The Beers
Beer Styles
Ireland has a long history of brewing and in the past two decades, there has been a resurgence in craft breweries.
In a nutshell, a craft beer is a beer made using traditional methods in small, independent breweries.
IPA India Pale Ale
Originally a classic English Style, US craft breweries resurrected the India Pale Ale and introduced complex flavours, higher ABVs and the spirit of experimentation – what was once a historical relic, has quickly become a distinctly contemporary tipple. Expect floral, fruity, citrus and pine notes from the now ubiquitous style. Often defined as West Coast (dank, resinous and bitter) or East Coast (soft, juicy and bearing little bitterness) in style.
Stout
While porters use malted barley, stouts use unmalted roasted barley creating more evident coffee flavours. Fruity esters as less apparent within stouts than porters, however expect a good degree of bitterness and citrus notes derived from the hops. Rich, warming and versatile when pairing with food such as roast meats, spicy chilli, blue cheeses and indulgent desserts.
Lager
Lagers are bottom-fermented, meaning their yeast strains work effectively at colder temperatures for longer periods during fermentation. This results in a clean, crisp and highly-drinkable showcase of malts and hops uninterrupted by the flavour of yeast esters.
Pale Ale
Pale Ale is a beer style brewed with predominantly pale malts to produce a brew that balances malt and hop flavours unlike the more hop-forward IPA style. Another example of a traditional British beer style taken to the next level by US brewers, Pale Ales are flavourful and versatile, pairing wonderfully with various foods. Pale Ales come in many forms, hail from countless countries, and feature various hops and ingredient adjuncts.
Brown Ale
Brown Ales offer a flavourful middle ground between hop-forward ales and malt-forward darker beers. Modern Brown Ales typically draw upon the classic British Brown Ale, expanding upon the pleasantly sweet flavour profile with medium to high levels of hop bitterness. Expect caramel and chocolate notes to be followed by a satisfyingly bitter finish.
Sours
Sours come in many different varieties. Lambic, Gose, Geuze, Berliner Weisse, all are examples of sour craft beer styles that are likely to pleasantly surprise your taste buds and offer a distinctly different beer experience. Wild yeast strains and bacteria help sour the beer and gift a funky flavour profile.
Saison
Saisons are light and refreshing “farmhouse ales” that traditionally hail from Belgium and France. Originally brewed by farmers during the winter, low alcohol saisons offered workers hydration throughout the busy summer in areas where water wasn’t easily accessible.
Amber & Red Ale
Typically malt-forward whilst still showcasing a good degree of hop character, Red and Amber Ales are warming and rich styles that make for great year-round drinking yet prove especially good during the transition into colder months. Expect citrus, spice and herbal notes, all layered atop a pleasantly sweet malt base.
Porter
Porters use malted barley while stouts use unmalted roasted barley. Dark in appearance, ranging from deep brown to pitch black, the porter began its illustrious life in 19th century London as a popular tipple for street and river porters – hence the title! Expect robust and warming flavours of chocolate, coffee and dark berries.
DIPA Double India Pale Ale
An imperial interpretation of the classic American IPA that takes many forms. From piney and resinous, to especially fruity with very little bitterness, a DIPA can contrast greatly dependant upon who is brewing it and the region in which it is brewed. DIPAs range from deep amber shades to hazily opaque and “juice-like” in appearance. Expect masses of hop character and a high ABV.
Session IPA
A “sessionable” interpretation of the classic American IPA, the session IPA is lower in terms of ABV yet still dominated by hop-forward flavours such as citrus, tropical fruit and pine. Lighter in terms of body and mouthfeel and typically under 5%, session IPAs are a highly-drinkable alternative to more potent craft beers.
American Pale Ale
An American interpretation of a classic English beer style. Characterised by floral, citrus, and pine notes, American Pale Ales showcase a balance of both malt and hop character, exhibiting low to moderate sweetness with medium bitterness.
Pilsner
The classic German Pilsner typically offers more residual malty sweetness than a lager. The straw-coloured, light bodied and well carbonated beer also boasts more hop character and bitterness. Pilsners are an easy-drinking favourite amongst brewers due their delicate flavours. The style offers craft beer lovers a distinct departure from more robustly flavoured and heavier styles.
Wheat Beer
Brewed with a large amount of wheat malt, the refreshing style is golden in colour and often hazy in appearance. Top-fermented wheat beers are bright, fruity and aromatic, presenting flavours of banana, clove, and citrus fruit thanks to the presence of lots of yeast esters.
Blonde Ale
An easy-drinking malt-oriented beer, often with interesting fruit, hop, or character malt notes. More important than the flavour profile is that this should be a smooth, drinkable, refreshing pint. It takes the lagers and enhances the flavour.
Rye Beer
The addition of rye to a beer can add a spicy or pumpernickel to the flavour and finish. Hop flavour is low to medium. Rye beers can be brewed using either ale or lager yeast.