KEEPING up with the beer style of the day can be an arduous task, so the best thing to do is ignore passing fads and try whatever beer you want whenever you want.
Not so long ago there was a brief, if intense, fad for brut IPAs. If you’ve only ever seen the word brut on a bottle of Champagne (or sparkling white wine if you want to be pedantic) then you’re not a million miles away from the characteristics of a BIPA.
As the name suggests, it’s dry, through a complex scientific process to do with sugars and enzymes which, had I paid more attention in chemistry class, I might be able to get my head around, but that’s not important.
Dublin brewers Rascals have entered the world of BIPAs with Absolute Brut. It pours a light amber, almost straw colour with a fluffy white head. There are subtle, piney aromas with a hint of fruit, which gives an indication of the flavours ahead.
You get a nice wash of sweet, stone fruit and a fair bit of bubbly, carbonation. There are also a fair bit of grapefruit, nice hints of sherbet and a dry, piney finish. It’s quite clear in the glass and has a light, crisp mouthfeel.
Unlike many of Inchicore-based Rascals' other beers, this comes in a 440ml can and clocks in at 6 per cent. It’s quite refreshing and easy drinking and as brut IPA go, it’s up there with the best I’ve tasted.
I got by hands on another tall boy with Rascals recently which contained a style I have a rather fractious relationship with. I’m not adverse to sour beers, in fact there are many I have enjoyed, but I find the Berliner weisse a troubling style which I have never really been able to warm to.
So it was with some trepidation that that I cracked open Rascals’ Dublinerweisse. I must admit, I did like the name and this one has been brewed with raspberry and milk sugars, which nudge it slightly into milkshake IPA territory.
The lactose isn’t immediately obviously, although there is a pleasant smoothness to this and a tart flavour from the raspberries. It’s 3.8 per cent, sweet and pretty inoffensive, like drinking a large glass of fruit cordial.
