Some background information on the trouble makers based in Kildare. Trouble Brewing was founded when three friends, Thomas Prior, Stephen Clinch and Paul O Connor had visited one too many pubs that had no variety in the beers available, and decided that something needed to be done about it. So over a few of Thomas’s home-brewed bottles they set about starting a brewery that would go some way to addressing the issue.

Figuring that beer should be presented in a humorous and fun way, they chose to name the brewery Trouble Brewing. The brewing equipment was procured from Sioux Falls in South Dakota, USA and set-up in Allenwood, Co. Kildare.

Last Friday, I popped into McHugh’s Off Licence looking for a new beer to write about. I was struggling to choose one when the shop assistant crept up behind me and breathed in my ear: ‘If young squire be having trouble selecting a beverage, might I suggest, Voodoo Logic,’ he said, smacking his lips.

Okay, it may be slightly fictitious in the way he approached me. But maple syrup stout? I shrugged and thought, I’ll give it a try. So I bought 2 44cl cans at €5.79. ABV 10.1%

Now, if I thought the Milk Stout was dark, this beer flows from the can like tar and leaves behind a thick tan coloured head.

The taste is quite interesting as you get the sweetness of the maple syrup first and then the bitterness of the hobs chases after it. I find the sweet maple syrup masks the strong 10.1% as even my partner thought it was ‘nice’.

So overall, I thought it was a beautiful well crafted drink that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy and the unique branding makes it stand out from the competition.

Well done, lads.