ONE of the great joys of craft beer is the way many brewers operate on a seasonal basis. Sure, they'll take great delight in churning out their core range all year round, but the microbrewer is never one to rest and takes great pride in changing things up from time to time and brewing to fit the season.
Kinnegar in Rathmullan have a cracking core range. When I saw recently that a certain Dublin-based beer giant had brought out a rye ale, I couldn't help but think that Kinnegar had set the standard for rye ales made in Ireland with Rustbucket and, to my own personal joy, Black Bucket which has made a welcome return to their roster after being mothballed for the summer.
Black Bucket, a wonderfully complex black rye ale was my favourite beer at the Irish Beer Festival in Belfast in April. It leans slightly towards the Cascadian Pale Ales of the US west coast, but the rye gives it a nice spicey and warming feel and the roasted malt chucks in flavours of coffee and bitter chocolate.
Definitely a special worth snapping up if you see it about. It's a bit more robust than Rustbucket at 6.5 per cent abv but if you're looking for a more sessionable rye IPA, look no further than another seasonal Kinnegar offering Bucket & Spade, which weighs in at 4.5 per cent.
As the name suggests, this is more of summer thirst quencher, but it offers another multi-layered flavour experience. It has lovely malty backbone, refreshing fruity notes and a hoppy bitter finish.
Although few do rye ales better than the Donegal-based beer makers, their line of specials features another IPA which should be savoured.
White Rabbit is very drinkable white IPA, which features American wheat in the bill and pours a pale gold colour with a lovely frothy white head. It has a soft mouthfeel and juicy, citrus and tropical notes. The flavours are well balanced, ensuring real drinkability and I almost sucked out the last drop from the bottom of the glass. One word of advice: don't buy just one bottle because you will be left hankering for more.
