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Irish Craft Beer Festival - March 15-19

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 7,276 ✭✭✭kenmc


    adamski8 wrote: »
    they have announced that from today onward you get a free pint with your €10 admission now! obvious reaction to poor reviews.
    Doesn't help any poor sod who paid in last night though.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7 PartridgeIRL9


    Wow-zers

    I did a bit of volunteering last night - setting up signs etc - FYI - The Microbrewers are trying their best with limited resources - so there is an element of Irish People helping Irish brewers etc.

    The Security / Food / Glasses situation (ie Plastic) are DCC not the organisers.

    With regards to the half pints situation - perhaps there were no half pint glasses left or something - but it sounded terrible.

    Personally I would have given anyone a taste - but I suppose this is a judgement call - if they want to taste a dozen - thats a different story.

    I was there last night and stuck around after I finished. I had a great night - and thought the beer was mega.

    With regards to the number of beers - I believe all the breweries were represented -but I was talking to some of the brewers and they were caught a little off guard with this festival and simply dont have the brewing capacity to service it - thats why they were running out.

    The tenner in - is pretty standard for this venue - as with any of the events there - GET THERE BEFORE 7 !!!

    It saddens me to hear of some people having a bad night - that is not why we donate our time for free.

    I am not an official organiser but I can perhaps clear up some misunderstandings out there.


  • Registered Users Posts: 681 ✭✭✭Killgore Trout


    The tenner in - is pretty standard for this venue - as with any of the events there - GET THERE BEFORE 7 !!!

    No - a tenner is not standard for this venue. I work in the IFSC for the last two years and I have never paid to any event there. IIRC Oktoberfest was the only one charging a cover after 10 O'Clock, and at that price they that included a hot dog and potatoes - and they had real glasses.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7 PartridgeIRL9


    No - a tenner is not standard for this venue. I work in the IFSC for the last two years and I have never paid to any event there. IIRC Oktoberfest was the only one charging a cover after 10 O'Clock, and at that price they that included a hot dog and potatoes - and they had real glasses.

    The organisers had a s**t load of glasses lined up (from the RDS Gig) - but they were not allowed use them - its unfortuante - but not their fault.


  • Registered Users Posts: 681 ✭✭✭Killgore Trout


    The organisers had a s**t load of glasses lined up (from the RDS Gig) - but they were not allowed use them - its unfortuante - but not their fault.

    I can see that being a problem with getting the license on paddy's weekend etc... Shame.

    I'm going anyway and I hope it's a success. Just 'cos i'm criticising doesn't mean I'm rubbishing it.

    Existing fans of craft beer will be happy enough to pay and attend, I believe it will discourage a wider audience from sampling a craft beer.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 16,664 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    Not serving halves is a disgrace!
    Charging €3 for a half is also a disgrace.
    Kicking people out just after serving them a drink without warning them is also wrong.
    Sounds like a pain in the arse really.
    Fran Well for me!


  • Registered Users Posts: 663 ✭✭✭Chelon


    As a huge real ale fan was gutted that I had to miss the RDS fest...but does anyone know how many cask ales are available at this one? The pic above doesn't look too promising...maybe a couple of pumps at the far end but you can't quite see...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,858 ✭✭✭Bigcheeze


    Not serving halves is a disgrace!
    Charging €3 for a half is also a disgrace.
    Kicking people out just after serving them a drink without warning them is also wrong.
    Sounds like a pain in the arse really.
    Fran Well for me!

    Yeah every time I dip in to this thread, the words "brewery" "piss up" and "organise" spring to mind.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    Chelon wrote: »
    does anyone know how many cask ales are available at this one?
    It varies: that's cask for you. Emerald has been a permanent feature. Perfect Storm, Copper Coast, Twisted Hop and Leann Folláin have all been on too at various times.


  • Registered Users Posts: 663 ✭✭✭Chelon


    BeerNut wrote: »
    It varies: that's cask for you. Emerald has been a permanent feature. Perfect Storm, Copper Coast, Twisted Hop and Leann Folláin have all been on too at various times.

    As long as there's 3 or 4 and they're in good nick I'll be happy. Just hope they don't run out as won't be able to go along until Sunday.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 9,427 ✭✭✭Heroditas


    Went there just before 7 last night - queued at the bar for 25 minutes and still didn't get served and then left. During that time, two beers were crossed out on the board.
    Went to L Mulligans instead and had a great night.
    Cranky knuckle-head bouncers at the event as well.
    Looked like there were only about ten bar staff on duty.
    Terrible shame. I just hope this doesn't put people off going to the next event, particularly if it's somewhere like the RDS.
    Very disappointing. It had great potential but was ruined by the location IMO. :(


  • Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭emmet the rover


    around 7 seems to be a particulary busy hour. i understand they are getting more staff on for today


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,427 ✭✭✭Heroditas


    They'll need double the amount of staff they had there last night.
    10 people serving is criminally under-staffed, particularly when a lot of them didn't seem to be professional bar staff.
    Ah well, there's always the one in September, assuming it's held again this year.


  • Registered Users Posts: 600 ✭✭✭The Orb


    Went at 5.30 yesterday, was just a marquee with a big long bar, cranky bouncers, the food stalls referred to on the website were one for burgers and one for hotdogs, the whole set up was cheap and tawdry. Charging people to come in is a world class piss take.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    Went yesterday early enough to avoid the crowds (and cover charge!). Wasn't really expecting much, and tbh I wasn't dissapointed. It hasn't a patch on the one in the RDS. As the previous poster said, the setup just seems cheap. The long bar just creates ridiculous unmanageable queues. Personally I didn't have too much problems queueing as I arrived early and left early, but I'd imagine it got quite messy later on. There's also a smaller bar with 3 taps (1 being a beer engine) in a tent just outside the entrance of the main tent.

    The food was alright, just your usual festival soakage fare. There was complaints after the RDS festival that the food was a bit limited, so they didn't address that problem this time, but tbf what they had on yesterday was more suited to the style and location of this weekend's festival.

    Was happy enough with the beers I tried. Emerald on cask from White Gypsy was the first one I tried and was served from one of the two cask pumps at the main bar. The other pump was reserved for O'Hara's special festival offering, a Dark IPA called Perfect Storm, which was not being served for another hour or so. The Emerald was lovely. Had a pint of Porthouse's Chocolate Stout next, nice but a half would've sufficed. It was a lot heavier than I remember it being.

    I was really looking forward to trying O'Hara's Perfect Storm. The name came from a competition that the festival organisers had on their Facebook page. The winner got to name the beer and try the first pint, and would also get a keg of the beer once it went into larger production. The winner never turned up.
    Oddly enough, I actually got to be the first person to try the new beer due to a mistake by one of the barmen. When I went up to get a pint the barman was pulling a pint for a customer from what he thought was the Emerald tap (both cask taps had an Emerald badge), but I knew it was reserved for the Perfect Storm because I was told earlier on by another barman. I asked him are they serving the Perfect Storm and he said that they weren't serving it til later, but I pointed out to him that the pint he was pulling was a totally different colour to a pale ale style of the Emerald. So he offered me a sample to try, which was definitely the Dark IPA, and tbh I didn't really like it. I ended up getting a pint of Messr Maguire's Seasonal Pale Ale instead and I thought it was beautiful. Reminded me of an American style pale ale.

    When it was finally announced that Perfect Storm was available, I decided to try it again just to be sure I didn't like it. I just got a half, and I still wasn't impressed, although it did get nicer as it warmed up.
    I really wanted to try Leann Follain on cask but unfortunately they'd none left. It had been replaced by Hilden's Twisted Hop, which was quite nice.

    I left around 8, and it was starting to get packed then, but the music entertainment had just started and seemed really good.

    All in all it was alright, nothing special but definitely not worth paying in. I went up to the Black Sheep for something eat and some beers afterwards. First time there and I was mightily impressed.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,691 ✭✭✭ciaran76


    Was in The Black Sheep also last night. 1st time there and enjoyed Twisted Hop on tap there. Got a few bar snacks which were all very good.

    Bumped into Beernut as he was leaving - nice to meet you.

    Seen a few BEOIR t-shirts floating around in there too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,389 ✭✭✭✭Saruman


    I was there on Friday. My report is here. I will say I enjoyed myself.
    Heroditas, if you had stayed another 15 or 20 minutes the place would have died down after the office worker rush.

    It's really a fiver in now (today) as your tenner gets you a pint voucher. Free tomorrow.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    Saruman wrote: »
    I was there on Friday. My report is here. I will say I enjoyed myself.
    Heroditas, if you had stayed another 15 or 20 minutes the place would have died down after the office worker rush.

    It's really a fiver in now (today) as your tenner gets you a pint voucher. Free tomorrow.
    The stamp on the hand was a weird one alright. I asked the bouncer why it was required and he said that the tent only had a capacity of 700, but how are they supposed to control the flow of people if you're just trying to get a beer?

    I'd say today would be a great day for it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,295 ✭✭✭n97 mini


    I just heard that they closed up early last night, at around 10pm (was supposed to be 12:30am). Anyone confirm?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,131 ✭✭✭subway


    I presume you mean perfect storm? That was the facebook beer.
    Galway bay make stormy port.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    subway wrote: »
    I presume you mean perfect storm? That was the facebook beer.
    Galway bay make stormy port.
    Oops. That's exactly what I meant. Changed the name in the original post now.

    That's what I get for posting while slightly hungover.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,427 ✭✭✭Heroditas


    Saruman wrote: »
    Heroditas, if you had stayed another 15 or 20 minutes the place would have died down after the office worker rush.

    I'd already stayed long enough though.
    Also, from what I could see, a large percentage of the crowd were tourists, not post-work crowd.
    They had also marked out two of the few beers I wanted to try because they had run out of stock.
    We had to make a decision and figured the crowd was going to get larger.
    It's a pity because I was really looking forward to it and badly wanted to enjoy it.
    I know a couple of other people who had headed earlier that afternoon and left shortly afterwards because they were disappointed with it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,389 ✭✭✭✭Saruman


    Well no doubt you had a good time. While I had a good couple of hours at the festival, I had a better few hours at The Black Sheep that night.

    Oh and for a better experience, head down to Cork for Easterfest! Time it right and you can do it in a day for €20 each way on the train. Might get it cheaper on an o2 deal or something.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,053 ✭✭✭KJ


    I was at the festival today. It was busy but not too busy which is the way I like it. Being that the festival is ending today, most of the beers were gone. There were 15 left, 7 of which were O'Haras. I had a Messrs Maguire Seasonal Special, a Hilden Brewery Cask which the name escapes me and a Porterhouse Chocolate stout. I really enjoyed the seasonal special. It was beautiful. The music was good today too. Despite the lack of beers, I had an enjoyable day at the festival. I wouldn't have paid in though.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    KJ wrote: »
    a Hilden Brewery Cask which the name escapes me
    Twisted Hop, I'd say.
    KJ wrote: »
    I really enjoyed the seasonal special. It was beautiful.
    It certainly was. Though why they didn't badge it as what it was -- MM American Pale Ale -- is beyond me. Still on tap at Messrs Maguire, though probably not for much longer as the replacement is already lined up.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,053 ✭✭✭KJ


    BeerNut wrote: »
    Twisted Hop, I'd say.

    It certainly was. Though why they didn't badge it as what it was -- MM American Pale Ale -- is beyond me. Still on tap at Messrs Maguire, though probably not for much longer as the replacement is already lined up.

    Yeah it was Twisted Hop. I asked the barman what the seasonal was and he said he didn't know but it was some sort of ale and gave me a taster. Never mentioned the name of it though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,522 ✭✭✭neilthefunkeone


    Well popped in yesterday afternoon and have to say wasnt too impressed with it.. Glad there was no charge in!

    Wasn't too busy and we got a little table.. nothing really left so just had a few of the Knockmealdown porters.. Everything else i had before.. Pity as i was really looking forward to it!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,699 ✭✭✭bamboozle


    popped in sunday afternoon with a group of friends, enjoyed a few nice beers, chocolate stout, the smoked ale, rebel red & Belfast Blond, a lot of the more popular ones were sold out at that stage.

    i guess an event like this can never be as good as hoped for given the financial contraints involved.

    Its a pity there wasnt more of an input from the brewers, i was expecting each brewer to have a stall where they could tell you about their company, their brews etc.


  • Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭emmet the rover


    i had a great time and am looking forward to sep in the RDS when it back on again :D


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  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    bamboozle wrote: »
    i was expecting each brewer to have a stall where they could tell you about their company, their brews etc.
    They will at the Franciscan Well on April 7-8, and again at the RDS on 7-9 September. I'm fairly confident that they will at Bloom on the June Bank Holiday weekend as well.


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