My Best of Northern Ireland 2015

Here it is again, the end of year thought process as to what were my favourite Northern Irish beers.  I've written another blogpost here about the new NI breweries that opened in 2015 and another post on my overall Golden Pints of Ireland so I'll not go into detail about that here, hence to say there were a lot more beers available in 2015 than 2014.

You may agree with some placings, you'll probably not agree with lots.  But that's the way these things work.  Remember I can only vote for brews I've actually had.  I'll admit I've tried quite a lot of Irish beers (North and South) over the past year but couldn't have them all.  If your favourite beer isn't listed, it could be that I didn't get the chance to try it.  So to quote @thebeernut from last year, here's my "tiny and twee" list of NI winners for 2015 :-p

Best Porter/Stout - MOURNE MOUNTAINS Pumpkin Porter

Controversial to start, my top dark of 2015 goes to a pumpkin (love it or hate it) beer from Warrenpoint's new brewery Mourne Mountains.  Also praise due to new co-ops Boundary's Export Stout and Lacada's Stranded Bunny.

Best IPA - FARMAGEDDON Mosaic IPA (cask)

This was in great condition at the Belfast Beer Festival, as was Northbound's 47 IPA.  The Mosaic cask outing was better than the bottled output in my opinion and the Farmageddon gang also did a great Hopburst IPA earlier in the year.  Shout outs too for Whitewater's Maggie's Leap, Lacada's Giant's Organ and Boundary IPA.

Best Pale Ale - WALLED CITY Boom
If you ever get a chance to visit the Walled City brew-restaurant at Ebrington Square in Derry/Londonderry, grab it.  James brews a good selection including this quality pale ale and it was my favourite Northern Irish pale of the year.

Best Red/Amber Ale - WHITEWATER Hen, Cock and Pigeon Rock

I've admitted before elsewhere that reds aren't my favourite style and there weren't many NI amber ales, though I did like this one.

Best Irish But Not Northern Irish - GALWAY BAY Two Hundred Fathoms

I can't say much more about 200F that hasn't already been said by many others, it's such a great beer.
2nd - O BROTHER Brutus
Joint 3rd - GALWAY BAY Buried At Sea / O'HARA Leann Folláin

Best Northern Irish Beer of 2015 - MOURNE MOUNTAINS Pumpkin Porter

2nd - FARMAGEDDON Mosaic IPA (cask) 
3rd - FARMAGEDDON Hopburst IPA

I started controversially and I'll end controversially.  It really was a close run thing between Mosaic IPA and Pumpkin Porter for my NI beer of the year.  Maybe on a different day the result would be reversed but that's my final answer...for today.   It's good to see new breweries like Mourne, Walled City, Lacada and Boundary entering the list here and good luck to all new and existing Northern Irish brewers for 2016.

Irish Golden Pints 2015

This is the first time I've nominated beers for the Golden Pints awards and I was initially torn between doing a UK list or Ireland list, then quickly realised I've had a lot more Irish beer this year than ones from England, Scotland or Wales.  So that's sorted then.  Also please remember when reading this that it's what I think.  You probably won't agree with a lot here but that's ok - next time you see me you can buy me a beer and we'll talk about it like reasoned adults. 

Best Irish Cask Beer - Farmageddon Mosaic IPA

Cask is a rarity in Ireland, north and south.  The best tasting cask beer I experienced this year was at the Belfast Beer and Cider Festival in November and goes to Farmageddon's Mosaic IPA.  A cracker of a beer, fresh, crisp, fruity and one of the few beers I tried more than thrice, ahem. 

Best Irish Keg Beer -  O Brother Brewing Brutus

My winner by a long way.  I fell in love with it at the Irish Craft Beer Festival in Dublin's RDS in August and I still love it.  Very much.  Also shout outs to The White Hag's Black Boar and 8 Degrees for their new Belgian stout, Signal.

Best Irish Bottled/Canned Beer - Galway Bay 200 Fathoms  

A Teeling Whiskey barrel aged imperial stout is right up my street.  Their chocolate milk stout Buried At Sea is also high up the list as is O'Haras Leann Folláin.

Best Overseas Draught - Brewdog IPA is Dead Citra

I'll class overseas as mainland GB in this list and first place goes go the juggernaut that is Brewdog, had in their self-named bar in Liverpool.  Titanic's Plum Porter and Fallen Brewing's Platform C are crackers too.

Best Overseas Bottle Beer - Williams Bros Froach 22

Loch Ness' 10%abv Double Cask Prince is fantastically smooth but it is pipped to the top spot by the 11%abv Williams Bros Froach 22, a heather ale matured in ex-sherry casks which were previously used to mature Auchentoshan single malt (it just sounds good!)

Best Overseas Canned Beer - Beavertown Gamma Ray

The two top spots here go to Beavertown from that there London town with the American pale ale Gamma Ray coming 1st.  Also look out for their stunning triple IPA Power of the Voodoo, it's a beezer.

Best Collaboration - Galway Bay Goodbye Blue Monday

Another winner for Galway Bay. Brewed in collab with Begyle Brewing from Chicago, it's a hoppy oatmeal IPA.

Best Overall Beer - Galway Bay 200 Fathoms

I've been dreading this category...but had to narrow it down to about 5.  And then 3. 

And then finally 200 Fathoms.  Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that guff but it pains me to have had it only once this year - I miss you 200F.

Best Branding - 8 Degrees

Respect is paid to Northern Ireland's two new publicly owned co-ops, Lacada and Boundary for having something different but the boys at 8 Degrees take the crown.

Best Pumpclip - O Brother's Brutus.  

Loved it.

Best Label - Red Hand Pale Ale

Small brewer Red Hand pale ale from Co Tyrone - a child's hand.  So simple.

Best Brewery - Galway Bay

Another one for the GB massive.  Although 8 Degrees and O Brother did run them close.

Best Overseas Brewery - Beavertown

Hmmm... Loch Ness, Isle of Skye and Brewdog are right up there but again it goes daaaaan saaaaf to that Landan taaaan brewery Beavertown.

Pub of the Year - Kiwi's Brew Bar, Portrush

I thought I'd venture out of a city and award this to a cracking wee bar with a really good range of bottles in a town not overly known for its craft beer selection. Plus it shows football on tv. Well done Kris and the team.

New Pub of the Year for 2015 - The Woodworkers, Belfast.  

Although it opened in December 2014, it's a winner here. Regular meet the brewer events, great rotating taps and a fantastic food selection to boot!

Best Festival - Irish Craft Beer Festival

Despite being involved in the Belfast Beer and Cider Festival my favourite festival of the year was the ICBF in the RDS in Dublin last August.  So many brewers selling their Irish beer, so many great food stalls out the back with ample seating and a good DJ doing his thang..

Supermarket of the Year - None

A lot of them are still quite rubbish so I'll pass on this until (some chance) they reach somewhere near the level of independents.

Independent Retailer of the Year - The Lighthouse

Within 10 miles of Belfast, it's this fantastic place in Whiteabbey. Also great to see others like The Vineyard, Gap Wines, Lavery's, Wineworks and Neill Wines have a wide ranging selection too. 

Online Retailer of the Year - www.drinkstore.ie

I've used a few but the winner is Drinkstore, primarily for their discount policy!

Best Beer Blog or Website - http://thebeernut.blogspot.co.uk

Always informative.

Simon Johnson Award for Best Beer Twitterer

@thebeernut for his dry wit or @twattybeer (Twatty Beer Doodles)

Best Brewery Website/Social Media - ......

Anyone who doesn't retweet 50 fecking times a day. 

2015's New Brewers

I would imagine that Northern Ireland's beer scene has never experienced the like of it before.  Five years ago we had 5 micro/nanobreweries.  At the start of 2015 we had the impressive total of 15 breweries selling beer.  Now at the end of the year that stands at 26.  Eleven have appeared in the past 12 months - crazy but fantastic.  Here's a quick roundup of those making an appearance in 2015.

The biggest entrant has to be BOUNDARY co-operative from East Belfast who launched with an export stout, IPA and American pale, followed by loads of festival and seasonal specials such as Berliner Weisse and sour ales.  At the moment if you look really hard you might find Tis the Saison (a collab with NI's Shortcross Gin)

KNOCKOUT BREWING, also from East Belfast, launched in January with an IPA and red ale. Along came an American pale Ale late in the year and there are plans for a wheat beer in 2016.

BARRAHOOLEY from Martinstown near Ballymena currently have a red, black IPA, pale and dry stout on the market.  Production is small scale at the moment with plans to upscale soon.  Look out for a new oatmeal stout hitting the shelves shortly. At present bottled output is found mainly in the Ballymena area and Kiwi's Brew Bar in Portrush.

Heading up to the north west and May saw the opening of the brew-restaurant WALLED CITY. The Ebrington Square establishment sells its own numerous brews onsite from tap including pale ales, IPAs, wheat beer and one off specials such as the fantastically named fruit beer Cherry London Cherry.

Similar to that, BREWBOT bar opened on the Ormeau Road in Belfast this year. Most of the beer sold is from other breweries but they occassionally brew limited edition specials such as imperial red ales, pales and Baltic porters.

The second co-op to launch in 2015 was LACADA from Portrush.  Their golden ale, IPA and porter is available in mid and north Antrim with more stockists being added further afield in Belfast, north Down and mid-Ulster.  The man behind the magic, Laurie Davies is in the process of brewing a 'proper big stout' which should be available early January.

NORTHBOUND from Campsie have had a good festival presence this year - being represented at Belfast Beer & Cider Festival, Sippy of Culture, ABV, Irish Craft Beer Festival in Dublin and others.  They currently have a kölsch-style, sticke alt, pale and IPA for sale.  Head brewer David Rogers says a smoked wheat beer is conditioning at the moment and expect to see some more German session beers as well as a bit of Japanese influence!

Not far from them is very small brewer O'CONNOR from Faughanvale who produces a blonde ale. There may be a red or porter from them later in the year.

At the other end of the country in Warrenpoint in County Down is MOURNE MOUNTAINS brewery.  They first appeared in the spring with a wheat beer, then red and golden ale - followed soon after with bottles of pilsner and American IPA.  They've also produced seasonals such as a pumpkin porter and a Christmas spiced lager.

A word on a couple of beers not currently produced in Northern Ireland but are registered here.
NIGHT CAP BREWING brew under the GALLOPERS brand and currently produce a golden ale which comes from Sadlers Ales in the West Midlands.  Declan from Gallopers says he hopes to expand their product range in the spring.

SAILORTOWN (representing the old dock area of Belfast but brewed by Carrig in Co Leitrim) have a trio of beers at the moment -  a red, pale and pilsner.

Now on to a few in the pipeline for 2016. BULLHOUSE brewery near Newtownards hope to open in the next few months with head brewer Willy Mayne unleashing a farmhouse saison, imperial porter and hoppy session pale ale while there could also be an IPA and golden ale in the spring from The Speckled Hen pub in Derriaghy near Lisburn...

Good luck to you all in the coming year especially those dealing with the export market.

Happy Christmas!

Northern Ireland's Gypsy Breweries

At my last count there are now 25 breweries from Northern Ireland.  Or are there?

It's difficult to keep up with the wave of new beers and breweries coming from Northern Ireland over the past few weeks and it's great to see but not all NI breweries are in NI.  I've no problems where a beer is brewed: Belfast, London, Timbuktu, wherever - as long as it tastes good.  World class Danish brewers such as Mikkeller and To Øl fit into the 'gypsy' category and I don't hear anyone complaining about them ... for very good reason.

A couple of the newest brewers are registered here but come from outside our wee country - and that's grand.  The newest one I've come across is Sailortown Beer. Named after the historic port area of Belfast, this Czech-style pilsner is made by Carrig Brewing Company from Co. Leitrim - also expect a pale ale and red ale soon.  Pils and lagers aren't my cup of tea (?) due to them traditionally being a bit thin and very mild on taste (as Sailortown Beer is) but it will, no doubt, appeal to the lager drinkers and hopefully entice them to try something different.

Something I was more pleased with and has also just been released is Gallopers Golden Ale.  Declan Holmes (Eamonn's son) is the man behind Night Cap Beer Co. and at the moment this is brewed by Sadlers Ales in the English West Midlands.  By Declan's own admission he's appealing to the non-craft drinkers - it's light and slightly citrussy and it has to be better than drinking any of the macros out there.

On to a seasonal belter of a beer now.  Mourne Mountains (definitely brewed in Northern Ireland!) released the Pumpkin Porter and in my humble opinion it's one of the best local beers I've tried this year.  A very mild coffee aroma, good body with a slight, but not overpowering, taste of chocolate and spice.  Pumpkin/Hallowe'en beers are a tricky tightrope for brewers and this one is very impressive.

Finally a word on the new co-operative brewery from Portrush, Lacada.  Conceived along the same publicly funded lines as Belfast's Boundary Brewing, Lacada have a trio of new brews: a golden ale Sorley Boy's Stash, Giant's Organ IPA and Stranded Bunny porter.  Cracking names.

Northern Ireland's Newest Brewery ... so far

Northern Ireland's exploding with breweries at the moment - at the last count I made it 7 have started up in 2015 with another couple more on the horizon.  The latest venture to officially launch are Mourne Mountains Brewery in Warrenpoint.  The men behind it are owner and local man Connaire McGreevy, and master brewer Tom Ray from England.

Their launch last week in the grounds of Kilbroney Forest Park in Rostrevor was different to say the least. Never before had I seen or even heard of Slángha, a legendary figure who travelled from Greece and was (supposedly) one of the first people to produce beer using water from the Mournes, but he made an apprearance anyway.  Thankfully he brought stemmed glasses with him - how cultured of these ancient warriors.  You've learned something today if nothing else.

Mourne Mountains Brewery produce a core range of three beers - Gold, red IPA and wheat beer with a couple of seasonal specials just released last week: an IPA and pilsner.  I'll not bore you to death with detailed reviews of each; suffice to say my favourites were the East Coast IPA and the surprise cask of Mourne Gold which was laid on as a Brucie Bonus. Seek them out wherever ye be.

Irish Craft Beer Festival 2015

This year's Irish Craft Beer Festival at the RDS in Dublin was a special one for me as it was the first time I stayed to the bitter end due to having the genius idea of booking an overnight hotel stay.  What a smart cookie I am.  Mrs W and I travelled down by train on Saturday afternoon, checked in and then made our way through the hoardes of Irish and Welsh rugby fans leaving the Aviva stadium.

I always get excited entering a beer festival.  Right RDS, bring it on, seven hours of bliss await... but where to begin?  I'd read positive comments about new Two Sisters Brewing's St Brigid's Ale so made a beeline for the Trouble Brewing stand.  A good solid start, 5.2% brown ale with a delicious caramel and nutty aroma and taste.  Slightly sweet too as it's brewed with honey from the family hive hence the pathetic beeline reference.  Did you know Brigid is Ireland's patron saint of beer?  You do now.

A Thai dinner followed out the back courtyard, courtesy of the fantastically named The Bitchin' Kitchen - green chicken curry and for Mrs W beef pad Thai noodles.  Bellies full and it was back to the beer, this time to check out the Yellow Belly/Simon Lambert & Sons stall.  The lapsang souchong Black Tea porter was so smooth with that superb tea hit coming to the fore.  Tea and beer in the one glass, what's not to like?

Another beer of note came from the guys at Northbound Brewery near Derry/Londonderry/whatever. They've recently produced a pale ale and Kölsch style which I have already tasted but on tap was a new festival special, Unnamed IPA.  I had a few (single) IPAs that night but this was my favourite.  Hopefully it'll find its way into bottles very soon.

Finally my beer of the night - drum roll please - comes from Co Wicklow's O Brother Brewing with the outstanding 9.1% abv double IPA Brutus.  Despite the high alcohol content, it is deceptively smooth with a slight tropical edge that is calling out to be consumed again.  I did go back later in the night but it was sold out.  Lesson learned there.

Thanks to whoever thought of putting all the food vans out the back beside the DJ and sheltered seating area.  Well done to the committee person who suggested having goblet glasses - unfortunately when I arrived they'd all been taken so had to make do with standard glasses.  I would have loved to have had one, they looked fantastic.  And finally thanks to organisers Carlow Brewing, Make It Happen, Beoir and all the brewers who attended, it was another great festival.  See you in 2016.  Sláinte!

Maiden Visit to Walled City Brewery

I'd been wanting to get up to Walled City Brewery in Derry/Londonderry/whatever for quite a while and finally managed it one recent Sunday afternoon.  Not just any Sunday but the Sunday after the Club MTV concert right outside the brewery in Ebrington Square. I'm quite ashamed to say that as someone who used to follow the Top 40 religiously in the 80s and 90s, I had not one clue as to who any of the acts were. Nada, nil, zilch. Ah well, it'll come to all of you sooner or later.

The restaurant opened at 2pm and this particular day was interesting as most of the staff seemed to be bleary eyed from the work exertions the night before. It was used as the concert's VIP area and was bunged to the gills apparently.

Ten fantastic taps are on offer and not one of them from any of the usual bland big boy suspects - you know who I mean. The day I was there with the wife and 4 year old son, they had guest offerings from Beavertown (London), Kinnegar (Co. Donegal), Magic Rock (W. Yorkshire), The White Hag (Co. Sligo) and Mad Hatter (Liverpool).

Pic courtesy of Stephen Byrne

Meals were ordered and after a long delay (which was acknowledged by owner James) we were given a free tapas of olives.  None of us like olives so maybe it would have been better to ask us rather than have me pass them over to the grateful diners opposite.  Having said that, when lunch arrived my beer braised pulled pork with house coleslaw in a brioche bap as well as Mrs W's grilled steak in a bap with rocket and goat's cheese were delicious.  Be mindful that as this is a restaurant, you must order food to be able to avail yourself of any beer.  And so to that beer...

Walled City Brewery usually have a two or three of their own brews on offer and James later told me his plan is to occupy half of the ten taps with his own beer.  The 4.2% abv American pale ale, Boom, is their signature beer and one of the best I had that day.  Fresh with a light citrus edge I could have had this all afternoon. This was followed by the pilsner, Kicks at 4.5% - I'm not a great fan of pilsners or lagers but appreciate that it ticked all the boxes required of that style.  Conditioning in the back but not yet ready were also a wheat - Wit - and IPA - Stitch - and I'm sad that I missed their chilli and lime infused beer called Beerito. If only it hadn't run out the week before I landed up.

It's great to see a flurry of activity in Northern Ireland's north west beer scene.  Three breweries, Walled City, Northbound and to a lesser extent O'Connor have now entered the Derry-Londonderry market over the past twelve months.  Here's hoping they all go from strength to strength.

And if you're a Derry wan or happen to be visiting the city sometime soon, do yourself a big favour and cross the Peace Bridge to Ebrington Square for some seriously tasty grub and a fantastic beer selection.

Northern Ireland Breweries - mid 2015 update

Six months ago I wrote a blogpost detailing what Northern Ireland beers were available to the public. As with any post of that nature, it becomes obsolete very quickly as brewers produce new beers or new breweries come into existence.  The rate of expansion of Northern Ireland's breweries has been so phenomenal over the first half of 2015, I thought I'd try and detail what's available now rather than wait until the end of the year.
So let's start by highlighting our newer breweries and their beer that's currently on shelves and in pubs.

1. BOUNDARY BREWING CO-OP from East Belfast came into being after raising an impressive £100,000 in just over one week.  Their core trio of an American Pale Ale, IPA and Export Stout are available in bottles with some about to go on tap.  A number of festival specials were present at the recent ABV beer festival in Belfast but are no longer available.

2. Also from East Belfast, KNOCKOUT BREWING currently has 3 bottled beers on sale; an IPA, red ale and new American Pale Ale with plans afoot to produce a wheat beer. A review of the IPA and red ale are here.

3. Heading over to the Maiden City WALLED CITY BREWERY is a restaurant in Ebrington Square where you can enjoy (with food - crap licensing laws in NI prevent being able to drink only in the restaurant) on tap Kicks pilsner, Boom pale ale and Wit wheat beer although they're selling out quickly. Expect Stitch, an IPA, soon as well as a few interesting specials.

4. Also in Derry/Londonderry, NORTHBOUND produce a Kölsch style called 08 and pale ale named 26 which are available in the local area with plans to distribute more widely across Northern Ireland and RoI. They'll also be extending their beer range in the coming months.

5. In County Down, Warrenpoint-based MOURNE MOUNTAINS BREWERY has recently launched a trio of wheat, golden and red IPA. Big Rock German Wheat, Mourne Gold and Red Trail are on draught in selected areas of South Down while the acquisition of a bottling machine next month will see their 330ml produce more widely across NI. A couple of other new beers are also in the pipeline.

6. BARRAHOOLEY BREWERY from Martinstown in County Antrim has released bottles of black IPA, pale ale, dry stout and red ale in the past few months with hopes of putting some of them on tap for local pubs.  A review on the pale ale and black IPA can be found here.  A collaborative brew is on the cards this summer while you can also look forward to the possibility of an elderflower pale ale and damson stout.

7. HILLSTOWN from near Ahoghill are part of Hillstown Farm and have been around since early summer 2014.  It currently has 4 bottled beers: The Goat's Butt wheat beer, Massey Red Ale, Horny Bull Stout and The Spitting Llama Belgian Blonde.

8. GLENS OF ANTRIM from near Ballycastle continue to sell Rathlin Red and Fairhead Gold in their locality. A newer blonde, Lizzies Ale, has been available since the spring.

9. Back in Belfast, HERCULES produce Yardsman Lager on draught and recently the newer 5.6% abv version of their Belfast Pale Ale on draught and bottle.  Yardsman IPA will soon be available in bottles and they also hope to have another new brew in the near future.

10. STATION WORKS (owned by Cumberland Brewery in Carlisle) are based in Newry and brew Finn Pilsner and more recently a new pale ale - The Foxes Rock.

11. CLOUGHMORE (owned by Noreast) are contract brewed by Whitewater.  They have a three-bottle range: Heather IPA, Granite Lager and Dark Water Stout.

12. On to brewers that have been around for a while and RED HAND from Donaghmore in Co Tyrone have their Red Hand pale ale with a new Red Hand IPA currently being bottled. Their brews can be found primarily in Tyrone, Armagh, Belfast and Dublin.

13. FARMAGEDDON, a co-op brewery near Comber, continue to brew their core range of Gold Pale Ale, India Pale Ale and India Export Porter which can be bought right across NI. Over the past 12 months they have had a series of one off brews - at the moment you can pick up a Kiwi Pale Ale and the 2015 version of Cascadian Dark Ale.  Some bottles of Hopburst IPA and White IPA will also be floating around.  

14. From Carrickmore in Tyrone, POKERTREE BREWERY has also had a good shelf presence. Festival specials were present at ABV and Belfast Beer Festivals but now you can buy the bottled trio of Ghrian Golden Ale, Red Earl Ruby Ale and Seven Sisters Treacle Oat Stout as well as the return of the highly rated Cascadian Ale, Dark Nirvana. Another batch of Little Barney is anticipated along with a new grapefruit session IPA and cherry saison.  Maybe too another collaboration with Manchester's Marble Brewery but nothing concrete yet.

15. Pokertree also recently collaborated with INISHMACSAINT from Derrygonnelly in Co Fermanagh to produce a well received Bière de Garde.  Another collab (possibly an elderflower wit) is on the cards in the coming months but until then you'll have to make do with the core duo of Inishmacsaint Fermanagh Beer and Lough Erne brown porter.  Also expect a new summer session pale ale Muck Savage 2 imminently. 

16. Also in Fermanagh, SHEELIN Blonde Ale is available in the locality with hopes that a new beer may be developed some time in 2015.

17. ARDS BREWING from Greyabbey in Co Down has recently moved into a larger brewhouse. At present you can get bottles of Citra and Scrabo Gold pale ales with another batch of Summer Ale on the way. Some Hip Hop pale ale and Ballyblack stout may also still be available. 

18. With the help of Hilden, CLEARSKY has been producing the bottled wheat beer Fulcrum for a while now.  It's also available in draught in some areas and plans are afoot for another new beer sometime in the summer.

19. Talking of HILDEN, the oldest microbrewer in Northern Ireland continues to produce favourites such as the pale ale Twisted Hop, Irish Stout, amber ale Headless Dog, Barney's Brew wheat beer, Hilden Halt red ale, Belfast Blonde and the newer double IPA Buck's Head.

20. WHITEWATER have been busy promoting their new IPA, Maggies Leap, which is now available on tap and in bottles.  Also expect another new beer in the next few weeks. Usuals like Belfast Ale/Lager/Black, Hoppelhammer, Bee's Endeavour, Copperhead and Clotworthy Dobbin are still available nationwide.

21. CLANCONNEL continue to produce their McGraths 1-6 Range: 1-Red Ale, 2-Pale Ale, 3-White, 4-Black, 5-Blonde and 6-Amber.  Kegs of their brews could be available soon with maybe some canning down the line?  There should also be a new series of 330ml bottled beer by the autumn.

Moving on to breweries that aren't yet producing but hope to soon, expect to be able to purchase another co-op venture's wares hopefully by the autumn.  LACADA BREWERY from Portrush came into being along the same crowdfunding lines as Boundary and intend initially brewing a porter, IPA and golden ale.  Opening soon in South Belfast, BREWBOT is due to be the city's first brewpub.  Finally, very small scale BELFAST BREWING hope to brew experimental, different beers some time this year.

So there you have it folks, a list of over 20 companies (at the moment) producing well over 70 beers in Northern Ireland.  If you're a traditional Carlsberg or Guinness drinker surely there's something you might like that's locally produced.  Next time you're in the pub, instead of ordering the usual, have a look in the fridges and see if there's a beer that appeals - you may be pleasantly surprised.

How Did That Happen?

One minute it's 1993, I'm in Ballymena's Tullyglass nightclub on my 18th birthday, downing pints of snakebite (half Harp/half Strongbow, yes really) with my mates and before I can say "education, career, marriage, mortgage and kids" - it's 2015 and I'm turning 40.  How the heck did that happen?

Thankfully I've discovered better tasting beer in the past 22 years.  Though it wouldn't really have been difficult would it?  The folly of youth and all that.

Last weekend my very secretive yet fantastic wife organised a surprise 40th birthday party with a few guests and this quick blog post is merely a thank you to the clever folk who brought some beer. Good beer at that, too.

A massive thank you to Isle of Skye Brewery's head brewster Pam and former owner Angus for not only supplying (as a present) and personalising labels on a copious amount of Skye Gold and Ardmore Beast but then making the long journey over to Northern Ireland to attend the party!  
With an additional ingredient of in-house milled porridge oats, the sessionable 4.3% ABV Gold has a faint grassy aroma and is light and slightly bitter on the tongue.  It came 3rd in the 2014 Belfast Beer and Cider Festival and is the perfect beer to appeal to a barbecue crowd.

In complete contrast to that however is the 7% ABV Ardmore Beast.  I love this but I'm already a big fan of finely brewed ales that have matured in Scottish whisky casks.  With its distinctive Scotch whisky aroma and taste it's a winner for me - Pam and Angus already knew it was one of my favourites hence them bringing it over.  This beer is the result of maturing Skye's Cuillin Beast for two months in Ardmore Whisky quarter casks, resulting in a full-bodied red ale with a smooth and not overbearing smokiness.

And to top it all off they brought a quality selection of brews from their colleagues at Loch Ness Brewery near Inverness. Slàinte mhath guys!

Also big thanks to the two Pauls and Phil for their present "40 Beers for 40 Years" - two boxes of beer ranging from the legendary and far-too-easily-downed Brewdog Punk IPA to selections from Weird Beard, Williams Bros and Jack Cody.

Honourable mentions also go to Mark and Elaine for the bottles of Glenrothes and Jura whiskies. 

A bit different from a pint of snakebite in 1993, eh?

A County Antrim Hooley with a Kiwi

A new brewery has emerged from the Glens of Antrim.  No, not Glens of Antrim Ale, the other one. "Eh?" Yup, that was also my reaction when I became aware of it.  Barrahooley Brewery based just outside the small village of Martinstown has been flying so low under the radar it was in danger of crashing into Glenravel itself.

Sam Birkett is the man in charge, a Scotsman from Dumfries and Galloway but living in Northern Ireland the past ten years.  His love of craft beer and real ale came about while working in London, "I was struck by the massive choice of beers available in the bars and immediately fell in love with the modern American style craft beers and ales on offer.  At that time I just wasn’t able to find any beers that came close back home in Northern Ireland so decided to try brewing my own".

He became hooked on learning about the brewing process and a few years later Barrahooley Brewery was born.   Over the past couple of months he's been lying very low by distributing some sample beers in the immediate area but is slowly starting to extend his distribution area.  At the moment you can buy a bottle conditioned single hopped (Cascade) pale ale and a black IPA, with moves afoot for a dry stout and Irish red in the next couple of weeks.

The 4.8% abv pale ale is crisp and fresh on the nose with a light, but not overbearing, grapefruit taste.  A good session beer that is just crying out to be consumed again and again on a sunny spring evening.

Moving on to the 4.8% abv black IPA, Sam told me he became inspired to brew it after tasting one at a beer festival in Glasgow last summer.  I'm glad he did because it's a cracking beer.  The hops waft around your nose before the great combination of big hop and slight roastiness upon tasting.  It's my favourite of the two and Sam's also in the same boat. 

I became aware of Barrahooley (it's a townland if you're wondering) when Kiwi's Brew Bar in Portush started stocking their wares.  If you haven't been to Portrush in a while, do yourself a massive favour by going and have a wee jook into Kiwi's.  You'd quickly walk past it if you weren't looking for it though so keep your eyes peeled, it used to be the Playhouse on Main St beside the Port Hotel.

Owner Kris Charteris has lived in NI since 2001 and opened the bar in early 2014 with the aim of stocking something different.  And you're guaranteed of that as Kiwi's is an Aladdin's Cave of beer, stashing some of the latest and tastiest treasures from NI, Republic of Ireland and England (at the moment stocking bottles of Mad Hatter, Eight Degrees, Ilkley, Beavertown, PokerTree, Hilden and Redchurch).  And it's not only the beers.  The bar does an amazing 6 Nations burger menu, the Ireland offering is a rump steak burger with black pudding, potato bread, fried egg and ketchup!  In my opinion this place is undoubtedly the best bar on the north coast, I'd love to live closer to it than I do.   Just make sure when you visit, you're hungry and thirsty.

First New NI Brewery of 2015

With the possibility of seven new Northern Ireland breweries entering the market soon, this new year could be a cracker for those of us who like our local beer.

The first official new arrival of 2015 is Knock Out Brewing.  Based on an East Belfast industrial estate, head brewer Joseph McMullan is quietly reserved, yet optimistic about the future.  A former bakery, his site is of a decent size and adequately holds his 900 litre tanks and bottled output - for now.

By his own admission he's played safe by starting out with a couple of favourite styles for Northern Ireland drinkers, an IPA and red ale.

The 4.5% abv IPA has a light citrus taste coming from the New Zealand Wakatu and Slovenian Savinjski Golding hops.  The red ale, also 4.5%, has an understated caramel aroma and uses American Willamette hops which creates a slightly fruity aftertaste.

Joseph concedes these beers aren't going to set the world, or indeed the local beer scene, alight and I agree with him - getting the general public to accept your core beers and branding (which is excellent by the way) is merely stage one.  The other stages will come in time.  Good luck to him.
Available to buy in decent beer outlets from this week.

(Phew, I managed to get through that whole blog post without using any cheesy, boxing-related heavyweight/knockout/punch puns)

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