Middling

Athlone's Dead Centre Brewing remains a jewel in the national brewery treasury, the Shannonside tap room a gloriously bright and jolly place when the weather is good, which it was when I visited recently. I don't get here often enough to tell you how frequently the beers turn over, but while there was a modest selection of new-to-me offerings on the day, the flagship pale ale, Marooned, was the best beer there, that I tried.I had started the afternoon with Silly Giggles, an India pale lager, and a light one, too, at just 4.1% ABV. The new-world hopping is not subtle, and a big burst of bright citrus arrives front and centre, right from the start. It lingers too, gradually filling out an otherwise thin mouthfeel with stickier hop oils. Complexity is not part of the deal, but then I don't think it's meant to be. This is down-the-hatch refreshment: good for clearing the travel dust at the start of the session, and I came back to it for some palate cleansing via a second pint later…

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