So my bro Andrew is has seen the inside of a fair few Irish pubs in his day; he was born and raised in Belfast. So I was keen to get him over to Ceili Cottage, as I knew he would appreciate the place as much as me, and better then many. We were foiled last weekend when we went to watch the Champions League final, as they were going to be showing the Chicago v Philly game (as Irish as they are, the bar is still in Canada, I guess), but this past weekend we had an early dinner on Saturday and took the whole family over for some craic. Aside from the usual, killer ambiance and great beer, we got a full-on pub experience when it started to rain a bit, and people migrated in from the patio. We invited a group of four to join us (as we were at the big table in the cottage). We spent the rest of our time chatting and sharing some bar info and stories. It was a great time. They were totally cool with Bentley, and in fact, one of them (Tim, if I recall), spent a good amount of time happily chasing Bentley around the bar. Andrew got a Harp, and Erika and I were into the cask of Hop Head.
Hop Head - County Durham Brewing
Poured from the beer engine at Ceili Cottage, beer is honey yellow with a lovely foamy head. Aroma is hard to get through the head, but there’s definitely hops, and some malt. The thick blanket of head was holding back a tiger. Beer is massively hoppy, but not in the classic American style. Balance between the piney herbal hops and the warm almost caramelly malts is immaculate. There is no doubt you are drinking a resinous hoppy beer, yet it goes down nice and easy. Finish is just a parade of hops, pine and cedar followed but hints of citrus and a lingering earthy resin feel. Soooooo tasty. Sure this probably is a crazy unapproachable beer for the average Bud drinker, but I think a non hop fanatic would still really enjoy it. I was actually able to drink this side by side with Hop Addict at the C’est What Spring Festival of Craft Beer, and I must say, while I love hop addict, and have many fond memories drinking it, it’s brash punch-you-in-the-mouth-with-it’s-brass-knuckles-made-out-of-hops approach is a young man’s beer, and I think I’m ageing. While a mouthful of hops that you still taste the next morning is nice, I like it delivered in a carefully crafted package, where complexity and subtleness balance with sharp hops in a way that only a skilled brewer can strike. And Hop Head delivers. It’s the grown-up APA. Watch for this one at this summer’s PA/IPA challenge at Volo. Thanks to the good people at Ceili for enduring a hyper-active 22 month-old, and to everyone at Durham. Keep the good beer coming.
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