Irish Beers

Choice for Irish beer drinkers is gaining pace as more and more small breweries challenge the hegemony of Guinness and its subsidiaries.

Beers from both breweries featured below are available in branches of Sainsbury's in Northern Ireland, and from O'Neill's pubs across the UK. The Carlow Brewery The Carlow Brewery in particular has won plaudits and awards for its beers even though the O'Hara brothers launched the company less than a decade ago, in 1998.

The brewery in the Barrow Valley, the heartland of barley and hop growing in Ireland, was once a major force in Irish brewing, home to five breweries in Carlow alone in the 19th century. The O'Hara's brewery welcomes visitors who can see the brewing process and buy beer and merchandise in the Goods Store (info@carlowbrewing.com).

Carlow Brewery Curim Gold (4.3%) An Irish interpretation of a wheat beer, it is pale bronze in colour with a creamy, nutty, peppery and spicy aroma. Creamy and nutty malt dominate the palate with a pronounced cobnuts taste. The finish continues the nutty and creamy malt theme but is balanced by a late burst of hops. Malt: high. Fruit: high. Hops: low.

Carlow Brewery O'Hara's Celtic Stout (4.3%). This beer won both a gold medal and a championship trophy in the Brewing Industry International Awards in 2000. It has a rich cappuccino coffee nose with notes of roasted grain, liquorice and berry fruits. Rich grain and tart, bitter hops dominate the palate with powerful hints of blackcurrant fruit. The finish is bitter and hoppy, with tart fruit and coffee notes. Malt: high. Fruit high. Hops: moderate to high.

Carlow Brewery Moling's Celtic Beer (4.3%) A copper-red, traditional Irish ale. It has a rich caramel and 'fruit and nuts' chocolate aroma. Hops break through powerfully in the mouth and give surprising bitterness to balance the sweet malt and tangy fruit. The finish is dry, with bitter hops, juicy malt and orange/citrus fruit. Malt: high. Fruit: moderate. Hops: moderate to high. Strangford Lough Brewing Company Strangford Lough Brewing Company is based in the historic Killyleagh area of Co Down in Northern Ireland and uses the history to great effect in its beer branding. The lough or lake was the burial place of a Viking king, Magnus, known as Barelegs, who wielded a powerful sword called Legbiter. The area also has strong associations with St Patrick, who not only brought Christianity to the island but was also a keen brewer. He was buried near Downpatrick in AD 461.

The brewery was founded in 2004 by two management consultants who avoided the costs of building a brewery by having their beers produced by other unnamed producers (office@slbc.ie). They plan to open their own plant at some stage. All the beers are bottle conditioned.

Strangford Lough Barelegs Brew (4.5%) This has a gold colour with a light bronze touch and is brewed with pale and lager malts. The hops are First Gold, Northern Brewer and Perle. The nose has citrus fruits - oranges and tangerines - on the aroma balanced by biscuity malt. Hops break through in the mouth with bitter and resiny notes, balanced by juicy malt. The rich and complex finish has sappy malt, bitter hops and tangy fruit. Malt: moderate. Fruit: high. Hops: moderate to high.

Strangford Lough Legbiter (4.8%) Legbiter is gold/bronze in colour and is brewed with pale and lager malts and hopped with First Gold, Goldings, Northern Brewer and Styrian Goldings hops. The nose has a rich lemon zest aroma with spicy hop resins and biscuity malt. There is a powerful punch of bitter, peppery Goldings in the mouth balanced by tart citrus fruit and juicy malt. The long finish is dry and intensely bitter but the hops are balanced by citrus fruit and juicy malt. Refreshing and delicious. Malt: moderate. Fruit: high. Hops: intense.

Strangford Lough St Patrick's Best (3.8%) St Patrick's Best is brewed with the addition of shamrocks (a nice Irish touch!) to pale, crystal and black malts, with Challenger, First Gold and Goldings hops. It has a pale amber colour and has a herbal, grassy and floral aroma with spicy hop notes. Tangy fruit, juicy malt and spicy hops join forces on the tongue while the long finish has herbs, tart fruit, juicy malt and bitter, peppery hops. Malt: high. Fruit: high. Hops: moderate to high.