Your First Tasty Beer Moment?

The journey to discovering craft beer and real ale (let's band them together and use the term 'tasty beer') is long and winding for some.  Less so others.  I'm in the 'some' category.

My earliest memories of beer in the early 1980s are of an uncle drinking cans of Carlsberg Special Brew and my Dad having the occasional Satzenbrau in the rugby club.  Fast forward ten years to the early 90s and I discover the world of 0.5% Shandy Bass - please don't laugh - followed by pints of snakebite or purple nasties on a Saturday night while grooving in a club to the likes of The Shamen and Utah Saints.  Remember them? 

The lager-with-flavouring phase naturally led onto the lager-with-no-flavouring phase.  Literally.  No flavour.  Yellow bland fizzy beer-water that's guzzled by the million (or so) pint load every weekend across Northern Ireland.  With this country being a real ale desert, especially in the 90s, there was little or no choice for young folk to develop a taste for something different from the usual Harp-Tennents-Bud etc.  Belfast may have had one or two choices but in every town, choice was zero.  I studied in Scotland but even in the town where I lived there was little choice.  I recall feeling like death after a night of drinking Bass and said I'd never touch the stuff again - although maybe the bottle of Blue Curacao I also had that night was to blame?  Perhaps.

It was the desire for choice, as well as a developing palate and badgering by my brother, that eventually led me to drinking Guinness.   It wasn't yellow or fizzy.  The black stuff just about sufficed for a few years but I wanted more.  I wanted ... different.  Then it happened.  

The May Day weekend of 2009.

That's when I took part in a charity motorcycle ride from Northern Ireland to the Isle of Skye.  The first night we stopped into the enchanting Drover's Inn near Loch Lomond where I discovered Deuchars IPA and the legendary Monster Burger.  The burger comes with its own defibrilator. 

That was followed the next night on Skye, by the Isle of Skye Brewing's Hebridean Gold (now called Skye Gold) and Williams' Fraoch Heather Ale.  Manna from heaven!  Another bike tour of Devon and Cornwall happened later that summer and the rest, as they say, is history.  

So when you're buying your next bottle or pint of 'tasty beer' be thankful for the choice and that it's not 1992.  I don't think I could re-live Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart.

Dublin Craft Beer Pubs - An Outsider's View

(Published May 2014)

I'd not been out pubbing in Dublin for a quite a while.  So for my birthday Mrs W and I decided (well, I decided, really) to spend a couple of days down south seeing what it has to offer in terms of quality establishments that serve more than just Guinness and Carlsberg.  This is by no means an exhaustive compilation of good craft bars, it's a solely a list of where we went - many thanks to Wayne (IrishBeerSnob.com) for the assistance.   If you do happen to be looking for good pubs in the city, you should download the Beoir Pubfinder mobile app.

Arriving into Connolly Station after being on a train for two hours more than prepares you for pub lunch and first stop was The Brewdock, right across the road from the station. 
1 Amiens Street, Dublin 1
www.galwaybaybrewery.com/brewdock

There's an air of excited anticipation when you enter a bar like this, with its many pumps (2 cask) and array of Galway Bay brews.  I'd heard nothing but good things about the 2014 Beoir winner Of Foam and Fury so dived head first into that along with a hearty bowl of coddle. A couple of other Galway brews followed including the simply awesome chocolate stout Buried at Sea but this is a pub review not a beer review, so I'll have to move on.  Lovely little pub, great beer selection and friendly staff.

Galway Bay pumps at The Brewdock

Ten minutes walk to the bottom of O'Connell St and across the River Liffey stands JW Sweetman.
1-2 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2
www.jwsweetman.ie
The only pub in Dublin with its own onsite microbrewery, at least 5 beers are produced here. Also known for beer cocktails and good hearty carvery lunches.  The staff are very chatty, knowledgeable and personable.  While here I tried the JW Sorachi Zuki, a dark brown ale that was surprisingly sharp and bitter.

Next up was Farrington's (now re-named the Norseman) pub set in the heart of the city's famous and sometimes rather expensive Temple Bar district.
28 Eustace Street, Dublin 2
www.thesmithgroup.ie/farringtons
Many, many competitively priced beers available here from all over Ireland, including Kinsale's 9% Double IPA - Beoir #1.  A bit like Of Foam and Fury, very tasty but don't have too many or you may forget your name.  This pub has an excellent beer range with very friendly and informative staff.

Farrington's, Temple Bar

A two minute walk down the cobbled Essex Street and you arrive at the oldest craft beer bar in the city, the well known Porterhouse.  
16-18 Parliament Street, Dublin 2
www.porterhousebrewco.com/bars-dublin-temple.php
A good selection of their own brews - they no longer brew on site due to demand - as well as many local and world bottled ales are on offer.  Take a look at their beer menu, it's ... comprehensive.  

From there head across the River Liffey and up Capel Street to another Galway Bay owned establishment, The Black Sheep.
61 Capel St, Dublin 1
www.galwaybaybrewery.com/blacksheep
Airy and spacious with sunlight streaming in during the afternoon (if you're lucky), this is where I first tried Trouble Brewing's Graffiti (Co. Kildare) as well as a bottle of Kinnegar's Long Tongue (Co. Donegal).  I have to admit the Long Tongue was one of my favourites of the Dublin stay, a well rounded rye ale with a very, very tasty addition of pumpkin and ginger.

Two minutes walk up the vibrant Capel Street is The Beerhouse.
84 Capel Street, Dublin 1
www.beerhousedublin.com
A cosy little pub with a small bar in the corner near the door.  The quirky chairs and lights resemble items that used to be in my granny's front room and the old board games are to be welcomed.  Quite a few pumps despite the bar size.  I opted for another newbie to me, White Gypsy's Blond Weiss beer (Co. Tipperary).  This was another favourite of the day - vibrant, zingy and refreshing. Very sessionable on a warm sunny day.

While you're in that area of Dublin, take a trip to the renowned L Mulligan Grocer.
18 Stoneybatter, Dublin 7
www.lmulligangrocer.com
On a recommendation, Mrs W and I took a taxi there for lunch on the Thursday but were surprised to find the place closed and not open Mon-Thu until 4pm. Fri-Sun open 12.30pm - just so you know!
After our frustration had subsided and we'd had a few drinks in the aforementioned Porterhouse, Black Sheep and Beerhouse, we returned to happily find it open for tea.  A vast selection of bottled and draught international and local craft beers are available - I opted for Dogfish's My Antonia (Delaware, USA) and Camden Town's Gentleman's Wit (London).  However what really stands out here is the food.  It's delicious and well worth making the trip out to the Stoneybatter area. You could do a lot worse in the city.

The Bull and Castle is situated on the corner of the road opposite Christchurch Cathedral.
5-7 Lord Edward Street, Dublin 7
bull-and-castle.fxbuckley.ie
I have to be honest here and confess both Mrs W and I were not enamoured with this place but I feel the need to add criticisms as well as praise in this blog review.  From the moment we walked in we were greeted by a manager/head waiter who looked as if he wanted to rip our heads off.  He then showed us to a table near the door and when I asked if we could sit further up closer to the bar (as there were lots of empty tables) we were flatly refused as apparenly they are for food diners only.  Again in a tone that suggested the only eating done would be him ... eating us alive.  I had a half pint and left.

The final bar of our stay was 57 The Headline.  It was recommended to us by Shane, a friendly barman at The Norseman.
118 South Circular Road, Crumlin, Dublin
www.facebook.com/57theheadline
Although The Headline Bar is this list's furthest out of town pub (5 min taxi), it was a welcoming place with great pies and a good selection of Irish beer.  It opens from 3pm and has a few trial beer specials.  One of these was one of my favourites, Franciscan Well's fruity and spicy Saison Spring Ale. That, combined with chicken pie and pickled gherkins, made for a very palatable late lunch.

The Headline Bar

So there you have it, a list of all the pubs we visited on our stay in Dublin.  Plenty more bars are available of course but that's a snapshot.  Hopefully it'll not be long until I'm back savouring the city's delights.  Sláinte!

@roywillighan

Beer Place Names Part 5

First of all, I just wanna point out the change of name to this blog.  Quare Swally seemed like a more appropriate title for a beer blog from Northern Ireland plus it's a wee play on the well known book title Where's Wally?  So Quare Swally it is then.
-----
Just like the Rocky or Die Hard series, you can't keep a good thing down.  

Although - granted - they were both ever so slightly more entertaining than these beer place name blog shenanigans.   I'd mentioned in part 4 it was becoming more difficult to do these as Northern Ireland isn't the biggest of places, which is why part 5 begins in County Donegal.  So let's cross the border, live a little, be risqué and all that crap.

Mrs W and I had a wee hotel break planned in North Donegal at the start of March, so it would be foolish of this blogger not to take advantage of some of the great beers that Donegal has to offer.  As well as taking a few photos in front of the relevant signs of course.

First up was easy enough, the tasty Donegal Blonde with, naturally, a blonde.  Well why not? Nuff said.

Next was the turn of Kinnegar Brewery - their range is named after small places near the brewery like a sea rock (Limeburner), field (Yannaroddy) or bay (Scraggy Bay).  It was always difficult to do these beers but I did manage to find the mountain near Rathmullan which gives its name to their Devil's Backbone!  We also drove up north of Downings to try and find the Limeburner but to no avail.  That adventure included multiple u-turns, ending up in caravan parks and climbing hills and rocks.  T'was a long afternoon, especially with a 2 year old in tow!

In April I was in Fermanagh meeting up with Gordy Fallis from Inishmacsaint brewery.  We had a good afternoon chatting over a couple of pints of a fantastic new bog myrtle beer he'd just brewed.  Man it was tasty!  Here's hoping he can develop it further - depending on factors such as getting the time and manpower to pick bog myrtle!  Does anyone wanna pick Fermanagh bog myrtle for a few hours? 

While I was there I reacquainted myself with his Lough Erne brown porter which I'd first tried at the Belfast Beer and Cider Festival last November. Handy for a photo, as I was staying at...?

So place names part 6 beckons?  I've no idea what that holds!

The previous beer place name blogs can be viewed here

Part 4, Part 3, Part 2, Part 1

An Independent Scottish Hike?

I love Scotland.  I studied in Fife in the mid 1990s.  I have Scottish friends.   I've made numerous motorbike trips to the outer (and inner) wilds of Scotland to experience its cracking roads, stunningly beautiful countryside and enjoy a bit of craic with friendly natives from the Cairngorms, Argyll, Hebrides, Inverness and everywhere in between.  And what's the best plan after riding a couple of hundred miles through the stunning Highlands to your accommodation?  Why, let me think... is the answer... heading to the local pub for a well deserved couple of jars of local beer?  Damn right it is, give that man a gold star!  Whether it's small breweries like Moulin (Pitlochrie) or Colonsay (Isle of Colonsay) or a more familiar name such as Williams Brothers (Alloa) or Fyne Ales (Argyll), I'd rather have a Scottish beer while in Scotland.  Makes sense.  

Eilean Donan Castle (used for Highlander film)

I also enjoy many Scottish brews at home and in selected pubs in the greater Belfast area.  But with the Scottish Independence vote looming, what would happen if there's a breakup of the union?  As Scotland would no longer be part of the EU, what would this mean for pricing of Scottish beers?  I recently read a motorbike magazine article asking valid questions about border control, insurance premiums etc so what would happen to the beer world?   And lets get this correct from the outset - this is a non-political question not about the whys and wherefores of the UK.  It's a straight up, genuine concern that if Scotland was to break from the UK, would that make life worse for us as UK drinkers?

Speaking to brewer Angus MacRuary of Isle of Skye Brewing Company (creators of the very tasty Skye Gold - made with porridge oats), he's hopeful that if it did happen, little would change regards exporting of Scottish beers to the UK.

"Importing beer from Scotland would be the same as importing from any other country, the only difference being the paperwork required between the EU and the rest of the world.  It may be that the admin cost of this will add slightly to the price but the paperwork is not arduous so I wouldn't anticipate that."  Angus added the 'Yes Scotland' campaign said they would look into the issue but have yet to get back to him.  

I also contacted 'Yes Scotland' and 'Better Together' but haven't had any reply. Political types, huh?  

Williams Brothers Brewing, makers of big sellers in NI such as Fraoch Heather Ale, Joker IPA and Grozet, say it's hard to predict what will happen to prices. "Economic factors would suggest prices would stay comparable with UK. An independent Scotland would want to keep as much trade and sales links in the UK as possible."

So maybe there's not that much to be worried about?  Perhaps my fear should be turned towards having to deal with potential fare hikes when my bike and I board the ferry in anticipation of another rip-roaring blast along the A82 through Glencoe?

Down on the Farm...

The past twelve to eighteen months have been fantastic for the Ulster beer scene. 

Alongside the established and newer breweries, since late 2012 this small part of the world has seen the introduction of Sheelin, Pokertree, Red Hand, ClearSky, Kinnegar, Muckish Mountain and Donegal Brewing (I referred to Ulster instead of Northern Ireland as I wanted to include the last three there from County Donegal). 

Add to that list the newest baby to the fold, Farmageddon Brewing Co-op.  Based just outside Ballygowan in County Down, they have just last week released three new brews to the eternally grateful Norn Iron following.  So how do they fare?  Let's start with the Gold Pale Ale.

This 4.2% ABV gold pale ale is well carbonated and light and floral on the nose.  The floral theme continues into the taste combining with elements of sharp grapefruit citrus.  The citrus continued to develop with each mouthful and although I enjoyed the Gold, I don't think it's a beer I could enjoy over and over again in one go.  If you're a fan of light ales that pack a punch of grapefruit flavour, then this is for you.

I was much more satisfied, however, with the deeper and darker India Pale Ale.  It has a higher alcohol content at 5.5% although it really isn't noticeable.  
What is noticeable though is the mellow sweetness of the India compared to the Gold.  Where the Gold has a citrus bang, the India is much more rounded and smoother.  Caramel tones exude from this beer and it's an ale that I could enjoy frequently in one session.

Finally the 5.2% India Export Porter.  I'm a fan of porters and I was looking forward to this one most. Excellent carbonation, a great dark brown colour with a not-overpowering aroma of coffee.  On tasting, dark chocolate and bitter espresso came to mind.  This was polished off in no time at all, another quality brew.

By their own admission, Farmageddon have big plans for the year ahead. They're planning specials such as a Cascadian Dark ale, Single.Malt.And.Single.Hop aka S.M.A.S.H (various different hop types) as well as a Rye pale ale, a dubbell, double IPA and Imperial stout. 

They've also planted 360 heritage cider apple trees and hope to reap the rewards of that in the next year or so!

I always thought 'armageddon' meant 'end of the world' but after tasting their three new brews I really hope that rather being the end, this is the start of a great new chapter for the Ballygowan business. Maybe they should be renamed ... Genesis?

Money Talks - A Rant

For this post I’m in danger of biting the hand that feeds me.  I’ve been concerned about a particular subject for a while now and, speaking to some other beer fans, I know I’m not alone when I say I feel aggrieved by the rising price of craft beer in off-licences.  

Naturally many will say “Ah well you get what you pay for” and generally I agree.  Of course I’d rather pay a couple of quid for a bottle of decent, tasty beer than 70p for a can of overfizzed bland yellow water. However I’m not talking about the broad scope of craft beers or real ales that are becoming more common on the off-licence shelves but those beers that are new or (and I hate to use this word) exclusive to some retailers.  You know the ones, crafted from a carefully balanced mixture of smoked unicorn’s tears and wonderberries from South East Mordor – or wherever.

Am I willing to pay over 4 quid for a pint bottle from the offie?  No I’m not.  I see no reason why most crafts cannot be priced at under £3 per pint bottle. Anything over this is, frankly, taking the piss and sticking the arm into us beer lovers who prefer to sup something well brewed.  Many great brews can be bought for £2 - £2.60 so what makes things different for other brews?  Why should I pay £3.50 - £4 for a beer from the off-licence when it’s that price in the pub? 

I’m not made of money and more and more now I visit certain places to peruse the craft selection only to become riled by the ridiculous prices.  Is the price reflective of the new trend of crafts?  Is it really production costs?  Are retailers setting these prices because it’s suddenly trendy to buy a few bottles of ale?  If that’s the case, then the craft scene will sadly die very quickly.  

Money is tight in these times and producers/retailers need to understand that for us consumers there are fine lines between choice, desire and affordability.  Simply by reducing prices, in some cases by only 50 pence, a beer becomes more appealing.

As I said at the beginning, I’m probably gonna upset a lot of folk here but que sera, sera.  I want to reach out to those who feel the same as me.  You’re not alone, I too am fed up with crazy pricing and unless things change, I for one won’t be buying many overpriced beers.  Unicorn’s tears or not.

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?

FACEPALM!

Beer Place Names Part 4

It’s becoming more difficult you know.

In the autumn of 2012 I started a little quest to take as many photographs of locally produced bottles of beer.  Not just any old photos you understand but photos of a bottle in front of a road sign or placename that also bore the ale’s title.  Inishmacsaint beer on Inishmacsaint island in Fermanagh, Hilden’s Titanic Beer in front of the Titanic Museum etc.  In previous ramblings, I had collated twelve such photographs featuring Hilden, Ards Brewing Co, Whitewater, Inishmacsaint and Clanconnel.  They can be seen in earlier blogs on here and on the CAMRA NI website.

But there was always going to be a finite number of shots to take and I’d started to exhaust all local beers with a place name in the title.  However a couple more have been added to the list thanks to Ards Brewing and one of the new kids on the block, Sheelin Brewery. 

Based in the village of Bellanaleck just outside Enniskillen, the thatched roof Sheelin complex accommodates three businesses – brewery, tea room and lace museum.  Now I’m not much into the history of fabric but I am partial to a jam scone and even more interested in a flavoursome local beer.

So one August afternoon en route to County Mayo, Gillian and I called into Bellanaleck and were made to feel very welcome by owner and head brewer George Cathcart.

After the tea and scones were demolished in the tea room we had a whistle stop tour of his brewery before being handed a sample of the new fresh and light Sheelin Blonde Ale.  There’s one for the photo place names album I thought instantly.  Nice one.  

Ards Brewing Co is a microbrewery based outside Greyabbey on the Ards peninsula.  Established in 2011 and mentioned in my previous blogs they produce quality brews such as Pig Island pale ale, Ballyblack stout and Cardy Man stout.  Those three have already been photographed in front of Pig Island in Strangford Lough and Co. Down roadsigns for Ballyblack Rd and Cardy Road. 

A recent Ards brew was Bittles Citra Autumn Ale, exclusively available to Bittles Bar in Belfast.  This zesty 5.1% ABV beer has undertones of grapefruit and passion fruit and is highly quaffable.  If you haven’t grabbed one by now, chances are they’re already gone.  You can follow both Sheelin and Ards on facebook and twitter.

So I said at the start it’s becoming more difficult.  Further beer place name photo opportunities are few and far between now but if you have any ideas or thoughts of where I could go next, let me know here or on twitter @roywillighan

It's your round you say?

Cheers.

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!

Beer Place Names Part 3

So I said before that it started with Inishmacsaint.

Previously I told the story of how I developed a bit of a fascination with Inishmacsaint beer from Fermanagh.  I initially became engrossed with finding out about the name and history of Inishmacsaint island - and this developed into thinking about travelling there to have a photo taken with the beer bottle in front of the Inishmacsaint sign and cross.  I detailed how I visited other areas closer to my home in Carrickfergus to have photos with beers such as Hilden Halt at the Hilden railway stop, Titanic beer at Titanic Visitor Centre and the Ards Brewing Ballyblack stout on Ballyblack Road near Newtownards.  You get the idea.

Well as Lieutenant George exclaimed on Blackadder Goes Forth “Cover me in eggs and flour and bake me for 40 minutes!” – I only managed to get to Inishmacsaint island folks!  Calm yourself, I know you’re all aghast yet slightly intrigued.  Or maybe not, but I’ll tell you my story of white shorts, mud, high-heels and piggy-backs anyway.  Ah, interested now?

Eight miles from Enniskillen, Inishmacsaint island sits in Lower Lough Erne and can be reached by travelling just past Lough Erne Golf Resort.  Once off the road, access to the island is by foot via a bridge.  The last time I had intent to pass this way, I made sure a bottle of this hazy delight was firmly secured in the back of the car and so my wife and I headed off on a gloriously sunny day to County Fermanagh.

After a couple of hours driving we pulled up in a car park beside the island and started to make the 2 minute walk to the bridge when – BANG!  In front of us were the largest puddles you’ve ever seen.  Did I mention there was a monsoon the previous day?  Did I mention I was donning white shorts? Did I mention Gillian was wearing heels?  Ah, right.

Nevertheless, let’s do this.  There’s a grassy bank to the side and she can jump on my back.  Forget the fact there are two men digging in the car park who are bound to wet themselves laughing at us.  

Well what a sight we must have been, like some sort of piggy-backing half-wits just let out of the asylum, we intrepidly made our way through muddy puddles (for parents who are subjected to Peppa Pig there’s an obvious joke in there) to reach the bridge, only to be met with similar nastiness on the other side.  Argh!  Whose idea was it to wear white shorts and trainers and not bring wellies? 

Anyway, we eventually reached the elusive 6^th century Inishmacsaint monastic ruin and were slightly in awe of the 12^th century high cross, thinking of the history of the island and what life must have been like all those hundreds of years ago.  Thinking over, we scrambled to a decent photo spot with bottle in hand.  Can you imagine if we had reached the island after all that kerfuffle only to realise that we’d left the bottle in the car?  ‘Murder on Inishmacsaint’ sounds like a great novel title doesn’t it?

Feeling accomplished, relieved and reflective we headed back down the hill towards the bridge (again with Gillian on my back – remember the heels?) and guess what – the huge muddy puddles hadn’t gone away.  “Drat” I said, or maybe something a bit stronger.  And so the return journey was much the same as the outward journey – namely Gillian on my back, me getting bogged down in, er, a bog and both of us laughing hysterically at the whole thing.  

Alas the white/brown trainers didn’t make it much further. Once we got back to the car they were binned and we both still felt like kids giggling uncontrollably.  Memories are made of those days!

Next time you’re passing down Fermanagh way (or if you’re already there), take a wee trip along the main Enniskillen to Belleek road and near the Lough Erne Golf Resort take the small side road marked ‘Camagh Bay Jetty and Slipway’ – strangely there’s no indication for Inishmacsaint from the main road.  Ideally go just after a rainstorm (ahem) and indulge yourself in the calm and tranquillity of the island – let’s hope there are no guffawing idiots nearby.  And have a pint of Fermanagh beer later that evening. 

Cheers!

Beer Place Names Part 2

So I said before that it started with Inishmacsaint.

Previously I told the story of how I developed a bit of a fascination with Inishmacsaint beer from Fermanagh.  I initially became engrossed with finding out about the name and history of Inishmacsaint island - and this developed into thinking about travelling there to have a photo taken with the beer bottle in front of the Inishmacsaint sign.  This quickly developed to other places in Northern Ireland that were closer to me (in Carrickfergus). Whitewater’s Belfast Lager and Clotworthy Dobbin (Antrim), Hilden’s Halt and Cathedral beer and Ards Brewing Co’s Ballyblack were all done and dusted with relative ease.  

However some others such as Ards Pig Island was another matter altogether.  The brewery is extremely small and production has been scaled down even more as the owner is in the process of building a bigger brewhouse. So imagine my surprise when I ventured into one of my favourite bars, Bittles in Belfast, and there in all its piggy glory were rows of Pig Island! Well you could have knocked me down with an “oink”.  Tasty too, a wonderfully refreshing pale ale with a background hint of orange marmalade.  If you ever have the good fortune to see Pig Island beer, give it a try.

With the bottle secured for future photographic fame all I had to do now was find the island - easier said than done. Sure it might be common knowledge to you if you live near Greyabbey on the Ards peninsula, but I’m a County Antrim man and (in a John Wayne accent) “I ain’t from around these parts boy”.

Tinterweb’s a wonderful thing though, a lot of time spent looking at OS references and Google maps led me to where I had to go and the snap was duly taken (complete with Monty Python-esque finger). Charles at the brewery got to hear of my little mission and also informed me of another of his occasional brews made with cardamom called Cardy Man. Quite a good play on the name I thought. And guess what, Cardy Road is in Greyabbey. Get in there, that’s another photo in the can – or should that be in the bottle.

Other pics in this article include Hilden Scullions at Scullion’s Road in Mallusk as well their Titanic beer outside the Titanic Visitor Centre.  The only problem with that taking that photo was the waiting and waiting…and more waiting for tourists to disappear so no-one would be in the shot!  I think I had a 5 second window to take the photo before another American appeared, waxing the usual lyrical about how their great aunt Sadie came from Cork.

So quite a wee collection of Northern Ireland beer place names are being built up –

ARDS BREWING: Pig Island / Ballyblack / Cardy Man;

HILDEN: Halt / Scullions / Titanic / Cathedral;

Whitewater: Clotworthy Dobbin / Belfast Lager;

COLLEGE GREEN: Belfast Blonde;

CLANCONNEL: Weaver’s Gold

Oh yeah, and I still haven’t been to Inishmacsaint!