Third Circle Saison Beer
It started off with cider. Jon Grennan’s uncle had 15-20 trees in his back garden in Newcastle, Co Wicklow. Every year the apples were left to fall and rot. Grennan decided to try his hand at making cider. From there he graduated to beer and a craft brewery.
Third Circle, which refers to the third circle of hell in Dante’s Inferno, has been going for nearly a year now, although the first beers have been on sale for just four months. Grennan worked as a researcher in fresh water biology at NUI Galway and has the scientific know how to look after the brewing.
When we met earlier this week, he had just taken delivery of their new brewery from the Czech Republic. This will be shared with another Wicklow Craft brewer, Stone Barrel Brewing. It will, however, take six months to get it up and running. In the meantime Third Circle is being brewed by Grennan in Craftworks, a contract brewer in Cabra. His own brewery will be closer to home, in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow.
At the moment there are two beers, Third Circle Red and, very recently, a Saison. Rumour has it they will add a Rye Stout in the near future. Both beers are bottle-conditioned.
They also sell cask-conditioned beers to pubs around Dublin. The Red has some of the character of an Irish red ale, but with more fruit and zingy hops. The Saison is quite delicious and full of character, with plenty of fruit and fresh subtle citrus notes. Both are available for €3.75 in off-licences around Wicklow and Dublin.
See thirdcircle.ie for details.
Un Litro 2014 Apeleia, Tuscany
This is one big hug of a wine, fragrant, herby and oozing with soft warming ripe red fruits. As the name suggests, it comes in a handy litre-sized bottle, so you won’t fight over the last few drops. Or maybe you will, for this is a dangerously moreish wine.
Ampeleia was started up by Elisabetta Foradori, one of Italy’s finest winemakers and two like-minded friends. Aged 20, she took over her father’s vineyard in Trentino when he passed away suddenly. Having established it as one of the top estates in Italy, largely responsible for reviving the local Teroldigo grape, she came across another property much further south in Tuscany.
Maremma, in the hills above the coastline, has become a very fashionable (and expensive) place to make wine in recent years. Ampeleia is a new project, run separately from Foradori. The 35 hectares of vines are planted at three altitudes each producing different wines. It is farmed organically and biodynamically since 2009.
There is an eclectic mix of grape varieties, including Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Sangiovese. Un Litro is made from a mix of Cannonau (Grenache), Carignan and Alicante Bouschet. It is available from Sheridan’s cheese shops, Fallon & Byrne, Green Man Wines and 64wine for €22–€24.
