Buddy up

Collaborating with other breweries is like so 2015. Wicklow Wolf has recruited partners from alternative industries for two recent additions to their Crossbreeds series.

For the first, Born to B Wild, it's not too much of a jump to collaborate with Crosby Hops. When breweries do this, I can't help wondering if highlighting the hop merchant means they get the relevant proprietary ingredient at a discount. It's Amarillo® CGX® (yes, two ®s there) in this Extra Pale Ale, along with Elani™, and open-source Centennial. True to the style, it's the bright pale gold of a light pilsner and almost perfectly clear, not looking like the full 5% ABV. The head retention is excellent, adding to the attractive visuals. Its aroma is fresh and zesty with lots of the American citrus character which pale ales had long before the corporations claimed ownership of the hop varieties. From the first mouthful it becomes apparent how deceptive the appearance is. While it looks light and fizzy, the carbonation is low and the malt base big and chewy; almost syrupy. It's not syrupy, though, it's just a nicely rounded pale ale which happens not to look like one.

They haven't really gone to town with the hop flavour. I mean, there's plenty of it there, but it's basic, in a perfectly pleasant way. The same zesty bitterness sits up front and it becomes pithier and more intense later on. The malt reasserts itself after a moment, so the fade-out effect is of lemon candy or cordial. For all that it's in a new beer style with whizz-bang lawyered-up hop stuff, this seemed to me like a simple and classical sort of American pale ale, of the kind Wicklow Wolf set out to bring to the Irish market back in 2014. That's not a criticism, only a suggestion that you adjust your expectations accordingly on approach to this very tasty beer.

Collaborations with cheesemakers are rare, at least on the beer production side. For Mór Bier, Wicklow Wolf has enlisted the Gubbeen people to help. Traditional bock is the description, and from the 6% ABV and red-amber colour, I reckoned I knew what this one would be. The aroma is a little sweeter than expected but has beautiful caramelised autumnal notes to match the appearance. There's only the faintest trace of hop greenness.

The first thing that's apparent from the flavour is that it's a lager. While there is a significant caramel presence in the flavour, it's not set on a base of heavy residual sugar but is lager-clean and even a little crisp. The burnt sugar flashes in the foretaste but fades promptly, while the middle displays the herbal noble hops. Unusually for me, I would have liked more of this; a bigger bitterness which I think the beer could have carried without being thrown off balance. Still, it's nicely done and is fully true to what amber bock ought to be, with none of the hop harshness I get from the paler ones, and fun hints at the dense dark pleasures of doppelbock. Most of all, it is a perfect beer for the drawing-in evenings we're heading for. I don't know that it's especially well-suited to cheese, but there's no harm finding out.

A brewery was involved in the next Crossbreed: some outfit called Cloudwater in England, and it's a hazy IPA called As the Crow Flies. I deem it medium hazy, a translucent sunset yellow rather than full custard. There's a herbs and spices lacing on the fresh and fruity tropical hop aroma, done with a combination of Krush, Idaho 7 and Galaxy, with some significant amount of late additions, I'd say. My guess is that Krush is the star of the show, because the flavour centres on that lovely fruit punch effect I've come to associate with it. The sweet side is well balanced by a kick of limey citrus, while there are only faint contributions from the haze's grit and garlic. Though 6% ABV, a light body means it's quite drinkable in quantity, and the flavour isn't too intense to prevent that. Both breweries have substantial experience in the haze space, and their expertise is apparent here, particularly in the choice of hops.

Not that Wicklow Wolf needs collaborators to keep it on top of its game, but these three were particularly good releases. Maybe the other guys in the room had something to do with that.