A couple of Galway Bay beers that have been around for a few weeks now on the blog.  Apologies for my lack of posts recently, but hey y’know, life and all that.

GB started canning some of their specials such as Goodbye Blue Monday and Perfect Union at the end of 2017, and more recently they used the canning facility for a little and large combination, a session IPA Weights + Measures and double IPA Hearts & Feints.

Both beers in 440mls and plied with Citra hops, let’s begin.

Starting with the sessioner Weights + Measures, pouring a lovely straw colour with an expected grapefruit citra aroma that bounds in even more gregariously when you take your first sip.  Bearing in mind this is only 3.9% ABV it is packed with flavour and up there with Croozer, another Galway Bay session beer.  There are some really good sub 4% Irish sessioners out there.  Whiplash’s Rollover is in the bracket too so should we ever get a glimmer of sun soon, these will perfectly complement an afternoon in the garden with the barbecue on.  Little by abv but big on substance.

If Weights + Measures is considered the smaller of this pair, then Hearts & Feints has a lot to live up to.  Same straw colour and same grapefruit aroma, identical so far but the taste is gonna sort big from the small.  And indeed it does but not in a positive way.  I’m not sure if I was expecting more from a DIPA than a session IPA but after having the smaller beer first, I was left wanting more from Hearts & Feints.  There’s that unmistakable DIPA oaty mouthfeel but I came away from the two cans thinking Weights + Measures pulled its punches better.  They’re not to be compared with each other but others in their field.  The bantamweight won its bout convincingly whereas the heavyweight flapped and danced around the ring without really pulling any killer punch.  There are many other worthy contenders for the DIPA champion of Ireland.

Little Fish 1 – 0 Big Fish.

Cardboard box nowhere to be seen.