Beers and Bikes over the Border

Last summer I embarked on a wee tour around Ireland with some fellow biker friends.  We do a tour every year and on previous occasions have visited the Isle of Skye, Inverness, the Lake District, Wales and Cornwall. However we’ve never done Ireland and I’m ashamed to say that I had never been as far south on this island as counties Kerry or Cork.  Time to put that right we thought.  And at the end of a great day’s riding why not try and source a half decent beer?  Now of course we all know that whether north or south of the border, availability of good brews is not widespread and most pubs offer the usual bland multi-national dross whether in Coleraine or Clonakilty. 

So here’s a little non-comprehensive review of what we managed to find on our way.  While travelling through County Waterford we opted not to venture to Dungarvan Brewing Company as dark clouds were looming overhead and I knew of a great pub near our accommodation in Cork.  We arrived late afternoon, changed out of our leathers and eagerly made our way to the Franciscan Well Pub and Brewery.  As it was a Wednesday evening, the bar was quiet and our eyes lit up as we stepped into the place.  Behind the bar are 3 tanks each holding 300gl and the beer menu, yes beer menu, has 7 pump brews made in-house as well as an extensive list of bottled ales.  Blondes, reds, lagers, wheat beers, stouts, ciders and pale ales are all available.  Heaven!

My first taster of the evening was Friar Weisse, a delicious 4.7% ABV German-style unfiltered wheat beer with citrus notes on the palate and a powerful aroma of banana and clove.  Interesting mix.  The ladies in the group loved it and although I’m not usually a big fan of fruit-based beers, I agreed with them.  The banana was very subtle and not dominant in the taste. I could imagine a lot of folk sitting at a barbecue in searing heat supping a few thirst-quenching Friar Weisse.

My favourite of the night though was the 5% ABV Purgatory Pale Ale.  Using Cascade hops from the USA it has a floral flavour, which leads to a deep bitter orange taste.  Not unlike one of my local favourites Pig Island from Ards Brewing Co.  A great night’s craic was had in Cork’s Franciscan Well Brewpub.  The beers are amazing, the staff are friendly and to top it all off they allow you to order in pizza so what’s not to like?

Another place of note is in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare.  Originally established in 1865, The Roadside Tavern do the most a-maz-ing food (order the bacon and cabbage or maybe the lamb and stout stew to see what I mean – it wasn’t Munster’s Best GastroPub in 2012 for no reason) but what really made me smile was they also have their own microbrewery onsite. 

Set up in 2011 The Burren Brewery have 3 ales – Burren Gold, Red and Stout.  Each is tasty in its own right but for me the best of the trio was Burren Red – slighty sweet with a spicy smokiness it stands head and shoulders above anything else of that category that you can buy in any bar in the area.  If you’re in County Clare, pop in for lunch and enjoy a good yarn with locals and visitors alike.

The final place our group stopped into that had a varying array of beers was Galway city’s Bierhaus.  With hundreds of Irish and worldwide beers to choose from you're sure to find something to suit your taste.  I was in a bit of a porter/stout mood that night so started off with a porter from Co. Kildare brewery Trouble Brewing.  The unfiltered Dark Arts uses a good mix of black and chocolate malts and cleared the cobwebs away after a day of the odd torrential rainstorm and twisty Co.Clare roads.  

That was followed by a smooth and welcoming bottle of the 5% ABV Knockmealdown Porter from Eight Degrees Brewing.  A deep roasted coffee malt flavour exudes from this porter and although I’m not a fan of 33cl bottles (I prefer a pint) I felt it tasted better that the Dark Arts. 

As I said at the beginning it’s not a comprehensive guide but a little taster of what can be found in a few counties down south.  Maybe if you come across a good pub post your comments below.  Next year we're off to Scotland. Oh, in total I covered 1200 miles riding the Irish coastline on my beloved Honda CBR and raised £1,600 for a children's charity in the process.  

I’ll drink to that, sláinte!

Wales, Beer and Bikes

I love motorbikes. 

I love the feel of donning my leathers, pulling on my lid (that’s a helmet to the unconverted), and riding to wherever I feel at that moment in time. But what I love most is riding out with friends on a week long tour.   And at the end of each day when we check into our accommodation nothing beats relaxing in the local pub, chatting about the ride, having a laugh and supping some locally brewed ale.

Every year our group of friends (we call ourselves the Riders of the Lost? Ark) head off into the great unknown and to make it even more worthwhile I try to raise a bit of sponsorship along the way for a worthwhile charity.  The summer of 2012 saw the Riders of the Lost? Ark venture across the Irish Sea to Wales.

Should you ever feel the desire to board the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead, what awaits you on the other side is a world of wonderful mountain roads, breathtaking Snowdonia scenery, the most accommodating hospitality and of course, some great beers.

And if you’re in North Wales as we initally were, then there’s no better place for cask ale than the Golden Fleece Inn, Tremadog.  They have the most enticing cave bar which used to be the cellar until it was transformed into a welcoming alcove for the public to enjoy their favourite brew.  When we were there last summer I was very pleased to see Purple Moose brewery’s multi-award winning Dark Side of the Moose on tap.  Available at last year’s Belfast Beer and Cider Festival, it’s a delicious dark ale with a deep fruity bitterness that hits the right spot after a day’s riding along stunning mountain roads.

Also of note in the bar were two of Conwy brewery’s offerings; Welsh Pride - a copper coloured malty bitter with a suggestion of orangey spice as well as the 2012 Speciality Beer of Wales winner Honey Fayre – a light summery golden ale with a pleasantly not overpowering honey aftertaste.

And to top it all off when we had our fill of ale and delicious food from the kitchen, we all retired to one of their 5 plush, luxurious bedrooms.  This biking lark’s great craic eh?

Since our visit there last summer I’ve been told The Golden Fleece Inn has bought Tremadog’s Royal Madoc Hotel across the road. So I expect their ale repertoire to increase as time passes.

Leaving the village and riding down the coastline on a gloriously sunny day (with the odd mechanical glitch along the way) we were glad to finally arrive at our next destination.

Sixty miles south of the Golden Fleece, just west of Aberystwyth, we paid a visit to what is claimed to be the UK’s smallest commercial brewery.  

Bragdy Gwynant Brewery beside The Tynllidiart Arms, Capel Bangor used to be an outside toilet! (Insert your own loo-based pun here please.)   Known to the locals as The Tyn, this charming pub is over 300 years old and reputedly home to a local ghost. And before you ask, no they don't serve York Brewery's Centurion's Ghost Ale.  However they do have four local ales including its own brew - Cwrw Gwynant - a 4.5% amber bitter with a slightly sweet taste that certainly goes down well on a summer's day.  The Tyn is most definitely worth a visit - even just for the quirkiness of the tiny brewery beside the pub's front door.

Right that's it for now.  I'll let you know soon how the Riders of the Lost? Ark got on for the 2013 tour - a 1,200 mile charity trek of the Irish coastline from County Antrim through Dublin, Cork, Galway, Donegal and back home.  We'll be visiting some brewpubs along the way and of course sampling the best ales this island has to offer. 

Sláinte.