When I wrote my first beer Review for Totally Dublin back in March 2012, the beer I chose was Howling Gale Ale from a relatively new outfit called the Eight Degrees Brewing Co. At the time, I wrote that great intentions don’t always equal great beer but in the case of Eight Degrees they over-delivered. A lot has happened for these two Antipodeans since then, and their beers have been receiving both critical acclaim and strong sales, especially in the Irish market.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Cam and Scott, and memories of how their very first commercial batch turned out to be undrinkable and had to be poured down the drain still cause a pang and give some insight into the kind of set-backs that craft brewers experience. On the upside, Eight Degrees picked up a bronze medal at the World Beer Cup in 2014 for their Amber-Ella Ale, a feat which was all the more impressive given that they had taken on the cream of the US craft brewing scene with a beer style that is to the States what stout is to the Irish. Having picked up this prestigious award, they braced themselves for an avalanche of overseas inquiries but this failed to materialise which again was a lesson learned. Instead the guys have continued to develop export markets in a more discerning manner and their beers are now available in 11 global markets including most recently Australia where they will officially launch at Good Beer Week a particularly significant event for Cam as he gets to showcase his brews in his hometown of Melbourne.
These days the majority of craft beers are all about the hops, and although hops certainly deserve to be celebrated, Sunburnt Irish Red Ale is testament to what can be achieved by putting a careful combination of malts front and centre. Sunburnt Irish Red Ale has a complex malt build with no less than six malts at play and a fair amount of caramel and Crystal malt (which produce a crystalline sugar structure in the grain’s hull during malting) as well as some roasted barley which combine to deliver those delicious toasty, toffee notes. Pouring a very deep, ruby red with a sweet malt aroma, Sunburnt Irish Red Ale delivers an intriguing burst of sweet and off-sweet notes that remind me of the slightly burnt caramel flavour you get on a toffee apple. The combination of New Zealand and Australian hops really manifest themselves on the finish which is long-lasting yet subtle. Water is a key ingredient in beer and the guys have struck gold with a local water supply from the Galtee mountains which delivers just the right amount of minerals to augment the flavours and bring balance to their beers. According to Cam and Scott, Sunburnt Irish works a treat with roast pork, lamb burgers or venison stew and they should know!
Words: Greg McElherron
Image: Eight Degrees
