Dungarvan Seaweed Saison
This is an unusual brew, a joint effort by Kjetl Jikiun, brewer at highly regarded craft brewery Nøgne Ø in Norway and Dungarvan brewer Cormac O'Dwyer. They used locally-harvested dillisk seaweed to flavour a golden ale made using Irish lager malt and Saison Yeast. The beer is deliciously fruity with a lovely subtle salty tang and a spicy dry finish. As I spoke to Claire Dalton of Dungarvan earlier this week, the labels had been applied and the beer was being delivered to a select number of retailers. I had to beg for a bottle. "Every case is allocated," according to Claire. "Tom and I get one case between us, Cormac gets a case – and that's it, it's all gone! Which is a pity," she sighed, "as I have grown very fond of it. We will definitely make it again." It will be available on tap in Merry's Gastro pub in Dungarvan on April 9th as the brewery celebrates their 5th birthday. This is all part of the West Waterford Festival of Food, running from April 9th-12th, featuring "Irish Craft in a Glass" with gin, whiskey and beer talks and tastings.
Available from: Callan's, Dundalk; Carryout, Ferrybank; Deveney's, Dundrum; Dicey Reilly, Ballyshannon; Molloys, No. 21 Ballincollig; Redmonds, Ranelagh; World Wide Wines, Waterford.
Domaine Begude Le Bel Ange 2014
Englishman James Kinglake and his wife Catherine fled London for the good life in France more than a decade ago. I have followed their progress with interest, partly out of jealousy, but also because the wines have always been both very good and well priced. Kinglake has converted all of his vineyards to organic and is on the way to being biodynamic. The results, he says, are amazing. As well as saving money on fertilizer and pesticides, the health of the vineyards and the quality of the grapes has shot up. O’Briens now have his Bel Ange on special for Easter. This is a fantastic light, elegant unoaked wine with delicious crisp green apple fruits, one of my all-time favourite whites. At €12.99 you can’t go wrong. Recently I tasted the latest versions of his top wines, also shortly arriving into O’Briens. The 11300 Terroir is sensationally good, and a steal at €17.99.
