Try?
Move over
Guinness. Carlow Brewing Company, makers of O’Hara’s Celtic Stout,
have got your number. Carlow, an upstart on the Irish brew scene, has only
been around since 1998, but already they’re brewing a beer that tastes to me
as good as any Guinness I’ve ever drunk. Certainly, Guinness set the
standard for Irish stout and will continue to dominate the market for some
time to come. Still, it’s nice to see the emergence of a smaller brewer in
Guinness’ back yard.
Carlow Brewing has brought brewing back to a region of Ireland that was once famous for it over a century ago. Carlow is actually a town in the Barrow Valley, an area where hops and barley have long been grown. The stout is not the brewery’s only product, either. Curim Gold Celtic Wheat Beer and Molings Traditional Red Ale are also available here in the states.
So how good is O’Hara’s Celtic Stout? It took a Gold Medal at the 2000 Brewing Industry National Awards in London. These awards have been issued since 1886, so though the brewery is fairly new, the award definitely is not. You should know that O’Hara’s beat out 74 other beers in a blind tasting and was declared “The World’s Number One Stout.”
I am, of course, skeptical of such declarations. With so many delicious stouts being brewed in the world, I doubt any one can be declared the best, especially from such a limited sampling. Still, the award is still an achievement to be respected, and the beer an excellent example of Irish dry stout.
O’Hara’s Celtic Stout pours to a jet black color with a thick, huge creamy and rocky head formation with a light licorice nose. The big malt palate is delicious and roasty, rather smooth and drinkable with a gradually increasing roasty bitterness. There are notes of light licorice and hints of powdery cocoa with a bitter, slightly sour finish. In many respects O’Hara’s is very much like draft Guinness. It’s a smooth drinking, delicious Irish dry. It left lots of Brussels lace down my glass as I drank. Alcohol is 4.3% by volume, so don’t be fooled by the bitterness into thinking this is a potent brew. It’s not.
I enjoyed this along with deep fried oysters, homemade Cole slaw, and home-cut fries. The light sourness was a perfect match for the rich oysters, cutting through their pungent flavor and cleansing the palate nicely.
Carlow Brewing has brought brewing back to a region of Ireland that was once famous for it over a century ago. Carlow is actually a town in the Barrow Valley, an area where hops and barley have long been grown. The stout is not the brewery’s only product, either. Curim Gold Celtic Wheat Beer and Molings Traditional Red Ale are also available here in the states.
So how good is O’Hara’s Celtic Stout? It took a Gold Medal at the 2000 Brewing Industry National Awards in London. These awards have been issued since 1886, so though the brewery is fairly new, the award definitely is not. You should know that O’Hara’s beat out 74 other beers in a blind tasting and was declared “The World’s Number One Stout.”
I am, of course, skeptical of such declarations. With so many delicious stouts being brewed in the world, I doubt any one can be declared the best, especially from such a limited sampling. Still, the award is still an achievement to be respected, and the beer an excellent example of Irish dry stout.
O’Hara’s Celtic Stout pours to a jet black color with a thick, huge creamy and rocky head formation with a light licorice nose. The big malt palate is delicious and roasty, rather smooth and drinkable with a gradually increasing roasty bitterness. There are notes of light licorice and hints of powdery cocoa with a bitter, slightly sour finish. In many respects O’Hara’s is very much like draft Guinness. It’s a smooth drinking, delicious Irish dry. It left lots of Brussels lace down my glass as I drank. Alcohol is 4.3% by volume, so don’t be fooled by the bitterness into thinking this is a potent brew. It’s not.
I enjoyed this along with deep fried oysters, homemade Cole slaw, and home-cut fries. The light sourness was a perfect match for the rich oysters, cutting through their pungent flavor and cleansing the palate nicely.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
