LADEN with inconspicuous meaning, Seamus Heaney's poem Docker has stuck with me in all the years since I first read it in school. Yes, it was an unabashed parable on sectarianism but the lines 'The only Roman collar he tolerates / Smiles all round his sleek pint of porter' stayed with me as much due to the imagery of the pint of porter as the nod to religious intolerance.
Now, Heaney country, as well has providing a permanent reminder of the poet's life and work in HomePlace, has turned its hand to brewing beer.
Heaney Farmhouse is one of the newest breweries on the scene and have launched with a range which includes a blonde ale, an IPA, a red ale and a stout. I've yet to see the sleek smile of the stout around my glass, but I managed to sample the other three this week.
First up was the blonde ale. It's crisp and clear but there's an earthiness to it, a kind of grassy tingle from the lively carbonation. It's a light ale, with slight lemony finish to it.
My feelings were that it was a real summer ale, maybe not one for a cold January evening – the kind of drink which could quench the thirst after cutting turf in Toner's Bog just like that bottle of milk corked with bit of paper.
The India pale ale was less lively. It's very much a malt-forward IPA, slightly dark in colour and with a biscuity, chewy feel though very little in the way of hoppy bitterness you’d expect from an IPA. It still has the taste of a very well put together beer, but not the best example of the style.
The red ale was my favourite of the three. It is a beautifully rounded ale with a rich malty mouthful to begin with. There's a velvety, caramel backbone and nice level of bitterness to the finish. It is a sweet and smooth ale with plenty of body.
