O'Hara's Hop Adventure Series: Sorachi Ace

Hi everyone, it’s been a long time since my last post and I apologise for the large gap in time.

Things have been really busy, however we are now back. Some exciting progress is being made in relation to the new launch of the GenuineBeerBlog.com , which will hopefully be up and running in the next few months.

 

Now I mentioned we were back and back with a great new beer to the market.

O’Hara’s have launched a new beer that focuses on a single hop variety. They have called this the Hop Adventures Series, with the hop of choice this time around being the ‘Sorachi Ace’ from Japan. This hop variety originates from Hokkaido, Japan making it very unique in comparison to other hops that are used more mainstream in most western beer varieties.

The amount of speciality malts used in this beer were reduced in an effort for the hop aroma and flavour to take centre stage and be at the forefront of this beer. This light golden beer has a strong lemongrass aroma, giving it that citrus feel. There is also a subtle coconut aroma that develops over time.

The flavour of this beer is something very unique, with every mouthful of this beer a new, intriguing flavour develops, being built upon every time you take a gulp. There are strong zesty notes of lemongrass, which take centre stage until the subtle coconut comes in, along with some herbal notes, such as coriander.

This is a really light beer, that you can take your time drinking as its really is something different and special. There are good levels of bitterness without being overpowering and has a nice dry finish.

I was really surprised at the flavour of this beer as it was so different to the other varieties of beer that O’Hara’s have on offer. I am a big fan of other O’Hara’s beers, however this one really is in a different category all together, in relation to its flavour profile. The light, crisp nature of this beer makes it perfect for the hot summer months, to be enjoyed out in the sun with a BBQ, perfect with chicken or salmon dishes.

On the whole I was really impressed with this new Hop Adventure Series, and an adventure you really will get. I look forward to the next in the series, if this one is anything to go by, we are in for a real treat.

The O’Hara’s Hop Adventure Series ‘Sorachi Ace’ comes in at 5% ABV and is currently available in select bars, independent off-licences and retailers now and has an RRP of €2.99 per bottle.

I encourage you all to go out there and try something different

 

 

*Gifted Item

  

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Kinsale Brings a Brand New Craft Brewery to Town :D

Hey everyone, today's post is a really exciting review of a brand new Craft Brewery from Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland. Hope you all Enjoy :D

The Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery
From Humble beginnings comes a fantastic new brewing company down in Kinsale Co. Cork. Like most of us avid beer drinkers and brewers there is always a dream to produce and supply the public with your own beer, for the Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery this is no longer a dream. This new brewing company started off with a little brewing time in another fantastic brewers headquarters down in Cork,  the Eight Degrees brewery. This gave the guys a chance to start making their first beer, their Pale Ale, which allowed them to get their new beer out to the public as quick as possible. This brewing time acted as a great learning tool for the guys and allowed them to really harness in and perfect that first beer that would be presented to the public. 

As with us all there was deliberation as to whether to start off with a safe Pale Ale or to really push the boundries and make a beer that they love and one that they would want to drink, so this is what they did. They put aside all the boring, plain, pale ales that are out there and really started to work on a recipe that would wow all of its drinkers. This Pale Ale has a great balance of Citra and Cascade hops bringing a whole new dimension to the beer. Several batches of this beer where made in order to really bring a brand new, quality Pale Ale to the public and boy have they made an impression. 

This is what the guys over at the Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery had to say about their Pale Ale:
"This beer is mostly about the hops but there is some nice biscuit like character in there as well. Being based in Kinsale we also wanted to make a beer that could be paired well with food, and give local restaurants a gourmet beer option for their menu's. The beer works really well with seafood as well as going great with spicy food and anything from the BBQ.  I think the profile and bitterness level is spot on for a Pale Ale but we look forward to bringing in more bittering and hops in our IPA series." 

I was lucky enough to give this Pale Ale a try and I can't tell you how blown away I was with it, it is absolutely fantastic. Here is a full beer review really giving you all an idea of the true character of the Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery's Pale Ale.

Beer Name:
Pale Ale

Brewery:
Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery

Alcoholic Percentage:

5.0% Vol

Measure:

330ml

Taste:

Strong Hops, Smooth, Slight Sweetness, Bitter After Taste

Colour:

Deep Orange

Odour:

Strong Hops, Slight Citrus, Slight Tropical fruits

General Thoughts:

The Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery Pale Ale is a great, full bodied Pale Ale, which packs a real hops punch, which I love. There is a bitterness that comes from the two hop varieties used in the beer, Citra and Cascade, this gives the beer a real moreish quality, making you want to keep going back for more and more. The Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery Pale Ale is a real easy drinking beer, smooth and full of well rounded flavours, ranging from slight tropical fruit notes, to citrus notes, all the way through to the mouth watering grapefruit flavours. There is a slight bitter after taste which helps keep the drinker interested. There is little to medium carbonation in this beer, making it nice and refreshing, perfect for those summer nights and days, drinking in the sun while cracking out the BBQ. This beer really blew me away, for a breweries first attempts at a mass produced craft beer, this just knocks you for six. I was absolutely amazed by it and really cannot wait to get out to the shops and get myself a crate of this fantastic beer. If a brewing company can make a beer like this on their first attempt then I am really excited about what the future has in store for the Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery and what other new beers will be coming our way in the future. I know one thing, I cannot wait to get my hands on them. All in all a fantastic start to the Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery's beers, not only making a great beer, but one that is truly different and memorable.

Some Important Information:
The official launch of the Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery Pale Ale is Friday 28^th June in The folk house in Kinsale. Many local pubs and restaurants are stocking the beer so far and they hope to have it in most places by the end of June.

They will also be rolling out the Pale Ale to other Cork Venues and Dublin Venues in the next couple of months, more on this will be available in the coming weeks.

Shane

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IPA: The Origins and Beyond !!!!

Hey Everyone, it's Saturday and the long awaited weekend has arrived. Today I thought I would do something a little different and give a little bit of history behind my favourite beer style and then give a comparison between two beers in that style, one exceptional one and one that I didn't enjoy as much.

So the beer style that I have decided to look at today is:

IPA (India Pale Ale)

There are a huge variety of IPA's out there on the beer market, which is great for someone who loves IPA as much as me, this also means that there is a lot of competition amongst breweries and brewing companies to try and make the best IPA that they can. Today's post will only be looking at standard IPA's rather than Black IPA's which I will cover at a later date.

A Brief History:

http://frothnhops.com/images/IPA/hodgson.jpg

Pale Ale was a beer that was being made in England, United Kingdom for a long time, an early example of this was in the late 18th century by a brewer by the name of George Hodgson from the Bow Brewery. The term pale ale originates from the use of the pale malt that was used in the brewing process to make these beers, however this then changed over time and the term pale ale was more attributed to the pale colour of the beer that you would get from the malting process by the way that this was used.
    The pale ale that was being made was becoming such a hit that it was being shipped over to India where it was also well received and a high demand for the beer was achieved  This is where the term India Pale Ale comes from. Some companies over the years have got rid of the India aspect of the name and have just stuck to the Pale Ale name, however the process that they would use would be the same as what was used in the IPA's. IPA's took off everywhere and different countries started to make their own variations of the classic.

http://blog.newsok.com/thirstybeagle/files/2011/08/Hops.jpg

America, Australia and Canada are to name a few that have taken the IPA to a whole new level with innovation and experimentation to make some exceptional beers over the years. American IPA's tend to focus on a specific hop or mixture of hops that originate from America, for example Chinook, Simcoe and Amarillo, whereas an English IPA would focus more on their hop varieties, for example Fuggles and Golding.

For me some of my favourite and best IPA's come from America. I  feel that America has really perfected their IPA's and produce some amazing and innovative beers. The main thing for me is the strong hops flavour that you get in a American IPA, this is a fundamental quality in a great IPA for me.

Here are two IPA's that I have reviewed in the past, both from America, but both so different from each other. One of these IPA's is a really exceptional beer and one that I would drink all day long, the other is a nice beer but has a very unique flavour to it that didn't appeal to me as much, however it is still a great example of an American IPA.

Comparison:

Raging Bitch IPA: Flying Dog Brewery

 
This is a really exceptional IPA, with a slight citrus note to it. This IPA is deep, rich, full of flavour, with a fantastic refreshing quality to it. This beer is strong in hops flavour and has a brilliantly balanced feel. This beer comes in at 8.3% ABV, however it is so well balanced that it doesn't taste overpowering in alcohol at all.



Yellow Snow IPA: Rogue , Oregon Brewing Company

This is a really interesting IPA, again with a slight citrus note to it. This beer has a slight sweetness to it, which is then rounded off with a bitter after taste. Again this beer has a strong hops flavour to it, however this beer has a kind of metallic aftertaste that I didn't enjoy. This beer is also refreshing and smooth with an overall nice flavour to it. The ABV of this beer is 5.8%, which again is not something you pick up on from drinking the beer.


(For the full beer reviews, just click on the names above)

My Thoughts:
The reason that I enjoy IPA's so much is down to their strong hops flavour and bitterness that gives the beer a moreish quality, making you want to just go back for more and more. I really do recommend trying an IPA to anyone that may not have, they really are fantastic and you will never go back to lager after drinking one of these.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and whether you like IPA's or maybe a different style of beer. Equally I would love to hear your suggestions for other IPA's that I should give a go. Leave you comments in the comments box below.

Hope you all enjoy the post, and most of all get out there and enjoy and IPA :) !!!

Shane

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Mac's Hop Rocker Pilsener

Hey Everyone, hope your all enjoying the latest reviews that have been on offer, a varied selection. Also please don't forget to check out this weeks Friday Favourite here. Well on to today's review, hope you all enjoy :)

Beer Name:
Mac's Hop Rocker Pilsener

Brewery:

Mac's

Brewed and Bottled:
111 Carlton Gore Road
Newmarket,
Auckland,
New Zealand

Alcoholic Percentage:

5.0% Vol

Measure:

330ml

Taste:

Hops, Clean, Refreshing, Slight Citrus, Smooth, Slight Bitter After Taste

Colour:

Pale Orange / Yellow

Odour:

Slight Hops

General Thoughts:

Mac's Hop Rocker Pilsener is a very nice, refreshing beer, really pleasing taste. The first thing you get is this slight citrus notes from the hops that are used in this beer giving it its classic Pilsener taste. This is also a very smooth beer, not overly carbonated, but the most memorable thing about this beer is just how refreshing it is. It leaves you mouth with a feeling of all around refreshment which is a great characteristic in a beer. This is a really enjoyable, mellow beer that you would love to have sat there in the sun, sipping away. You would also have no problem going back for one after the next. I was hoping for this beer to pack a little more punch in terms of Hops. I do prefer a Pilsener to have that light, mellow feel but also to pack a punch with deep hops bitterness and flavour. On that note this beer is a little disappointing, however on the whole I was very happy to sit and drink this beer and would recommend this as a good starting point for someone that isn't used to the big powerful hoppy beers. All in all a great, light, mellow refreshing beer. 

Price:

€3.50 (Probus Wines & Spirits 23/11/12)

Shane

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Hop Head !!!!

Hey everyone, firstly thank you for your nominations for your favourite blogs, Please Please Please keep them coming in the form is below, the more the better. Today's review is on an Irish Beer and Brewery. Enjoy :)

Beer Name:
Hop Head

Brewery:

The Porterhouse

Brewed and Bottled:
The Porterhouse Brewing Company,
Dublin,
Ireland






Alcoholic Percentage:

5.0% Vol

Measure:

330ml

Taste:

Strong Hops, Deep Full Flavour, Bitter, Refreshing, Smooth, Rich, Bitter After Taste.

Colour:

Amber, Light Brown

Odour:

Strong Hops, Citrus

General Thoughts:

Hop Head is another great example of a relatively small brewing company based in Dublin making some absolutely amazing and fantastic beer. Hop Head is a really rich, full bodied, deep in flavour beer. It really packs a punch in flavour and will not disappoint the hop lovers out there. This beer is thrice hopped giving it such a deep flavour. It is bitter but yet refreshing, leaves a bitter after taste, but one that makes you just want to go back for more. This beer really stands out from the crowd and this is what I look for in the perfect beer. One that doesn't just sit back and blend in, but one that really packs flavour and really stands out. There is very little carbonation to this beer making it really easy to drink. I highly recommend this beer, the only downside being that there just isn't enough in the bottle it should be 500ml. This beer is so worth the price that you pay, which in my eyes is very cheap for the quality your getting. All in all another fantastic beer to shout about hence its praise and score from me. Well done The Porterhouse.

Price:

€1.99 (based on a Dublin Carry out on the 15/11/2012)

Shane

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