Beer

Dean Carroll on beer: DOT’s new range pairs bold flavours with inspired barrel ageing

A pilsner and two IPAs will soon be joined in the Dublin brewery’s core range by a double IPA and an amber ale

DOT Brew’s Solo Pilsner: a great choice for summer

A brewery’s first beer says a lot about what you can expect from it in the future. Maybe it’s a red ale, a classic that the brewer can put a fresh spin on. Perhaps it’s a pale ale, something to showcase how well they can balance flavours in a brew.

These are valid options that are frequently chosen by Irish breweries to begin their journeys. What you don’t often see launching a brewery, however, is a complex stout brewed to 8 per cent and aged for seven months in American bourbon barrels.

Six years on from that launch, the Dublin brewer DOT Brew has continued to live up to, and exceed, the expectations set by it by pairing bold and exciting flavours with an inspired barrel ageing program.

Beers like the Rum Barrel Red series and Mezcal Saison have highlighted the potential for more complex flavours in a beer, as well as opening up the doors to more interesting food and beer combinations in restaurants across the country.

DOT has now launched a new core range of products, beers that can be produced at a greater scale and are available all year round. Initially available as a trio, the range will expand to five with the addition of a double IPA and an amber ale coming soon.

First up is the 4.9 per cent Solo Pilsner, a wonderful take on the German style. It delivers on the light summery crispness that you expect once you see its pale golden colour and brilliant clarity.

It’s soft and pillowy, with a little hint of tropical sweetness, and deserves its place next to some of the great imported pilsners. It will be my lager choice going into the warmer weather this summer.

The Loose Session IPA, meanwhile, had me going back to double-check its ABV, as it is rare to find a 3.5 per cent beer that very much stands up to its higher percentage peers in all categories.

Huge aromas of peach and nectarine hit you as you pour this into the glass. It’s much bolder than you would expect, due to the flaked and malted oats used in the brewing process. Dryhopped with Idaho 7 and Centennial, those tropical fruity notes are present through to the lovely bitter finish.

Go Go IPA: flaked oats really bulk up the body of this beer

Go Go IPA shares some of the same characteristics as the session IPA. The flaked oats being used as part of the malt profile are present, and really bulk up the body of this beer.

Centennial hops are also there, adding bitterness and a dank citrus aroma to the 6 per cent brew. The introduction of the oily Amarillo hop adds some grapefruit brightness, and to round everything out, the Australian Vic Secret hops provide sweet passion fruit and a woody pine note to the aroma.

All the beers are available in good off-licences across the country for around €3.40 a can.