The Irish craft beer scene is really beginning to take off. Breweries such as Whitewater, Trouble Brewing, Hilden and 8 degrees are taking the island by storm and we beer-geeks are loving it! Something about the idea of craft beer just seems so naturally Irish, and we are taking to it like a fish to water. Obviously the beer scene as a whole is still dominated by one or two larger companies, and there is no doubt that we still have a very long way to go, but we are definitely moving in the right direction.
One brewery in particular is making huge leaps and bounds. The O'Hara brewery/Carlow brewing company opened in 1996 in Bagenalstown, County Carlow, and hasn't looked back since. They now brew over ten different beers and produce some of the most popular craft beers in Ireland.
One of these beers is 'Curim Gold Celtic Wheat Beer'. The beer pours a lovely golden colour, with almost perfect clarity and a pure white head. The head does disappear quite quickly but while it remains the beer looks nearly perfect. On the nose there are notes of grass and hops with just a hint of banana, creating a dry aroma with a little hint of sweetness. In the mouth the beer feels smooth at first, and the sweetness is what first catches the attention. The taste then develops into a fresh wheaty flavour as the more 'beery' side of Curim comes through. The finish is dry and refreshing, and the fresh grass tastes linger on the palate for some time after it's finished. The only downside is just a little bit of a skunky taste that sometimes comes through when you first taste the beer, but that does't take away from what is a great wheat ale.
Curim goes well with all sorts of foods and Irish cheeses, and goes down equally well on its own! I personally am looking forward to long summer's evenings with a couple of bottles of this Irish Gold!
Scores
Looks 9
Smell 7
Mouthfeel 6
Taste 8
Overall 7.5
Drink Irish Craft Beer!
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