OF the four main ingredients which go into making beer, hops contribute a fair bit to the flavour. They do a fair bit more too, chipping in on the aroma side of things, as well as helping with head retention.
Once upon a time, though, they were merely used as a preservative to stop beer going off while various herbs and spices were used to flavour the beer.
Of course, once beer makers centuries ago realised that hops were playing their part in the flavour stakes, they were put front and centre and the humble hop quickly became known as the spice of beer.
However, while hops continue to provide a huge chunk of a beer's character, brewers often add their own 'spice' to proceedings too.
That's why I was intrigued by Trifecta from Dead Centre Brewing, which is a dark ale with ginger and lime, aged in rum barrels. There's a lot going on there and the whole brew clocks in at a hefty 8.3 per cent.
Dead Centre are based in Athlone, which is largest town which can legitimately claim to be closest to the geographical centre of Ireland. The brewery itself is a central part of the Irish beer world, housing a taproom and restaurant.
Trifecta comes in a 440ml can and pours a dark brown, mahogany colour with an ample, fluffy and slightly off-white head. The added lime and ginger give a warming yet zesty aroma. Hops often help contribute a citrus flavour to beer, but the lime does a decent job of that all on its own.
Before that, though, there are nice comforting malt flavours of toffee and wholegrain bread. The ageing in rum barrels gives it a smooth mouthfeel and, together with the addition of ginger, contributes to nice warming and comforting feel to the beer.
Laced through all of this is the lime, which gives it a freshness and slight bitterness it what is otherwise a smooth beer.
At north of 8 per cent, it's obviously one to savour and the ginger and high ABV will give you warming glow.
