And so it begins for Liam Hanlon and Eoin Tynan. Their mission is to bring fresh, tasty craft beer to the Irish market and their enterprise - St Mel’s Brewing Company - has taken a giant leap forward following receipt of the start-up grant they applied for.

And so it begins for Liam Hanlon and Eoin Tynan. Their mission is to bring fresh, tasty craft beer to the Irish market and their enterprise - St Mel’s Brewing Company - has taken a giant leap forward following receipt of the start-up grant they applied for.

Mr Hanlon explained, “There is light at the end of the tunnel at last and hopefully we can reach that light before the end of May. This hinges on a number of factors including the availability of stainless steel, the correct navigation of the bureaucratic channels and a builder’s ability to pull out all the stops.”

Specialist equipment for brewing is currently being installed at the company’s new premises and if these pieces and a large number of smaller ones fall into place over the coming days then St Mel’s Brewing Company of Longford shall have it’s Pale Ale and Red Ale on the market in the next few weeks.

St Mel’s Brewing Company will brew craft beer, initially for the home market, and eventually for export as well.

Mr Hanlon is renowned for developing some of the country’s craftiest beers. And although Eoin Tynan is new to the industry, he comes from the international investment industry with a pint glass in one hand, a masters in business management in the other and a deep love of quality beer in his heart.

Consumers can expect simple high quality beers of the Pale, Red and Bock variety as well as some curve balls on a seasonal basis.

Speaking to the Leader, Mr Hanlon said, “We look forward to enjoying our beers with you all at some point in the not too far off distance. We are hoping to aim for under €3 a bottle and to brew draught soon too.”

He concluded, “Both myself and Eoin are hoping for nationwide deliveries within the next 12 months and export with the next three years.”

For more information check out www.stmelsbrewing.com, www.facebook/stmelsbrewing, or @StMelsBrewing on Twitter.