It says it is special, as it is brewed with honey. I'm not sure that the honey market is particularly noteworthy in
Ireland. I went ahead and checked for honey in Ireland on these internets, and the best I could find was distribution reports regarding bees, and anything other than Northern Ireland basically doesn't show up. I'm not saying they don't have bees, but I'm saying they aren't even close to exclusively Irish.
The beer is a suitably honey color, and the head that I captured in this picture was decisively fleeting. I can only guess that the honey had something to do with the ephemeral nature of the bubbles and the subsequent lack of lacing. The aroma is honey and freshly baked bread; it is a delight, and I want to nestle into it's goodness right now.
First sip is lacking the sweetness that I would expect from the honey. Instead, it is a daunting mix of nuts with a honey glaze, bread, dough, and yeast. That's right - three of those are basically forms of the same thing, and I'm sticking to my assessment. It's not a fantastic sipping beer, but Irish beers usually favor the bold.
Tip-in is light carbonation burn with honey smoothness and baked rolls right behind it. The middle becomes a very nice, smooth mix of bread products, yeast, nuts, and a little lemon for your effort. The finish is bitter and nuts with a yeast and a slight resin heading into the trail-off.
Bottom Line: It's not exactly laid-back, and it's not exactly stressed. It's also not exactly bad.
3.0/5
