It seems as though we're becoming more adventurous in our choice of drink as well as our choice of food, as figures released today suggest that the Irish craft beer market grew by 100% in 2012.

Craft beer is expected to grow from €24 million to approximately €235 million in retail sales value (c.10% of the Irish beer market) by 2017. This demonstrates the seismic change in Irish drinkers’ tastes with consumers demanding higher quality beers with more exciting and varied styles and flavours than the usual suspects. Craft beers are also gaining wide acceptance as an excellent food-pairing alternative to wine with the appearance of more and more craft beer focused gastropubs. 

Today, Molson Coors announce the exclusive Irish launch of The Craft Collection, a range of premium and carefully selected craft beers. The Craft Collection features award-winning beers from some of the world’s most respected craft breweries including Ireland’s Franciscan Well, UK breweries Sharp’s and William Worthington’s as well as the US’s Blue Moon Brewing Company which brews the number one craft beer in the US, and one of the fastest selling beers in Ireland, Blue Moon. The original craft beers are available in bottled and on draught from selected pubs and off licences nationwide.

Ireland was chosen as the launch country for The Craft Collection globally due to the huge burst in popularity of craft beers here.  

Director, Niall Phelan, said; “We’re currently witnessing a rapid evolution in drinking tastes, with people keen to taste exciting and distinctive beers from creative and inspired brewers.  With the launch of The Craft Collection, we’re offering a range of superb quality craft beers that will capture the imagination of the growing number of craft beer drinkers in Ireland and beyond.”

He added: “We have some truly amazing beers coming from the award winning brewers at Franciscan Well, Sharp’s, and William Worthington’s, plus a range of imported beers such as Blue Moon (the no.1 craft beer in the US) so it’s exciting times for our customers and drinkers.”

See more about The Craft Collection on Facebook here.   

Craft Beer Novice? Here’s some top tasting and food matching tips…

Historically, wine has been the dominant choice when it comes to food and drink matching but craft beers are quickly proving popular as an interesting alternative to wine at the dinner table.

For those who have yet to become craft converts, the team at The Craft Collection have created a cheat’s guide to tasting and to pairing with food.

Top Craft Beer Food Matching Tips

1) Think wine! When you would serve a crisp white wine, serve light or golden coloured lagers that are crisp and refreshing.  With foods that match with full bodied red wines, serve amber or dark beers to balance the bigger flavours.  As with wine, it’s all a question of balance.  A delicate dish deserves a beer that is well balanced and won’t overwhelm the flavours in the food. On the flip side, if the flavours are full, as they would be in a game stew, a beer of equal body such as a Belgian trappist ale would work well.

2) 3 C’s: There are 3 C’s of food matching, with beer, or any drink for that matter. The drink you’re pairing with food should cut, complement or cleanse.

Cut: The ‘cut’ can come from the bitter flavours of the hops which cut through rich dishes and bring out more subtle flavours, or work to soften spicy flavours. Franciscan Well’s Shandon Stout cuts well through rich chocolate desserts.

Complement: Flavours which are similar can fuse together to enhance both beer and food i.e. a beer like Doom Bar with caramel flavours could complement a sticky toffee pudding. The ‘complement’ rule can apply to sweet, savoury, creamy, or fruity flavoured beers with their food accompaniments. It’s amazing how the ingredients in the beer can help you out with choosing beer and food to complement. If it’s brewed with zest, chances are a zesty food will pair well like Blue Moon with a citrus cheesecake.

Cleanse: Now, most beer has bubbles. Cleansing the palate through carbonation ensures we enjoy and appreciate every mouthful more than the last. Bubbles, or carbonation, whether gentle or high, will scrub the tongue clean to ensure flavours burst onto the palate. Chalky’s Bite cuts beautifully with a mackerel escabeche.

3) Balance: Ensure the balance of the beer is balanced with the flavour of the food - don’t let one overpower the other. Can you taste the food, can you taste the beer?

 

Top Craft Beer Tasting Tips

1) Appearance: Hold your craft beer glass up to the light to see its true appearance. Candlelight and natural sunlight are ideal. What you can see tells a story, before you even bring that glass to your lips. Sight can evoke memories or establish an opinion and sets up your taste buds for what’s to come!

2) Aroma: 80% of what you taste is actually what you smell! Use short sniffs like a rabbit and be sure not to take in any outside aromas! Temperature also has an enormous affect – a colder beer will have less of an aroma.

3) Taste: This is the best part…take a good quaff! Hold the beer in your mouth, swirl it round as you appreciate the flavours. Breathe while the beer is in your mouth. Exhale through your nose upon swallowing. So what can you taste?

4) Mouth Feel: Chew the beer! This can tell us the thickness and mouth-filling properties of a beer!

5) Finish: The finish does indeed signal the ending, but every beer creates unique flavours and aromas, which are worth contemplating. Form your overall impression. All beer styles finish differently. Some lean towards malty sweetness, while others may leave you with a lingering bitterness. Many styles also have a signature flavour that can be best understood during the finish.

6) Smell your hand! If you plan to taste another beer, smell your hand! This will act as a reset button for your sense of smell and prepare you for the next tasting. Remember also to drink some water or eat some bread to help cleanse the palate