Who's Winning? Irish Craft Beers 2014

Who's Winning? Irish Craft Beers 2014

Carlow Brewing company, Trouble Brewing, The Porterhouse, Eight Degrees, Metalman Brewing, Donegal Brewing, Dungarvan Brewing, Blacks of Kinsale, Rascal Brewing and Galway Bay Brewing are just some of the breweries who are leading the way with great flavoursome beers this year. While more and more breweries are opening by the week, the only winners are you and me, the consumers, as the standard of beers emerging has no choice but to soar! It hasn't quite become a sink or swim situation out there just yet, with more and more pubs, hotels and restaurants finally opening their minds to possibilities of stocking craft beers. 

Despite a boom, we are still an infantile industry and market. There are plenty of business still just dipping their toe in the proverbial water, and feeling their way in, while others are fully immerging themselves into it, committing 100% and not stocking any of the mainstream beers from the likes of Diageo, Heineken and Molsen Coors. I would like to give a shout out to some of these pubs and restaurants as I really believe in what they are doing and commend them for going up against the big boys, and taking a risk. 

'57 The Headline' Clanbrasssil St, 'Hartes' Kildare, 'Lock 13' Salins, The Galways Bay group of pubs (7 in total to date). There are plenty of other craft beer pubs out there growing their selection week on week which is also amazing to see.

Some of the stand out Irish craft beers this summer include the following:

Eight Degrees Brewing Company 'Amber Ella' 

-an american style amber ale packed with aussie hops (galaxy & ella)

Easy drinking with great floral hoppy finish

Carlow Brewing Company 'O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale'

-still renowned as one of the top ipas in the country, full bodied hop 

flavours dominate with refreshing citrus finish (cascade & amarillo hops)

Blacks of Kinsale 'Black IPA'

-another hoppy ale, however this time Sam mixed the roasty 

caramel flavours of a stout or porter with the hoppy bitterness of an 

ipa (cascade & citra hops)

Galway Bay Brewery 'Of Foam and Fury' Double IPA

Double IPA with a massive malt backbone to balance out the intense 

hops. Used a variety of hops including galena, chinook, pacific jade, 

and simcoe. Great flavour and very low alcohol taste despite a 

hearty 8.5%abv