Not Sam Neill! I wasn’t ready for that. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved him.

So I very often have @philipsheppard.bsky.social in rotation intentionally or in my mixes when working away - apparently we spent about 3 days together in 2025…! Thanks and keep it up! I can only imagine they’ve sent you like fifteen cents for the pleasure…

Sad to say Andor wraps up tonight - best Star Wars in an age. Some of the best TV, period. Amazing show end to end. Well done to all involved.

Coming late in the season to @thewhitehag.bsky.social Fleadh Celebration Ale. A mix of red ale and American IPA, and oh my is it lovely. #drinkirish #beer #irishbeer #bskybeer

I see the German snap election called November 7th last has still not resolved itself into a new government…

First past the post is hilariously unrepresentative in a multi party system. 75% of people actively voted against the winner of this mayoralty. 70% in North Tyneside. Etc.

The Canadian election looking knife edge for a Liberal majority, and the leader of the conservatives currently behind in his own constituency?! Glad I can enjoy the final bits at a sensible hour!

Aldi’s Czech style pilsner, brewed by Pearse Lyons in Dundalk. I took a sniff and a swig and was immediately thinking “Pilsner Urquell” - great job for €2 a bottle. Amazing. #bskybeer #drinkirish #beer #irishbeer #pilsner #czechbeer

A very decent IPA from Dot Brew’s spin off series (Aldi again). More hops would help but another decent offering on the shelf at the discount retailer. #bskybeer #drinkirish #beer #irishbeer

Prompted by @antrim-man.bsky.social I went to Aldi and picked up this double IPA from O Brother Brewing. It’s bold alright. Definitely the hazy tradition. Nice drop. #bskybeer #drinkirish #beer #irishbeer

Another Aldi / Pearse Lyon’s brewery offering, “Roadworks IPA”. Very solid if not quite blowing me away the way Brown Bear did. But I like their output and will be trying more #bskybeer #drinkirish #beer #irishbeer

And now, dialled up a bit. Very nice stuff. #drinkirish #irishbeer #beer

Been trying Aldi’s Brown Bear range - brewed by Pearse Lyons Brewery in Dundalk. Fam, this is beautiful stuff - reminds me quite a bit of Sierra Nevada. This could become a daily drinker. More experimentation required! #drinkirish #beer #irishbeer

An O Brother Brewery Eachtra stout from their Aldi range. Very drinkable, if not very exciting. #drinkirish #beer #irishbeer

Giving Lidl’s @ryeriverbrewingco.bsky.social crafty brewing IPA a go. Great value for money. Excellent nose, decent palate. #drinkirish #beer #irishbeer

Next up in #drinkirish #beer - Rollover from the haze masters at Whiplash. Very citrusy. Interesting kind of… caulk like taste that I get out of their beers. The water? Anyways, very nice! #irishbeer

Tonight’s first #irishbeer from Blacks Brewing, Kinsale Pale Ale. It is an amazingly fresh brew, does exactly what it says on the label. You could drink it all night without sacrificing decent complexity. Excellent long finish. #drinkirish #beer

Starting tonight’s #irishbeer proceedings with Guinness West Indies Porter. Nice drop - mellow, coffee and toffee. #drinkirish #beer

It’s the weather for a good Helles lager - @thewhitehag.bsky.social with this lovely example, which my local Molloy’s had on special. Crisp. #drinkirish #beer #irishbeer

BBQ weather calls for bbq #irishbeer - Dagda extra pale ale from @thewhitehag.bsky.social - haze, hops and citrus fruit. Lovely. #drinkirish #beer

And now to wash down some #irishbeer with some #irishwhiskey #whiskey - one of the best of the recent core releases of Redbreast, IMO

And another #beer from @thewhitehag.bsky.social - Bran & Sceolan “Irish IPA”. Sweet, floral, with nice hops on the back end.

Next up #irishbeer a very hazy Magic Mist from @thewhitehag.bsky.social - fruity and balanced. #drinkirish #beer

Starting this evenings #irishbeer exploration going back to a brewery that I’m really starting to enjoy a lot, @thewhitehag.bsky.social Little Fawn. This is a beautiful refreshing sunny day beer. #drinkirish #beer

A @ryeriverbrewingco.bsky.social Nocturne Export Stout next #irishbeer - absolutely fabulous out of the bottle. Espresso and dark chocolate as it says on the tin. Nicely balanced. #drinkirish #beer

This is the second Wicklow Wolf stout I’ve had, after their Winter 2024 special release. It’s excellent stuff. Burned coffee, very balanced bitterness, great mouthfeel. #beer #irishbeer #drinkirish

Starting tonight’s #irishbeer adventure with @thewhitehag.bsky.social Smash IPA, single malt and single hop (mosaic). Very clean and refreshing. #drinkirish #beer

Continuing the #irishbeer adventure with Wicklow Wolf Mammoth IPA. Pitched as a west coast IPA, it has a lot in common with the IPAs of yore. Bitterness balanced by malt. Drew me in very well but perhaps not much on the finish. Very ok. #drinkirish #beer

Starting this evenings #irishbeer adventure with Handsome Jack from Hope Brewery. Fruit at the front and bitterness at the back, very nice and drinkable for a 6.6%! #drinkirish #beer

Went slightly off-piste (or maybe a bit meta) for The Session #145, but hopefully still largely within the remit suggested by @totalcurtis.bsky.social. www.lisagrimm.com/2025/03/28/t...

And now for something completely different - a Wicklow Wolf #irishbeer Locavore Dry Irish Stout, the Winter 2024 edition. Burnt coffee for days. Lovely. #beer #drinkirish

Next up from @ryeriverbrewingco.bsky.social #irishbeer - a “coastal IPA”… I didn’t know what they meant by a “resinous tropical character” until I had a sip. Interesting. #drinkirish #beer

Starting this evenings #irishbeer proceedings with @ryeriverbrewingco.bsky.social Big Bangin IPA. West coast US style it really delivers on tropical hops. 7.1% but drinks a lot easier. Lovely #beer #drinkirish

Next up, Hopfully Kickback Extra Pale Ale. Golden with a bit of haze. Tropical fruit forward with some scant bitterness. Gluten free, if that’s important to you! Very clean and easy drinking. #irishbeer #drinkirish #beer

Next up, a Rascals Jailbreak Lager. Trying to be a lager and on the back of the pack talking up its German Helles credentials. Very ok - better than macro, not as good as some of the classic German options. #irishbeer #beer

Starting tonight’s #irishbeer exploration with @thewhitehag.bsky.social Swell “Classic APA” - very, very nice. Plenty of clean fruit but with that pale ale backing I love. #beer

@danobrien20.bsky.social read your excellent column in the currency today. Good points, though I did see in the manufacturing jobs vs output a topline mismatch on productivity? 2x the jobs for 30% more manufacturing share than the US? But shows we have the base to absorb what’s to come.

Rolling back 25 to 60 years, when the price of a pint was (sometimes) controlled by the Government: everypubindublin.blogspot.com/2025/03/pric...

Whiplash Another Light West Coast IPA - got that malty character I really enjoy. #irishbeer #beer

Rascals Happy Days Pale Ale… lovely fresh, fruity pale ale with decent hops, must get down to the brewery and try it on tap. #irishbeer #beer

Now for something completely different… an Augustiner A/B test between Edelstoff and Helles. I’d happily drink either, but the Hell has the more distinct taste that works for me #beer #germanbeer

Enjoying a @thewhitehag.bsky.social Ninth Wave on my quest for a domestic replacement to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. A real contender.

Any suggestions from #beer (specifically, #irishbeer) drinkers for a local replacement to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale? It’s my desert island beer in some ways, but I’d like an Irish brewed alternative given the… current uncertainty.

Lough Gill American Pale Ale… Fruity, but a bit… thin? Wouldn’t turn my nose up at one, mind you. #irishbeer

Fidelity birthday pale ale. Zesty doesn’t do it justice. #irishbeer

Important business at the beer temple #irishbeer

Finally trying the changing times brewery clockwork stout. Got quite a bitter note as I started working my way through the pint, which eased off. It does have that chocolate note and is very smooth. I’d drink it for variety when in a pub that has it and Guinness. #irishbeer

Don’t sleep on Seemo’s Pizza in George’s St arcade - delicious.

I am not usually an imperial #stout person, or into very high ABV beer in general. But I do like a milk stout and I’m trying to try more #irishbeer. This @loughgill.bsky.social really delivers. Definitely a sipper, has that beautiful note I love from milk stout, chocolate, coconut, and almonds.

Rascals sidekick IPA, a lovely juicy #irishbeer - beautifully balanced IPA.