Arch traditionalists that they are, Guinness have never been ones to flood the market with new products or betray founding father Arthur J’s stout principles.
All of which makes the official launch last week of their 4.5% ABV Black Lager a very big beery deal.
“The ingredients and the recipe of Guinness Stout are well and truly embedded in the 250 year journey, but at our Centre of Excellence we’re always dabbling – researching into beers and what we can do with them,” Master Brewer Fergal Murray tells Tasty Tuesday. “When the call came from upon high saying, ‘We want a black lager’, we were immediately able to pull something out of our box of tricks.
“It has the Guinness character, but at the same time is very distinctive with the intensity of the roasted barley, fantastic effervescence and the little light hint at the back of the throat.”
As a beer man of long-standing – Fergal’s been with Guinness for 30 years – is he excited by the current craft beer explosion?
“Absolutely,” he enthuses. “Craft brewing has made everyone realise that beer isn’t just for that one night of the week. I love the food pairing that’s going on and restaurants putting together beer lists. Part of me would love to be running a microbrewery so I could try out all sorts of things and get immediate feedback. That said, we’ve one or two other surprises up our sleeve. People are looking for different tastes, and we’re going to be stretching our tentacles with a bit more regularity!”
What would Fergal recommended as a foodie companion to Black Lager?
“It worked wonderfully the other day with a spicy chicken satay,” he concludes. “Anything zesty and with a bit of heat in it. “My partner in crime thought it’d go well with lemon chicken, so that’s on next weekend’s menu!”
 

 
TASTY TUESDAY'S TOP 10

 
1. Hot Press’ The Best Of Dublin, a new stand-alone guide, which hits the racks this weekend and includes the ‘50 Best Dishes To Eat’. I seem to remember writing about bento boxes, pies, goats cheese soufflé, pork belly, feijoda, pit pork burritos, garbanzos con morcilla y espinacas, soft shell crab rolls and quacktastic duck dishes, and extolling the culinary virtues of Capel Street which makes it possible to royally feed your face without ever crossing the Liffey. Pick yours up for a recession-busting €3.95.

2. Carton House has launched a new series of online cookery lessons – the Seafood Chowder below looks especially yum – conducted by their Executive Chef Cathal Kavanagh who also has a winning way with fish goujons and peppered steak.
[link]http://www.cartonhouse.com/cookery-video-gallery.html[/link]

3. Following a rather unsatisfying docklands run out, the Irish Craft Beer Festival returns return to the Dublin RDS from September 7 to 9 with O’Hara’s, Carrig, Dingle Brewing Company, Dungarvan Brewing Company, Eight Degrees Brewing, Francisan Well, Hilden Brewing Company, Galway Hooker, Messrs. Maguire, Metalman, The Porterhouse, Trouble Brewing and White Gypsy among those already signed up. They’re looking for sponsors, so if you want to tap into the microwbrew feelgood factor give ‘em a shout. Needless to say, Tasty Tuesday will be first in and last to leave each day.
[link]http://www.irishcraftbeerfestival.com[/link]

4. White Gypsy, O’Hara’s, Eight Degrees, Franciscan Well, Dingle Brewing Company, West Kerry Brewery, Roadside Tavern and Kilbeggan Distillery are the stop-offs on the Brewery Hops tour of Ireland, which can be booked at [link]http://www.breweryhopsofireland.com[/link]. A great idea that will hopefully take of.

5. The gourmet burger war hots up with Bóbó’s about to open a new Dame Street restaurant, which dwarves their Wexford Street home base. The Conn – – beef with Old Dubliner cheese, beefsteak tomato, red onion, gherkin, iceberg lettuce and Bóbó’s special sauce – at €8.95 gets the Tasty Tuesday vote. The curried chips are pretty damn spectacular too.

6. You no longer have to hop on a plane to Rio – though it would be preferable! – to sample coxinha, the famous Brazilian street snack, which translates as “little thigh.” These shredded chicken & mashed potato delights are to be found in the Elit supermarket at 40 Liffey Street, D1. They also have minced beef and cheese versions, all available for a bargain €2.

7. Seamus Commons’ Me, My Shelf & I – see below – reminds us of just how amazing Kelly’s Butchers of Newport, County Mayo is. Top of the recommended list is Putóg, a specialty black pudding that’s equally as good for adding taste and texture to stews as it is starring in a Full Irish.
[link]http://kellysbutchers.com/stockists.html[/link]

8. Apologies for the beercentric nature of this week’s Tasty Tuesday, but rare is a visit to the pub that doesn’t result in an encounter with another tasty brew. Thursday July 26 finds W.J. Kavanagh’s on Dorset Street, Dublin 1 launching its summer cask series with a free tasting that if you’re quick off the mark you can still sign up for at [email protected].  The exclusive real ales include Williams Bros., Leatherbritches, Shardlow, Spire, Mr. Grundy’s, Raw, Brampton, Dancing Duck, Derby Brewing Company and Black Iris.

9. The deadline for the 5th annual http://www.irishfoodawards.co is this Friday, so artisan producers get your entries in pronto. 2011’s winners included the Aran Candy Company, Couverture Deserts, Irish Yoghurt, Cashel Blue, Callan Bacon and Una’s Pies.

10. Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson are to co-present The Taste, a new cookery contest that premieres Stateside in September and will doubtless cross the Atlantic if successful. Featured recently in Tasty Tuesday, Mr. Bourdain also has a primetime CNN travel and food series in the pipeline.
 

 

 

 

 
 
ME, MY SHELF & I
 
SEAMUS COMMONS
 
First thing you rustled up on your own as a kid? Shepherd’s Pie in Home Economics class.
Failsafe dish? Spuds with lots of butter, salt and crispy bacon.
Store-cupboard essentials? Onions & butter
What's been lurking in there unused the longest? All-seasoning blend of spices and herbs.
Favourite place to food shop? Séan Kelly’s Artisan Butchers in Newport.
Cheese of choice? A local award-winner, Carraholly Mature Cheddar.
Tipple of choice? Hendrick’s Gin and Chateau Lynch-Bages red wine.
Guilty food pleasure? Spicy chicken curry with homemade chunky chips and a generous dollop of chilli mayo is my current one!
Can't do without cookbook? Larousse Gastronomique
Anything to declare? I adore Coco Pops and melted Mars Bars, and Nutella with venison!
 
Seamus is Head Chef at La Fougère Restaurant, Knockranny House Hotel, Westport, County Mayo. Tel. (098) 286 00. www.khh.ie
 

 
 
NICE & CHEESY DOES IT
 
Our ultimate Irish cheese board is starting to look – and smell! – pretty damn good. Taking up position this week next to our gooey Cooleeney brie, tangy Bluebells Falls Cygnus goat and kick ass Coolattin cheddar is Milleen, a Beara, County Cork soft cows milk cheese, which has a buttery Camembert thing going on when young and then crosses over into Cambozola territory – albeit minus the blue bits – as it ripens and ripens it does to the point where the neighbours will start complaining. Tasty Tuesday loves it with a rock hard Granny Smith and a robust red (cue much Viz-style fnarr fnarring). You can get it off the wheel in SuperValu.
[link]http://www.milleenscheese.com[/link]
 
 
THE REAL DEAL
 
Already one of our favourite curry houses, Ranelagh’s Kinara Kitchen has just gone up in Tasty Tuesday’s estimation even more with the introduction of its new lunch menu, which includes nan wraps, a cracking Saffron Yakhni rice & chicken broth, meat and veggie thalis and a Fillet of Red Snapper simmered in Pickles, Curry Leaves & Vinegar that’s not afraid to turn up the heat levels. Best of all though are the generous €6.95 starters, which we’ve taken to ordering tapas-style. The pick of a very good bunch is the Panfried Tilapia, which is also available deep-fried as a main course. A wonderfully meaty freshwater fish, tilapia has officially overtaken monkfish in our affections but remains impossible to find in Dublin shops – unless you know better of course!
[link]http://www.kinarakitchen.ie[/link]
 

 
 
DON’T WORRY BE HOPPY
 
Tasty Tuesday loves its kickass barley wines, big bold ales and stewed tea porters, but what if you’re a lager fan who’s bored with the usual mass-produced suspects? Step forward Elbow Lager, brew #2 from Cork’s Elbow Lane, which is a 4.4% ABV micro take on the Heinos and Buds of this world. A real summer thirst quencher it’s got a lovely floral nose and is currently available in their two Leeside restaurants – Market Lane on Oliver Plunkett Street and Blackrock Castle’s Castle Café. [link]www.elbowlane.ie[/link]
 
UP THE AISLE
 
The barring order having expired – we didn’t know it was against store policy to sniff the melons – we’ve been back in Marks & Spencers eyeing up the new arrivals.
Tasty Tuesday is particularly taken with the ready to roast Coriander, Ginger & Chili Rubbed Pork with Sour Cream Chiller (€7.90), a wonderfully succulent and zesty piece of meat which has an almost milky quality after 90 minutes in the oven. Great as a tortilla filling or served with apple puree and a couple of slices of that Putóg pudding we were raving about earlier.
As for the melons, no, we’re not fruit fetishists. If a cantaloupe doesn’t have a strong, sweet smell it’s going to taste like glorified cucumber. We explained that to the judge, but he wasn’t buying.
 
.COMING ATTRACTIONS
 
Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David talk food.
http://www.crackle.com/c/Comedians_In_Cars_Getting_Coffee?e
 
The Mixologist Rap
 

 
Tokyo gets a robot-themed restaurant. We wanna go!
 

 
 
 
 
TASTY TUESDAY BACK ISSUES
 
http://www.hotpress.com/archive/9027472.html
 
http://www.hotpress.com/archive/8991524.html
 
http://www.hotpress.com/archive/8991524.html