The Irish Munro Series 2020
Eight Degrees Brewing- IRISH MUNRO Series - Hill of The Serpent Cascadian Dark Ale
Celebrating Ireland’s highest mountains, Irish Munros are peaks over 3,000 ft. Many of these peaks belong to the MacGillycuddy Reeks in Kerry, one is in Wicklow, and there’s one which towers over our Mitchelstown brewery, our beloved Galtymore. Since we started Eight Degrees, we’ve taken inspiration from the surrounding landscape, constantly innovating to brew adventurous beers using natural ingredients. The Irish Munro Series: continuing our Naturally Adventurous journey.
Hill of The Serpent
Cnoc ná Péiste
3241 ft
Kerry’s Cnoc na Péiste – or Hill of the Serpent – is the fourth highest mountain in Ireland. Serpents have a dual association: on one side, re-birth or a creative life force; on the other. it’s all about evil and chaos from the underworld. To kick off a new decade and a new series, we have created a dark and sinister beer with bite. A Cascadian Dark is a black hoppy beer: we went with a classic triple C hop approach – Cascade, Centennial and Chinook. This is a smooth and dark beer, with lots of pine, bittersweet resins and a strong citrusy grapefruit and spice finish. Beware of the serpent.

Style: Cascadian dark ale
Malt: Irish pale ale malt, Caramunich, Carafa, Caraaroma, wheat. 
Hops: Cascade, Centennial and Chinook. Dry hopped with Amarillo.
ABV: 6.66
IBUs: 75

Tasting notes
Colour/appearance: a dark, dark body with an off white head.
Aroma: there’s a cornucopia of tropical fruit up front, with notes of lemon peel and grapefruit, followed by pine.
Flavour: this is a beer that doesn’t taste like it looks. As you sip, there’s a cascading series of flavours. First you notice what a rounded smooth sipper it is, then comes a burst of sweet stone fruit – peaches and nectarines – followed by hop bitterness. There’s also a hint of spice and dark roast espresso.     
Aftertaste: a lingering lemon pith on the palate.

Food Pairings
This dark hoppy beer is satisfying enough in itself to drink alone but, if you really insist, we’d recommend that you have it as an aperitif – lots of bitterness there to stimulate the appetite – with roasted nuts, olives, oil-preserved anchovies and pickled lupini beans. Or keep it for afterwards. It will pair nicely with raspberry sorbet, complement a lemon tart or cut through any creamy cheese (vegan cheese included!) that you have on hand.

Availability: 440ml cans, limited draught.
Get social: #HilloftheSerpentCDA

On February 28, 2020   /   Blog, New Brews   /   Leave a comment
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