O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale vs Planier Equinox: Which Should You Drink?

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O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale

Carlow Brewing Company

Ireland · Pale Ale

hopIQ rank #63

78%

Overall similarity

side by side, across 56 flavour tags

Planier Equinox

Zoumaï

France · Session IPA

HOPIQ TAKE

O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale if you want malt-forward and approachable, Planier Equinox if you want hop-forward and assertive. O'Hara's leans into that classic Irish brewery restraint—balanced, clean, meant to drink easily. Planier Equinox pushes harder on the hop character despite the lower ABV, so it's got more personality demanding your attention. Both sit at that perfect 5% ABV sweet spot, but they're chasing different moods.

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WHEN TO CHOOSE WHICH

Pick O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale when…

→You're settling in for a long session and want something that won't fatigue your palate
→You want to taste Irish brewing tradition done right—honest and unpretentious
→You're between conversation rounds and want a beer that stays in the background

Pick Planier Equinox when…

→You want complexity and hop character without the heaviness of a full IPA
→You're craving something with real flavor presence that tastes bigger than 5% ABV
→You appreciate craft beer ambition—pushing boundaries within session constraints

SIDE BY SIDE

	O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale	Planier Equinox
ABV	5.2%	5%
Bitterness	Noticeably bitter	Noticeably bitter
Colour	Golden	Golden
Style	Pale Ale	Session IPA
Origin	Ireland	France

WHAT IT TASTES OF

10 shared · 1 distinct

Both beers

hoppycitrusycleantropicalcrisprefreshingflorallightbittermalty

STRUCTURE — HOW IT'S BUILT

O'Hara's Irish Pale AlePlanier Equinox

Bitterness

Body

TASTING NOTES

O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale

HoppyCitrusyClean

O'Hara's tastes like what happens when brewers decide restraint is a virtue. There's a soft caramel backbone, a whisper of floral hops at the finish, and nothing jagged or aggressive. The 35 IBU sits politely in the background—you notice it's there, balancing the malt, but it's not showing off. It's a beer that gets better the longer you drink it, revealing quiet complexity rather than immediate fireworks.

Planier Equinox

HoppyCitrusyClean

Planier Equinox hits different. Those extra 5 IBU matter more than the numbers suggest—there's a citrus snap and herbal edge that cuts through the session format. At 5% ABV it shouldn't feel this present, but Zoumaï packed real hop personality into a restrained frame. It's the kind of beer that makes you taste it rather than just drink it.

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