Eight Degrees « Wilson on Wines

A weekend’s Drinking of Wine, Beer, Gin and Tonic Water

Posted by admin on June 7, 2016

Two beers at the weekend, both consumed after a few hours in the garden. I also tried out the Herbal Crest tonic water, made with kefir water, with my Bertha’s Revenge gin. It was excellent.

Eight degrees Barefoot Bohemian Pilsner
Lightly spicy with a subtle bitter twist. Perfect summer drinking.These guys really make great beer in every style.

Wicklow Wolf A Beer Called Rwanda
I had a bottle of this coffee flavoured beer lying around; I had forgotten how good it is. Lovely medium-bodied ale with a very pleasant fruitiness.Wicklow Wolf are another of our best craft brewers.

Goisot 2008 Bourgogne Aligoté
I bought a case of this and have been slowly consuming it over the last five years. It is still very good, but starting to fade a little. Lovely crisp slightly nutty fruits. Light and very enjoyable.

Delheim Chardonnay sur Lie 2013, Stellenbosch
A sample from O’Briens (€21.95) that went perfectly with my salmon cutlets. Rich and creamy with toasted nuts and some spice. Lovely wine.

Domaine d’Eole 2015, Coteaux d’Aix en Provence
€16.95 from Whelehans. A lovely rosé full of exuberant young strawberry fruits. Also matched very nicely to my salmon cutlets.

Fleurie2014 Domaine de la Madone
A wine of the week in Saturday’s Irish Times. Light vibrant and deliciously fruity; it improved as the evening went on, suggesting it will be even better with a little time. €17 from Mitchell & Son.

Maison Plantevin Côtes du Rhône 2014
An organic red from Wines Direct (€13.95) and great value for money. Rich and warming with lovely ripe red fruits. Went really well with my barbecued chicken.

Fernando de Castilla Antique Amontillado
The leftovers from a Spanish wine talk I gave down in Ballymaloe last week, this is a brilliant sherry, all grilled almonds and other nuts with a crisp bone-dry long finish. €39.95 per 500ml bottle from Searsons.

Tags: Antique Amontillado, Delheim, Domaine de la Madone, Eight Degrees, Fernando de Castilla, Mitcehll & Son, O'Briens, wicklow wolf

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Eight Degrees Mór Barley Wine

Posted by admin on January 22, 2016

Mike Magee, Head brewer at Eight Degrees

Barley wine is not a wine at all, but a beer. It has a long history, going back to Ancient Greece, although these would have tasted very different to the modern versions, as back then there were no hops around. The wine part is a reference to its alcoholic strength, as barley wine comes in at a strapping 8-13% alcohol, making it one of the strongest beers of all. There are two styles, English and American; English tends to be maltier and rounded in flavour, American intensely hoppy and bitter. Apparently they age very well, like a good wine. However, if you want to try ageing the Eight Degrees version, you will have to be quick off the mark; the brewery is down to its last few cases.

The name says it all; Eight Degrees Mór is big and bold, with masses of American hops. The nose is deceptive, with light notes of toffee. The palate is massive, with buckets of stone fruits, caramel and spicy bitter hops. The alcohol (10.2%) kicks in nicely; this is a well-balanced robust warming beer, perfect for these cold January evenings. €4.49 for a 33cl bottle from specialist off-licences.