At last week’s inaugural Killarney Beerfest James Brown’s Chocolate Orange Stout was chosen as the Best Beer in Ireland. I tried this beer earlier in the year and frankly I was underwhelmed. The always well informed Wayne Dunne aka The Irish Beer Snob told me that the recipe had been tweaked for the second and subsequent batches and that more oranges were included now. So, I decided it was time to give the beer another go. I had some Broderick’s ( sadly, no relation) Rocky Road with the beer, damn I love their snacks!
The beer pours a rich dark brown and has a thin beige head. It is pretty smooth going down with some smokiness on the palate and a citrus aftertaste. Is it the best beer in Ireland? That’s a subjective one, I enjoyed it and would say it’s a decent stout and a great achievement for Mr James Brown, you will need to pick up a bottle and make up your own mind. It’s available in O’Brien’s Off Licenses nationwide and on ObriensWines.ie sláinte!
Simon Broderick aka Simon Says… You Really Should Drink This! Simon started his blog in September 2013. Since then he has built up a large audience of readers. He can also be found on Twitter. A passionate Advocate for Great beer, he set up the Athlone Beer Club in January 2014 and this has proven very popular with publicans and members alike in the Midlands. The future? Ireland’s second craft beer book perhaps! And a lot of beers.