There’s somthing rogueish (or childish?) about the collabroation between Neil Morrissey and Richard Fox – two middle edge men who found brewing instead of Harley Davidson’s and set about with a with new toys and a rekindled sixth form attitude.

And there’s something modern and well designed about the branding, even if it is a bit cosy and predictable and ‘marketing agency’ developed.

Blonde is the playful peer of Brunnette, cheeky takes on pale and amber ales.

Morrissey Fox Blonde

The former is a skinny beer perfumed with uncooked dough, and it’s smooth as silk as it coats upper lips around the bar with a (possibly) Cascadian caress. It’s an pleasant, if slightly banal first date.

Back at home a bottle has the same mellow tangerine tang that firmly plants this in session ale territory. Bitterness is minimal, the body is barely there, lager-like without the fizz – it’s just dry enough to demand the next quenching gulp of citrus scented liquid bread. Is it ever interesting enough to seduce though?

Love or loathe boys playing with their toys, Morrissey and Fox have cooked up a perfectly decent beer with perfectly contemporary branding for perfectly discerning pub goers. It’s all perfectly fine for a Saturday afternoon pint really.

It’s a good few months since we found this in a bottle, and quite a bit longer since on cask. We’ve not seen or heard anything since then, is a Strawberry Blonde on the cards or has this relationship hit the rocks?

I found this bottle of Clanconnel Brewing Company Weaver’s Gold while visiting the John Hewitt in December 2009, one of the better bars in Belfast to seek out some interesting beer. My chum and I had ordered some Whitewater Black and Hilden Halt on draught, and while supping I thought I’d ask the barman for a run-down on what other Irish beers they had in stock, spotting a few different bottles of Whitewater behind the bar.

As he had a look for me a label in silver and yellow caught my eye, and I knew it must be a brewery I hadn’t come across before. Having asked for a look and finding this was indeed the case, I was rather pleased to hear of another new name in the small Irish craft brewing scene. I acquired a bottle to take away with me for later examination, wanting a fresh palate to do it justice.

Initially I’d thought that perhaps this was being produced by Hilden or Whitewater, and badged as something else – as I know that’s being done for a few other ‘breweries’ in Northern Ireland. But from what I could find out, the brewery does actually exist as a physical entity, started by a beer enthusiast in 2008, and with hopefully more recipes in the offing.

Clanconnel Weavers Gold

Not being bottle conditioned, it poured a perfectly clear pale gold into the glass, with just a hint of head quickly dissipating. As I poured, familiar Saaz lagery aromas wafted out, making me think that perhaps this would have been better saved to a warmer Spring moment than a snowy February Sunday. Still, I was warm enough indoors, and thirsty enough, to give this a go. Read the rest of this entry »