Drinks Menu

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Welcome to

"Try something different" D raught B ot t le d Wi ne W h i skey B e e r & W h i skey, t he story

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Ireland’s Craft Breweries Looking at what’s on tap in most Irish pubs, it can be hard to believe that a vibrant craft beer community exists on the island and that anything beyond the big international brands is available. And yet, they’re out there: dozens of artisan beer producers, all working without the benefit of mass-media marketing or full-scale national distribution.

All craft beer is brewed from natural ingredients for the fullest flavours and designed to create taste sensations that the bland industrial brewers simply can’t match. If you think it’s time for a change from the boring norm, and have decided that maybe the TV doesn’t know which beer is best, allow us to introduce you to our range.

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The McGargles are a legendary brewing family on the island of

Leannclann .For the first time, their famous beers are available to

buy. It’s too small to spot on the map, but Leannclann still has room for the cantankerous auld ones, swearing dwarves, ambiguous Lotharios, flirty daughters, and out-of-control hippies that call it home.

And that’s just the McGargles.

They’ve come a long way from brewing in the family

bathtub.

Their beers are thought to have fuelled the famous works of many great Irish writers, as well as a few battles and revolutions in between.

Order Yours at The Bar Now

Brewed in Kilcock www.mcgargles.com

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Irish Craft Beer Tasting Trays 3 tastings 6.50 724ml - 6 tastings 13.00 1448ml

9 tastings 19.50 2172ml

We have 6 Rotation Taps – See Staff For Today's Offerings Irish Stouts / Porters O'Hara's Irish Stout 4.90 2.50 Co Carlow 4.3% ABV. A deep black colour with a reddish hue when held to the light. It pours with a thick creamy head that is almost tan in colour. On the nose the drinker experiences a rich and complex coffee aroma with light liquorice notes. The roast flavours lead to a dry espresso like finish.

Porterhouse Plain Porter

4.50

2.40

Co. Dublin 4.2% ABV. Officially “The Best Stout in the World” - Brewing Industry International Awards 2011/ 12 Technically a Porter, (a lighter stout) a smooth edged velvety mouthful just a hint of bitterness with no sourness - deeply aromatic but not overpowering. Immortal.

Dark Arts Porter 5.25 2.65 Co. Kildare 4.4% ABV. A dark, almost black porter, named for the part of the brewing process not quite covered by science. Dark Arts is brewed using a healthy dose of Black malt and Chocolate malt, to add to the flavour as well as to give the beer its dark colour. This unfiltered porter has a clear roasty flavour, but with hints of caramel and chocolate, while maintaining enough bitter hop presence to preserve its balance.

Irish Reds / Ambers O'Hara's Irish Red 4.90 2.50 Co Carlow 4.3% ABV. Ruby red in colour and pours with a dense lasting white head, and an unmistakable fruity and almost herbal quality to the aroma due to the late addition of Mt. Hood hops.

The addition of a pinch of roast barley during the brewing process lends a distinctive bite which is balanced by a crisp medium bitterness.

Rebel Red 5.00 2.50 Co Cork 4.3% ABV. A fantastically brewed Irish Red , flavours of light red fruits compliment the malt body. which is balanced by the hop varieties Fuggles and East Kent Goulding

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Rowers Red Ale 5.25 2.65 Co Offaly 4.3% ABV. This Irish Craft Red Ale is a full bodied ruby that with a distinctive fruity character. We have carefully balanced the toffee malt flavours with a blend of hops to ensure plenty of character in every mouthful.

Liberties Dublin Ale 4.85 2.45 Co Dublin 4.7% ABV. A rich golden brew with a full body and a balanced rounded finish. The floral notes of the Golding's hops balance the residual sweetness of pale and coloured malts.

Hoppy Beers / Pale Ales Galway Hooker 5.25 2.65 Co Roscommon 4.3% ABV. Galway Hooker is an excellent example of a Pale Ale; very complex and well balanced, fully flavoured with a great finish making it a highly refreshing and more-ish beer.

O’Hara's Irish Pale Ale 5.25 2.65 Co Carlow 5.2 % ABV. - Dry Hopped This pale ale has a light malt base with just the right mouth feel to allow the hop character to predominate. Grapefruit like bitterness is full and lasting and is balanced by a zesty citrus burst of aroma from the late addition of cascade hops. The Citrus flavours give way at the end to the floral, spicy bitterness of Amarillo hops.

Metal Man Pale Ale 5.25 2.65 Co Waterford 4.3% ABV. American style pale ale, dark gold in colour with a delicate white head. Citrus and floral aromas lead into hop flavours characterised by grapefruit and mandarin produced by American hops. A dry bitter finish makes this an eminently enjoyable and refreshing beer.

Howling Gale Ale 5.25 2.65 Co Cork 5% ABV. Like blitzing down the Ballyhouras on your bike with an icy wind in your face, this delivers a refreshing crisp smack around the gills. It pours a pale golden colour and the malty sweetness is well balanced by the American Chinook, Amarillo and Centennial hops. Howling Gale has a pleasant grapefruit and citrus aroma and goes well with fish, chicken or anything off the barbeque.

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Irish Lagers / Weiss Beers Rebel lager 5.25 2.65 Co Cork 4.2% ABV. An all malt premium lager with "Noble" hop character imparted by German, Perle and Czech Saaz hops. Available in only a limited number of outlets around the Country, the epitomy of consistency.

Carrig Craft Lager 5.25 2.65 Co Offaly 4.3% ABV. This Irish Craft Lager pours to a golden pale colour and has a clean, crisp, full bodied taste and offers exceptional refreshment. Consistent and sufficient fermentation gives Carrig a pleasantly smooth taste with a thirst quenching finish. Brewed with precision and perfection with only four ingredients: water, barley, hops and yeast.

5 Lamps Lager 5.25 2.65 Co Dublin 4.2% ABV. A Czech style Pilsner with a slightly darker colour than most Lagers thanks to the addition of caramalt. The hoppy goodness of Saaz hops provide for a crisp refreshing beer with a balanced finish.

Friar Weiss 5.25 2.65 Co Cork 4.7% ABV. A German style unfiltered wheat beer with citrus notes on the palate and powerful aroma of clove and banana imparted by a unique yeast strain . Even ze Germans would attest to the quality of this beer

Irish Cider Stonewell Medium Dry Irish Cider

6.00

3.00

Co. Cork 5.5% ABV. Stonewell Medium Dry has a mild effervescence and strong apple aroma. The high content of eating apples brings a strong golden hue colour. On the pallet there is an initial burst of flavour carrying through to a smooth astringency.

subject to availability.

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BOTTLED Abv Size €

Beers of Ireland Dungarvan Brewing Co. Waterford Helvick Gold 4.3 500ml 6.00 Copper Coast Red 4.3 500ml 6.00 Black Rock Stout 4.3 500ml 6.00

Galway Bay Brewing Co. Galway Full Sail IPA 5.8 500ml 6.00 Stormy Port Porter 4.8 500ml 6.00 Bay Ale Irish Red 4.2 500ml 6.00 Buried at Sea Chocolate Stout 4.2 500ml 6.00

Beers of the World Chimay Rouge 7.0 BE 330ml 6.35 Duvel 8.5 BE 330ml 6.15 Pauwel Kwak 8.0 BE 330ml 6.15 Westmalle Tripel 9.0 BE 330ml 7.00 Westmalle Dubbel 7.5 BE 330ml 6.50 Hoegaarden 5.0 BE 330ml 4.50 Leffe Blonde 6.6 BE 330ml 4.75 Floris Cherry 3.0 BE 330ml 5.00 Weihenstephaner Heffe 5.4 DE 500ml 6.00 Schneider Weiss 5.4 DE 500ml 6.00 Unertl Heffe Weiss 4.8 DE 500ml 6.00 Flensburger 5.1 DE 500ml 6.00 Hofbrau 5.1 DE 500ml 6.00 Rothaus Pils 5.1 DE 500ml 6.00 Budvar 5.0 CZ 500ml 6.00 Staropramen 5.0 CZ 500ml 6.00 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 5.6 US 350ml 5.25

Ciders Rekorderlig (Strawberry/Lime, Apple, Mixed Berry) 5.5

IRL

500ml

Alcohol Free — see staff for selection Gluten Free Hambleton Ale/Lager

4.8/5.2

GB

500ml

6.00

6.00

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Wine glass bottle

White Sauvignon Blanc – Les Chaises – France Pinot Grigio – Zagalia – Italy Semillon Chardonnay – Boomerang Tree – Australia

5.95 5.95 5.95

23.80 23.80 23.80

5.95 5.95 5.95 5.95

23.80 23.80 23.80 23.80

Red Merlot – Casa Silva – Chile Shiraz – Boomerang Tree – Australia Montepulciano – Zagalia – Italy Tempranillo – Campo Nuevo – Spain

Sparkling Wine Valdo Brut – Italy 40.00

cocktail list available, see staff

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Gin Dingle Gin Gordons Gin Bombay Sapphire East Whitley Neill Portobello Road No.171

Rum 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.75 4.50

Vodka Dingle Vodka Smirnoff Ketel One 42 Below Stolichnaya

Bacardi Appleton XV Bundaberg Sailor Jerry Captain Morgan

4.25 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.25

Scotch 4.25 4.25 4.50 4.50 4.25

Glenmorangie 10yr Laphroaig 10yr Lagavulin 16yr Auchentoshan 12yr Highland Park 12yr

6.00 6.50 8.50 5.00 5.75

4.30 4.50 5.75

Bulleit Bourbon Woodford Reserve Sazerac Rye

4.50 5.50 7.50

Bourbon Jack Daniels Wild Turkey 81 Elijah Craig 12yr

House Specials Dingle Pot Still Gin & Tonic Dingle Pot Still Vodka & Coke / 7up Dingle Gold Whiskey Sour

5.25 5.50 6.00

Red Rover

6.50

Glendalough Sherry Cask Poitin, Angostura Bitters Fresh lime juice and Irish Red Lemonade

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Since 1782 the Teeling Family have been crafting Irish Whiskey. We are an independent Irish whiskey company dedicated to bringing choice and breadth back to the Irish whiskey category through small batch releases of interesting and flavoursome bottlings. Our goal is to ‘Revive the Spirit of Dublin’.

Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey This small batch bottling consists of hand selected casks It is given further maturation in ex-Flor de Cana Rum Barrels This imparts an extra sweet and smooth flavour unique to Irish Whiskey Bottled at 46% with no chill filtration completes an Irish whiskey of true character

Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey One of the limited bottlings of Irish Single Grain available in the world Fully matured in a Californian Red Wine Cask this release offers a completely unique taste experience With corn as the base it’s incredibly mellow and is complemented by lush red berry flavours and a dry finish Bottled at 46% with no chill filtration ensuring a robust flavour profile with added spice

Teeling 21 Year Old Irish Single Malt Contains some of the oldest Single Malt Irish Whiskey ever bottled This Silver Reserve consists of 21 Year Old Irish Whiskey distilled in 1991 Matured firstly in Bourbon casks and then it is allowed to marry in Sauterne wine casks to provide a truly unique Irish Whiskey Bottled at 46% with no chill filtration and is limited to only 5,000 bottles worldwide

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Whiskey Name Style Abv % â‚Ź Dingle Gold Blend 46 4.25 Kilbeggan Blend 40 4.25 Jameson Blend 40 4.25 Powers Blend 40 4.25 Tullamore DEW Blend 40 4.50 Bushmills Blend 40 4.35 Black Bush Blend 40 4.75 Tyrconnell Single Malt 40 5.00 Tyrconnell Sherry

Single Malt

46

8.50

Connemara 12yr Single Malt 40 8.50 Irish Man Single Malt 40 5.50 Knappogue Castle Single Malt 40 5.50 Lockes 8 yr Single Malt 40 5.10 Bushmills 10yr Single Malt 40 5.95 Bushmills 16yr Single Malt 40 10.00 Connemara Peated Malt 40 4.75 Writers Tears Pot still blend 40 5.00 Green Spot Pure Pot Still 40 6.00 Yellow Spot Pure Pot Still 40 7.75 Redbreast 12yr Pure Pot Still 40 6.00 Redbreast 15yr Pure Pot Still 46 11.00 Greenore 8 Yr Single Grain 40 4.75 Teeling Single Grain 46 7.00 Teeling Small Batch 46 4.50 Irishman Founders Reserve 40 4.50 Jameson Black Barrel

Select Reserve

40

6.00

Jameson 12yr Special Reserve 40 6.50 Tullamore 12yr Special Reserve 40 5.85 Jameson Gold Reserve 40 10.50 Bushills 1608 Ltd Edition 46 8.25 Connemara Cask Strength 58.8 6.50

see staff for the Whiskey of the week/new arrivals

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Whiskey Tasting Trays all servings are 2cl measures

Tray 1 €8 Dingle Gold Blend Tyrconnell Single Malt

Green Spot Pure Pot Still

Tray 2 €10 Bushmills 10yr Single Malt

Writers Tears Pot Still Blend

Yellow Spot Pure Pot Still

Tray 3 €13 Bushmills 1608 Anniversary Edition

Redbreast 15yr Pure Pot Still

Powers 12yr Special Reserve

Whiskey of Note Redbreast 21 Yr Old Pure Pot Still

46%

16.00

Redbreast 21 Year Old is everything you would expect from an aged pot still whiskey with stunning levels of depth, flavour and texture. It is aged for 21 years in a combination of ex-Bourbon and 1st fill Oloroso sherry casks.

Jameson 18 Yr Old Limited Reserve

46%

16.00

The 18 year old Limited Reserve is a supreme example of the Jameson tradition of maturing whiskey in Spanish sweet Oloroso sherry casks. Rich, complex and truly rare only limited stocks of this exceptional whiskey are available. Each bottle is individually numbered to become a true collectors item over time.

Midleton Very Rare Vintage 2013

40%

16.00

As the name suggests, the whiskey is produced in limited quantities. Only 50 casks are released each year, it is therefore both expensive and collectible. The whiskeys used in the blend are handpicked by the Master Distiler and all are triple distilled and have aged between 12 and 25 years in individually selected Bourbon or Sherry casks. As a new vintage is created each year, each differs slightly and has its own character.

Bushmills 21 Yr Old Single Malt

40%

16.00

This is presently the Super Premium Bushmills offering and is only available in limited quantities. Launched in 2001, this malt is a 50:50 combination of whiskey matured for 19 years in a combination of Oloroso sherry casks and Bourbon casks, married together and then finished for over 2 years in Madeira casks. The result is a whiskey of considerable depth that interweaves dried fruit flavours with spicy, aromatic maltiness and subtle nutty toasted raisin notes.

14 | The Headline Bar Teeling Silver Reserve 21 Yr Old Single Malt

46%

16.00

One of the most eagerly awaited Irish whiskey releases in recent years. Teeling 21 Year Old Single Malt is the first Irish whiskey to have been finished in a Sauternes sweet wine cask. Limited to just 5000 bottles this is the first release in what will be a series called the Vintage Reserve Collection. The next releases will be 25 year old and 30 year old whiskeys.

Writers Tears Cask Strength 2013

53%

16.00

Natural Non Chill Filtered, 53%, Limited Edition to only 2500 bottles only worldwide(200 bottles for Ireland), matured in first fill American oak Bourbon casks, triple distilled, vatting of aged single malt and aged single pot still whiskey.

An exclusive Irish whiskey that is only available to buy at the Celtic Whiskey Shop until later this year.

Connemara 18 Yr Old Amontillado Cask

46%

16.00

An exclusive Celtic Whiskey Shop bottling that has been matured in their own Amontillado Sherry cask from Bodegas Emilio Hidalgo. This has been finished for around a year in an Amontillado Sherry cask that has beed shipped to Ireland from our Sherry supplier in Spain. It took a little coaxing to let them part with a cask but it was well worth the effort. A fresh, juicy sherry finish that has none of the sulphur notes that so often spoils these casks.

Tasting notes courtesy of Celtic Whiskey Shop, Dawson Street, Dublin

Celtic Cask Collection Celtic Cask Aon & Celtic Cask D贸 are the first releases under our own exclusive label. Since 2003, we have been building strong relationships with both distilleries & wineries and in 2009 we sourced wine casks from Anima Negra (One of Spains top wineries) and further matured Tyrconnell Single Malt in the casks. These were released under the Tyrconnell Label. The success of these whiskeys has meant we have sourced barrels from Madeira, Marsala, Burgundy, Rhone, Jerez, Tuscany & more from Anima Negra in Mallorca which all have Irish whiskey being further matured in them. We will start releasing more as & when we decide these whiskeys have reached their full potential. Sl谩inte!

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Origin of Beer Ale is one of the oldest beverages humans have produced, dating back to at least the 5th millennium BC and recorded in the written history of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.

As almost any cereal containing certain sugars can undergo spontaneous fermentation due to wild yeasts in the air, it is possible that beer-like beverages were independently developed throughout the world soon after a tribe or culture had domesticated cereal.

Chemical tests of ancient pottery jars reveal that beer was produced about 7,000 years ago in what is today Iran, and was one of the first-known biological engineering tasks where the biological process of fermentation is used in a process. In Mesopotamia, the oldest evidence of beer is believed to be a 6,000-year-old Sumerian tablet depicting people drinking a beverage through reed straws from a communal bowl. A 3900-yearold Sumerian poem honoring Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing, contains the oldest surviving beer recipe, describing the production of beer from barley via bread.

As almost any substance containing Carbohydrates , mainly sugar or starch can naturally undergo fermentation. It is likely that beer-like beverages were independently invented among various cultures throughout the world.

Types of Beer Ale The oldest style of beer in the world, ale is brewed using a yeast strain which works best at room temperature and which usually leaves a certain amount of residual sugar behind. This unfermented sugar is what gives ales their fuller body and rich varied flavours. In northern Europe, beers were originally made without hops and when the word “ale” was first used in English it meant a sweet unhopped alcoholic malt drink.

When hops arrived in the 14th century, English speakers referred to the hopped malt drink as “beer”. This distinction between hopped “beer” and low-or-no hop “ale” lasted for several centuries, until the gradually increased hopping level of ales removed the distinction. Today, ales are usually marked as separate from beer made using a different type of yeast: lager.

Lager The term lager comes comes from the German word ‘Lagern’ which means to store.

This is in reference to the storing of ‘lagernbier’ at cold tempetures in order to self filter.

Lager yeast is a special strain which works best at lower temperatures, around 12°C (53°F). Lagers can be bitter or sweet, pale or black and vary in alcohol from 3% to 6% volume typically, though Austria’s Samichlaus lager is a massive 14% ABV.

The Headline Bar | 17 Brewing in continental Europe was transformed by the development of golden lager beer in Pilsen, Bohemia, in the mid-19th century. But it was in neighbouring Bavaria that brewers grasped the potential of cold fermentation to produce a wider portfolio of beers made with the use of ice-making machines, better-quality malt and hops, and purer strains of yeast. The introduction of modern methods of kilning malt to make lighter varieties encouraged the Munich brewers to make paler versions of lager beer. They made their own interpretations of Pilsner beer – usually shortened to Pils to avoid legal action from Pilsen.

Cask conditioned beer Cask conditioned beer is beer that is brewed from traditional ingredients and matured in the cask from which it is served. This means that it is fresh and unfiltered and therefore has a unique flavour.

At the conclusion of primary fermentation, the “green” beer is racked off into casks, leaving behind most of the yeast. A small amount of yeast is carried over in suspension, which continues to work in the cask. Finings are added to the cask in order to clarify the beer and sometimes priming sugars are added to enhance the secondary fermentation.

As well, dry hops are often added to impart a flowery hop note in the finished beer.

Upon arrival at the pub, the cask is allowed to rest while the yeast continues working and then gradually drops to the belly of the cask as the beer comes into condition over time. Real Ale kept at an ideal cellar temperature of 10 to 13 degrees Celsius (50-55°F) should clarify within 24 to 48 hours. The cask is vented by means of a wooden spile during this time to allow excess carbon dioxide to escape. The skill of the cellarman, using both soft and hard spiles, manipulates the flow of natural carbonation until the desired level of carbonation is achieved and the beer has matured properly. Later, the cask is tapped and the beer is delivered to the bar by means of a hand pump, the traditional system of dispense. What you are tasting is a live product, full of flavour and character: beer in its natural state.

Cask beer develops delicate flavours and does not take kindly to temperature changes and excessive handling. However, when handled properly, cask beer delivers a distinctive, well-rounded taste.

Bottle conditioned beer Filtering removes much of the yeast and any solids (e.g. hops, grain particles) at the end of the brewing process. Bottle conditioned beer can be either filtered or unfiltired. If

18 | The Headline Bar unfiltered, conditioning continues in the bottle. But if filtered, yeast and sugar are added to continue fermentation in the bottle. Just as with Lambic Beers, bottle conditioned beers have longer shelf lives.

Trappist beer Monasteries always relied on self-sufficiency. We have the French monk Dom Perignon to thank for Champagne, and when monasticism spread to beer-drinking countries they naturally took up brewing. The term Trappist when applied to beer, is similar to ‘appellation contrôlée’ in wine, and at present only six breweries may use the term “Authentic Trappist Product”. Technically speaking, Trappist ales are not a single style of beer but a family of styles, with Dubbel and Tripel the best-known individual varieties.

Since life has scarcely changed inside the walls of the monasteries for centuries, the beers reflect a style of brewing that no doubt otherwise would have been lost.

The Trappist abbey in Westmalle (officially called Abdij Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van het Helig Hart van Jezus), founded 6 June 1794, is known to be the site of the first brewing of both of these style of beers. To make a Dubbel, you would twice as much malt as you would normally use to make a regular brew (Dubbel = Double). After the Enkel (= Single) and Dubbel brews, a new brew with a higher alcohol content was created. This was named the Tripel. Some suggest that because the brewers were monks, the three beers were named Enkel, Dubbel & Tripel with the Holy Trinity in mind. Dubbels start with an alcohol content of 6.5% up to 9%, while Tripels start at 7.5% and go to 10%.

Abbey beer Abbey beers fall into two categories. In the first, an abbey that no longer brews licenses a commercial brewery to make beer for it. The monks may exercise some control over ingredients and recipes, and derive income in the form of royalties they use to further their religious work. The second category involves modern commercial breweries that produce beers with monastic-sounding names and often-religious artefacts on their labels but which have little or no connection with any religious houses.

Organic beer Organic beer uses only organically produced ingredients in the brewing process.

Whitstable Bay uses organic Gem and Hallertau hops from New Zealand and organically-grown barley comes from England, which gives this beer a bitter-sweet flavour with floral overtones and a dry finish.

The Headline Bar | 19 Fruit beer These are light, exotic and refreshing beers, usually based on a traditional unfiltered witbier, typically brewed in the east Flanders region of Belgium. Almost any fruit (or vegetable) can be added to enhance the flavour, though cherries (kriek) and raspberries (frambozen) are most common. The alcohol percentage can be as low as 3% or as skullsplitting as 12%.

Rice All beer must contain the four basic ingredients outlined in the ‘Reinheitsgebot’ (German purity law) in order to be genuinely considered beer, although alcohol and glucose have been added to rice mash to make an alcohol sometimes referred to as beer. Rice beer generally uses rice as a substitute for malted barley in the brewing process, as this is much more readily available in the orient.

Non-alcoholic Non-alcoholic beer is brewed as normal beer, but during the finishing stages of the brewing process the alcohol is removed by vacuum evaporation. This process takes advantage of the different boiling points of water and alcohol. Legally, in the US, beers containing up to 0.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) can be called non-alcoholic. In Europe, it must be lower than 1%.

Selected Beer Styles Porter & Stout Black and implacable, topped with a cloud of pale foam, the appearance of a pint of stout never fails to impress. Much energy has gone into debating the origins of the name porter, it means beer of the working classes, porters as in the old term for labouring people or from the Latin ‘portare’. The fashion at the turn of the 20th century was to call the strongest beer in a brewery stout and so we got the name stout porter.

Classic Irish stout, despite its stark appearance, is a very friendly style of beer. It’s very dry, brisk, and light. That’s right, light. Don’t be fooled by the colour – that’s a result of the extensive use of roasted grains in the mash. All the major labels of draught Irish stout contain less than 5% alcohol.

20 | The Headline Bar Pale Ale There is very little difference between pale ales and bitters and even the brewers sometimes get confused. Unlike bitter, pale ales are brewed with new malt, which gives it a bronze, or copper colour. They usually have a bitter taste, as the hops rates are quite generous although varieties can be tangy, spicy, peppery, citrus fruit and resiny aromas and flavours.

IPA India pale ales (IPA) were created to supply the demand for British beer in India at the beginning of the 19th century. It was found that by adding extra hops the natural acids prevented spoilage on long sea journeys. A true IPA should be light amber in colour, have a big earthy, fruity hop aroma, and wield a whipcrack hop bitterness, held together by a sturdy malt at a strength of at least 6%.

Pilsner Pilsner – the world’s most popular style of beer – was invented in Pilsen in the Czech Republic in the 1840s, perfected in Germany and turned into flavourless mass-market fizz in America, according to Garrett Oliver, the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery.

Pilsners should never be too pale and should have a full yellow to deep gold colour with the signature of a floral, hoppy aroma and a dry and bitter finish. The alcohol content of Pilsner is moderate, about 5%. Other pale lagers are fractionally lower in alcohol than Pils but noticeably less hoppy. Brewers throughout the world may call their golden lagers Pils or Pilsner but few have the aggressive hop bitterness of the original.

München Lager Similar to the various foods from different regions in France, Germany has an equally diverse array of regional beers and beer styles. This extends also to the serving glasses used in these different regions. Just as Kölsch is a Cologne based beer, München Beer, sweeter and richer than Pils, is the preferred style of beer in Munich. During the summer Munich brewers were forbidden to brew so would create an extra-strong lager in March, called Märzen. This in turn became the basis of Munich’s legendary Oktoberfest beers.

The Headline Bar | 21 Bock Taking its name from the Saxon town of Einbeck, bock is an umbrella term for many kinds of strong German lagers and wheat beers. The Einbecker brewery still produces light and dark “Ur-Bock” (“Original Bock”) beers, slightly stronger than the norm at 6.5%. Further afield, Munich is famous for its dark strong and sweet Doppelbock beers launched every Easter and all with their distinctive -ator names: Salvator, Maximator, Celebrator etc. Wheat beer specialist Schneider brews a famous Weizenbock called Aventinus. In the Netherlands, autumn is bokbier season and every brewer produces a red and sticky Dutch-style bock. Bock is also the German word for goat, so goats often feature on bock labels.

Dark Lager Perhaps the oldest style of commercial lager in the world is the Vienna Lager, its dark amber hue dating from a time when malt roasting was much less of an exact science.

The Pilsner revolution which began in the 1840s has changed the world’s taste towards paler lagers, but darker ones are still to be found. The Czech Republic is famous for its “Cerné Pivo”, a sweet dark lager style produced by all the major breweries. In contrast, German Schwarzbier is dark and crisp, almost like a dry stout.

Alt & Kölsch Germany enjoys such respect for its cold-fermented lagers that it comes as a shock to many people to discover other styles in that country. Alt means old in German. In the context of beer, it means a style that predates the introduction of cold fermentation on a commercial scale in the 19th century. Just as English bitter or pale ale will vary from brewery to brewery, there is no such thing as a typical Altbier. The best known Alts come from the city of Düsseldorf and are dark red in colour, though the city of Münster further north clings on to its own distinctive pale-coloured Alt. Kölsch takes its name from its home town of Cologne (Köln). It is a clear beer with a bright yellow hue, and is crisp with a prominent, but not extreme, hoppiness. It is less bitter than the German standard beer, Pils. Though lagered, Kölsch is another warmfermented beer using a yeast strain more usually associated with ales. Beer has been brewed in Cologne since 874, and can only be called Kölsch if it is produced by a brewery which has a view of the Kölner Dom, the Cologne Cathedral.

These warm-fermented lager beers defy modern beer classifications and have been known to give beer geeks headaches worse than any hangover!

22 | The Headline Bar Weissbier Making beer from wheat is an ancient tradition dating back to the Babylonians. During the Middle Ages barley became more widely used and wheat beer was a guarded recipe for the noble classes. “Weiss” means white as most other beers were much darker in that era. Weissbiers are an appealing pale and hazy gold/yellow colour and their yeasts will produce, in different intensities and combinations, flavours and aromas of cloves, bananas, bubble gum, smoke, green apples, and occasionally vanilla. Most Weissbeers are of standard strength, about 5%.

Hefe-Weisse beers are very popular in Germany. The “Hefe” just means that the beer still contains yeast. This causes the beer to have greater body and more carbonation.

Filtered Weissbier is called Kristall.

Witbier The country now known as Belgium was part of the Netherlands during the height of Dutch seafaring. Many areas of it, and in particular the town of Hoegaarden, had a rich tradition in making beer. At a time when hops were used sparingly or not at all, spices brought back from the east were added to their beers. Belgian white beers, (Witbier, Bière Blanche or Tarwebier), are cloudy, spicy and complex. They are generally around 5% in volume.

Lambic & Geuze The name Lambic is probably derived from the town of Lembeek in Belgium. However this style of brewing is one of the oldest that exists. Most modern brewers take great care to exclude wild yeasts and bacterial strains from their brews, Lambic brewers take the opposite route. Lambic beers are generally milky white in colour and have a finished alcohol of around 4.5% to 5%. This can rise to 6% during maturation.

They are often powerfully sour, carrying sharp and exciting notes of gunpowder and old bricks. The robust wild yeast strains mean that vintage Lambic can be cellared for twenty years or more: one of the reasons it is sometimes referred to as “the champagne of beers”.

Geuze is a blend of young and old Lambics and is usually around 5.5% alcohol. Geuze can be blended with sugar to take the sour edge off, making a beer mix known as Faro.

The Headline Bar | 23 Bières d’Alsace Alsace has a long-standing German connection and, as mentioned above, German regions tend to have their own specific style of beer. Alsace is no exception. Bière d’Alsace (FR) ismore commonly known as Bier d’Alsace (DE). It’s a smooth, dry and quite crisp pale lager.

Brewing Beer All beers are brewed using a process based on a simple formula. Key to the beer making process is malted grain, depending on the region traditionally barley, wheat or sometimes rye.

Malt is made by allowing a grain to germinate, after which it is then dried in a kiln and sometimes roasted. The germination process creates a number of enzymes, notably alfa-amylase and beta-amylase, which will be used to convert the starch in the grain into sugar. Depending on the amount of roasting, the malt will take on dark colour and strongly influence the colour and flavour of the beer. Breweries buy malt and this is not a process that is done in-house.

The malt is crushed in a malt mill to break apart the grain kernels, increase their surface area, and separate the smaller pieces from the husks. The resulting grist is mixed with heated water in a vat called a "mash tun" for a process known as "mashing". During this process, natural enzymes within the malt break down much of the starch into sugars which play a vital part in the fermentation process. Mashing usually takes 1 to 2 hours, and during this time various temperature rests (waiting periods) activate different enzymes depending upon the type of malt being used, its modification level, and the desires of the brewmaster. The activity of these enzymes convert the starches of the grains to dextrines and then to fermentable sugars such as maltose.

A mash rest at 104 °F or 40 °C activates beta-glucanase, which breaks down gummy beta-glucans in the mash, making the sugars flow out more freely later in the process. A mash rest from 120 °F to 130 °F (49 °C to 55 °C) activates various proteinases, which break down proteins that might otherwise cause the beer to be hazy. But care is of the essence since the head on beer is also composed primarily of proteins, so too aggressive a protein rest can result in a beer that cannot hold a head. This rest is generally used only with undermodified (i.e. undermalted) malts which are popular in Germany and the Czech Republic, or non-malted grains such as corn and rice, which are widely used in North American beers. Finally, a mash rest temperature of 149 to 160 °F (65 to 71 °C) is

24 | The Headline Bar used to convert the starches in the malt to sugar, which is then usable by the yeast later in the industrial brewing process. Doing the latter rest at the lower end of the range produces more low-order sugars which are more fermentable by the yeast. This in turn creates a beer lower in body and higher in alcohol. A rest closer to the higher end of the range creates more higher-order sugars which are less fermentable by the yeast, so a fuller-bodied beer with less alcohol is the result.

Finally the mash temperature may be raised to 165 째F to 170 째F (about 75 째C) (known as a mashout) to deactivate enzymes. Additional water may be sprinkled on the grains to extract additional sugars (a process known as sparging).

After the mashing, the mash is pumped to a lauter tun where the resulting liquid is strained from the grains in a process known as lautering. The lauter tun generally contains a slotted "false bottom" or other form of manifold which acts as a strainer allowing for the separation of the liquid from the grain.

At this point the liquid is known as wort. The wort is moved into a large tank known as a "cooking tun" or kettle where it is boiled with hops and sometimes other ingredients such as herbs or sugars. The boiling process serves to terminate enzymatic processes, precipitate proteins, isomerize hop resins, concentrate and sterilize the wort. Hops add flavour, aroma and bitterness to the beer.

At the end of the boil, the hopped wort settles to clarify using hop filters. SBM does not use the whirlpool system for hop separation.

The wort is then moved into a temperature controlled cylindrical-conical "fermenter" where yeast is added or "pitched" with it. The yeast converts the sugars from the malt into alcohol, carbon dioxide and other components through a process called fermentation or glycolysis. After a week to three weeks, the fresh (or "green") beer is cooled close to freezing temperature, yeast is purged and the beer is allowed to "lager" or rest. After this conditioning for a week to several months, the beer is often filtered to remove remaining yeast and particulates. The "bright beer" is then ready for serving or packaging.

Types of Barley Malts & influence on finished product Malt influences the flavour of beer more than any other ingredient. The malt types selected for brewing will determine the final colour, flavour, mouth feel, body, and aroma. Depending on the style of beer desired and the type of malt, it takes from 15 to 17 kg of malt to produce a hectolitre of beer.

The Headline Bar | 25 Base Malts Base malts provide most of the enzymatic (diastatic) power to convert starches into fermentable sugars. The base malts provide the highest extract potential. There is no universal system used in classifying malts since maltsters categorize and market their products differently. However, most often malts are classified either as base malts or speciality malts. Base malts usually account for a large percentage of the total grain bill, with speciality malts accounting for a much smaller proportion of the total grist bill.

The only exception is wheat malt, which can make up to 100% of the total grain bill in brewing wheat beers.

Speciality Malts The speciality malts are designed to contribute a unique characteristic to beer, such as colour, flavour, mid sized proteins for foam improvement, body, or other accentuating characteristics. Unlike base malts, speciality malts provide little or no enzymatic (diastatic) power but do contain some extractable material. Speciality malts are used in relatively small quantities compared to base malts. Depending on the style of beer brewed, the brewer may use only one or two types of malts, or as many as seven or eight different types of speciality malts.

Caramel (Crystal) Malts Continental lager brewers traditionally use caramel malts, whereas British ale brewers favoured crystal malts. Today, most maltsters no longer make a distinction between caramel and crystals malts and, more often than not, use "caramel malt" when referring to these malts. Other names that can be used when referring to caramel malts include CaraMunich, CaraVienne, Special B, Carastan, Cara, and Extra Special.

Dry Roasted Malts Dry-roasted malts are produced by kilning at very high temperatures followed by roasting. The heat and duration of the roasting determine the color and flavor of malt.

Dry-roasted malts include amber malt, biscuit malt, brown malt, black malt, chocolate malt, and dark chocolate malt.

Unmalted Barley Two other speciality products made from unmalted barley which are roasted barley and black barley. There are no enzymes in either of these products.

26 | The Headline Bar Types of Yeast Malts & influence on finished product Yeast are single-celled micro-organisms that reproduce by budding. They are biologically classified as fungi and are responsible for converting fermentable sugars into alcohol and other by-products. There are literally hundreds of varieties and strains of yeast. In the past, there were two types of beer yeast: ale yeast (the "top-fermenting" type, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and lager yeast (the "bottom-fermenting" type, Saccharomyces uvarum, formerly known as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis). Today, as a result of recent reclassification of Saccharomyces species, both ale and lager yeast strains are considered to be members of S. cerevisiae.

Top-Fermenting Yeast Ale yeast strains are best used at temperatures ranging from 10 to 25°C, though some strains will not actively ferment below 12°C (33). Ale yeasts are generally regarded as top-fermenting yeasts since they rise to the surface during fermentation, creating a very thick, rich yeast head. That is why the term "top-fermenting" is associated with ale yeasts. Fermentation by ale yeasts at these relatively warmer temperatures produces a beer high in esters, which many regard as a distinctive character of ale beers.

Ale The oldest style of beer in the world, ale is brewed using a yeast strain which works best at room temperature and which usually leaves a certain amount of residual sugar behind. This unfermented sugar is what gives ales their fuller body and rich varied flavours. In northern Europe, beers were originally made without hops and when the word “ale” was first used in English it meant a sweet unhopped alcoholic malt drink.

When hops arrived in the 14th century, English speakers referred to the hopped malt drink as “beer”. This distinction between hopped “beer” and low-or-no hop “ale” lasted for several centuries, until the gradually increased hopping level of ales removed the distinction. Today, ales are usually marked as separate from beer made using a different type of yeast. Top-fermenting yeasts are used for brewing ales, porters, stouts, Altbier, Kolsch, and wheat beers.

Bottom-Fermenting Yeast Lager yeast strains are best used at temperatures ranging from 7 to 15°C. At these temperatures, lager yeasts grow less rapidly than ale yeasts, and with less surface foam they tend to settle out to the bottom of the fermenter as fermentation nears completion.

This is why they are often referred to as "bottom" yeasts. The final flavour of the beer will depend a great deal on the strain of lager yeast and the temperatures at which it was fermented.

The Headline Bar | 27 Lager The term lager comes comes from the German word ‘Lagern’ which means to store. This is in reference to the storing of ‘lagernbier’ at cold tempetures in order to self filter. Lager yeast is a special strain which works best at lower temperatures, around 12°C (53°F).

Lagers can be bitter or sweet, pale or black and vary in alcohol from 3% to 6% volume typically, though Austria’s Samichlaus lager is a massive 14% ABV. Brewing in continental Europe was transformed by the development of golden lager beer in Pilsen, Bohemia, in the mid-19th century. But it was in neighbouring Bavaria that brewers grasped the potential of cold fermentation to produce a wider portfolio of beers made with the use of ice-making machines, better-quality malt and hops, and purer strains of yeast. The introduction of modern methods of kilning malt to make lighter varieties encouraged the Munich brewers to make paler versions of lager beer. They made their own interpretations of Pilsner beer – usually shortened to Pils to avoid legal action from Pilsen. Bottom-fermenting yeasts are used for brewing Pilsners, Dortmunders, Marzen, Bocks, and American malt liquors.

Spontaneous Fermentation Beer that is exposed to the surrounding open air to allow natural/wild yeast and bacteria to literally infect the beer, are spontaneous fermented beers. One of the typical yeasts is the Brettanomyces Lambicus strain. Beers produced in this fashion are sour, non-filtered and inspired by the traditional lambics of the Zenne-region. This brewing method has been practised for decades in the West Flanders region of Belgium.

Byproducts of Yeast Yeast impact the flavour and aroma of beer more than you might think. The flavour and aroma of beer is very complex, being derived from a vast array of components that arise from a number of sources. Not only do malt, hops, and water have an impact on flavour, so does the synthesis of yeast, which forms byproducts during fermentation and maturation.

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Whiskey The History of Irish Whiskey If you were to believe all you heard or read concerning the beginning of whiskey, you would be none the wiser. This is because of lost recordings of the facts over the centuries which has given us a whole host of dates relating to “the beginning” in different countries, different centuries and by a varied style of people. Here are some examples, 1174, apparently discovered by the soldiers of King Henry ll while invading Ireland 15th Century, John of Gaddesden of Oxford, a physician, mentioned the word whiskey in one of his publications as a tool used for healing 1494 Scotland, mentioned in the exchequer rolls by order of the king to have viii bolls of malt produced by Friar John Cor 1556 Drogheda Ireland, an act of parliament passed in this year confirms that aqua vitae (whiskey) is “now universally used through the realm of Ireland” The list goes on, but, sometime in the 13th century, distillation was discovered (or rediscovered) and brought to every corner of the world by Spanish monks. This inevitably led to experimentation with a wide variety of ingredients by different nations and eventually to the discovery of whiskey.

The “E” thing There is no great mystery as to why some whiskeys are spelled with an “e” or without an ”e”. It is simply down to the fact that you could spell your whiskey any way you wanted. Cork Distilleries usually spelled theirs without “e” whereas the big Dublin boys (Jameson & Powers) spelled theirs with the “e”.

Early in the 1960`s John Power & Son realised that the only way for the Irish Whiskey market to continue was for a merger with Jameson & Cork Distilleries. This happened in 1966 and since then all Irish whiskey was spelled with an “e”. Another mystery solved!

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The tools – Water & Barley, Copper, Wood, Yeast.

Water & Barley Water is the single most important ingredient of the whole process. It is used in no less than 6 different stages throughout Whiskey production. You may have noticed that Mother Nature is very generous when it comes to the supplying of water. Our rainy climate is also a big factor when it comes to the production of our grain of choice.

Barley is the ideal grain for production of whiskey as a result of its high level of starch, which produces the enzymes responsible for alcohol. Ireland is noted for producing some of the best barley in the world and this reflects directly on our whiskey as a world class product.

Traditionally, barley was available to distilleries once a year and so distillation was a once a year task, but thanks to progress in the fields, barley production lasts longer allowing the distilleries to provide the volume of whiskey needed for home use & export. The amount of whiskey in Maturation warehouses in Ireland runs into the Billions of euros.

Copper The ideal metal for use because of its resistance to corrosion, its ability to last for decades, its cleansing properties during distillation & I dare say it has a physical beauty like no other piece of equipment to be found in the distillery. After all if you were to walk into any distillery, surely your first glance would be the huge shining stills. Copper Pot Stills produce some of the finest whiskeys in the world and this can be attributed to a number of factors. Copper acts as a natural filter by collecting sulphur traces during distillation, which can be filtered at a later stage, meaning a cleaner tastier whiskey.

Also, Copper Pot Stills are controlled by skilled still men. It’s their job to control every aspect of distillation, from the manual cleaning of the stills, the introduction of the wort, and the constant inspection of the process to ensure only the best quality spirit makes it through to the next stage in the process. And from what the whiskey experts say, the stillmen do a good job.

Wood Probably one of the most essential pieces of equipment when it comes to the making of whiskey due to its flavour enhancing properties. Only barrels that have already held alcohol for a period of time are suitable for the maturing of whiskey, because of the over

30 | The Headline Bar powering effect of new wood. You will notice how the wood flavours the whiskey when you read tasting notes that mention sherry undertones, fruitiness, spicy oak and so on.

But whiskey has only been matured in wood for the last 100 years, and before that was drunk straight from the still. When tasting the whiskey you might be able to guess what barrels the whiskey came from by the colour of the spirit i.e. Ruby from Sherrywood, Golden from Oak & Pale from Bourbon.

Peat Peat is a natural fuel found in wet climates of the northern hemisphere, the best of which is found in Ireland & Scotland. Peat is the result of dead plant material that has spent 5000 – 7000 years rotting in areas known as bogs. Of all the ingredients used in whiskey making, peat lends the most throughout the whiskey making process, and you will smell or taste this in the final product. Either the water used in distilleries will run over or through peat bogs, or the malt barley will be dried in a peat burning kiln. This is the traditional malt barley drying technique in Scotland.

Yeast Yeast is the final ingredient to be added, and this happens during the fermenting process in order to help the sugar turn to aclohol. Some master distillers believe that the strain of yeast used is important to the final product, and plays a part in adding to the flavours & aromas. Unfortunately it is quite hard to prove for or against this point, and us mere mortals shouldn’t loose sleep over it.

Malting The barley is steeped in fresh water to cause germination that will provide us with natural sugars for the making of whiskey. This wet barley is dried in a closed kiln by heated air that is produced by a fire that burns smokeless fuels. If this fire were to burn peat or turf, you would taste it in the whiskey (this is how its done in Scotland).

Mashing Next the barley is ground into a flour type product called “Grist”, where it meets with hot water in a container known as a “mash tun”. The water is drained off and the process is repeated twice more with the water from the final mashing (the wort) being used in the next batch to encourage continuity between the batches.

Mashing causes the starch in the grain to turn into sugar.

The Headline Bar | 31 Fermenting The water that has been drained during the mashing process is now put into fermenting containers and mixed with yeast. The yeast & wort begin to react with each other and when all is done we are left with a liquid (now called the wash) that has approximately 9% alcohol by volume. The wash is a crude form of beer.

Distilling The wash is now boiled in a copper still, where the alcohol will rise before the water due to a lower boiling point. After the separation, the liquid is re-distilled a second time and then a third time. (Cooley only distill twice, while Jameson & Bushmills distill three times). Not all of the liquid collected in distilling can go on to the maturing process due to poor quality, and instead it is collected for re-distilling. Once the spirit is distilled the number of satisfactory times, it passes through a spirit safe and into a sealed receiver.

It is from this point in the making process that Customs & Excise authorities make themselves known!

Maturing This new spirit is now put into barrels where it will have to mature for at least 3 years before it can take the title Irish Whiskey. These barrels will have contained spirits before and it is this fact that shapes the whiskey. Barrels may have held bourbon, sherry, cognac, rum or port, and sometimes even virgin barrels are used. Every year two percent of all spirits in barrels will evaporate through the wood. This is known as the angel’s share, apparently there’s a bar on the way to heaven.

Vatting Not every barrel that matures new spirit is the same, so numerous amounts of barrels are “vatted” or married together in large “holding tanks”. It is in these tanks that the whiskey has its strength reduced with demineralised water to neutralise calcium deposits that may be present in the whiskey and which can have damaging effects to the final product.

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Types Of Whiskey Pure Pot Still Whiskey This is the term used for whiskeys, which use malted & unmalted barley and are then distilled in a copper pot still. They are not mixed with any other style of whiskey – hence they are PURE. This style of whiskey is unique to Ireland. It originated because of excessive tax on malted barley, which led to the mixing of taxed malted barley with untaxed unmalted barley. At time of writing several labels had released Pure Pot Still variants, such is the quality of this style of whiskey.

Malt Whiskey Made purely from malted barley, in a copper pot still giving a completely different flavour. Malt whiskey is differentiated from Pot Still whiskey mainly by its flavour profile.

Midleton produces the least amount of malt whiskey, usually kept for use in blending. A Single Malt is simply a name given to a whiskey produced in a single distillery.

Grain Whiskey Made from different grains, usually maize, this whiskey has a much lighter flavour & is usually distilled in a continuous still. The grain enters in one end, spirit out the other end. It is added to Pure Pot Still Whiskey to create a light flavoursome whiskey.

Blended Whiskey Blended whiskey is a mixture of more than one style of whiskey. Blending whiskey helps to ensure continuity of flavours, essentially meaning that your glass of Jameson will taste the same year after year.