Quinta do Cachao Douro on Newstalk's Moncrieff show

Quinta do Cachao Douro

If you missed Newstalk's Moncrieff show this afteroon, click on the link below (Part 4 of the broadcast) to hear the podcast, where wine expert Jean Smullen recommends our Quinta do Cachao Douro.

http://www.newstalk.ie/programmes/all/moncrieff/listen-back/

She describes it as being excellent value, and perfect for this rainy unseasonal weather we're having. Splash out on a good steak and pop open a bottle this weekend.

Quinta do Cachao Douro 2009

Did you catch our Quinta da Cachao Douro being reviewed on Newstalk this afternoon?

Click on the link below to hear the Podcast, where wine expert Jean Smullen recommends this popular Portuguese wine:

"a very good vintage
"wonderful concentrated wine... a very drinkable good quality wine... "


http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3983779848100504176#editor/target=post;postID=2427559663845923823

Caribbean Classics

We've gone very Caribbean in the last few weeks and listed two of the most iconic beers of that region.

Red Stripe

Red Stripe is an icon reflecting the roots, vibrancy, and pride of the Jamaican people.  It all began in 1928 when two Jamaicans, Desnoes & Geddes (D&G) began brewing it in a soda-pop factory in Kingston. The brand has been the recipient of numerous international awards for fine quality and taste including 11 gold medals at the Monde Selection and the “Grand Gold Medal” in Barcelona in 1991.

Red Stripe Jamaican Lager has a refreshing taste, perfectly balancing malty-sweet and lightly hoppy flavors. The result is a lager that’s crisp, clean and easy to drink. Red Stripe is moderate in body, bitterness, hop aroma and has a low butterscotch

flavor. 4.7% ABV.  It comes in 33cl bottles and retails for €2.99.

Cubanero Fuerte

Also known as Bucanero Fuerte, this lager is brewed in Holguin, Cuba. Bucanero Fuerte gets its name from old legends of the pirates that roamed the Caribbean sea.

It is a golden beer, with a vigorous and robust flavour.  Nice noble hop aroma. Light body, fairly bitter.  The beer is brewed in Holguin as this is where the best quality water can be found. 5.4% ABV, the cost is €2.29 for a 33cl bottle.

Bank holiday wine recommendations

Take inspiration from the wine critics when choosing your bank holiday wine. 

The Sunday Times has just chosen our La Marca Prosecco (€14.49) as one of the best prosecco in the country! 

They also advised to look out for words on the label which denote better quality - Valdobbiadene means it comes from one of the better vineyard zones, and Spumante means that it is fully sparkling as opposed to lightly sparkling. We are happy to say that our La Marca ticks both boxes!

Over at The Daily Star, the editor there was 'very impressed with the quality at some very affordable prices.' 

She picked out Ch. du Donjon Grand Tradition Minervois (€9.25), Douro from Caves Messias (€7.49) and Vivolo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (€8.49).  Vivolo is also a bit of a staff favourite, as it happens.

Need we say more!

A nice red wine for Easter

Treat yourself this Easter to a bottle of delicious Ch. Donjon Minervois.  Enjoy wonderful layers of flavours in this red wine: earthy lead pencil, wood, blackcurrant, blueberry, vanilla and a lovely long spicy finish. With its medium tannin and body, it would be perfect with roast lamb this weekend. 

The wine is sourced from a small family property in the Languedoc Roussillon area, in south west France, and is made by Carol & Jean Panis. The area is famous for its brilliant sunshine, producing fruity wines from grape varieties known for their juicy, spicy flavours.

Another notable feature is the exceptional value for money this area delivers. All the more so, as we bring this wine to you directly, and pass on the saving.  It's €9.25 in our stores.

As they say in France, Les Pâques heureux, or Happy Easter!

Flying Dog Beers

We really are in the middle of a love affair with American beers in Ireland at the moment.  There are so many micro-breweries producing a wonderful array of beer styles, that the curious beer drinker would be lost for choice.


One brewery that is new to Molloys is the Flying Dog Brewery.

Flying Dog Brewery is a beer brewery now located in Frederick, Maryland, United States. Originally opening in Aspen, Colorado in 1990 as a brewpub, it became the first brewery to open in Aspen in over 100 years, and one of the first brewpubs in the Rocky Mountain region. In 1991, Flying Dog’s “Doggie Style” was bottled and won the “The Best Pale Ale in America” award at the Great American Beer Festival.

Flying Dog Brewery is noted for using the unusual art of Ralph Steadman, best known as the illustrator of the works of Hunter S. Thompson, on its labels. 

Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale 5.5% 355ml btl €3.29

APPEARANCE: This beer produced a foamy 1/2" off-white head that dissipated quickly leaving good head lacing. Carbonation was soft in a hazy amber body.

AROMA: Light grainy malts with some caramel and moderate piney hops.

TASTE: Taste followed aroma mostly: light malts, a very light touch of honey and moderately piny hops.

MOUTHFEEL: This beer had a medium body with a smooth texture, soft carbonation and good body lacing that dissipated quickly. The initial flavor was moderately bitter with a slightly less bitter finish that lasted for a long time.

DRINKABILITY: This is a balanced, moderately hopped session ale. Easy to drink, repeatable and well priced, it is definitely worth having again and I'd serve it to others with no qualms. Though there are better examples of the APA style, this is a good, solid APA.

Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA 8.3% 355ml €3.79

Appearance: Light copper color that is extremely clear. Lots of bubbles. Resilient, lofty thick, vanilla/cream head. Little-to-no lacing.

Aroma: Orange peel with a slight sweetness. 

Taste: Very smooth and dry with orange peel/citrus emphasis. Medium hoppiness that does not overstay its welcome.

Mouthfeel: Lighter, medium-thin body with perfect carbonation. 

O: An absolutely beautiful beer that is excellently drinkable. The body is thin enough to go down easy, but a wonderful dry and short lived hop taste keeps you tasting all the way down.

Snake Dog IPA  7.1% €3.79

Appearance: Pours a clear amber with a sticky, off-white head.

Aroma: Very hoppy. Website advertises Warrior and Columbus hops and they are very apparent in the nose.

Taste: A bigger IPA at 7.1% ABV and decent flavor. Not as bitter as the smell or label would have you believe, but still very good tasting. Malt and bitterness balance out well. Some caramel notes and slight pine flavor.

Mouthfeel: Very full mouthfeel, consistent with other FD beers. Hint of alcohol in the exhale.

Overall: Not the a bad IPA. 

Non Alcoholic Beers

Non Alcoholic Beers

It's January again and some of you may be looking to try something a little different for New Year.  Below are some of the non alcoholic beers & ciders that we have in Molloys.

Erdinger Non Alcohol

Very popular in Germany, this brand is advertised as as multi vitamin drink to athletes. Erdinger Weissbier 'non-alcoholic' is brewed with the customary care and experience gained from over 110 years of brewing tradition and in accordance with the highest quality standards.

Erdinger's master brewers have succeeded in retaining the aromatic, full-bodied Erdinger character - even without alcohol. It is this unique flavor which has spread the fame of Erdinger Weissbräu far beyond the borders of Germany.

Baltika 0

A huge favourite and definitely my favourite non alcoholic lager.  You wouldn't know it was alcohol free when drinking.  This Russian brand has been repeatedly declared the best alcohol-free beer at Russian and international professional contests. In 2006 the Baltika №0 received a most prestigious award: a silver medal in the Alcohol-Free Beer category at the International Tasting Contest of the Brewers’ Association — the World Beer Cup 2006. In 2008 this brand was awarded a bronze medal in the Low Alcohol Packaged category at the Australian International Beer Awards contest as well as the Platinum Osiris in the Best Alcohol-Free Beer category of the professional Osiris Contest at the X Big Moscow Beer Festival. In addition, this brand was declared the best by the results of people’s tasting at the beer festival in Moscow.

Kopparberg Non Alcoholic Pear Cider

The first alcohol free pear cider, it delivers the same great taste as with all Kopparberg ciders.  Available in 500ml bottles.

Weihenstephaner Non Alcoholic

A cloudy non alcohol wheat beer with a smooth malt background, yeast flavours, spicy, with fruity banana overtones. Medium bodied, and good flavours for a non alcoholic beer. Thanks to the gentle process for removing alcohol, which the brewery developed in collaboration with the University Munich-Weihenstephan their non-alcoholic yeast wheat beer offers you everything you expect from a premium beer. And you don't have to be worried about driving. Available in 500ml bottle.  

Maisels Weisse Non Alcoholic

Sometimes I'm too lazy to write up info on a beer.  This time however I've taken this verbatim from a German beer review site that had also (very badly) 

translated the review in English.  Enjoy!!!!!

Maisel’s Weisse Alcohol-free is the ideal fitness and wellness beverage for active and health conscious connoisseur. The sporty version of Maisel’s Weisse is made like any other Maisel’s Weisse varieties of only natural raw materials, containing vitamins, isotonic, using 40% less calories. With a proprietary brewing process has succeeded the master brewers of avoiding alcohol sparing, which the characteristics of Maisel’s Weisse remain preserved. Also shines so this version with the unique bright reddish amber color and a spicy-fruity taste sensation.