Boom Derry Pale Ale - Beer of the Month

KRISTIN JENSEN, co-author of Slainte! The complete Guide To Irish Craft Beers and Ciders - introduces us to Walled City Brewery Boom Derry Pale Ale

ABOUT THE BREWER

Launched at the Culturetech Craft Beer Festival in 2014, the Walled City Brewery is an ambitious new venture and the first craft brewery in the city centre for over 100 years. It’s a craft brewery and restaurant in the same building – the old military pay office on Ebrington Square, which dates back to 1890 – which is a first for Northern Ireland.

The idea behind the business is to give both locals and tourists a taste of the north-west ‘through crafting local, authentic, premium quality, flavoursome beer and food’. And what with celebrating the Year of Food and Drink in Northern Ireland 2016, it couldn’t have arrived at a better time. They’re off to a flying start too, scooping the Best Newcomer and Best Gastro Pub awards in the 2016 Irish Restaurant Awards.

The business is a real family act. Owner James Huey is a qualified diploma brewer. Before launching his own business he worked at Guinness for 12 years doing product development, so there is a wealth of knowledge and experience going into the beers he brews. Meanwhile, James’s wife Louise looks after human resources and his sister, Jill McKillop, is the executive chef in the restaurant.

The brewery currently produces four beers: Boom Derry Pale Ale, Stitch India Pale Ale, Kicks Pilsner and Wit Wheat Beer. For a complete taste of Northern Ireland, Walled City Brewery is a must-visit.

ABOUT THE BEER

Calling it a new category of craft beer, brewer James Huey says of his Boom Derry Pale Ale, ‘We have always done things differently in the North West, so why stop a good thing!’ The name Boom refers to the breaking of the boom during the Siege of Derry.

As for the ‘Derry pale ale’ category, if you didn’t know what you were drinking, you could be forgiven for thinking it was an IPA on the mild end of the spectrum. The aroma is classically tropical, with lots of pineapple and mango, while the flavour is similarly tropical and refreshing, with that trademark bitter bite.

And at only 4.2% ABV, this beer is just as good for sessionable sipping as it is for matching with food. If you do want to enjoy it with a meal, spicy food, Mexican food, Thai food and Vietnamese food would all be good matches. Or better yet, why not call in to the Walled City Brewery the next time you’re in Derry and enjoy it with some of the food in their very own restaurant?

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Secretary of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild, Kristin Jensen is a freelance editor specialising in cookery and food books and has worked with many of Ireland's top food writers and chefs.  She writes the Edible Ireland blog and is a co-founder of the Irish Food Bloggers Association and, together with Caroline Hennessy, is joint author of Slainte! The complete Guide To Irish Craft Beers and Ciders .