Galway Bay Brewery has been putting out hazy IPAs as limited drops for years, and Afterglow is what happens when they take everything they learned from those and lock it into the permanent range. I picked up a can, poured it properly into a glass rather than drinking straight from the tin, and gave it a full run through.
At a Glance
| Style | Hazy IPA (New England IPA) |
| ABV | 6.0% |
| Format | 440ml can |
| Hops | Idaho 7, Nelson Sauvin, Strata |
| Malt | Pale malt and oats |
| Origin | Galway Bay Brewery, Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland (est. 2009) |
| Typical price | Around EUR3 to EUR4 per 440ml can in Irish off-licences |
How it pours and looks
Afterglow pours a hazy, opaque golden-orange with a thick, pillowy white head that holds its shape for a long time. In the glass it looks exactly like the label promises: sunshine in a can. The lacing left behind after each sip is heavy, a good sign for how much protein and oat content went into the recipe.
The full review
The nose is the standout part of this beer. Idaho 7 and Nelson Sauvin dominate with big grapefruit, mango and crushed white grape notes, and Strata rounds it off with a touch of passionfruit and a light dank edge. It smells more like a limited-release NEIPA than a beer you can pick up in a regular fridge, which is exactly the gap Galway Bay says they were trying to close with this can.
On the palate it is soft and fluffy rather than sharp, thanks to the oats and pale malt base doing their job of cushioning the hops. Bitterness is kept deliberately low, so this reads as juicy rather than bracing, closer to drinking hopped fruit juice than a classic bitter IPA. At 6.0% ABV it drinks easily and the alcohol barely registers, which makes it dangerously easy to go back for a second can.
My take: this is a very solid, well-made everyday hazy rather than a beer that reinvents the style. Compared with our Wicklow Wolf IPA, another Irish craft regular, Afterglow leans hazier and juicier while Wicklow Wolf keeps a bit more bitterness and clarity.
“Packed full of some of our favourite new wave hops and fermented with a fruity aroma packed yeast strain… grab one, watch the sunset and enjoy a modern full flavoured IPA.”, Galway Bay Brewery
- Huge tropical hop aroma for a core-range can
- Soft, fluffy mouthfeel from the oat and pale malt base
- Easy to drink at 6.0% ABV, alcohol barely shows
- Widely available in Irish off-licences year-round
- Low bitterness means it can taste one-dimensionally sweet if it warms up
- Not much different from the wave of similar hazy IPAs already on shelves
- Hop aromatics fade fast once the can is opened, best drunk fresh
Who it is for
Anyone who likes their IPA closer to fruit juice than to a bitter pale ale. If you want a beer with more backbone and less haze, our Wicklow Wolf IPA review is a good comparison from another Irish craft brewery, and if stouts are more your thing, our Irish Stouts That Are Not Guinness guide covers what else Ireland’s craft scene is doing well right now.
About Galway Bay Brewery
Galway Bay Brewery started as a brewpub in Galway city, built around founders Jason O’Connell and Niall Walsh’s flagship pub, The Oslo in Salthill. Since then, with head brewer Chris Treanor leading the recipes, the operation has grown into a full production brewery in Oranmore along with a string of bars across Galway and Dublin. Afterglow was designed to bring the character of their limited hazy releases, including their well-known Dream Awake IPA, into a can you can actually find in a shop fridge every week rather than only at a launch event.
How to serve Afterglow
Pour it into a proper glass rather than drinking from the can. A tulip or wide-bowled glass gives the tropical hop aroma somewhere to collect, and pouring with a bit of force helps build the thick head this beer is known for. Serve cold, straight from the fridge, since the hop aromatics fade quickly once the can has been open a while.
FAQs
What does Galway Bay Afterglow taste like?
Afterglow is a hazy IPA with big tropical and grapefruit hop aroma from Idaho 7, Nelson Sauvin and Strata hops, a soft fluffy mouthfeel from oats and pale malt, and low bitterness, at 6.0% ABV.
Where is Galway Bay Afterglow brewed?
It is brewed by Galway Bay Brewery at their production brewery in Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland.
Is Afterglow a permanent beer or a limited release?
Afterglow is part of Galway Bay Brewery’s permanent core range, brought in to give a year-round version of the hazy IPAs they had previously only released as limited drops.
