Irish Pale Ale
Whilst the Campaign for Real Ale has not yet caught on here in Ireland as much as it has in Great Britain, there are still a few places you can get a good brew. Now, I am quite happy to drink Guinness on an evening out – in fact I will drink most anything, but variety is the spice of life, and small-batch beers and real ales provide a lot of variety.
Lager is a particularly prone to over simplification to meet the taste demands of the masses. Basically the big brewers stay away from any strong flavours so as not to offend people. As a result most lagers are decent enough, but subtle bordering on bland. To simply slake your thirst maybe this is not a bad thing, but to tantalise the taste buds, we must look elsewhere.
I was out with colleagues after work the other day at our usual place, Peter’s Pub in Dublin. They pour a lot of Guinness, like most pubs in Ireland. You can also get lagers like Carlsberg or Heineken there or even some flavourless American stuff. However, they have a one small-batch keg that is well worth a go – have a ride on the Galway Hooker.
It is hard to resist a beer with a good name. I like going up to the bar and ordering a “pint of Trouble” or “another Hooker, please.” Galway Hooker, a pale ale, has all the right ingredients to wake up your palate. It is light and bubbly – the sort of thing you want to drink in the summer. Compared to your usual lagers, the Hooker has distinctive bitter notes from extra hops and longer, natural fermentation. You get some citrus flavours, which are bright on the tongue, and this Pale Ale has a refreshing dry finish. It is not heavy, so you can drink it all night.
I’m afraid you might have to visit Ireland to get a taste of the Hooker. There are several pubs in Galway and Dublin and a few more dotted around the country. They have a nice little Web site that shows you exactly where:
www.galwayhooker.ie
Until next week, bottoms up!
