hazy at a pace, so it's unsurprising that I was able to separate out three for their own entry. 

First up is Concrete Jungle, and another poorly realised AI streetscape adorns the can. Though a substantial 5.9% ABV, it's pale and hazy, looking all fluffy and innocent. Enigma, Idaho 7 and Hallertau Blanc hops had me expecting some softly fruity fun. But there's a kick to this: the aroma is quite pithy, while the flavour does have a significant citric bite, especially right before the finish. Ahead of that, it shows the grape-and-gooseberry white wine effect of H. Blanc in particular, with Enigma's spritzy satsuma plus a more serious diesel minerality. Its mouthfeel is as soft as it looks, and there is no interference from the haze: no earth, no grit. This is almost as good as hazy IPA gets. The fruit flavours could stand to be a little brighter, but they perform adequately in this understated mode as well. 

By the badly rendered palm tree (?) I'm guessing that the latest version of Two Yards is meant to taste tropical. This iteration of the hazy pale ale produced by Third Barrel for Two Sides is made with Strata and Cryo Pop, and the ABV stays at its usual 4.3%. It smells more citric than tropical, though still sweet, like mandarin or tangerine. That's pretty much how the flavour goes too, with a certain amount of pithy bitterness balancing the juice. I get a bit of oily coconut in the background, so maybe that qualifies it on the tropical front. Once again, happily, the haze doesn't interfere with the flavour but does add body, so you get a full and smooth texture to go with your mini oranges. A can at home was enjoyable but I'd say it comes into its own on the sunny front terrace of its home pub, Brickyard.

A double IPA and a triple collaboration finishes us off. Krush Proof is a joint project with Third Barrel's fellow west Dubs Lineman, and some suspicious out-of-towners called Rock City, from the Netherlands. I've remarked previously that Krush is a promising new hop, and isn't it a shame that hop hype is a thing of the past? Maybe I liked the bullshit. Anyway, tropical is the game of the name here, from the concentrated mango aroma to the guava and pineapple-in-syrup foretaste, it's pure sunshine. Not in an innocent and carefree way, though: it tastes and feels all of the 8.1% ABV and more. Allied with the fruit is a delicious contrasting spice, suggesting grapefruit skin and white pepper. It never gets busy, however, and while I would stop short of calling something so viscous "clean", nothing is out of place for a hop-showcase double IPA. You are left in no doubt that this is a strong beer, to be sipped slowly. Sharing a 440ml can with a fellow hophead wouldn't be unreasonable. On this showing, Krush is still top of the hops for now, but I remember when I used to think of Mosaic like this.

In conclusion, and to the surprise of nobody who has been paying attention, Third Barrel is still acing the whole hop thing. Whiplash has the reputation among Dublin breweries brewing this kind of beer, and of course their branding is excellent and ethical. As regards the liquid, however, I think Third Barrel has been making better stuff recently.