The social drinker

Few people in Ireland understand the drinks industry better than Pat Cooney, who set up the Boyne Brewhouse outside his native Drogheda at the tail-end of the recession with a gutsy €20m investment.

Cooney — who has been making and selling drinks for decades under different labels — and his four children now run a brewhouse and distillery, which will one day realise his long-held ambition to make whiskey. That whiskey should be worth waiting for, if it is anything like his magnificent beers.

I recently tasted three beers from the brewer, which picked up eight awards at this year’s annual Dublin Alltech Craft Beer and Cider Cup awards in Dublin. It was its success at these awards, the most credible beer awards in Ireland, that reminded me to try some of Boyne Brewhouse’s new brews.

Funnily enough, to my way of thinking, the most disappointing beer was their heavy ‘Imperial Stout’ which was named the ‘Best Beer in Ireland’ at the awards. With an alcohol content twice that of a normal beer, it was simply too heavy and sweet for me. Having said that, for those who grew up drinking Guinness, it can be difficult, sometimes, to warm to any other porter.

Much better was the brewer’s Winter Ale, pictured below. It’s a rich beer with a subtle chocolate and coffee taste. While not as alcoholic as the Imperial Stout, it has a hefty alcohol content of 8pc, which allows a beer to develop a more interesting character. A mixture of English hops, along with light and dark malt, conspire to give the beer delicious caramel tones.

The third, and perhaps best beer from Boyne Brewhouse, is their Belgian Dubbel, a beautiful deepbrown coloured beer, which also weighs in at 8pc. It, too, has a rich, malty, caramel flavour, which clearly owes its DNA to the Belgian beers from which is gets its name. Highly recommended.