Hot Flavours: Dublin Beer Festival, The Lounge, Dollars Wine Down and more

The Dublin Beer Festival returns to the Dublin RDS on September 11 and 12 with a stunning mix of Irish and international brews, plus a good smattering of ciders, spirits, cocktails and, well, whatever you’re having yourself.

Keeping the homefires burning are Blacks, Blarney, Bohem, The Dew Drop, Eight Degrees, Hope, Kinnegar, Lough Gill, Rye River, Trouble, Urban and Wicklow Wolf.

They’re joined by such welcome foreign interlopers as Arpus, Azvex, Basqueland, Brewski, Garrison, Horizont, Lost & Found, Mad Scientist, Tatamagouche, Vault City, Wiper And True and Zichovec.

While Andy McFadden continues to cook up a Michelin storm in the upstairs Glovers Alley restaurant, the Fitzwilliam Hotel’s street level eatery, The Lounge, has been given a cool ‘70s retro makeover.

Such vibey surroundings call for food to match and chef Catherine Rooney and her team duly deliver with the Skeaghanore Duck Croquette with Smoked Paprika Aioli and Seafood Chowder the pick of the starters. The latter has by far the highest fish content of any chowder we’ve ever had, and a rich creaminess that will linger long in the memory.

The mains are even better with a perfectly executed Lobster Thermidor with Roast Lemon Potato, and a Wild Mushroom Risotto which is bursting with earthy flavours and has obviously been carefully nursed in the pan.

The portion sizes are generous, the accompanying cocktails inspired and the staff lovely.

From Lough Erne with much love comes Boatyard’s limited-edition Summer Solstice Gin, a heavenly drop of mother’s ruin finished with a zing of Killahora Rare Apple Ice Wine.

Add in hedgerow botanicals, and you’ve the perfect hot day sipper over ice or star ingredient in an equally refreshing G+T or spritz.

Bag yourself a bottle before they’re all gone from boatyarddistillery.com/shop.

In newsagents now is Hot Press’s standalone Best Of Ireland special, which includes the 250+ Irish Restaurants You Have To Try.

Among the new entries is Dollars Wine Down, which can be found lurking with considerable intent at 1 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2.

A bright, stylish NYC-style deli sandwich shop by day – the Got Beef! is our regular go-to – it morphs Thursday through Saturday into a vibey, late night wine and cocktail bar. With lots of stainless steel and warm timber and a long bar stretching along tall windows, it’s the perfect spot to sample mouth-watering snacks like Curried Crab and Shrimp Cracker with Green Apple and Cucumber, and Japanese Okonomiyaki Pancakes with lashings of Tonkatsu Sauce. There’s also lots of cheese and charcuterie, with four of those cheeses, garlic butter and Ballymaloe relish combining to gloriously gooey effect in their Gold$tandard Toasty.

The Crisp Festival returns to Dublin’s Bernard Shaw pub from August 28-30 with all manner of crunchtastic fun to be had out in Drumcondra.