Herd impunity

I'm long past due getting some more Western Herd beers on here. I happened across these two recently, though both have been around for a couple of years already.

Presumably aimed at the local crowd, County Clare pale ale was a long way from home when I picked it up in Mace on the South Circular Road. This is a pintable 4.2% ABV and attractively clear and golden, like pale ale used to be. The hops are Citra, Simcoe and Idaho 7 which had me expecting a west coast punch to the face, but the aroma is subtle and more tropical than citrus: a fruit salad, heavy on the pineapple and white grape. So goes the flavour too, the grape quality strong enough to make me wonder if some Hallertau Blanc sneaked into the kettle late on. Depth and complexity are not really features, however, and after the initial juicy pop it all fades away cleanly. There's a deft trick in the way it's refreshing and very easy drinking without being watery or plain. I got through my 440ml can quickly and was ready for another straight afterwards. The flavour profile, branding and general quality makes this a beer that every pub in the Banner should be clamouring to pour.

A poorly-rendered AI image of a circus strongman introduces An Beilgeach Láidir -- The Strong Belgian. This is Western Herd's take on Belgian dark ale, a powerhouse at 8.3% ABV. Though a dark red-brown in the glass, it's surprisingly clear, showing amber when held to the light. The alcohol is very apparent from the get-go, starting with its rum-and-raisin aroma. It doesn't taste Belgian to me. Though it is sweet and fruity, there's a cleanness at its centre, devoid of the estery characteristics of Belgian fermentation. I don't mind, and quite like it. I get a sense of English strong ale, or barley wine, from a continental European brewer which isn't copying the style in the hop-forward American way. Fruitcake and chocolate meet trifle and summer berries for a multidimensional dessert character, plus a little port or madeira oakiness. The carbonation is low, and while the body is suitably dense to accentuate the sweet side, it doesn't get cloying. Instead it has the easy going nature of a light Burgundy, or one of the paler kind of Italian red wines. While it works as a winter beer for sure, I could see it having a summer application also.

Two very different beers, here, but the quality is superb in both.