Musings On The Re-turn Deposit Return Scheme Via The Garden Brewery, Uvala House Sour, 3.5% & Valovi Florida Weisse Pink Guava Stawberry & Lime, 6.9%

The Re-turn Deposit Return Scheme has been in action for a few months now.

From what I can see people are taking to it. I’ve encountered queues waiting to use the machines, kids picking up litter to get some credit to spend, sports clubs collecting for funds – which all seems positive to me.

Yet the distractors, dinosaurs & deadweights are still out there with their moaning & groaning about it’s implementation.

Sadly some of these voices emanate from Irish Beer.

Rather than engage with the positives of the scheme & encourage it’s use – they snipe negativity from the sidelines.

I expect any company I purchase from to have a positive attitude towards reducing waste & increasing recycling rates – if Irish Beer isn’t willing to demonstrate that I’m happy to pick up beers from a Croatian company – available in my local petrol station shop – that judging from the plethora of labels on the side of their cans seem willing to embrace recycling.

And Irish Beer is moaning about re-labelling?

It’s my opinion companies are more worried about their profits than showing willing to engage with Re-turn – a not-for-profit company attempting to reduce waste & recycle more.

But with beer it’s all about the taste – so I poured a couple of glasses.

Uvala House Sour, 3.5%

A pale yellow colour with a decent head. Fresh fruity & tart aromas. Clean, citrusy & fresh palate with a dashing of dry tartness on the rear. Reminds me more of gooseberries rather than pineapple – but a very nice drinker!

Valovi Florida Weisse Pink Guava Strawberry & Lime, 6.9%

This one has a cloudy orange appearance. Much heavier aroma, strawberry, mango, touch of citrus & juicy tropical fruits. Rich palate feel, crowded with fruits. Gentle tart on the rear to counteract the sweetness. Doesn’t feel like 6.9%. Very entertaining.

Thoughts

Really enjoyed these beers. Sour is a style I’m partial to & Garden Brewery certainly deliver gorgeous examples of this genre. It’s an added bonus I can get my deposit returned too.

If a Croatian Brewery can get it together – why can’t Irish ones do similar?

Sláinte

Re-turn website here.

Garden Brewery website here.

White Hag, Púca, Berry Hibiscus & Ginger, Dry Hopped Lemon Sour, 3.5%

I’ve already enjoyed Púca Whiskey from Aldi & Blackwater Distillery.

Púca Irish Whiskey c/o@WhiskeyPundit

I couldn’t refuse this Púca Sour Beer from White Hag.

This Púca poured a rather a vibrant cloudy orangey colour. Not exactly an ordinary golden beer vibe.

The berry element definitely influenced the taste too with a fresh sweetness. This was countered by a lovely dry tartness coming through towards the rear.

I couldn’t discern what the ginger brought – yet the whole was a very refreshing & entertaining tipple.

Lovely to encounter a few more sour beers on the market.

Sláinte

Update!

White Hag have released a whiskey finished in Púca Sour Beer Barrels!

See https://oconnellsgalway.ie/collections/spirit-of-the-white-hag for details.

White Hag Brewing website here.

My blog on Púca Whiskey here.

The Garden Brewery, Florida Weisse, Mango, Lemon & Rhubarb Sour, 5.5%

I’ve not had a Croation Beer before.

So when one turned up at my local petrol station – and a sour at that – I brought it home with me.

Pours a hazy looking pale yellow.

Fresh fruity aromas.

Tastes refreshingly zesty, fruity & summery – with a slight sourness on the rear to offer balance.

Quite drying on the finish.

Summer is definitely coming with this brew!

Sláinte

The Garden Brewery website here.

Bullhouse Brew, Gulp, Raspberry & Mango Sour, 4% vs Lervig, Human Nature, Guava Sour, 4.5%

Perhaps I should just compare beers on the artwork they come packaged in?

Gotta say the clean-lines of Bullhouse Brew’s Gulp wins me over more than Lervig’s Human Nature.

Both of these though allow me further exploration of the sour category – as well as experiencing the influence different raw ingredients have on the final brew.

The 1st thing to notice is the colour variance – raspberry red vs guava cloudy orange!

Gulp offered a touch of sweetness over a dry tartness while Human Nature gave a cleaner, leaner tart aroma.

Gulp was extremely drinkable – the sweet raspberry dominated a mango sourness for me. Left with a parched dry palate panting for more.

Human Nature came over drier, more tart, yet was also very quaffable. The guava effect wasn’t as powerful as Gulp’s duel fruit approach.

If anything Gulp’s blended fruit offering delivered a deeper body, fuller flavour & more satisfying drinking experience than Lervig’s single fruit sour.

It’s all down to individual taste however.

What would you choose?

Belfast’s Bullhouse Brew Co website here.

Norwegian Lervig’s website here.

Whiplash, Fruit Salad Days, Apricot Sour, 4.1%

My nearest off-licence – Kilmartins N6 Service Centre – has a new range of beers in stock.

The sours piqued my interest.

Whiplash – of Dublin – made my glass with their Apricot Sour.

It looks a bit like a fruit juice – & certainly packs a sweet apricot aroma – yet there’s a tart sourness that dries the palate.

Quite an entertaining contrast between the visual expectation & physical drinking experience.

Wouldn’t leave it lying around for the kids to consume.

One for the adults to appreciate!

Sláinte

Kilmartins N6 Facebook page here.

Whiplash Brewery website here.

Dead Centre, Que Chido, Tequila & Lime Gose, 5.5%

I gotta hand it to Dead Centre Brewing – they sure know how to brew up some tasty beers for special occasions.

Image courtesy Dead Centre Brewing

This Tequila & Lime Gose was for Cinco De Mayo.

I popped down on a sunny Friday afternoon for a quick one – & was very pleased I did.

Quite light, very refreshing, with subtle hints of earthy agave complimented by a tart sourness.

A lovely sup by the Shannon!

Sláinte