Review of 2013 and onwards...

So 2013 is almost at an end.  What did we witness in the past 12 months?  The birth of Prince George, the death of Thatcher and Mandela, a Pope resigned for the first time in 600 years, Fermanagh hosted the G8 summit, Derry-Londonderry was UK City of Culture, twerking became the news and One Direction still haven't split up.  

Also this year Northern Ireland saw a rise in the number of microbreweries.  Beezer, I hear you cry!  Ten craft and real ale breweries are now dotted across our land providing more choice than ever to the discerning drinker who is fed up with the usual bland and over-fizzy gubbins that can be bought in every bar in town.

A revolution is taking place friends.  Alongside so-called established brewers such as Hilden, Whitewater and Clanconnel (who produce the McGrath’s range), other budding business ventures are being started up with vigour and gusto.  This year alone has seen the introduction of Red Hand and Pokertree from Tyrone, Sheelin from Fermanagh as well as Farmageddon from Co. Down and Clear Sky.

I love the name Pokertree and details of where the name came from can be found on their website (www.pokertreebrewing.co.uk). Based in Carrickmore they produce a very tasty bottle-conditioned Ghrian Golden Ale (brewed with coriander seed and lemon peel) as well as the darker Red Earl Ruby Ale.


Twelve miles down the road, Simon and Ciaran at Red Hand Brewing hope to have a Red Hand Pale Ale available to the Donaghmore public by January with a hope of expanding their 100L brewery by the summer. Unfortunately that means folk from outside the village will just have to visit McCausland's pub or the award winning Brewer's House to sample their wares until then.

Sheelin from Bellanaleck in County Fermanagh is run by the very personable scientist and self-confessed yeast enthusiast Dr George Cathcart. He has a blonde ale and a stout currently on the market and hopes to brew a red ale and IPA in 2014. (I really loved the IPA when testing it last August - please make it happen George)

Clear Sky (currently contact-brewed by Hilden) produce the very appealing Fulcrum wheat bear and is available in a number of good pubs across Northern Ireland while Farmageddon’s early 2014 plan is to have three brews in their core range (gold, IPA and porter) as well as up to SIX specials.  Watch this space for exciting news from the Farm.

Other breweries established in the past couple of years such as Ards and Inishmacsaint continue to grow.  Gordy Fallis from Inishmacsaint has done well to promote the brand name over the past year (no doubt helped by featuring in the BBC NI programme ‘Farm Fixer’ with Lord Sugar’s trusted aide Nick Hewer.)   A new Inishmacsaint Lough Erne Brown Porter was first seen at the Belfast Beer Festival in November and we shall see in time if that proves as popular as his original production.  A farmhouse ale called Muck Savage has also just been released and further plans for that in 2014 are unsure.

Charles from Ards Brewing is currently building a bigger brewhouse so hopefully 2014 will see more of Pig Island, Ballyblack, Rockin’ Goose and Cardy Man.  You may also see something new from them using the fresh and light Citra hop. 

As I said earlier, a revolution is taking place.  Never before has there been such a choice of flavoursome, interesting, LOCAL brews. Where possible encourage your friends to sample a Hilden Twisted Hop or Whitewater Clotworthy Dobbin.  Visit more craft/real ale pubs.   The more that is sold by pubs who have the vision to sell these beers the more they will want to CONTINUE to sell.  The more they sell, the more these beers will be in demand and consequently brewed by the breweries mentioned above.  Who knows what the December 2014 blog will feature?  Hopefully I'll be writing that One Direction have split up by then.

I'll drink to that - cheers!

Belfast Beer Festival

So another Belfast Beer and Cider Festival has been and gone.  For the 14^th year the Northern Irish public have been spoiled and lavished with over 100 beers and 20 ciders to choose from at the majestic Ulster Hall.  Three days of quality beer choice that you wouldn’t get anywhere else in Belfast.  And I include two of my favourite Belfast bars The Hudson and The Garrick in that statement.

Although the festival opened to the public on a Thursday the CAMRA NI team were hard at work from the previous Sunday assembling the bars and installing and plumbing casks.  A big thank you to all of them for their efforts.

Then the place opened and the fun really began.  Beer novices and self-appointed connoisseurs flocked in their droves - learning, criticising, deliberating and simply tasting what was on offer.  (I’ll tell you later about my quotes of the festival.)  From lagers and light IPAs to rich porters and strong stouts, something was on offer to suit all palettes.

Of course anyone who was there will have their own favourites and your choices will differ from mine but that’s what makes festivals interesting.  One man’s ‘meh’ could be another man’s ‘mmm’.  However this is my opinion so get over it! (Does that annoying American style finger/face gesture.)

My four winners were Ards Brewing’s brand new Bittles 366, Fyne’s Jarl, Metalman’s Chameleon Smokescreen and Otley’s Saison Obscura.  The Ards experimental  offering was a hoppy and fresh  4.8% ABV ale that you could easily enjoy any free Saturday afternoon with pint after pint.  Aaand maybe another.  Perhaps it was a combination of the public’s desire for light IPAs, seeing a local Ards pump label and with ‘A’ being one of the closest pumps to the entrance door, Bittles 366 was the first cask to finish at lunchtime on the Friday!

Also in the same fresh and hoppy category was the award winning Jarl from Argyll brewery Fyne.  With a citrus and grassy finish, Jarl boasts the Champion Beer of Scotland title along with claiming 3^rd place in CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival in London last August.  At 3.8% ABV, it exudes quality and smoothness.  I loved it since first sampling it in Cork last summer and was very excited to see it at this year’s festival.  If you see it in any shops here in Northern Ireland, don’t think about it - buy it immediately.

Metalman Brewery is based in Waterford and had originally intended sending up their delicious Pale Ale as well as the dark Moonbeam.  However Moonbeam didn’t materialise but instead we were treated to the fantastic  4.5% ABV Chameleon Smokescreen.  Their Chameleon range is so called as it’s a ‘we’ve no idea what to expect, anything goes’ policy – trial brews come under this banner and boy did Smokescreen hit the top corner of the net.  As the title suggests, smokey and dark – a delicious porter that could rival any established porters already on the market.

My final choice of the festival comes from South Wales - the 5.5% ABV Saison Obscura from Pontypridd brewery Otley.  First to strike you about Otley are the funky and simplistic pump clips.  A basic ‘O’ design with black and one other colour is the norm for Otley beers .  Very nice.  The brew itself has a complex and intriguing underlying tongue of dark pepper and orange peel.  Definitely a winning winter ale and one to warm yer cockles after battling through the hoardes of psychotic weemin buying unwanted Christmas presents for wee Britney, Piers or whoever.

I also had the privilege this year to be one of the judges on the panel to select the Champion Beer of Belfast. Although the four beers named above were not in the shortlist of eight (was very disappointed with that), Brentwood Brewery's BBC2 emerged victorious by one point from Titanic's Cappuccino Stout. An amazing feat by Brentwood considering BBC2 had the lowest ABV of the festival at just 2.5%. Just goes to show that not all weak strength brews are tasteless.  BBC2 is a mid copper coloured ale with hints of caramel and citrus, a good session beer.

Before I go, three brilliant questions I was asked while working behind the bar -

3. What lagers do you have?

2. Do you have any Heineken?

1. Have you any beers?

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