There just isn't enough low alcohol session ale around Ireland. The only draught bitter available at the moment is The Porterhouse's TSB, which for some strange reason I got a freezing cold pint of the other day instead of the usual cellar-ish temperature. It didn't taste the same either, though on a recent Irish Craft Brewer tour of their brewery they did mention a few changes around the place.Drinking full flavour low alcohol ale is a real joy. I like to be able to put away a few pints, enjoying every last drop and still be in a respectable state afterwards, so I was very happy to come across this 3.2% ABV bitter in the off license last week. Sadly the cost of bottled English ale in Ireland prevented me from grabbing a multiple of it, but it's good to see such beer hitting the Irish shores. I had previously tried Brakspear Triple and found it to be an immensely complex beer with flavours I couldn't hope to pin down. Their Bitter clearly indicates that a specific yeast strain is responsible for this flavour mix because it is as complex as the Triple, but the over all flavour isn't as intense. There is a satisfying lengthy bitterness balanced well with rich malt followed up with a mesmerising mix of flavours and aromas stemming from a combination of English Fuggles and yeast effort. Over all a very enjoyable session ale with a flavour profile you won't confuse with any other.
4 comments:
Magnificent picture. You may recognise the beer in this one.
I've never tried any Brakspear beers, but I have one lined up for tasting some time soon. And there definitely isn't enough sub-4% beer in Ireland.
I recently discovered this one myself. It is pretty packed with flavour, but at that strength you could see yourself knocking back a few.
There's a nice video of the brewing process on their website, including the double drop fermentation.
I took a look the video of their site and there's a bit more to the double drop than I thought.
The notion of leaving behind break material is obvious enough, but they seem to stress the extra aeration created which must contribute something to the flavour.
I'm just back from a trip to England. I really liked a lot of those session beers with lower alcohol. It's a great idea being able to have a few without falling over. Could help with all this binge drinking they are concerned with at the moment.
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