About This Beer
Brewmaster Barrel Aged Irish Stout takes a beloved Irish style and elevates it with patient cask maturation, creating a 9% ABV stout that is powerful, polished and deeply satisfying. The base beer is a robust, roast-led stout built on a foundation of dark malts and carefully judged bitterness. Time in barrel adds complementary layers—vanilla, toasted oak, caramelised sugar and a gentle dried-fruit richness—without ever masking the core character. The result is harmony rather than heft: a luxurious pour that remains balanced, structured and remarkably drinkable. Pour into a tulip or snifter to concentrate aroma and let the beer warm slightly in the glass; as it opens, the chocolate, espresso and oak notes interweave, finishing long, warming and impeccably clean.
Barrel ageing here is used with a restrained hand. The cask influence arrives as texture and length—subtle tannin tightening the finish, soft vanilla rounding the mid-palate, and a graceful sweetness that never cloys. For drinkers exploring complex dark styles, this is a confident expression of modern Irish craft beer technique meeting tradition. If you’re building a line-up of roast-forward bottles, take a moment to explore our wider Stout & Porter collection for kindred sippers and limited releases.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep mahogany to near-black with garnet flashes at the rim; a dense, creamy tan head that laces the glass.
Aroma: Espresso and dark cocoa up front, followed by vanilla, toasted oak and hints of brown sugar; subtle dried fig and a whisper of spice in the background.
Flavour: Rich layers of roasted malt and dark chocolate lead; barrel tones of vanilla, light toffee and gentle oak spice glide through; measured bitterness keeps sweetness in check; a touch of dried fruit adds complexity.
Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and velvety with soft carbonation; graceful oak tannin provides structure; warming, lingering finish that stays clean and composed.
About the Brewery
Brewmaster—brewed at Dundalk Bay Brewery & Distillery in Co. Louth—focuses on clarity of flavour, consistency and an at-home pour that rivals the pub. The team’s approach is disciplined: quality malt selection, precise fermentation, vigilant oxygen control and packaging that protects freshness. Their barrel projects, like this 9% Irish stout, showcase a measured philosophy—allowing the cask to enhance rather than overwhelm. Expect beers that are expressive yet balanced, true to style yet modern in execution, and always crafted with the Irish drinker in mind. Whether it’s a crisp pale, a nitro classic or a contemplative barrel release, Brewmaster’s hallmark is drinkability backed by technical finesse.
Food Pairings
A beer with this depth deserves food that can meet it halfway. Slow-cooked beef cheek or short-rib pie mirrors the stout’s roasted malt core, while grilled venison or peppered steak locks in with the oak-spice warmth. For a superb vegetarian match, try a wild-mushroom ragù on creamy polenta or a celeriac gratin—the earthy sweetness plays beautifully with cocoa and coffee notes. On the cheese board, aged cheddar, Coolea or a nutty Gouda accentuate the vanilla-toffee thread; blue cheeses add a thrilling sweet-salt contrast. For dessert, dark-chocolate tart, tiramisù or sticky toffee pudding find harmony in the beer’s interplay of roast, caramel and vanilla.
Entertaining or stocking up? Round out your basket with complementary classics:
Browse our Belgian Beer for Trappist richness and abbey depth, explore crisp, time-honoured favourites in German Beer, keep it local with Irish Craft Beer, or scale up for gatherings with our Beer Kegs.
Shop the best of craft beer Ireland and from around the world online with TheCru.ie or in our Dublin craft beer store, Carry Out Tyrrelstown in Dublin 15