Now on my Tap at Sheary's: Little Fawn by White Hag

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of White Hag. I've been singing their praises for a while now. Last year, I wrote about the way they burst onto the scene and changed everything. One year on, they are in my opinion still setting the standard in Irish craft beer. To me, they were the winners of the Irish Craft Beer Festival again this year. Their new beers were absolutely outstanding, especially the Heather Sour aged in a wine barrel and their new Oktoberfest beer. So far I've not tasted a beer from them that I haven't loved.

Anyone familiar with White Hag's beers will know that they usually pack a punch. 8% is not unusual for them. But this year, they have created a Session IPA that is a bit more forgiving and only comes in at 4.2%. I was excited to try it and to see how much flavour Joe would manage to squeeze into it. Of course there was no doubt in my mind that it would be a LOT. And it was. Little Fawn is an absolutely stunning beer that has so much taste, you would never guess that it's only 4.2%. It tastes like a full-on IPA with all the flavour you would expect. It has lovely grapefruit and citrus notes and is, of course, very well balanced. I think Little Fawn is one of the most flavourful session beers we have in Ireland. It's another cracking masterpiece from White Hag, but then again, I wouldn't have expected anything else.

I chose Little Fawn to go on my tap in Sheary's and it is going on TODAY! I will certainly be there later to enjoy a pint or 2 of this fantastic beer. Come and join me, it's Friday after all, you might as well!

A perfect beer for the last rays of summer: Wild Bat Pilot Batch 003

I am delighted to announce that I am now a “Tap Curator” at the wonderful Sheary’s of Crumlin. What that means is that I get to decide which beer goes on one of their 6 craft beer taps. It’s a really exciting opportunity and it’s been great fun to work with the ever-lovely team at Vanguard who supply the beers for this tap. On top of that it means that I have a good reason to write a blog post every now and then to share a little bit about the beer I’ve chosen to go on next.

The first beer I chose was Grand Stretch from Eight Degrees and it went down a treat. Now that it is all gone, I was delighted to hear that Vanguard had a few kegs of Wild Bat Pilot Batch 003 left because it would be a brand new brewery to Sheary’s and also to me. So off I went to sample a pint of it in the name of research. Here’s what I found out.

Wild Bat is brewed by Corrib Brewing Company in Co. Galway. Behind it is the owner of Probus Wines, Paul Fogarty, and 2 of his pals. So far, they’ve brewed 3 beers which are aptly called Pilot Batch 001, 002 and 003. Batch 003 is a California Common. It comes in at about 4.3% and is a ruby amber colour with a very nice, creamy, long-lasting head.

The aroma is very subtle, malty with a slight citrusy note. The taste is a fantastic and amazingly well-crafted combination of lovely sweet and soft malt and a nice soft texture that hits you first, and a great little kick from the hops coming next. This combination makes it perfectly sessionable because it’s not overly hoppy. But it has this often-attempted-and-rarely-achieved just perfect cheeky little hop kick that keeps the beer interesting and refreshing and that makes you want to drink it all day long. If you were looking to introduce someone to craft beer, this would be the beer to start with. It’s perfect for newbies. But at the same time it keeps us veterans happy and hopped up. It was so delicious that 1 pint turned into 3. Some seriously impressive skill is on display in this beer. I would recommend this to absolutely anyone. 

Don’t wait until it’s too late! Get yourself into Sheary’s, grab a pint of Wild Bat Batch 003 and take it out the back to enjoy the last rays of sun with this beer as the perfect accompaniment. 

White Hag's new Searbh Rua Imperial Sour Red

Paddy’s Weekend is almost here! Dublin has started turning green and the tourists are invading in their thousands. One of the many events taking place over the next 5 days is the Irish Beer & Whiskey Fest in the RDS. What better way to celebrate all things Irish than by enjoying some fantastic Irish craft beers and artisan food?  Lots of breweries, cider makers and whiskey distilleries will be there offering a huge choice of libations, and the artisan food stalls will be dishing up delish grub to soak it all up. Most breweries have announced special beers and cask brews for the festival, so there’ll be a lot of new, interesting things to try.

At the last beer festival at the RDS in September, everyone was raving about this brand new brewery, White Hag, and their amazing unusual beers. Check out my post from back then for a reminder. Their stand was by far the busiest in September. For the entire duration of the festival, there was a never-ending queue of people eager to get their hands on White Hag's fantastic brews. Fast forward to this year, and it looks like White Hag are setting themselves up for another big one, judging by the size of the bar they are in the process of installing at the RDS. Just looking at the picture is enough to get anyone very excited.

Of course they’ve been busy extending their range and I was lucky enough to be offered a sample of their latest creation called Searbh Rua, an Imperial Sour Red. Sour Ales are just starting off in Ireland at the moment, having been hugely popular in the US for quite a while already. It is definitely an unusual beer style and a Marmite kind of thing. Either you love it or you hate it. There's no middle ground. I happen to love them so I was delighted to give this new beer a try.

Described as “an artisan sour amber ale inspired by the ancient brewers of the Irish northwest”, it pours a very dark red, almost brown colour with a head that dissipates right away. On the nose it has caramel and toffee sweetness combined with a clear citrus note and a hint of peat. The taste is very rich and sweet, again with caramel coming through at first. I also tasted plums and of course and a citrusy tartness. I was surprised because for a sour ale, it is very sweet at first and the sourness only hits you a few seconds later. Most sour ales I’ve tried were very full-on and very sour from the start, but I actually like the way this one unfolds its flavours. It’s not as much of a shock as some sour ales can be. It would be a great first sour ale for someone just discovering the style.

As is typical for White Hag, this beer is strong and packs 7.9%. But once again it is so well executed that it doesn’t taste like it. To me, sour ales are something you savour and drink slowly and I wouldn’t drink more than a half pint of a sour ale. Searbh Rua is perfect for this type of savouring. You could happily sip away at it and once it’s gone, you’ll be satisfied and any more of it would be too much in one sitting. If you’re planning to pop into the RDS over the next few days, definitely give this beer a try. I can picture a queue forming at the new, huge White Hag bar already. Well done to Joe for another fantastic addition to the White Hag range!