Beár Bia Podcast Hits West Cork

With the Yuletide season now in full swing, this is the time of year in Ireland when we like to indulge a little. A mid-morning mince pie, a cheeky Christmas sambo or maybe even a wee drop or two of an Irish cream liqueur. Such are the treats we gift ourselves during the festive period. This is what inspired us to reach out to the good folk from Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur as enjoying their fine product at the end of a Christmas dinner is a tradition that we should all get behind! When we asked one of the brand's founders, Johnny Hart where we should record the episode, he insisted we head on down to the brand's number 1 account in Ireland, Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa. So a trip to West Cork was made!

We were warmly greeted by Incydoney's owner Des O'Dowd and it quickly became apparent to us why they sell more Five Farms here than anywhere else in the country. Every adult guest that checks into the hotel, the very first thing they receive is a small chilled glass of complimentary Five Farms. Des explained that this is a custom that he firmly believes in as it expresses the hotel's hospitality and their commitment to engaging with other local businesses. He then kindly shared details about Inchydoney's history, their deep appreciation for all the West Cork food & drink suppliers they're so blessed to work with and how local attractions such as the surf school help to bring visitors there all year round.

Co-founder of Five Farms, Johnny Hart then took the microphone to tell us all about their origin story. With a strong background in the drinks industry, when he set about establishing the brand, his intention was to create the best Irish cream liqueur he possibly could and to make it farm to table. His research ultimately led him to West Cork where he says the land and sea air collectively lend themselves to make the best dairy on the planet. Johnny then spoke deeply about his choice of spirit for the liqueur and the amazing bottle they have which he wanted to evoke authentic Irish rural life.

For our first pairing, we sampled a chilled Five Farms neat serve. It's silky texture and use of pot still Irish whiskey, gives it a long sweet finish - easy to see why so many drinks professionals and media call it the best on the market. Chef Alan at Incydoney took the Five Farms itself and used it to make a Pannacotta. This is exactly the kind of Irish cream liqueur and dessert paring that any restaurant in Ireland could do. Simple and elegant execution but with the finest of ingredients that merge together to make the perfect ending to a meal.

Our second pairing saw us delve into a twist on a classic cocktail, the house created Five Farms Espresso Martini. The strong coffee is a wonderful balance to the sweet and decadent liqueur. A beautiful way to introduce an Irish flavour to an internationally loved cocktail. It was served alongside a Hazelnut and Mocha Bavarois: made with Mocha Sponge, Milk Chocolate Bavarois, Whipped Hazelnut Ganache, Caramelized

Hazelnuts and Honeycomb Tuille. A true celebration of West Cork dairy in every bite, this was a slice of local luxury and the cocktail was a sublime counterpart to it.

Irish cream liqueurs and desserts just go so well with each other. Throughout the episode we stress how great it would be for more Irish bars, restaurants and hotels to replicate pairings like what we so thoroughly enjoyed in Inchydoney.

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For the latest episode of the Beár Bia podcast, we hit the road for Sligo City to spend some quality time in the company of a master whiskey blender, a legendary brewer, a local oyster producer and a publican par excellence!

It all took place in the cosy surroundings of Hargadon's, a traditional gastropub and bottle shop. Co-owner Morgan Kerins was there to greet us and talked us through its great history as well as all the many elements that make this pub one of the finest in the country. They include how they source so much of their award-winning food from their own locality and how they grow their own microgreens in a nearby polytunnel.

We then set about enjoying some Sligo Oyster Experience oysters that had just been picked by co-owner Aisling Kelly's team. Served as is (but with an optional splash of Scarlet for Yer Ma, the Dublin hot sauce!), they were imbued with a soft sweetness and a slight hint of minerality that Aisling tells us comes from the Garavogue river that washes out onto the seabed.

Quite fitting that the oysters would then be paired with the inaugural Garavogue 20-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey. This is the first release from Sazerac's newly rebranded distillery on the shores of Lough Gill. It was crafted by Ireland's first female master blender, Helen Mulholland, who was very kindly there to tell us all about its intricacies. It's a double-distilled beauty aged in a complex mix of casks – including French Muscat, French Sauternes, Spanish Pedro Ximénez Sherry and Barbadian Rum. Every sip brought on another rich, intense flavour, brightly displaying Helen's decades of experience.

To be able to enjoy this supremely well-made whiskey with oysters picked within the same locality of the distillery was a remarkable experience. And one that can be very easily replicated by simply swinging by Hargadon's in Sligo on any given day...

Not that it was our intention, but this episode could easily have been themed around "Surf & Turf" as we went from shellfish to beef carpaccio for our second pairing of the day. Thinly sliced Sligo beef fillet, sourced just around the corner from Clarke's Butchers, was dressed with Hargadon's own microgreens as well as Parmesan cheese shavings and truffle oil. The 28 days of ageing gave the beef the softest texture along with a warm umami pungency.

For its accompaniment, Bob Coggins from The White Hag Brewery was on hand with some of his Red IPA. Established in 2013 by Bob and his partners, The White Hag team not only have a world-class range of internationally distributed beers, but their taproom and annual "Hagstravganza" summer festival are both huge attractions. There was a sour sweetness to the beer that provided the perfect counterbalance to the beef; the sharp umami of the meat lingered in the background while the malt and hops of the beer worked their magic.

Tune into what is a fantastic (slightly long!) episode that relishes the bounty Sligo has to offer.

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On Thursday, October 16th, the Beár Bia podcast hosted its first live and ticketed recording event. It took place at The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, down in County Leitrim. It was a celebration of the modern, iconic Irish brand, Gunpowder Gin, with its wonderfully complex range of international and local botanicals. The gin's inspired mix of spice and citrus notes lends itself remarkably well to food pairings, and both the food and Gunpowder gin cocktails on the night were all delicious.

With a nod to some of the Chinese tea and Asian fruits that Gunpowder gin is named after, Oisin Davis, the Beár Bia co-host, mixed up a big bowl of punch to welcome everyone. It featured the Gunpowder gin, lychee, Jasmine tea, extra dry Martini, and lime. Founder of The Shed Distillery and Gunpowder gin Pat Rigney then took all the guests on a very special backstage tour of the production and distilling space, allowing everyone to get a deeper understanding of how his team craft their spirits.

After everyone was seated, two small plates and their cocktail pairings were shared. The first was a Ward’s Donegal crab dish that came with a celeriac remoulade, crushed avocado, and herb mayo. All of it was made by the distillery’s head chef, Dave Fitzgibbon, who also told us about the father and son team from Ward's who hand fish the crab we enjoyed. Cian Wrynne, Gunpowder's on premise manager then served up a cocktail made to pair with the crab - an Atlantic Citrus Gimlet. He mixed it with Gunpowder Irish Gin, Gunpowder Sardinian Citrus Gin, seaweed, lime cordial and fresh fennel and dill oil. It was an exceptional combo and as Dee Laffan, co-host of Beár Bia, remarked, "The freshness of the crab, avocado and dill is fantastic with this gimlet cocktail. The lime, fennel and dill in the cocktail all complement the food so well. This pairing is such a delight to eat and drink. So fresh."

The multiple award-winning Thornhill duck leg bonbon was the second dish of the night and was served alongside pureed fig and parsnip. This was a real delight - crispy, unctuous and enriched with Autumnal flavours.

Cian's Orchard Highball cocktail that he made to pair with it, was the perfect accompaniment.

It was mixed with Gunpowder Fig & Laurel, Killahora Apple Ice Wine, fig syrup and Poacher’s Ginger Ale. Oisin Davis had lots to say about this pairing, "This was my first time sampling the fig & laurel Gunpowder gin and it really has such an earthy tone to it. Brilliant to see it mixed with seasonal orchard flavours and even better when paired with the duck, which Dave cooked perfectly confit style."

With a Gunpowder gin chocolate truffle to finish off the event, this was a lovely sweet ending.

Huge thanks to all the guests who came along and to Dave and Cian from the distillery who proved that Irish gin and Irish food pairings are an absolute joy irregardless of the food comes from the sea or the land.

thesheddistillery.com

BEÁR BIA HITS KERRY WITH THE DINGLE DISTILLERY AND SOME LOCAL PRODUCERS

There are very few towns on the island of Ireland with such a high concentration of premium food producers and world renowned pubs, as Dingle in county Kerry. Coupled with its multitude of festivals, there is never a bad time to visit. At the heart of it all, is the Dingle Distillery. Established in 2012, it has now become not just a huge attraction to itself but they also happen to make some rather amazing spirits!

Last year we got to spend some time with their team and enjoy some of their gin cocktails in the lead up to their stand at the Big Grill festival. For our second season of Beár Bia, we felt it only right to make the pilgrimage to the Dingle Distillery last week to savur their two latest whiskeys that were paired with two amazing neighbouring food brands.

Our first whiskey pairing of the day featured the Dingle Distillery 10 Year Old Pot Stillwhich is made with local malted and unmalted barley and aged in a beautiful combination of bourbon barrels, PX and Oloroso sherry butts and red wine casks. It's a glorious whiskey enriched with spice and a nutty finish which contrasts so harmoniously with the remarkable Murphy's brown bread ice cream we served it with. Crafted just down the road from the distillery, the ice cream is made with McCambridge's brown bread that is slowly roasted with sugar to get a crunchy caramelized texture. With Murphy's Ice Cream so easily available through their own shops and nationwide distribution, this is a sublime all Irish dessert that anyone could enjoy. Sean Murphy from Murphy's Ice Cream was there to tell us all about his brand and how he and Dingle Distillery's production and maturation manager Paddy Foley have often collaborated with each other.

Our second whiskey was Dingle Distillery's 10 Year Old Single Malt. It's triple distilled with local malt and aged in a combination of ex bourbon, port and PX sherry casks. There is a remarkable berry and dried fruit nose and taste to this whiskey that is intensified by such a long time spent in barrels. We were joined on this pairing by Kallam Moriarty of another nearby food business, Éalú chocolates. He brought with him some of his exceptional ganache filled chocolates that were made with hibiscus, clove and also some of the Dingle Distillery Single Pot Still Whiskey. The fruity depth of the whiskey really brought out the cranberry like flavour of the hibiscus in the chocolate - after that subsides an explosion of cream and spice hits the palate. Luxury Irish chocolates and ten year old premium Irish whiskey, both from the same Kerry town - Dingle punches well above its culinary weight.

As a special treat and to remind us all of the incredible spirit of camaraderie and collaboration between the Dingle Distillery and their local friends, Justin Burgess from Bean in Dingle coffee shop and roastery popped in to tell us about a special project they've recently got stuck into - Dingle Whiskey Barrel Aged Coffee! A bold Brazilian single estate bean, aged in Dingle Distillery whiskey rum casks for a minimum of 3 weeks.

The result is a delicious coffee with caramel and milk chocolate notes, citric acidity, a creamy body and that distinctive Dingle whiskey finish. Available in whole bean and medium ground. Available to purchase now exclusively at the distillery.

What an episode?! Get stuck in and let us know your thoughts.

Thanks to Dingle Distillery for this episode & Bord Bia for always supporting us.

Sláinte! Oisin & Dee

There are many individuals across the island of Ireland who are game changers in how they passionately engage within the restaurant and bar industry. On the Beár Bia podcast, we like to call them "Hospitality Heroes" and whenever we can, we like to showcase them and the great work they do.

And that's exactly what we've done with our latest episode as we took a trip to the McNally Family Farm in the Ring Commons North County Dublin to spend some time with Jenny and her daughter Niamh McNally and learn more about their fantastic business.

In 1997, farmers Patrick and Jenny McNally took the decision to go all organic and sell their produce directly, bypassing the standard practises of distribution. Thanks to the remarkable assistance of all five of their children who work there, they have gone on to become one of the most sought out and cherished producers to top Irish chefs. Everything they sell is grown on their 99 acres of land and along the way they have added a farm shop, café and most recently a tour to their list of offerings.

Our setting for the recording and indeed the weather - couldn't have been any better! Sat right outside a polytunnel jam-packed with baby tomatoes that were days away from ripening, we enjoyed two pairings where each of the dishes mostly featured items from the farm.

The first was a sourdough focaccia sandwich made with bread baked at their café, filled with their farm grown roasted padrón peppers, heritage tomatoes, basil mayo and green leaves. This was a symphony of the freshest flavours and to enjoy a beverage alongside it, Oisin volunteered to mix up a cocktail that also had farm ingredients in it. Aptly named the "McNally Martini" it had Glendalough Gin, Richmount Elderflower Liqueur, Fino Sherry, fresh lemon, a healthy spoonful of McNally Family Farm gooseberry preserve, fresh lemon and a splash of Nátúrtha Pet-Nat sparkling wine from Waterford to give it some fizz. The dry sweetness from the cocktail counterbalanced the smoky bitterness of peppers and tomatoes and it was a real pleasure to enjoy the bounty of the farm in such a rounded way, both from the plate and the glass.

Our second pairing was a Roman style pizza slice that was also baked on site using their sourdough bread and topped with Carbery cheddar, farm grown baby courgettes, basil pesto and feta cheese. Seeing as the bottle was already open and that it's such a delicious wine, we paired the rich (and super crunchy!) pizza slice with some more of the Nátúrtha Pet-Nat sparkling wine from Waterford. Its nutty, earthy notes really brought out the soft sweetness of the courgettes.

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It's one of Ireland's largest gatherings of top tier Irish food & drink producers, so it's always great to be down at Bord Bia Bloom in the Phoenix Park. This year, the Bloom team there engaged with Irishbeer.ie and Beár Bia to highlight pairings made with breweries and food makers who would all be at Bloom. Produced over two episodes, our first saw us pair Irish beers with Irish seafoods, and for our second, we looked at something more sweet and savoury!

To supply us with beers and plenty of Donegal banter for the day, we were joined by Sean McCarthy, Sales Manager of Kinnegar Brewing. Letterkenny. He filled us in not just on the whole range of great beers they craft there but also on the company's 15-year history. With nationwide distribution and a selection of tours available, Kinnegar's beers are enjoyed both on site and all over Ireland. One particular item from the brewery that is increasingly doing better and better for them is their "Lowtide lPA", which is a 1% ABV low-alcohol brew. It has the full flavour and texture of a standard IPA but without the boozy bite.

It was the perfect accompaniment to the O'Neills Dry Cure Bacon bap that we had to pair it with. To talk us through this company's great philosophy of only making the most natural, traditional bacon products was their founder, Pat O'Neill from Enniscorthy, Wexford. After already working in the bacon business for 13 years, Pat was inspired by the growing customer demand for additive-free foods and established his brand with the aim of making the finest dry-cured bacon with no phosphates or added water to bulk it out. It was a formula for success that has served him well. We enjoyed a bap made with his excellent bacon and his equally tasty bacon jam.

Alongside the Lowtide IPA, the bacon jam's sweet umami taste balanced beautifully with the hoppy bitterness of the beer.

The second pairing was definitely one for the more sweet-toothed among us! Our next guest was Daniel Linehan, who, alongside his wife Georgia Quealy, founded Bon Chocolatiers out of necessity during COVID. Both are highly trained Michelin-level chefs, and when their respective places of work closed during lockdown, they focused their energy and creativity elsewhere to handcraft ultra premium chocolates. They have since gone on to pick up multiple awards and were a huge hit at Bloom this year. When we asked Daniel to consider the best chocolate from his range to pair with Kinnegar's Black Rabbit - black lager, he instantly knew what to pick up. To bring out the rich coffee and dark malty notes of the beer, he opted for Bon Chocolatiers' Dark "Truly Dark" range. It comes in four flavours that include raspberry and caramelised cacao. Both the beer and the chocolates are incredible on their own - but when enjoyed together, this is a sublime Irish food & drink pairing and something that is very easy to seek out.

We hope you enjoy this second part of our Bloom Special for 2025!

Thanks,

Dee & Oisín

Kickstarting things off for 2025, the first two episodes of this new season will highlight beer and food producers who are exhibiting at one of Ireland's largest festivals, Bord Bia Bloom at Phoenix Park. With a little help from IrishBeer.ie, they
decided to first see which of the participating beers would work best paired
with fish and seafood. The results are delicious!

EPISODE 1
If you’re going to be sampling some of Ireland’s best seafood, the setting is
key. Thankfully, the good folk over at Kish Fish Café in Howth very kindly
allowed us to record in their office. With views right out onto the Irish Sea,
it was the ideal location, and they were the perfect hosts!

Managing Director Tadhg O'Meara told us all about how the Kish Fish business started in Dublin’s city centre, and they’ve successfully expanded to become vital
wholesalers and operators of their fantastic seafood cafe on Howth pier.
After settling in, Kian Louet-Feisser from Carlingford Oysters joined the
table and got shucking! He shared details of how his family started the
business in the 70s and now ships their marvellous molluscs worldwide.

With his operation just down the road in Kilbarrack, Wim De Jongh from
Hope Brewery didn’t have as far to travel and he brought with him the ideal
beer to match with those oysters. His “Overboard Witbier” was quite literally
designed to pair with seafood. It's wheat beer and malt base provided a
creamy texture but it was the addition of orange peel and juniper berries in
the brew that really bounced beautifully off the salinity of the oysters.

Our second pairing began with another amazing Irish family business - Mag
Kirwan from Goatsbridge Trout made the journey from Kilkenny. She
proudly told us all about how it all started in the 1960s, servicing local
restaurants, to now being a beloved nationwide product available in multiple
supermarkets.

Their whiskey-dill-infused rainbow trout was her choice for
a beer pairing, and it was sublime with Irish Pale Ale from O’Haras. This
was brought down by Sergiu Leu from the brewery’s sales team and he got
into how O’Haras (also known as Carlow Brewing) got started nearly 30
years ago by owner Seamus O’Hara. Over those three decades, they have
very steadily managed to build up a brilliant portfolio as well as excellent
international distribution. The dry hopping technique they employ for this
ale gives it a long, zesty finish, which cuts through the soft smoke and spice
of the fish.

Both of these pairings can be enjoyed at Bord Bia Bloom, which runs from
May 29th - June 2nd in Phoenix Park.

Stay tuned for our second Bord Bia Bloom episode coming in two weeks as we delve into what types of beers can be paired alongside some sweeter, more dessert-type dishes!