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Galway Hooker in the Porterhouse fills the pale ale spot nicely, I would think. But it does seem like only a matter of time before the boys at the Porterhouse attempt one for themsleves, if only as a seasonal.

"Hendrixcat":3radanpi wrote: Galway Hooker in the Porterhouse fills the pale ale spot nicely, I would think. But it does seem like only a matter of time before the boys at the Porterhouse attempt one for themsleves, if only as a seasonal.[/quote:3radanpi]


yea, I love their stouts, but it would be hard to surpass a good hooker

"noby":slm4xg5m wrote: the red, while not outstanding, is solid, and probably has a good turnover.[/quote:slm4xg5m]
I think good turnover is probably quite easy in the Porterhouse since it doesn't depend heavily on regulars. To be blunt, the English stag parties will drink what's there.

In all seriousness, I do think their range has stagnated into How Beer Was In 1996, with Brainblásta and the seasonals the only brave attempt at something different. (TSB is a by-product of having to supply an English pub.) PH Red is an anachronism, which is good maybe in its own way, but I think it could do with some contemporisation.

"noby":slm4xg5m wrote: To drop it for an Irish Pale Ale would be bandwagon jumping of the highest order.[/quote:slm4xg5m]They're all about bandwagon jumping. They brew a Bud clone FFS.

"Hendrixcat":slm4xg5m wrote: Galway Hooker in the Porterhouse fills the pale ale spot nicely, I would think.[/quote:slm4xg5m]But remember that the Hooker tap replaced Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It could easily move closer to home again.

"Hendrixcat":slm4xg5m wrote: it does seem like only a matter of time before the boys at the Porterhouse attempt one for themsleves, if only as a seasonal.[/quote:slm4xg5m]The Hemp Beer was pretty close. That'd be a great regular in place of Red.

Now I feel guilty that I'm advocating taking Noby's beer away from him...

I get to have about three pints a year, so it's removal will neither break the Porterhouse, or overly upset me.
But when you have about four each lagers and stouts why should the red get the chop?

I don't think, by the way, that brewing a Bud style lager is jumping on the band wagon as much as brewing a Hooker knock-off.

Surely what GH have shown us isn't necessarily that the Irish market is screaming out for a range of 'IPA's (although I wouldn't say no), but that people are more willing to drink beers that aren't stout or lager.

They're definitely oversupplied with lagers, no doubt. I do think the stouts are sufficiently different, and they are "The [b:14i65klk]Porter[/b:14i65klk]house" after all.

I take your point about the Hooker knock-off and the willingness of the market to try new things. But if you're not doing stout or lager, and you've tried and failed at weiss, you're doing a pale ale of some sort. A blond ale would be too much like the lagers, so a medium-dark one seems to me to be the obvious way to go: either a non-nitro Irish red, or something bitterer, like the Hemp beer. Or both. And a rauch beer. And another stout. And some traditional Blanchardstown lambic...

[quote:1716cla8]The Hemp Beer was pretty close. That'd be a great regular in place of Red. [/quote:1716cla8]

If there were hops instead of hemp in that brew it would be a winner.