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Five Irish Christmas brews --- reviewed by people who don't normally do this sort of thing for a living

“I’m more of a wine snob… I’ve never tried being a beer snob before.”

LOOKING FOR AN alternative after-dinner drink this Christmas?

If you have any beer aficionados dropping by, one of the below might well do the job.

With more and more Irish craft beers filling the shelves of our off-licences in recent months — we thought we’d give some of the brewers’ ‘one off’ beverages a try.

‘One off’ isn’t strictly accurate, in fact.

Some of these seasonal brews appeared last year too. Others — like the Cherry Chocolate Stout from Trouble Brewing and the Ginger Chocolate Porter from Rascal’s Brewing — are new additions to the Christmas list.

Several of TheJournal.ie‘s hardest working staffers (top 20, at least) gathered after work this week to test-drive these ales, stouts and porters.

Bear in mind — none of us do this sort of thing for a living.

And as one reporter noted:

I’m more of a wine snob. I’ve never tried being a beer snob before.

Nevertheless…

Here’s our take, on these limited supply take-outs…

1. SANITY CLAUSE ALE

Whitewater Whitewater

Who makes it? Co Down based brewery Whitewater.

What they say: “Our seasonal Christmas ale. This is dark and rich, full of fruity flavour with the addition of nutmeg and cinnamon. Best served with your feet up in front of a fire.”

What we say: 

“I like the name. Someone’s been watching the Marx Brothers.

 

“Nice. Has a bit of a darker, wintery feel to it than a standard lager. It’s kind of tobacco-ey — which isn’t an unpleasant thing.” 

“It’s sweet. It’s Christmassy in a kind of ‘I’ve just been out cutting logs for the fire and I need a nice refreshing drink’ sort of way.” 

“Quite a strong taste … definitely more The Pogues than Mariah Carey.”

Where can I get it? All across the North. Whitewater beers are also on tap at several Dublin pubs — including The Black Sheep, Porterhouse Central, The Brewdock and Against The Grain.

2. DUNGARVAN COFFEE AND OATMEAL STOUT

Dungarvan Brewing Company Dungarvan Brewing Company

Who makes it? The Dungarvan Brewing Company, based in Waterford.

What they say: ”A rich, full-flavoured stout with a powdery dry chocolate mouthfeel. Smoothness from the oats adds balance to the roasted bitterness while in the background there’s a subtle hint of the earthy espresso flavours which leads to a dry coffee finish.”

What we say: 

“Coffee… You can really taste the coffee… Not so much the oatmeal.”

“It seems really different at first… But it’s growing on me. I like it.” 

“Mature, strong. It’s something you could drink all year — not particularly a Christmas Day thing, it’s more of a nice alternative to a regular bottle of stout.” 

Where can I get it?: Pretty much anywhere you’d expect to stock craft beers. There’s a full list on the Dungarvan website. By the way, the seasonal stout is released by the brewery every winter. They say it’s now “annually anticipated”.

3. O’HARA’S WINTER STAR 

O'Hara's O'Hara's

Who makes it? O’Hara’s — the Carlow Brewing Company.

What they say: ”The orange zest and mild coconut flavours are the first to hit the palette, closely followed by the warmth of cinnamon spices mellowed in the orange essence. Dual purpose hops finish the aroma combination adding just a touch of evergreen, perfect for this winter amber ale.”

What we say:

“Cinnamon-ey. Very cinnamon-ey. It grows on you. The taste seems a little in-your-face at first, but you get used to it very quickly. 

“Has a nice bitterness to to it, which I like. The more you drink the better it tastes. 

“Yep — you’re right … More I drink it, the more I like it. 

Where can I get it? Again, O’Hara’s is pretty widely available. Check out your local independent off-licence.

TROUBLE BREWING CHERRY CHOCOLATE STOUT

Who makes it? The Kildare-based Trouble Brewing.

What they say: “With a chocolate and light roast malt aroma, this stout’s initial bitter chocolate flavour is quickly replaced by rich complex malt flavours, leaving a lingering sweet cherry and dark fruit taste.”

What we say: 

“It smells kind of like coffee — that’s nice.”

“That’s very Christmassy.. It tastes kind of like the sort of chocolate liqueurs you’d have after your Christmas dinner… Like a dark chocolate cherry liqueur.” 

“It kind of tastes a bit like dark rum… which is weird, because you know it’s not, and it has the consistency of beer. It’s an odd one.” 

“It’s a real after-dinner style thing I think.” 

Where can I get it? “At  good craft beer bars,” the brewers told us. Here’s a list of the pubs that stock Trouble Brewing.

RASCAL’S CHOCOLATE GINGER PORTER

Who makes it? Dublin’s Rascal’s Brewing Company.

What they say: “This award winning beer is brewed with a unique combination of ingredients. Cacao nibs deliver a deep, rich chocolate flavour to compliment the dark roasted malts while fresh root ginger adds a distinct zing and balance to this very special porter.”

What we say:

“It’s not heavy, like stouts… They say it’s ‘zingy’?… It is. It is zingy.”

“It’s quite nice — yep, smooth… And I’m not a stout person.” 

“It’s very smooth. Quite pleasant to drink. I don’t normally drink stout, because I find it too heavy — I couldn’t drink a pint of it. But I could drink more of this. The bottle is great too — it’s the sort of thing you could turn up with at a party, if you wanted a gift for someone who didn’t drink wine.” 

“When you open it, it pops like champagne too — which is nice, very festive.”

 

Where can I get it? Independent off licences like McHughs, Deveneys, Baggot Street Wines, Martins of Fairview, Drinkstore in Stoneybatter, Dicey Reillys in Ballyshannon and Bradley’s in Cork. There’s a full list here.

Read: Guinness is making two new beers – and here’s what they’ll look like

Read: (Micro)brewing up a storm: How Ireland’s craft beers are making their mark

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8 Comments
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    Mute Adele Sheehan
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    Dec 25th 2017, 10:21 AM

    Oh God, hope they’re okay

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    Mute Leitrim303
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    Dec 25th 2017, 6:50 PM

    @Adele Sheehan: how can be ok when they are bodies. RIP

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    Mute John O'Shea
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    Dec 25th 2017, 7:04 PM

    @Leitrim303: the comment was made 9 hours ago you simpleton.

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    Mute Dlow Brown
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    Dec 25th 2017, 7:17 PM

    @Leitrim303: well done Leitrim.

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    Mute The Red Devil
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    Dec 25th 2017, 11:21 AM

    Christmas is not always a happy time for people please spare a thought for those…….and for the emergency services who are away from their families dealing with whatever comes at them
    Hopefully not as bad as it sounds this story

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    Mute Penney Mortimer
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    Dec 25th 2017, 2:17 PM

    The rainfall yesterday in this area was horrendous . Roads and bridges treacherous when rainfall high. My thoughts are with the families today . And I don’t think anyone should be passing comment on whether there was drinking or not . It’s really none of our business and we need to take into account that at some stage family and friends may read this post and we need to respect their feelings .

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    Mute Mark Murphy
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    Dec 25th 2017, 12:11 PM

    God love them. There is no right or wrong here. Prayers for the family especially on today’s date

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    Mute OU812
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    Dec 25th 2017, 1:30 PM

    @Mark Murphy: there absolutely is right and wrong.

    But let’s wait for the facts to emerge rather than assume what happened.

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    Mute Mark Murphy
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    Dec 25th 2017, 6:13 PM

    @OU812: what a stupid comment

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    Mute Veronica
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    Dec 25th 2017, 3:09 PM

    Oh god absolutely awful. Devastating news for their families.

    I really appreciate our rescue services, they truly are selfless.

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    Mute Dean Burroughs
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    Dec 25th 2017, 11:40 PM

    @Veronica: selfless… It’s their job. Id say professional certainly not selfless.

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    Mute Ben Dunne
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    Dec 26th 2017, 11:19 AM

    @Dean Burroughs:
    Bit more than being professional,most of us don’t risk getting killed helping others. I used to take them for granted until Rescue 116 crashed, used to watch it fly over my house several times a day without a second thought and now I can’t help having tremendous respect for people in that field.

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    Mute Tosh Lavery
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    Dec 25th 2017, 5:01 PM

    Sad, may they Rest In Peace, and the Family’s find the strength to deal with this tragedy

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    Mute Arthur Pewty
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    Dec 25th 2017, 5:29 PM

    Rest in peace young men. My sympathies to all families involved. x

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    Mute Finnster
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    Dec 25th 2017, 2:59 PM

    This is terrible news for these poor families. So tragic , it can happen so easy

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    Mute vero
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    Dec 25th 2017, 12:41 PM

    Please god they will be ok, horrible news at any time of year but worse for the day thats in it

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    Mute patrickmansfield
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    Dec 25th 2017, 6:15 PM

    Prayers to the family and friends of both men,very sad news to get on Christmas morning

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    Mute helen walsh
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    Dec 25th 2017, 1:33 PM

    There was a lot of fog and bad weather, hope they are found alive. Young men are invincible, hope they hadn’t been drinking. Terrible for the families.

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    Mute Alan Chapman
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    Dec 25th 2017, 2:19 PM

    @helen walsh: I think you meant , young men think they’re invincible. Terrible tragedy at any time of year but especially the day that’s in it . Our thoughts also with all the search and rescue services involved in this.

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    Mute Mark Jasper
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    Dec 25th 2017, 9:32 PM

    Well done to my fellow colleagues in search and rescue for a quick and unfortunate recovery today.

    R.I.P. to the two men

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    Mute Siobhan Rosemary
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    Dec 25th 2017, 7:46 PM

    Shocking

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    Mute Michael O'Neill
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    Dec 25th 2017, 11:54 PM

    RIP very sad.

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