Surf’s up for Northern Ireland’s Lacada Brewery
Lacada Brewery, one of Northern Ireland’s leading craft brewers, has launched a new beer to celebrate a wave that draws surfers from around the world to Portrush in county Antrim, where the small business is based.
East the Beast, the new IPA from Lacada, is, according to marketing director Heather Quiery “a surfer’s wave, beloved and feared, that barrels and dredges the East Strand of Portrush from powerful north Atlantic waves”.
She describes the new ale, developed by Lacada’s head brewer Laurie Davies, as a “single malt crush under a mass of hops that breaks into a fruity IPA (6%ABV). It is available in 500ml bottles.
“It gives an aroma of mango and pineapple with a great sparkling head. There’s a nice, smooth mouthfeel before the bitterness kicks in and the citrus and fruity tastes, from Mosaic and Citra, linger on the palate for quite a while,” she adds.
The brewery, formed as a community co-operative in May 2014, has started the year with a flourish. After being rated the ‘Best New Brewery Northern Ireland 2016’ by consumer website/apps ratebeer.com the company gained a bronze medal at the Dublin Craft Beer Cup for its unique Stranded Bunny Porter.
The new beer follows the successful launch of its unique Devil’s Washtub Dark Ale that is aged d in Irish whiskey barrels. The craft brewery developed the stout in an oak barrel once used to mature a 60-year old single malt whiskey and is part of the brewery’s Salamander series of special beers.
Lacada is derived from Liach Fada which means ‘the longstone’ and refers to a rocky outcrop about 300 yards east of the world famous Giant’s Causeway in county Antrim. The names of the three-strong core range of beers are all drawn from local features. Other beers in the brewery’s core range of brews also use names from local landmarks such as The Giant’s Organ in the iconic Giant’s Causeway.
The Salamander Series, in addition, is taken from a gold, ruby encrusted salamander recovered from a Spanish Armada warship which ran aground at Lacada Point, near Portrush, in 1588.
