White Gypsy Emerald Fresh - Beer of the Month

For December, our expert columnist, food blogger - and joint author of Slainte! The complete Guide To Irish Craft Beers and Ciders - KRISTIN JENSEN introduces us to the first all-Irish beer, Emerald Fresh Hop Beer from White Gypsy

ABOUT THE BREWER

The White Gypsy Brewery was established in 2009, but owner Cuilán Loughnane has been involved in the Irish microbrewery industry since 1997. The brewery’s philosophy is about getting back in touch with the things that made Ireland famous for its beer but have been forgotten.

White Gypsy pride themselves on sourcing as many ingredients as possible for their beers locally. This includes growing their own hops – 500 plants went in next to the brewery in 2014 and they feature in their flagship all-Irish beer, a pale ale called Emerald. White Gypsy has also sometimes brewed beer under contract for other breweries, including Metalman and Elbow Lane.

White Gypsy produces a varied range that includes a German doppelbock, an American pale ale, a Belgian dubbel and a Russian imperial stout. Unusually, the bottled beer comes in 750ml bottles instead of the more common 330ml or 500ml, a reflection of the fact that these beers have been brewed with food matching in mind and are meant for sharing.

ABOUT THE BEER

Beer style: Pale ale
ABV: 5%
Colour: Straw
Serve in: Pint glass or mug
Matches well with: Chicken, cold meats, seafood

Terroir is a term usually associated with wine, but it’s starting to gain some traction in the beer world too. Terroir is a French term that can be loosely translated as ‘a sense of place’ and refers to the interplay of climate, soil and topography and the unique effect it has on a food or drink. And this beer has it, big time.

The brewer says it best himself on the beer’s label: ‘This very special bottle of beer celebrates a new dawn for independent Irish breweries. By growing our own hops it has allowed us to produce a 100% Irish beer, the first and currently the only one available for sale…This bottle is a snapshot of where the Irish brewing industry stands on this day, the 19th of September 2014.’

Not only is Emerald completely home grown, it’s a seasonal beer too. There is only a small window of time in which to make a fresh hop beer (also known as a wet-hopped beer) when the harvest is at its peak in the autumn; the rest of the hops are dried to be used throughout the year. To give you an idea of how vibrant a fresh hop beer can be, think of the difference between using fresh herbs vs. dried ones in your cooking.

You might think that a fresh hop beer will be extra bitter or punchy, but in fact the opposite is true: this is a beautifully delicate beer. This pale ale is a cloudy straw yellow in the glass and has a fluffy white head, gentle carbonation and a creamy mouth feel. The aroma is of toasted cereal, caramel and apricot jam. Those same elements are reflected in the flavour, which leans towards toffee, dates and vanilla with a grainy backbone of freshly baked white yeast bread to stop the sweetness from being too cloying, and underneath it all is just the slightest spritz of lemon to give it a bit of a lift.

This pale ale is more delicate than most, so match it with food on the lighter side of the spectrum, such as chicken, cold meats, seafood, chowder, creamy pasta sauces, a ploughman’s lunch or even Thai food. Or try pairing it with a mild cheese, such as a fresh goat’s cheese, or a semi-soft white rind cheese, like Brie or Camembert.

Fresh hop beers are meant to be enjoyed right away, so snap up a few bottles if you see them because once it’s gone, it’s gone till next autumn. This special beer would also be a great gift for the craft beer lover in your life this Christmas.

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 .