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)

KnockOut Brewing on Twitter and Facebook

NI's Best Beers of 2014 (In My Humble Opinion)

Northern Ireland's craft beer scene is expanding to mouth watering levels.  There are now fifteen companies producing more varieties than ever before in our wee country.  So with this in hand, accompanied by the fact that awards ceremonies are happening left, right and centre at this time of year, why not have a little bit of fun and select Northern Ireland's best beers of 2014? 

Here we have the inaugural 'Quare Swally Northern Ireland Beer Awards for 2014'.
(in my humble opinion).  A bit of hush at the back please...

Best New Beer
1st - FARMAGEDDON Mosaic SMASH
2nd - POKERTREE Dark Nirvana
3rd - FARMAGEDDON India Pale Ale

Best Porter/Stout
1st - POKERTREE Dark Nirvana
2nd - POKERTREE Seven Sisters Treacle Oat Stout
3rd - WHITEWATER Clotworthy Dobbin

Best Golden Ale
1st - FARMAGEDDON Mosaic SMASH
2nd - HILDEN Twisted Hop
3rd - ARDS Citra

Best Red Ale
1st - WHITEWATER Hopplehammer
2nd - HILDEN Halt 
3rd - POKERTREE Red Earl Ruby Ale

Best Irish But Not Northern Irish
1st - WHITE HAG Black Boar Imperial Oatmeal Stout
2nd - 8 DEGREES Amber Ella
3rd - GALWAY BAY Of Foam and Fury

Best Northern Irish Beer of 2014
1st - FARMAGEDDON Mosaic SMASH
2nd - POKERTREE Dark Nirvana
3rd - WHITEWATER Hoppelhammer

Many congratulations to all breweries mentioned here especially Farmageddon and Pokertree for not only being two of the best newcomers to the local scene but also producing two of the finest beers (in my humble opinion) of 2014.

And with up to another seven new local breweries in the pipeline for 2015, there's going to be even more competition this time next year.  Bring it on.

Cheers.

Pumpkin Beer

The Hallowe'en party time has come and gone and kids everywhere have thrown their manky old and wilted pumpkins in the bin.  But what else is a pumpkin good for apart from displaying on October 31st?  
Soup, stew, even ravioli.  What about ... beer? Now bear with me on this, don't screw your nose up like that.

One of my favourite Ulster beers is from Rathmullan in Co. Donegal, Kinnegar Brewing's Long Tongue - a pumpkin beer with added ginger. This review doesn't include that one as it's not yet on the shelves, will be soon though.

Over Hallowe'en I did manage to track down 5 pumpkin beers and here's what I thought of them.  (The quick review is Beavertown's Stingy Jack is the best by a county mile - the longer review is below)

 

TROUBLE BREWING'S PUMPKIN BREW (County Kildare)
4.5% abv
Red ale with strange spice mix.  Could have had more pumpkin flavour and also a bit too sweet for me.

BROOKLYN BREWERY'S POST ROAD (New York)
5% abv
More carbonated than Trouble Brewing and with slight nutmeg spice.  Very fresh and easily downed.

BEAVERTOWN BREWERY'S STINGY JACK (London)
7.2% abv
The Beavertown website website modestly states this as "The best damn spiced pumpkin ale you will ever sup on. Fact."  And batta bing, they're bang on the money.  This phenomenal beer is brewed with maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove and cinnamon!  Hunt it down, buy a few and repeatedly enjoy.  Oh yes.

 

FLYING DOG BREWERY'S THE FEAR (Maryland, USA)
9.0% abv
The strongest of the lot here, this rich imperial porter does pack an alcohol punch.  In my opinion, the alcohol greatly overpowered the taste of any actual pumpkin.  Bit of a shame.  It was still a decent slightly spicy beer but fell short of tasting how a pumpkin beer should - that is - of pumpkins.

RED HAND BREWERY'S PUMPKIN ALE 
(Co. Tyrone)
4.5% abv
I first tried this just after Hallowe'en and I have to admit I wasn't impressed. Very sharp and bitter (Mrs W even made a comparison with TCP).  I tried another a few days later in case I had a bad bottle.  It was the same - so bad I had to throw it down the sink.  And I hate doing that.  
(Edit. Simon from Red Hand saw this review after publication and very kindly contacted me to apologise for the beer being off. It had obviously become infected and should not be been sold he said. Thank you for your honesty and kind apology.)

Anyway, I hope you had a good Hallowe'en and here's to enjoying the Kinnegar offering when it appears.

Cheers
Roy

www.twitter.com/roywillighan

Northern Ireland Breweries as of 2014 and beyond...

As you may have figured out already by reading my previous blog posts, I'm passionate about good beer.  I'm even more passionate about good local beer.  Good beer that's produced in our wee country and sold in increasing numbers to a more discerning and knowledgeable public.  It's one thing to be passionate about local beer, but what exactly is out there?  In this ever changing and expanding beer scene, it's sometimes hard to keep up to speed with what's being produced and available.  So here goes with a (hopefully informative) round up of what local breweries we actually have in Northern Ireland and what they are brewing.

As of late-October 2014 I'm aware of FIFTEEN businesses currently producing beer for the bars and/or off-licences with another SEVEN on the horizon. The big boys like Hilden, Whitewater and Clanconnel need little introduction but we'll then move on to the smaller and newer established breweries.  

HILDEN brew an extensive range of beers from the very sessionable pale ales Twisted Hop, Belfast Blonde, Scullions and 'Belfast Bap' wheat beer Barney's Brew on through to the amber ale Headless Dog, red ale Halt and Irish Stout. They also brew Cathedral Quarter and Titanic Quarter pale ales.

Hilden also contract-brew the tangy wheat beer Fulcrum by CLEARSKY.

Based in the heart of the Mourne mountains WHITEWATER also have a wide range, from the light Belfast Lager, Bees Endeavour or Copperhead to Belfast Ale, Belfast Black, dark and fruity porter Clotworthy Dobbin and - my favourite of theirs - the outstanding Hopplehammer.

CLANCONNEL produce 6 beers in the McGrath's range, handily numbered 1-6. They include a red ale 1, pale 2, white 3, black 4, blonde 5 and amber 6.  

INISHMACSAINT from Derrygonnelly in Co Fermanagh have two beers available, the signature Fermanagh Beer and Lough Erne porter.  Gordy from Inishmacsaint recently co-brewed a beer with Donegal Brewing called North and South of the River.  At the moment, the beer can only be bought in Co Donegal.  He's also working with Darren from Pokertree to produce a Christmas beer so keep your eyes peeled for that.

POKERTREE from Carrickmore in Tyrone have had their Ghrian Golden Ale, Red Earl Ruby and Seven Sisters Treacle Oat Stout on the market for 6-12 months and recently produced a fantastic espresso stout - Dark Nirvana. Smooth yet punching a coffee hit, get it while you still can

Back to Fermanagh and if you look hard enough you'll find a Blonde Ale by SHEELIN. Stock is low at the moment but I'm told more should be available in the next while.  A stout and IPA were also brewed not too long ago and maybe we might see them again in 2015?

The boys at FARMAGEDDON Brewing Co-op near Ballygowan have been hard at work recently.  The core range of Golden Pale Ale, India Pale Ale and India Export Porter have been on sale since Feb 2014 but recently they've been concocting one-off brews.  On the shelves at the moment is their cracking fruity Mosaic SMASH.

ARDS Brewing from Greyabbey continue to hover under many people's radar but with head brewer Charles building a bigger brewhouse, production of his fine ale will increase in 2015. If you look hard in the immediate vicinity you can find Ballyblack Stout or Rockin' Goose mild as well as an occasional one-off single hop beer. 

Also only found in their locality is RED HAND pale ale.  Primarily sold in Donaghmore, Co Tyrone, they're only a few days away from releasing a new pumpkin ale.  They hope to increase distribution by the end of the year.

Moving on to the very new breweries, GLENS OF ANTRIM ALE, based just outside Ballycastle provide the local area with a Rathlin Red ale and Fairhead Gold lager. 

HERCULES is the first Belfast-based brewery to open for almost 160 years.  At present they have Yardsman lager on keg and Belfast Pale Ale on cask.  

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

CUMBERLAND from Cumbria have a Newry depot from where their Finn McCool lager is brewed.  

HILLSTOWN, from Ahoghill direction, launched their Wayne's Wheat beer at Broughshane's inaugural Raceview Festival in August.  They also hope to be selling a Massey Red Ale and 12%(!) Horny Bull stout in the very near future.

The following are Northern Ireland breweries that are currently starting up and hope to have their beers on sale in 2015.

BELFAST BREWING hope to be selling by the early part of the year.  An ambitious and intriguing line up of IPA, Smoked Porter and Witbier are on the agenda, along with others! Wow, watch this space with great interest. 

WALLED CITY Brewery is based in Londonderry and their beer will most likely be ready by early spring.

NORTHBOUND - another Derry offering - hope to have their '26' Pale Ale available in the shops by January.

LACADA, a co-op from the Portrush area, hope to have an IPA and porter available to the public in the late spring.

MOURNE MOUNTAINS BREW from Warrenpoint hope to be selling a couple of styles of beer by next spring.

BOUNDARY Brewing Co-op from Belfast also hope to have new brews on sale next year.

Finally KNOCKOUT Brewing, also from Belfast, could be on the scene as early as January with a red ale and IPA.

Of course there are beers available in Northern Ireland that come from the border counties - Kinnegar from Rathmullan in Donegal is a prime example - but if we start focusing outside of NI, I could be here all day.  So I'm drawing a line at the border (no pun intended). 

So there you have it, you now know what I know.  I've tried to be as comprehensive and informative as possible and if I've missed anything out let me know on twitter @roywillighan or comment below here. 

The future looks bright for the brewing scene and remember if you're out for a beer, support local #nibeer

Cheers
Roy

Irish Craft Beer Festival 2014

I've just returned from the Irish Craft Beer and Cider Festival in Dublin and what a great festival it is. Organised by Beoir who champion craft beer throughout the land the festival is held in the RDS every November.  Unlike the Belfast festival, which is organised and run by CAMRA NI with the bar in the middle of the Ulster Hall, the Dublin festival has brewers themselves pouring the pints around the hall's perimeter. Forty-eight breweries, cider makers and whiskey distillers were present in Dublin, all ready to pour and wax lyrical about their creations.

One obvious change to the festival this year was the introduction of half pint glasses.  All entrants were presented with a mini glass upon entry and I have to confess, it was a great idea. Beoir's chairman Reuben Gray told me it was to encourage customers to try more beer while also promoting sensible drinking. I'm sure it was more cost effective too - maybe something for the CAMRA NI guys to ponder for future Belfast Beer festivals?

With more than 150 beers available to try over the three day festival there was only going to be a small number than I could sample during my 5 hour stay on the Saturday.  Every taste was catered for in the hall, from O'Hara's Blackberry Lager to White Hag's Black Boar 10% Imperial Oatmeal Stout. Oh yes, let's talk about that stout.  It was highly recommended to me on Twitter on the Friday night and I was hoping and praying that it wouldn't be sold out by Saturday afternoon.  So as soon as Mrs W and I arrived, we made a beeline for the White Hag stall.  And goodness me the oatmeal stout was sublime. Smooth and slightly chocolately but without that initial alcohol kick.  I say 'initial' as it started to kick towards the end of the half pint.  This is most definitely an occasional beer - for obvious reasons!

Another quality brew of note was Rascal Brewing's Ginger Porter.  At 4.8% abv it was smooth on the tongue but when it hit the back of the throat the ginger came into force.  Now I love ginger - and lots of it - so I was not disappointed when this lived up my expectations.  A blend of smooth porter with spicy ginger taking hold a second later.  Fantastic.

One massive benefit of having the brewers pour their own beer is being able to chat with them about the brews and their business in general (I'm a nosey sort, see).  So thanks to the brewers and brewsters I bored talked to, especially the guys at Mountain Man, Metalman and Kinnegar.

Next year we're staying the night in Dublin so I'm not held ransom to Translink's last train home (8.50pm!) - that'll allow us more time to try a greater selection of the fantastic beer on offer from all four provinces of Ireland.

Sláinte.

@roywillighan

The Raceview Festival in Broughshane

The first 'Fest at Raceview Mill' in Broughshane brought together local food and drink producers as well as hosting many different arts and crafts stalls.

A great selection of beer was on offer from Counties Down (Farmageddon), Tyrone (Pokertree), Meath (Bru) and Manchester (Marble Brewing's Lagonda IPA is fantastic), as well as local cider and moonshine(!) - I'll fill you in later.

However I have to confess the main reason I attended the festival was to sample the wares of Northern Ireland's newest brewery, Hillstown (@hillstownbeer) near Ahoghill.  They have a farmshop and have recently been feeding their cattle a homebrewed 12% stout!  And whaddaya know, they were giving out free tasters to the public. What a sublime stout it was too - tasty, rich and full bodied but without having an initial strong alcoholic punch to it.  I stress 'initial' - as I wouldn't advise consuming too much just in case you forget your name.

Though the stout isn't on general sale yet, they were selling their new Wayne's Wheat, a 5.3%abv wheat beer. Brewed in collaboration with the homebrew company Get 'er Brewed and named after John Wayne who apparently came from the area (who knew?) it's a sessionable beer with slight tones of spice and banana. When I saw that description on the bottle I immediately thought of Franciscan Well's Friar Weiss - which tastes much better from cask than bottle by the way.  Although I would have preferred more of a spice punch to Wayne's Wheat, it's definitely a beer that can put Hillstown on the local brewing map.  Fair play guys, though I prefer pint bottles.

Talking about receptacles let's move on to that moonshine - New Harvest Distillery (@NewHarvestDisti) producing moonshine in a jam jar for a fusion of Oregon USA meets Ballymena.  Yeah, I'll just let you think about that one for a moment.  A 20% liquid apple pie with spices that makes you want more ... as well as a side of custard. 

Away from the alcohol, Hillstown were also selling their uncooked meats as well as serving up tasty beef brisket, pulled pork and burgers.  The kids were kept entertained with inflatable slides, facepainting and games while music was plentiful and entertaining throughout the Saturday.

A great afternoon's craic though if the organisers could kindly arrange more favourable weather next year, that'd be great.  Organising a festival in summer time, are ye mad?

Your First Tasty Beer Moment?

The journey to discovering craft beer and real ale (let's band them together and use the term 'tasty beer') is long and winding for some.  Less so others.  I'm in the 'some' category.

My earliest memories of beer in the early 1980s are of an uncle drinking cans of Carlsberg Special Brew and my Dad having the occasional Satzenbrau in the rugby club.  Fast forward ten years to the early 90s and I discover the world of 0.5% Shandy Bass - please don't laugh - followed by pints of snakebite or purple nasties on a Saturday night while grooving in a club to the likes of The Shamen and Utah Saints.  Remember them? 

The lager-with-flavouring phase naturally led onto the lager-with-no-flavouring phase.  Literally.  No flavour.  Yellow bland fizzy beer-water that's guzzled by the million (or so) pint load every weekend across Northern Ireland.  With this country being a real ale desert, especially in the 90s, there was little or no choice for young folk to develop a taste for something different from the usual Harp-Tennents-Bud etc.  Belfast may have had one or two choices but in every town, choice was zero.  I studied in Scotland but even in the town where I lived there was little choice.  I recall feeling like death after a night of drinking Bass and said I'd never touch the stuff again - although maybe the bottle of Blue Curacao I also had that night was to blame?  Perhaps.

It was the desire for choice, as well as a developing palate and badgering by my brother, that eventually led me to drinking Guinness.   It wasn't yellow or fizzy.  The black stuff just about sufficed for a few years but I wanted more.  I wanted ... different.  Then it happened.  

The May Day weekend of 2009.

That's when I took part in a charity motorcycle ride from Northern Ireland to the Isle of Skye.  The first night we stopped into the enchanting Drover's Inn near Loch Lomond where I discovered Deuchars IPA and the legendary Monster Burger.  The burger comes with its own defibrilator. 

That was followed the next night on Skye, by the Isle of Skye Brewing's Hebridean Gold (now called Skye Gold) and Williams' Fraoch Heather Ale.  Manna from heaven!  Another bike tour of Devon and Cornwall happened later that summer and the rest, as they say, is history.  

So when you're buying your next bottle or pint of 'tasty beer' be thankful for the choice and that it's not 1992.  I don't think I could re-live Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart.

Dublin Craft Beer Pubs - An Outsider's View

(Published May 2014)

I'd not been out pubbing in Dublin for a quite a while.  So for my birthday Mrs W and I decided (well, I decided, really) to spend a couple of days down south seeing what it has to offer in terms of quality establishments that serve more than just Guinness and Carlsberg.  This is by no means an exhaustive compilation of good craft bars, it's a solely a list of where we went - many thanks to Wayne (IrishBeerSnob.com) for the assistance.   If you do happen to be looking for good pubs in the city, you should download the Beoir Pubfinder mobile app.

Arriving into Connolly Station after being on a train for two hours more than prepares you for pub lunch and first stop was The Brewdock, right across the road from the station. 
1 Amiens Street, Dublin 1
www.galwaybaybrewery.com/brewdock

There's an air of excited anticipation when you enter a bar like this, with its many pumps (2 cask) and array of Galway Bay brews.  I'd heard nothing but good things about the 2014 Beoir winner Of Foam and Fury so dived head first into that along with a hearty bowl of coddle. A couple of other Galway brews followed including the simply awesome chocolate stout Buried at Sea but this is a pub review not a beer review, so I'll have to move on.  Lovely little pub, great beer selection and friendly staff.

Galway Bay pumps at The Brewdock

Ten minutes walk to the bottom of O'Connell St and across the River Liffey stands JW Sweetman.
1-2 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2
www.jwsweetman.ie
The only pub in Dublin with its own onsite microbrewery, at least 5 beers are produced here. Also known for beer cocktails and good hearty carvery lunches.  The staff are very chatty, knowledgeable and personable.  While here I tried the JW Sorachi Zuki, a dark brown ale that was surprisingly sharp and bitter.

Next up was Farrington's (now re-named the Norseman) pub set in the heart of the city's famous and sometimes rather expensive Temple Bar district.
28 Eustace Street, Dublin 2
www.thesmithgroup.ie/farringtons
Many, many competitively priced beers available here from all over Ireland, including Kinsale's 9% Double IPA - Beoir #1.  A bit like Of Foam and Fury, very tasty but don't have too many or you may forget your name.  This pub has an excellent beer range with very friendly and informative staff.

Farrington's, Temple Bar

A two minute walk down the cobbled Essex Street and you arrive at the oldest craft beer bar in the city, the well known Porterhouse.  
16-18 Parliament Street, Dublin 2
www.porterhousebrewco.com/bars-dublin-temple.php
A good selection of their own brews - they no longer brew on site due to demand - as well as many local and world bottled ales are on offer.  Take a look at their beer menu, it's ... comprehensive.  

From there head across the River Liffey and up Capel Street to another Galway Bay owned establishment, The Black Sheep.
61 Capel St, Dublin 1
www.galwaybaybrewery.com/blacksheep
Airy and spacious with sunlight streaming in during the afternoon (if you're lucky), this is where I first tried Trouble Brewing's Graffiti (Co. Kildare) as well as a bottle of Kinnegar's Long Tongue (Co. Donegal).  I have to admit the Long Tongue was one of my favourites of the Dublin stay, a well rounded rye ale with a very, very tasty addition of pumpkin and ginger.

Two minutes walk up the vibrant Capel Street is The Beerhouse.
84 Capel Street, Dublin 1
www.beerhousedublin.com
A cosy little pub with a small bar in the corner near the door.  The quirky chairs and lights resemble items that used to be in my granny's front room and the old board games are to be welcomed.  Quite a few pumps despite the bar size.  I opted for another newbie to me, White Gypsy's Blond Weiss beer (Co. Tipperary).  This was another favourite of the day - vibrant, zingy and refreshing. Very sessionable on a warm sunny day.

While you're in that area of Dublin, take a trip to the renowned L Mulligan Grocer.
18 Stoneybatter, Dublin 7
www.lmulligangrocer.com
On a recommendation, Mrs W and I took a taxi there for lunch on the Thursday but were surprised to find the place closed and not open Mon-Thu until 4pm. Fri-Sun open 12.30pm - just so you know!
After our frustration had subsided and we'd had a few drinks in the aforementioned Porterhouse, Black Sheep and Beerhouse, we returned to happily find it open for tea.  A vast selection of bottled and draught international and local craft beers are available - I opted for Dogfish's My Antonia (Delaware, USA) and Camden Town's Gentleman's Wit (London).  However what really stands out here is the food.  It's delicious and well worth making the trip out to the Stoneybatter area. You could do a lot worse in the city.

The Bull and Castle is situated on the corner of the road opposite Christchurch Cathedral.
5-7 Lord Edward Street, Dublin 7
bull-and-castle.fxbuckley.ie
I have to be honest here and confess both Mrs W and I were not enamoured with this place but I feel the need to add criticisms as well as praise in this blog review.  From the moment we walked in we were greeted by a manager/head waiter who looked as if he wanted to rip our heads off.  He then showed us to a table near the door and when I asked if we could sit further up closer to the bar (as there were lots of empty tables) we were flatly refused as apparenly they are for food diners only.  Again in a tone that suggested the only eating done would be him ... eating us alive.  I had a half pint and left.

The final bar of our stay was 57 The Headline.  It was recommended to us by Shane, a friendly barman at The Norseman.
118 South Circular Road, Crumlin, Dublin
www.facebook.com/57theheadline
Although The Headline Bar is this list's furthest out of town pub (5 min taxi), it was a welcoming place with great pies and a good selection of Irish beer.  It opens from 3pm and has a few trial beer specials.  One of these was one of my favourites, Franciscan Well's fruity and spicy Saison Spring Ale. That, combined with chicken pie and pickled gherkins, made for a very palatable late lunch.

The Headline Bar

So there you have it, a list of all the pubs we visited on our stay in Dublin.  Plenty more bars are available of course but that's a snapshot.  Hopefully it'll not be long until I'm back savouring the city's delights.  Sláinte!

@roywillighan

Beer Place Names Part 5

First of all, I just wanna point out the change of name to this blog.  Quare Swally seemed like a more appropriate title for a beer blog from Northern Ireland plus it's a wee play on the well known book title Where's Wally?  So Quare Swally it is then.
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Just like the Rocky or Die Hard series, you can't keep a good thing down.  

Although - granted - they were both ever so slightly more entertaining than these beer place name blog shenanigans.   I'd mentioned in part 4 it was becoming more difficult to do these as Northern Ireland isn't the biggest of places, which is why part 5 begins in County Donegal.  So let's cross the border, live a little, be risqué and all that crap.

Mrs W and I had a wee hotel break planned in North Donegal at the start of March, so it would be foolish of this blogger not to take advantage of some of the great beers that Donegal has to offer.  As well as taking a few photos in front of the relevant signs of course.

First up was easy enough, the tasty Donegal Blonde with, naturally, a blonde.  Well why not? Nuff said.

Next was the turn of Kinnegar Brewery - their range is named after small places near the brewery like a sea rock (Limeburner), field (Yannaroddy) or bay (Scraggy Bay).  It was always difficult to do these beers but I did manage to find the mountain near Rathmullan which gives its name to their Devil's Backbone!  We also drove up north of Downings to try and find the Limeburner but to no avail.  That adventure included multiple u-turns, ending up in caravan parks and climbing hills and rocks.  T'was a long afternoon, especially with a 2 year old in tow!

In April I was in Fermanagh meeting up with Gordy Fallis from Inishmacsaint brewery.  We had a good afternoon chatting over a couple of pints of a fantastic new bog myrtle beer he'd just brewed.  Man it was tasty!  Here's hoping he can develop it further - depending on factors such as getting the time and manpower to pick bog myrtle!  Does anyone wanna pick Fermanagh bog myrtle for a few hours? 

While I was there I reacquainted myself with his Lough Erne brown porter which I'd first tried at the Belfast Beer and Cider Festival last November. Handy for a photo, as I was staying at...?

So place names part 6 beckons?  I've no idea what that holds!

The previous beer place name blogs can be viewed here

Part 4, Part 3, Part 2, Part 1

An Independent Scottish Hike?

I love Scotland.  I studied in Fife in the mid 1990s.  I have Scottish friends.   I've made numerous motorbike trips to the outer (and inner) wilds of Scotland to experience its cracking roads, stunningly beautiful countryside and enjoy a bit of craic with friendly natives from the Cairngorms, Argyll, Hebrides, Inverness and everywhere in between.  And what's the best plan after riding a couple of hundred miles through the stunning Highlands to your accommodation?  Why, let me think... is the answer... heading to the local pub for a well deserved couple of jars of local beer?  Damn right it is, give that man a gold star!  Whether it's small breweries like Moulin (Pitlochrie) or Colonsay (Isle of Colonsay) or a more familiar name such as Williams Brothers (Alloa) or Fyne Ales (Argyll), I'd rather have a Scottish beer while in Scotland.  Makes sense.  

Eilean Donan Castle (used for Highlander film)

I also enjoy many Scottish brews at home and in selected pubs in the greater Belfast area.  But with the Scottish Independence vote looming, what would happen if there's a breakup of the union?  As Scotland would no longer be part of the EU, what would this mean for pricing of Scottish beers?  I recently read a motorbike magazine article asking valid questions about border control, insurance premiums etc so what would happen to the beer world?   And lets get this correct from the outset - this is a non-political question not about the whys and wherefores of the UK.  It's a straight up, genuine concern that if Scotland was to break from the UK, would that make life worse for us as UK drinkers?

Speaking to brewer Angus MacRuary of Isle of Skye Brewing Company (creators of the very tasty Skye Gold - made with porridge oats), he's hopeful that if it did happen, little would change regards exporting of Scottish beers to the UK.

"Importing beer from Scotland would be the same as importing from any other country, the only difference being the paperwork required between the EU and the rest of the world.  It may be that the admin cost of this will add slightly to the price but the paperwork is not arduous so I wouldn't anticipate that."  Angus added the 'Yes Scotland' campaign said they would look into the issue but have yet to get back to him.  

I also contacted 'Yes Scotland' and 'Better Together' but haven't had any reply. Political types, huh?  

Williams Brothers Brewing, makers of big sellers in NI such as Fraoch Heather Ale, Joker IPA and Grozet, say it's hard to predict what will happen to prices. "Economic factors would suggest prices would stay comparable with UK. An independent Scotland would want to keep as much trade and sales links in the UK as possible."

So maybe there's not that much to be worried about?  Perhaps my fear should be turned towards having to deal with potential fare hikes when my bike and I board the ferry in anticipation of another rip-roaring blast along the A82 through Glencoe?