This week, Galway Bay have expanded their empire even further with the opening of their latest bar, The 108, in Rathgar. Ever since they opened Against The Grain in 2010, Galway Bay have been going from strength to strength both in terms of successful pubs as well as ever-improving, great quality beers. I’ve mentioned them here many times and there is no doubt that they are craft beer pioneers here in Dublin as well as in Galway. The 108 is their 6th pub in Dublin and the 2nd one outside the city centre. It’s bang in the middle of Rathgar and very handy for anyone living in Dublin 6, but also easily reached by bus with 6 different Dublin Bus routes stopping right outside.

The opening night was on Wednesday. To mark the occasion, they had announced on social media that all Galway Bay pints were going to be only €1.08 for 108 minutes from 5pm. As a result, the place was absolutely jammers. The interior was quite nice from what I could make out. There are low tables in the front and high tables in the bar area with a long leather bench spanning almost the entire length of the room to the left. It would be quite comfy for a few pints and a bite to eat. No mismatched wooden chairs in sight. The beer offerings include lots of Galway Bay beers, as well as other Irish and international craft beers on tap. They even serve Guinness. Yes, that’s right. My guess is that this was done in a move to appease the local regulars who used to frequent this place when it was The Rathgar. I’m not sure if this is a long-term thing, but I hope that once the pub is firmly established in the area, that tap will be allocated to an Irish craft beer as well.

The highlight of the night for me was Galway Bay’s brand new beer, Steam Boat Amber Lager. It was absolutely delicious. I did not want to drink anything else for the entire night and I don’t really want to drink anything else for the next few weeks. Head Brewer Chris has outdone himself once again with this beer. It has shot straight to No.2 in my ranking of Galway Bay beers, right after Of Foam and Fury. Just as well they have much more capacity in their shiny new brewery now. I really hope Steam Boat will become part of the core range because it’s easily one of the best beers they’ve ever made, and to me it’s one of the best Irish beers. Fantastic.

The 108 is in good hands with manager Shane. Drop by and check it out, and have a Steam Boat while you’re at it. I’m sure this new location will be another success for Galway Bay.