Wrasslers XXXX. This Nitro Kegged Stout is supposed to be from a recipe popular decades ago. Michael Collins used to drink it apparently. A stout like your grandfather probably drank.
I noted a hint of sweetness, possibly caramel. Plenty of roast Barley and a wonderful after taste. I loved this pint. I will be looking more.
After the Wrasslers I decided to try Plain Porter. I only ordered a half as I did not want to spend an uncomfortable hour on the bus home. Before I took my first sip I wrapped my hands around it in an attempt to warm it a little, two guys sitting beside me asked what I was drinking. I believe they asked about the girly size so I explained about the bus. Anyway we then got into a great conversation about beer and brewing. I told them about brewing my own beer and advised them to check out the ICB website. A third guy showed up then. They are from Cork so I mentioned I am heading there on Wednesday night for a long weekend and will be going to the Franciscan well. Anyway after a few more mouthfuls of the Porter I decided I was disapointed with it, Very surprising as It is exactly the kind of drink I should like. I did not dislike it, I was just expecting a lot more from it.
I think the biggest problem was the mouthfeel and the taste that went with it. If you have ever baked a cake and eaten the mix or even had Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice-cream then that is what im talking about. There was a floury sort of taste and feel to it. Now perhaps I had a bad example of it or perhaps the wrasslers strong taste had overwhelmed me.
I will certainly give this another go some time.
So that was it, such a great Day. It is days like this that I do not know how anyone can complain about Dublin being a dump. Its a great City.
Indeed it is - but for moving to the States I would probably be angling for move over to your neck of the woods in general. I wasn't that taken with the Plain Porter either, although the Wrasslers is lovely - would be great to try it without all the nitro-keg stuff, if you're going to make a stout like your grandfather drank, then why not serve it the way he had it served?
ReplyDeleteOh so its not just me then... still I will give it another go some time to be sure.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the Nitro Kegging. word on the street is that the porter house are to start bottling soon.
That is true, with a Czech made bottling line - if they are up and running by April, I may ask for a few bottles to be brought over!
ReplyDeletePlain Porter without nitro is one of the most amazing beers I've ever tasted. What they do to it after brewing is criminal.
ReplyDeleteIt's the thing that annoys me most about Guinness: not content with destroying their own beer, they adjusted customer demand to destroy everyone else's as well.
Well assuming I had a nitro plain porter, as they pulled it from a tap. How does one get the non nitro version? Do we have to be you Beer nut? Do you "know" people?
ReplyDeleteI'd imagine phoning the brewery and begging might be a good start ;)
ReplyDeleteThe full story of my encounter is here, but they were also selling it at the Great British Beer Festival last year and at the Bord Bia gig in Farmleigh last September.