Irish Craft Beers to try if you’re in Ireland

When it comes to Ireland the first thing that comes to mind is green and Guinness but the reality is that Ireland is such a diverse country that forcing him into these two images is far too simplistic. It is no coincidence that in order to celebrate the National identity in the past few years many craft breweries are born all over the country. These breweries differ from the biggest ones both in regards to production mode and even distribution.

A general overview of the Irish craft beers immediately shows that the Irish love to convey the attachment to the country in everything they do, especially when it comes to beer and food.

To celebrate Irish craft beers and the local identity, starting on Sunday, 2nd October, Aldi will sell a huge range of Irish ales and beers from across the country, ranging from crisp pale ales to rich, dark stouts. I’ve had the opportunity to taste (almost) all of the followings and my personal choice would be the Cousin Rosie’s Pale Ale, the Notorious Red and the Foxes Rock India Pale Ale but to be honest there are so many craft beers to taste you cannot miss this opportunity. All of the above craft beers, divided by County, will be on sale at 126 Aldi stores nationwide from Sunday 2nd October 2016 while stocks last.

County Offaly

Bo Bristle IPA 5.0% ABV: This IPA balances passion fruit and tropical fruit hops with biscuity Maris Otter malts to create the distinctive Bo Bristle taste.

Bo Bristle Pilsner 4.4% ABV: A refreshing, medium-full bodied beer using tangy Czech varieties of hops to offer a crisp, bitter finish with a brilliant dense, white head.

County Monaghan

Stony Grey IPA 6.0% ABV: A bottled conditioned beer with a floral pine aroma and flavours of resin and malt spice.

Ulster Black Oatmeal Stout 5.0% ABV: A sweet, toasty oatmeal stout with a dark chocolate and coffee finish.

County Leitrim

Coalface Black IPA 5.5% ABV: An American black ale made from roasted malts that reveal dark chocolate, caramel and coffee flavours with juicy citrus aromas and flavour notes.

Carrig Pilsner 4.8% ABV: A cool classic. The pepper and spice of the Saaz hop balances perfectly with the subtle, sweet malty character of our Carrig Pilsner.

County Mayo

Westport Blond Beer 5.5% ABV: A refreshing golden ale with pear and floral notes. Crisp, clean and flavoursome on the palate, the bitterness from the hops balances perfectly with the malt flavours. Final fermentation occurs in the bottle.

Westporter Stout 5.0% ABV: A dark ruby stout which gives a deliciously sweet and bitter finish to complement the rich coffee and caramel roasted maltiness. Final fermentation occurs in the bottle.

County Limerick

Abbey Stout 4.2% ABV: This stout combines hops with a hint of fruitiness and slightly dry crispness with chocolate malted barley, to give a smooth chocolatey caramel finish.

Balbec IPA 6.0% ABV: A refreshingly spicy, floral and grapefruity beer made from a mix of the finest pale malt, flaked oats, Caramalt and Munich malt. Its clean balanced bitterness makes it the perfect thirst quencher.

County Waterford

Mine Head American Pale Ale 5.5% ABV: It’s all about the citrus flavours of the Cascade hops which is followed by a sweeter toffee and marmalade-like maltiness.

Helvick Gold Irish Blonde Ale 4.9% ABV: A thirst-quenching blonde ale generously hopped to give bitterness and aroma. Unfiltered and unpasteurised for full flavour.

County Longford

St. Mel,s Pale Ale 4.8% ABV: Enjoy the aromas of citrus fruits and pine resin from this lovely pale ale. The fine bitterness is balanced by just the right amount of caramel-like sweetness from the crystal malts in the grist.

St. Mel,s Autumn IPA 5.6% ABV: This year’s Autumn issue has a delicate floral aroma. It begins with hints of mandarin and orange blossom developing into a blackberry-like finish.

County Meath

Born in a Day Pale Ale 4.8% ABV: This ale is reddish brown in colour and has a full
front malt palate with a wow factor at the end.Triple hopped for flavour with Australian Summer Saaz, it gives a lovely, subtle pink grapefruit aroma and a bitter tropical fruit finish.

Long Arm 4.8% ABV : This is a Dortmunder Export Style beer, deep blonde in colour with strong malt character, good hop bitterness and aroma, full mouth feel and well balanced crisp finish.

Brú Dubh 4.2% ABV: A traditional dry Irish stout, brewed using roasted barley and chocolate malt and a heavy magnum hop addition.

Brú Darkside IPA 5.2% ABV: Brewed using Irish barley and wheat, Darkside is a hoppy beer providing a smack of citrus and pine on the palate and floral notes.

County Kildare

Francis’ Big Bangin’ IPA 7.1% ABV: A full-on West Coast style IPA that comes bangin’ down your door with a trio of Columbus, Mosaic and Simcoe hops which give it a tropical balanced flavour with a lingering aftertaste.

Cousin Rosie’s Pale Ale 4.5% ABV: A beautiful hint of tropical fruit, pink grapefruit, orange peel and pine with a pale malt base.

County Carlow

Hop Adventure Series 5.0% ABV: A smooth hop bitterness that leads to a gentle spice and citrus flavour. Dry hopping provides a resinous hoppy finish.

Notorious Red IPA 5.0% ABV: The malt backbone sets the perfect tone with biscuit, caramel and light roast flavours, but the real star is the hop blend that provides a bittering bite with citrus, pine and floral notes that linger on the palate.

County Dublin

Big Hop Red 5.0% ABV: A lively, hoppy red ale with a sweet caramel malt backbone. A light bitterness with lots of piney and zesty hop flavour and aroma.

Wunderbar IPA 6.0% ABV: A wonderful IPA brewed with German hops, lots of fruity tangerine flavour and sweet hop aroma with a punchy bitter kick on the finish.

Boom IPA 4.5% ABV: This sessionable IPA is all about the hops. A solid malt base carries a ton of hop flavour right through the finish.

County Down

Foxes Rock India Pale Ale 5.2% ABV: An American style IPA that is bursting with fruity hop flavour due to infusion from bespoke style hop cannon, balanced with a medium bitterness and malty flavours.

Foxes Rock Stout 4.5% ABV: A smooth and full bodied stout that is completed by a creamy head. The black malt provides a dark chocolate and coffee character to the beer.

County Laois

Golden Harvest Pale Ale 4.2% ABV: A refreshing golden pale ale with a lovely tropical fruit hop character and a slightly sweet biscuit malt balance.

County Tyrone

Pokertree Ghrian Golden Ale 4.5% ABV: Brewed with pale barley and wheat malts to create the light golden colour and subtle sweetness.

Pokertree Ruby Ale 5.5% ABV: This is a malt driven beer with tons of caramel flavour. Try with barbecue, meat stews, or a nice thick steak or smoked rib roast.

These are just a few of the craft breweries you will find in Ireland: I’ll keep you update with more articles just to you feel the need to book a flight to Ireland straight away.

[Pics by Giuseppe]