Midnight sunny

I'm sure they value their summers in Iceland at least as much as we do down here. Three season-appropriate beers from Einstök arrived recently, all new to Ireland.

Arctic Lager looks like a straightforward 4.7% ABV pale job but the can tells us it's dry-hopped with Citra, which should add something beyond the norm. The aroma certainly shows a pale-ale level of fruitiness, gentle rather than sharp though, with peach and lychee. A proper Citra bitterness punches through in the foretaste: lemon rind plus a certain tannic astringency. It doesn't let go of the stonefruit, however, and that lingers in the background. What's missing is the lager side. As often happens when new-world hops are involved, the crispness disappears and the drinker loses the benefit of it being a lager. Still, it's decent and flavourful, packing a lot into a modest package. I have little to complain about here.

That's an implied summer seasonal; the next one is explicit. The viking on the can is wearing sunglasses! Arctic Berry Ale is described as a "white ale brewed with bilberries", or "blueberry witbier" as one might call it more economically. I though the berries would give it a blue tint but it poured quite a plain deep yellow colour. Mind you, the aroma is packed with blueberries: sweet and tart, to the point of smelling concentrated and jammy. That sweet, slightly artificial, candy perfume effect forms the backbone of the flavour. I feel there ought to be some wheaty softness to base it on but it's surprisingly thin for 5% ABV. The underlying beer doesn't really feature as flavour or texture. It's fun and refreshingly summery, though at the same time it's a bit of a one-dimensional novelty. One could even validly level the accusation of tasting like an alcopop at it. Stolidly nordic it ain't.

Things get weirder with the final one: Lime & Juniper Pils. Our viking is wearing a bowler hat (as historically accurate as his horned helmet, in fairness) which suggests they're going for a gin-and-tonic vibe here. Instead it ends up closer to Desperados. The juniper doesn't get much of a look-in, maybe a faint perfume in the finish, and neither really does the pils: no crispness, no fresh grass. End-to-end it's sticky lime cordial. A thick biscuity base accentuates the sweetness and is what makes this a different proposition to the clean and dry Rascals lime lager from earlier this summer. While only 4.8% ABV it feels much heavier, a lot more like an ale than a lager. This doubles down on the problems found in the Arctic Lager above.

Given that Einstök's beers are produced in a big factory which mostly churns out lager, it's strange that they don't seem to have got it right. Their reliable and unfussy porter remains the best thing they make, and possibly also the cleanest and most lager-like. Go figure.

What's the matter lagerboy?

Today I'm taking the pulse of Irish lager brewing. Or at least, I'm drinking a random selection of Irish lagers to find out what's what.

We'll start at St James's Gate, home to the only people who thought Rockshore needed a brand extension. So here's Rockshore Light, its ABV reduced from the dizzying 4% of full-fat Rockshore to a mere 3.5%. It's been getting some heavy promotion this last while, so I guess they're pitching it for the outdoor summer everyone is apparently having. In the glass it's a very pale white gold colour, crystal clear, with a frothy topping of fine white foam. There's quite a wholesome biscuit aroma, suggesting melanoidins and bigger sugars than you might expect for a 73-calorie slimmers' beer. There's a touch of that in the flavour too: spongecake and oat cookies. Said flavour doesn't last long, however, leaving behind nothing but a scorch from the overactive carbonation after a few seconds, presaging the inevitable heartburn. I looked hard for any hop character at all but couldn't find any trace. Overall this is better than I thought it would be. The tinny tang which I regard as light lager's biggest failing is absent, and likewise the fruity flaws of Rockshore Senior. The fizz is about the worst thing I can ding it for, though its lack of any other character doesn't exactly endear it to me. The others should give me a bit more to discuss.

To follow, The Pilgrimage, one of the beers in the Odyessy Series from the soon-to-be-rebranded White Gypsy brewery. It's actually a rebrew of Messrs Maguire Bock which I reviewed back in 2007 and which hasn't been seen since Cuilán handed over the reins of MM shortly afterwards. I wasn't a fan then but I think my tastes have broadened since. It's still a very bocky bock: a slightly murky amber and densely textured, even allowing for that full 5.8% ABV. The malt flavour is huge and intense, all rye bread, golden syrup and gooey onion relish. The noble hopping gives it a balancing black-pepper piquancy, particularly in the aroma, and some greener cabbage-leaf bitterness. Younger me found it an overwhelming mess of flavours; now I can pick out the different elements and that allows me to appreciate it more. If lager is a summer drink, this weighty warmer is perfect for the rainy days.

I expected a big contrast for the next one. Rice Rice Baby, oddly, is not a collaboration but brewed by Rascals alone. It's a return to goldenness and clarity, though it's not quite as pale as the Rockshore. In addition to rice, the ingredients include lemon and lime zest, and that's very obvious from the smell: a sort of syrupy, cordial effect dominating any lager subtleties. Crisp is the watchword on the can and crisp it is indeed. There's a lovely snap to the foretaste: melba toast and, oh, rice crackers. I see what they're doing. The citrus zest isn't long to follow, bringing that 7-Up sweetness which adds character but detracts from the cleanness. I guess it would have been a bit bland without some sort of craft gussying-up, and the zest is an OK option if you're not planning to load it up with lots of expensive Nelson Sauvin. Overall, it gets a thumbs up from me. I'd love to try the base lager, and its quality still shines through despite the "enhancements". The crispness and the perfect clean finish are all still here, even if the fruit addition is less than subtle. 4.9% ABV is maybe a little strong for a summery quaffer, but I guess we'll see about that: after I bought one to review, Rascals kindly shipped me a bunch of them for free and I'll be putting them to the test some sunny day.

Finally a beer I have been looking forward to for some time. Galway Bay's Schlenkerla Märzen clone, Märzen to the Fire, has been rocking my world consistently since it arrived last year. Now they've taken the next step in the copycat act and brewed a straight Helles but using trub from the smoky Märzen to give it a little of that character. My Bamberg Hell is the result. This one is a deep golden colour but still perfectly transparent. The carbonation is low and the aroma is mild but there's distant bacon in there. That gets more pronounced on tasting: a fairly involved phenolic edge offering dry beech smoke, shading to peat. The base lager isn't doing much of the lifting. There's a soft Helles texture but very little flavour contribution from the underlying beer. It ends up being smoke for the sake of smoke, not overpowering but not really complementary either. The dark richness of the Märzen is what makes that one work; this, while very well made, misses the mark for me. I liked it, but couldn't help thinking that either a clean Helles or a big dirty smokebomb would have been preferable.

In conclusion, lager is a land of contrasts.