WHEN the Mourne Wall was built, its primary function was to keep sheep and cows away from the Silent Valley reservoir. Even back then they realised the importance of good clean water. Construction of the wall began in 1904 and took 18 years to complete.
It hasn't quite taken Mourne Mountains Brewery quite that long to rack up 100 brews, but they wanted to mark the occasion and what better way than to conjure up something that is as strong and formidable as the Mourne Wall itself (well, it is crumbling a bit now and serves more as tourist attraction and guide for walkers these days).
Still, once again drawing inspiration from their surroundings, Tom Ray and Conor O'Hare have brewed their first double IPA The Wall to celebrate their landmark brew.
It's a new departure for the Warrenpoint-based brewery. Not only have they dipped their toe in DIPA territory, they've also decided to wrap this bad boy in metal. It's MMB's first canned beer, coming in a generous 440ml tin.
They've been generous with the hops too – the juicy aromas just leap out of the can as it's poured. In the glass, it has a hazy amber look and there are tropical aromas of pineapple and mango.
On the first gulp, you get a good sense of the silky smooth mouthfeel before all those juicy, fruity flavours pile on to your palate. They are great though, plenty of tropical flavours, lots of citrus too, a fair smack of bitter orange, kind of like orange marmalade.
There's a nice sweet malty, toffee-like backbone to it all and it's great gulper – a bit worrying considering it clocks in at 8 per cent.
This is a limited brew, so snap up a can while you can but something tells me MMB'S first foray in DIPAs won't be there last.
If you're looking for something a bit lighter, Mourne Mountain's Hop lager has made a welcome return with a slightly tweaked recipe. This is one of those rare things – a lager with flavour.
It’s got a lovely malty backbone, reminiscent of a premium European lager, but it's been nicely hopped to provide some subtle fruity flavours and a nice dry, bitter finish. It's a manageable 5 per cent and with warmer weather hopefully around the corner, it's a crisp, refreshing drop.
