This round brought together a mix of juicy pales, bold IPAs, crisp sours, and intriguing flavour twists, all matched with Irish cheeses that could meet them sip for sip. From smooth, buttery wedges to punchy blues, every glass and cheese told a story.
🍻 The Pairings: Where Craft Meets Curds
🍺 Hopfully – Televison New England Pale Ale – 🧀 Dunmore, Galway Cheese
💭 Soft, hazy, and bursting with juicy citrus and tropical fruit, this New England Pale Ale was a natural match for Dunmore’s buttery richness and gentle tang. The beer’s hop sweetness lifted the cheese’s mellow savoury notes, making for a smooth, moreish opener.
🍺 Garage – Soup IPA – 🧀 Kearney Blue, Farmview Dairies
💭 Big on ripe stone fruit, citrus, and a crisp bitterness, this IPA played beautifully with Kearney Blue’s creamy paste and peppery blue veins. The hops brought out the cheese’s spice, while the cheese rounded the beer’s sharper edges.
🍺 Hopfully – The Lads West Coast – 🧀 Templegall, Hegarty’s Cheddar
💭 A piney, resinous West Coast IPA with caramel malt undertones needed a cheese with structure — and Templegall delivered. Nutty, firm, and Alpine in style, it held its own against the hop bitterness while the malt sweetness met the cheese’s grassy, earthy finish.
🍺 Bullhouse – Budgie Smuggler – 🧀 St Tola Ash, St Tola Farmhouse Cheese
💭 Light, crisp, and subtly citrusy, Budgie Smuggler was the ultimate refresh for St Tola’s zesty goat’s cheese tang. The pairing sang with bright, fresh flavours, cleansing the palate and inviting another bite (and another sip).
🍺 Bullhouse – Pickle Beer – 🧀 Coolattin Cheddar, Coolattin Cheese
💭 A fun, briny number with dill and savoury pickle character made in conjunction with Bethel’s Kitchen. Coolattin’s rich, buttery profile softened the beer’s sharp, tangy punch, creating a salty-smooth combo that had people going back for more.
Missed Out? Recreate the Magic at Home!
🍺 Find Bullhouse & the rest at Bullhouse East and other indie beer stockists.
🧀 Pick up all these incredible cheeses at Indie Füde.
📲 Your Turn: Which pairing would you try first? Drop it in the comments!
📸 Don’t forget to tag us in your photos:
#IrishCheese #CraftBeer #BullhouseEast #IndieFüde #BeerAndCheese
Massive thanks to the Bullhouse team for another brilliant night. Until next time — sláinte! 🍻
