A taste of summer from Goose Island

 This week we're going to look at a seasonal offering to go with our summer (or what's left of it,) Goose Island's Summertime.

Goose Island is a Chicago-based craft brewer, formed in 1988 as part of a movement to counter the dominance of mass-produced beers in mid-western America.

First making a mark on these shores with their IPA (India Pale Ale,) a wide range of Goose Island products can now be found in specialist craft beer stores (such as Molloys.)

Summertime pours a nice light golden colour, slightly darker than most lagers. We got a small head with very small bubbles, though that may have been our pour, the Goose Island site shows a massive frothy head at home in any German beer hall. Speaking of German beer halls, Summertime is a Kölsch style, famous around Cologne and noted for it's refreshing but not over-powering hoppiness, and it's quite a good version of the style. 


The first taste is refreshing, with the hops adding a very slight bitter taste, combined with a gentle fruity acidity. The after taste is quite pleasant and sets you up nicely for another mouthful. The mention of fruitiness can put some people off a beer, but it shouldn't be the case here. Summertime is nowhere near as fruity as popular blond beers such a Hoegaarden, as there's just enough acidity and bitterness to make it genuinely refreshing. 

Summertime with colleagues Harvest Ale and Honker's Ale. Rest of the gang out of shot.

Ideal food pairings would be salad and fish, but realistically the flavour isn't intense enough to take away from anything on a barbecue. 

At 4.7%, it's slightly stronger than most beers aimed at the lighter tasting summer market, but the extra hit of alcohol is hard to detect. 


In terms of complex flavours and long term memorability, Summertime isn't up there with some of the more serious ales, but from the bottle alone you can see it's not trying to compete. Summertime aims to be a refreshing sunny-day treat and on that count it's successful. It may not be exciting enough for the serious beer drinker, but in terms of flavour it's a step up from many of the traditional warm weather beers. 

Summary: Refreshing beer,  a stronger flavour for those who want more bite than their normal summertime Corona or Sol.

Football and Beer

Euro 2012 is upon us and we're all wondering what to drink while watching the footie.  At Molloys we've gone 'foreign' this June and really bumped up our range of European beers.  We've just launched our Euro 2012 Beer of the World Pack.  It contains 12 x 500ml beers from countries competing in the tournament.  It makes a great gift for a football loving friend, for fathers day or just to enjoy in front of the tv. Get all the details here.

 

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!