Accommodating everyone

Dublin's newly-instated The Hoxton hotel has been in the news for other reasons lately, but it falls upon your correspondent to report that there is also Beer of Interest in the sparsely chic groundfloor bar. Alongside the predictable macro dreck and some Rascals options, they have two lines of their own beer, brewed by London's Coalition Brewing. Des has the goods, of course, may he rest in peace.

There's something very British about lager at 4% ABV. Our lot seem to prefer adding a couple of fractional points when they're doing blonde and fizzy. So Hox Lager tells you by the strength where it's from. Still, it's a handsome looking pilsner: pure gold, Champagne sparkling, and with a very classy grass and herb aroma. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the low ABV lets the flavour down and it lacks a proper malt base to carry those noble hops. The flavour centres on watery fizz and you have to pay attention to catch the brief flash of basil and thyme. A sliver of dry waterbiscuit is as malty as it gets. Still, it's not terrible and doesn't fall into the bland house lager trap. There's a genuine Germanic character here, and crispness to beat the band. Should you wish for a lager with a little more substance, however, Rascals Jailbreak is four taps over.

Matching the lager is Hox Pale Ale, still modestly strong at 4.2% ABV. It's extremely pale and translucently hazy, looking like nothing so much as a witbier. I wonder if the visuals are why I got such a strong lemon tang from the flavour. They've certainly laid on the citrus-tasting hops, at an almost too strong level for the light ale base. That was a shock at first, but I got used to it quickly. This is far more assertive than I was expecting a hotel house beer to be. It's not all acid bitterness, and acridity is avoided via some softer lime oils and a sweetly juicy base, harnessing some of the good aspects of typical hazy pale ale. On the bad side, there's also a twang of gritty, savoury murk, but that isn't allowed interfere too much with the jolly, sunny zest. Quite a pleasant surprise, this, all told. Though at €4.50 for a half pint, it would want to be.

A phrase you won't hear much in Dublin these days is "fair play to The Hoxton", but I think it deserves credit for bringing a couple of better-than-average beers to its taps when it didn't have to; and putting them alongside quality local microbrews. Dublin's hotel boom may be destroying the fabric and character of the city, but maybe a good beer in a comfortable lounge makes it all worthwhile.