September pairs 5: Kinnegar

It's not all big IPAs and blousy sour ales in Irish beer these days. Kinnegar, for example, is being fierce responsible with Short Stack, a "mid-strength" IPA of 2.7% ABV. It's a pale golden colour and doesn't look watery. The aroma is brightly zesty, suggesting mandarin and Seville orange, with perhaps an extra herbal complexity lurking behind. The flavour unfortunately doesn't follow through there, and I found it unpleasantly dry, with a caraway or sesame savoury husky quality. The fruit element is no more than a pinch of zest in the finish, although the herbal side does emerge as it warms: a grassy, rye-like spice. I blame the flavour problem on the gravity. There's a thinness which probably shouldn't be surprising, but it's unhelpful regardless, and seems to be quashing the hop character. No magic tricks here: it's a compromised beer and, unfortunately, it tastes it. I get that there's a market for lower-strength products, but I also think one would be better off drinking fewer…