Portrush - Land of Barry's, Chips & Beer Festivals

Make no mistake, I love Portrush.  It's where the family would take day trips when I was a child and it's where I now take my family for the same - driving the dodgem cars and sliding down the helter skelter at Barry's amusements, eating a 10% meat (probably) sausage supper in a chippy and generally enjoying life.  Life got even better last weekend when the town's co-op brewery Lacada hosted the 1st Portrush Beer and Food Festival in the impressive town hall. As well as the host, north coast local breweries Northbound, Glens of Antrim and O'Connor were present alongside Farmageddon, Knockout, Co. Donegal's Kinnegar, 8 Degrees from Co. Cork and Yellowbelly from Co. Wexford.  Add to that Bushmills and Long Meadow cider.

First was an interesting new brew released for the festival.  Lacada already have a sour, Eldersauer, but Sauer Beans has the addition of coffee beans in collaboration with Portrush's harbour cafe, Babushka.  Putting it gently - beardy hipsters look away now - I'm not the greatest fan of sours, but Sauer Beans (4.2% ABV) ticked some of the boxes that most sours don't tick for me.  It wasn't overpowering and there was a gentle belly tickle of coffee.  Mrs W really liked it and I must confess I sort of liked it too - it was interesting mix of light gooseberry and coffee bean (is there another Irish coffee sour on the market?)

It was great to see three well respected southern breweries represented and fair play to the organisers for securing them.  Kinnegar from Rathmullan in Co Donegal already have a very visible presence in Northern Ireland but less so Yellow Belly from Wexford.  The brewery lies beneath Simon Lambert & Sons pub and they brought a seriously impressive range of nine beers with them - from fruity sours and pale ales to imperial IPAs.

My choice of Yellow Belly's was the cask Imperial IPA Queen Lizzie (8.3% ABV) - a single dry hopped English ale. Some hints of citrus fruit at the start following on with a welcoming dryness. Congrats to Yellow Belly for their branding - every one of their pumpclips is, literally, a work of art.

It was also great to see County Cork's 8 Degrees at the festival.  Co-brewer Scott is from New Zealand and I wonder how much influence one of Lacada's founders, Kris of Kiwi's BrewBar in Portrush, had in their appearance?  Anyway, on tap when I was there on the Friday were the Amarillo IPA, Kolsch style Going Out Out, DIPA Supernova, which I'd tried at the recent Irish Beer Festival in Dublin, and the always tasty Full Irish - brewed using 100% Irish malt.

A tip of the hat to Michael O'Connor of O'Connor Craft Beer near Greysteel for the Game of Thrones inspired A Beer Has No Name.  He confessed that after brewing the amber he still didn't have a name shortly before the festival started.  However his GoT loving brother came up with the title, much to Michael's confusion as he doesn't watch the show.

Again congratulations to all involved with the creation and smooth running of the 1st Portrush Beer and Food Festival.  I've only mentioned a small snippet of what was available so if you fancy seeing more I'm sure the organisers are already planning 2017's festival ... aren't they?

It's great to see another reason for heading to the Port - man cannot live by chips and roller coasters alone.

Irish Craft Beer Festival 2015

This year's Irish Craft Beer Festival at the RDS in Dublin was a special one for me as it was the first time I stayed to the bitter end due to having the genius idea of booking an overnight hotel stay.  What a smart cookie I am.  Mrs W and I travelled down by train on Saturday afternoon, checked in and then made our way through the hoardes of Irish and Welsh rugby fans leaving the Aviva stadium.

I always get excited entering a beer festival.  Right RDS, bring it on, seven hours of bliss await... but where to begin?  I'd read positive comments about new Two Sisters Brewing's St Brigid's Ale so made a beeline for the Trouble Brewing stand.  A good solid start, 5.2% brown ale with a delicious caramel and nutty aroma and taste.  Slightly sweet too as it's brewed with honey from the family hive hence the pathetic beeline reference.  Did you know Brigid is Ireland's patron saint of beer?  You do now.

A Thai dinner followed out the back courtyard, courtesy of the fantastically named The Bitchin' Kitchen - green chicken curry and for Mrs W beef pad Thai noodles.  Bellies full and it was back to the beer, this time to check out the Yellow Belly/Simon Lambert & Sons stall.  The lapsang souchong Black Tea porter was so smooth with that superb tea hit coming to the fore.  Tea and beer in the one glass, what's not to like?

Another beer of note came from the guys at Northbound Brewery near Derry/Londonderry/whatever. They've recently produced a pale ale and Kölsch style which I have already tasted but on tap was a new festival special, Unnamed IPA.  I had a few (single) IPAs that night but this was my favourite.  Hopefully it'll find its way into bottles very soon.

Finally my beer of the night - drum roll please - comes from Co Wicklow's O Brother Brewing with the outstanding 9.1% abv double IPA Brutus.  Despite the high alcohol content, it is deceptively smooth with a slight tropical edge that is calling out to be consumed again.  I did go back later in the night but it was sold out.  Lesson learned there.

Thanks to whoever thought of putting all the food vans out the back beside the DJ and sheltered seating area.  Well done to the committee person who suggested having goblet glasses - unfortunately when I arrived they'd all been taken so had to make do with standard glasses.  I would have loved to have had one, they looked fantastic.  And finally thanks to organisers Carlow Brewing, Make It Happen, Beoir and all the brewers who attended, it was another great festival.  See you in 2016.  Sláinte!