Bottle from SuperValu, Longford [250314]
Dark amber, clear, thin bubbly head that dissipates quickly to nothing, some suspended tiny bubbles
Aroma of caramel, soft pine resins, orangey caramel, very soft citrus, bit of a floral note comes out as it warms up
Taste of caramel, some pine, orangey malts, sweet fruity malts, soft citrus, not bad, quite malty, some citrus but not zesty, hops are dulled, but the malts are nice in this
Palate - Carbonation is a bit flat, medium body, oily texture. Sweet malts, some soft bitter citrus hop. Finish is smooth, some fruity caramel, fairly sweet orange malts, getting some soft bitter zest in the tail now
Overall - Not hoppy enough for an IPA, drinks more like a soft citrus hop bitter. I rate the beer, not the style (unless it’s way off). Certainly above average overall.

Bottle. Clear amber with a thin head. Aroma is light malt. Flavour is light spicy, dull fruity hop on a tangy base. Not bad but a bit dull.

Best that I’ve had so far from this brewer. Was skeptical how the nitro would come through the bottle, and I’m sure this will rate higher when had on draft. 500 mL bottle from SuperValue. Black, slightly thinner body than I was expecting, typical nitro pour with creamy off white head. Aroma of coffee beans, burnt toast, the brewer is relying on the roasted chocolate malts to provide enough aroma which is a common mistake, overall the aroma is fairly weak for the style. Taste is similarly watery and weak, but very smooth, fantastic carbonation levels which is sometimes tricky with nitro. This is a good start, would love to see some refinement over time with the addition of locally made coffee, better variety of chocolate malts, etc. that would give this the boost it needs.

Better than the Ri IPA they came out with. Was expecting a sweet malty interpretation of the style given what they did with the IPA, but this had more of a hop presence than I thought it would. Lovely ruddy red color, large white head that stayed throughout. Aroma of juicy floral hops, bread, nuts, hay. Taste is spicy hops up front with a solid, if not overly sweet, malt backbone. Nothing to get excited about overall, fairly boring and uninspired product.

500 mL bottle from SuperValue. I had high hopes and low expectations for this one. Unfortunately, this met the expectations. Clear amber pour into the nonick pint glass. Large white head that stayed put throughout the life of the beer. Weak aroma of cereal, spicy hops, caramel, wet grass, and maybe some floral notes in there. Taste is macro-ish ale, nothing about suggests that it should be labeled an IPA, more of a Bitter or ESB with this level of pronounced malts. Bland finish, watery, too sweet for my liking for an IPA. Poor attempt when the IPA market is flooded by products better crafted than this. Disappointing.

Bottle from Supervalu, Longford [170214]
Copper amber, clear, frothy off white head that dissipates
Aroma of grassy hop, caramel malts, touch of red berry underneath, cereal
Taste of fairly bitter grassy hop, fruity caramel malt, touch of red berries, some bitter orange zest
Palate - Soft carb. medium body, bitter zest with some light sweet fruity caramel malts. Finish - fairly bitter citrus zest, bitter grass, little dry, lingering bitter finish
Overall - This is a hoppy take on an Irish Red and it’s better than a lot of them

Keg @ Swagmans Bar, Sligo [020114]
Black, thin off white head, good lacing
Aroma of roasted malts, soft burnt notes, some burnt toast
Taste of dark malts, soft chocolate, soft roast, good stout
Palate soft carb, light to medium body, some sweet dark malts to offset the bitterness. Finish - soft bitter, bit burnt, light chocolate, little thin, nice bitter tail
Overall - Quite a decent stout, not too burnt, nice sweetness underneath

Draught at ICBF13. There was an X and Y version so I’m not sure which this is. The x version was pretty standard larger, dry grain on a dry bitter finish. The y version had more toffee popcorn to it and was easier drink.

Draught at ICBF13. Jet black with a full solid head. Aroma is light roast. Flavour is roasted coffee malt, dry a little burnt with a lingering sweet but dry finish.