Pride of Galway

I know that I complain... a lot. But if people were always content then there'd be no need for revolutions and no one is going to convince me that Ireland isn't in need of a beer revolution. I'm obviously not alone.

If every body was happy drinking mass produced, tasteless lager and industrial, nitrogenated, bland stout then we wouldn't have microbreweries and beer specialist pubs. We do have the above, just not enough of them.

Enough complaining. Today I want to celebrate. I want to celebrate the beer that is Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale.

I've always liked Galway hookers - the sailing boats. They are traditional, big, elegant, swift and take dedication and skill to maintain and sail. Not withstanding all the fun to be had with double entendres (and Galway Hooker brewery use this to the max!), it is an aptly named beer.

Galway Hooker has been around since the summer of 2006. I have tried it many times and have always liked it. It is hoppy, crisply bitter, well balanced and full flavoured. However, recently I had a pint of it in The Bierhaus, Cork and just had to have another. Whether they've honed the recipe or it was a particularly fresh keg (not that it's had freshness issues in the past) or I've just acquired a stronger fondness for the beer, I don't know but those couple of pints put Galway Hooker high on my beer list.

This is a draught beer that while full flavoured enough to appeal to beer heads, it is accessible enough to be in ever bar in Ireland. It is pale in colour, it has carbonation and is not too high in alcohol (4.4%abv). Irish people have conservative tastes in beer but this is a clever beer. Sure, it's too hoppy for some people but it's not a dark, strong, flat warm scary beer either. And it's Irish made and owned.

So where is it? Well, Galway have taken to their own. No less than 19 pubs in Galway have G.H. taps. Now, that's great to see. I just hope the punters are as supportive as the Galway publicans. Dublin has a fair 6 taps and Cork, Tipperary, Leitrim, Sligo and Limerick have one each (shame on Cork and Limerick). A full list of pubs is here.

Yes, it's great that Galway and Dublin are supporting their efforts but it must cost G.H. to be traipsing about the country to deliver to six locations, bearing in mind that with the best will in the world from the publicans, it is still a minority beer. But these guys seem to believe in the organic growth in the popularity of their beer. It's a long haul but if the decisions were left to the accountants, we'd have no G.H. outside of Galway and Dublin. This company is clearly run by people with a belief in and a passion for their beer. Let's hope that the future will see sustainable growth for the beer across the country and show that passion can make profit.

I'm not alone in my love for G.H. The McKennas, in their Bridgestone Irish Food Guide, have sung its praises, bluntly calling it the best new Irish drink. The Irish Craft Brewer site love this beer and have written about it here and here and voted it Best Beer 2007 at the Fransciscan Well Bierfest and more reviews can be viewed here.

At a time when we import more and more of our beer (by necessity, unfortunately if we want quality), Galway Hooker is Irish brewed. It is brewed without the use of chemical additives in a sustainable way. It is essentially hand made. This is a modern craft beer for a modern Ireland. It has funky marketing and can't miss counter taps. It is a quality product from a young, fun company. We should support it.

Ask your bar for Galway Hooker.
And keep asking - I will.
A simple search will find them online.

My last drink was; Glass Rustenburg, Stellenbosch, John x Merriman, 2005, 14.5%anv