Irish Brewery

This week I’m gonna take a look at some of my favourite Irish breweries. In the last few years the number of Irish craft beer breweries has risen to over 100. To say there’s an Irish craft beer revolution in full swing would be an understatement. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a few of the people behind these breweries through craft beer festivals and working in bars in Limerick and Dublin over the last seven years. When looking at these breweries, I look at a number of things. Being a Marketing student, I look at their branding, their advertising and their overall marketing campaigns to get a feel of how they are trying to portray themselves. Some have absolutely nailed it, while others haven’t quite gotten to grips with it all just yet. Another factor I look at is their range and quality of beers! (surprise, surprise). Innovation is something that they all have in common. They all decided that there wasn’t enough variety out there, so they decided to set up their own Irish Brewery! So again, in no particular order…

This farmhouse microbrewery from Donegal are up there as one of my favourites! They have a vast range of brews from Pale Ale’s to Porters to the latest craze, Sour Beers. It seems that everything that these guys put into a bottle or keg instantly becomes a hit. I was recently at the Altech Craft Beer & Food Festival at the Convention Centre, Dublin. Of course, Kinnegar had a huge range of their latest brews. I got to taste a few of these and was very impressed. My pallet hasn’t quite matured enough for sour beer but I’m sure that will come in time. I remember not particularly liking hoppy beers at first either! A few of my favourite Kinnegar brews include…

Otway Pale Ale – 4.2% – APA

Rustbucket – 5.1% – Rye Ale

Yannaroddy – 4.8% – Porter

Scraggy Bay – 5.3% – IPA

One of the power couples of the Irish brewing industry, Emma and Cathal started out home brewing and now boast their own brewery out in Rathcoole, Co. Dublin. This brewery have really hit their stride in recent months and it’s down to the immense work put in by Emma and Cathal! They’ve recently hit the shelves of off-licenses through out the country with their range of canned beers. Ginger Porter, Big Hop Red and Yankee White IPA are currently available, and I’m hearing rumors that another favourite of mine, Wunderbar, will hit the shelves soon. Rascals have marketed their beers quite well. They started a “World Hop Series” in 2015, using hops from America, New Zealand, Germany, Australia and Czech Republic in different brews! They also brought out Holy Schmidt Pale Ale just in time for the Rugby World Cup ’15 which was a fan favourite! They’ve recently changed up their branding too. A slick new logo and new fish-eyes for all their beers! My favourite Rascals brews include…

Big Hop Red – 5% – Red Ale

Flamin’ Red DIPA – 8.5% – Double IPA

Wunderbar – 6% – IPA

These guys just ooze coolness with their branding, from their witty name to their humorous beer titles. Starting out in 2010 with three mates, they now are one of the big players in the Irish craft beer industry. These guys were pioneers of innovation for Irish breweries. I recently got to taste their Big Top Rye IPA on cask in the bar I work in, and it is..unreal! Spicy but smooth. Just like Rascals “World Hop Series”, Trouble Brewing released their S.M.A.S.H (Single Malt And Single Hop) series. Simcoe, Vic Secret, Eqoinox and Centennial. All Pale Ales, all brewed with different malts and all quality brews! My Trouble Brewing favourites…

Big Top – 6.3% – Rye IPA

Evil Robot – 5.0% – American Amber Ale

Simcoe – 4.8% – Pale Ale

Vic Secret – 4.8% – Pale Ale

Waterford based brewers, Grainne and Tim have created a real gem down in Munster. Staying true to their surroundings they set up shop on the coast of Waterford. Starting off with Metalman Pale Ale, brewed under White Gypsy Brewery’s guidance, they’ve gone on to brew some of the best canned (and draught) craft beers out there. Their newest release “Orange Is The New Black” is one I haven’t tried yet but am eagerly anticipating! My Metalman recommendations are…

Heatsink – 5% – Porter

Ironmonger – 6.5% – IPA

Pale Ale – 4.3%

Appendices:

APA – American Pale Ale. Typically amber or gold in colour using American hops.

Rye IPA – Rye is added to the big four ingredients (Barely, Hops, Water & Yeast) to give a tangy, spicy taste.

Cask – Cask ales or beers are unfiltered and unpasteurised. This gives them a cloudy look and are quite smooth tasting as they come straight from the cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure.

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