Savouring the long weekend!

Hope everyone has been enjoying the last long weekend of the year! I know I have. On returning home to Kildare from visiting friends in Wexford yesterday, we decided to drop by the Savour Kilkenny food festival. This was my first time attending and I think I'll have to book myself a night in Kilkenny next year for this. There was such a great atmosphere there with musicians playing and a huge crowd flocking around the plethora of food stalls. But I'll be honest I was there for the beer. So after a quick float around the stalls and a tasty wood fired pizza for lunch, I was off to the O Hara's beer tent. 

First up I visited 12 Acres and had a pint of their delicious pale ale. They also had their new Golden Harvest pale ale available in bottles for take away. This is their seasonal beer for Aldi, available nationwide while stocks last. 

Next I was off for a chat with Ger Costello of Costello's brewery and a pint of his red ale. He's was telling me the brewery is almost up and running and should be brewing away in the next month or two. Also we can expect some new brews early next year, looking forward to that. 

After this I visited the good folks at metalman for some cans to take home with me. They had a really great offer of 5 cans and a glass for 15euro. Also had a raspberry chilli sour in cans but had problem with labelling so couldn't sell this. I was kindly given one though so made off with 6 cans and a glass for 15 euro! Bargain! That in itself was worth stopping off in Kilkenny for 😊 

Was time for one quick pint of stout from O Hara's before heading home and a quick pose for a photo to enter their competition for International Stout Day. Check out their facebook or twitter to enter, amazing prize, will be well worth it! My attempt is below. 

So that was yesterday, great fun! Today I had planned to bottle some home brew I'd had sitting in the fermenter a while but I tasted it and it was off! Damn. Anyway now I'm enjoying a can of Metalman's super refreshing and light ginger blonde ale. Blondes can be boring but the ginger here gives it a little zing. I'll report back on the raspberry chilli sour when I've tried it but for now I'm happy finishing the weekend with this enjoyable blonde ale.

Cheers - The Beer Hopster 🍻

 

 

 

 

American Pale Wheatnow?

Hello? What's this? The Crafty Brewing Company have just released their first limited edition brew - an American style Pale wheat beer! Not a style I'm familiar with but one I am happy to get to know... 

There's a smoothness to this beer that is so satisfying. At first I thought maybe it was a bit light in body or the beer was a bit flat. But the more I drink it, I realise this beer has one of the best mouthfeels of any beer I've ever had. Take a mouthful and hold it for a second and you can feel the bubbles tingle on your tongue. Once you swallow this you immmediately get pineapple, orange and a tangy citrusy kick in the top of your mouth followed closely by light bitterness on the back and sides of the tongue. A smooth coated mouthfeel remains leaving you gasping for more. Just checked my bottle and surprised to see it's 5% abv. You would think this was a sub 4% session ale. It's lovely and refreshing.

As well as tasting fantastically refreshing, visually this is a highly impressive beer. As they use a centrifuge at Rye River, there is a clarity unusual to wheat beers. I love these surprises and little quirks in my beers. The colouring/design on the label also stands out a bit more than the core range here. The homestar runner of The Crafty Brewing range!! 

Tell me someone else see this haha!? 

So as I sip toward then end of my glass, I have 2 questions relating to this beer? Firstly why did I only buy 2 bottles? And secondly do I open my second bottle now or save it for the long weekend?? Tough decisions ahead! If you can find any of these in your local Lidl, do pick up a few (Maynooth had some earlier in the week). 

Cheers - The Beer Hopster