THREE years is a long time and when it comes to craft brewing, it can seem like a lifetime. It was around three years ago that I first met Willy Mayne. It was at a rather low-key beer festival in my home town of Newry; however, it was the sort of event that a budding young brewer had to go to in order get the word – and his beers – out there.
Willy had been carting his newly brewed beers here, there and everywhere as he tried to muscle in on the rapidly growing Northern Ireland craft beer scene.
It was clear from the start that this guy meant business because he introduced the public to Bullhouse Brewing Company with a 12 per cent imperial coffee stout. That was a gutsy move and one which has paid off (it also fuzzied up my recollection of that night in Newry about three years ago).
Willy also had a session IPA that day that was so fresh, he hadn’t even managed to bottle it yet. Small Axe from a keg was a delight and once it found its way into a bottle, and then can, it became a real go-to beer.
A lot of beer has flowed from the Newtownards brewery since then and they’ve knocked out some great beers.
A new year heralded a fresh new look to go with the fresh new beers that Bullhouse is brewing, one of which is a souped-up double IPA version of Small Axe called, yes you’ve guessed it, Big Axe (Spoiler alert: It’s immense).
They’ve also released an easy-drinking sessionable ale called Road Trippin’ and a 7.2 per cent NE IPA called Residents Only.
But Big Axe is the beer that wrapped itself around my taste buds this week. It clocks in at 8 per cent and pours an almost straw colour, with a bit of haze. The carbonation is pretty light and the wheat and oats in the malt contribute to quite a smooth mouthfeel.
Stick the nose in and you get some fantastically fresh aromas of citrus, grapefruit and peach. There’s a white head, but that doesn’t stick around too long.
Flavour-wise, this beer really packs a punch. It’s sticky and sweet and really moreish, a bit worrying considering the strength. It’s a real belter and great illustration of how far Bullhouse have come in three years.
