Real Ale on Tap in Ireland on a Sunny Summer Sunday.

LordSutch

I wish . . . . .

Will we ever be able to get real on tap in Ireland (like they do up North or in Britain). Went to the pub last week (South Dublin) with the family for a nice Sunday meal, and I would have loved nothing more that a nice pint of Adnams, or Speckled Hen, Old Cock, Spitfire, Bishops Finger, Summer Sizzler, Widow's Peg, or Auntes Tit, or anything on tap for that matter > but alas we still haven't got pubs that serve real Ale on Tap :cool:

A few years ago there were rumblings that the JD Wetherspoon chain was coming to Ireland, 'Yipee I thought' and I actually got excited at the prospect of getting a real fresh Pint on tap here in the Republic, sadly the JD move never transpired.

Would love a pint of Real Ale down the local on a nice summers day.

PS: And before anybody mentions the Porterhouse, I'm not traipsing into Nassau Street or Temple Bar everytime I want a pint on a sunny summer Sunday, so I wonder, will we ever be served Real Ale on Tap?

ciaran76

There is a Porterhouse in Bray if thats closer to you ?

LordSutch

ciaran76 wrote: »

There is a Porterhouse in Bray if thats closer to you ?

Not fresh from the cask though, just bottled Ale

BeerNut

LordSutch wrote: »

I'm not traipsing into Nassau Street or Temple Bar everytime I want a pint on a sunny summer Sunday, so I wonder, will we ever be served Real Ale on Tap?

Without having to go to the pub for it? No, it doesn't work like that.

There are now seven pubs in Dublin with cask beer on tap permanently. If you just want tasty beer and don't especially care how its CO2 is generated there are several more with that.

If you're in Cork you'll get cask beer in The Bierhaus and the Abbot's. In Galway, The Salt House. There are a few more dotted around the country as well.

If you want to drink it, it's there.

Bigcheeze

I think the OP is asking if we'll see one or two hand pumps in the majority of pubs so he doesn't have to actively seek out cask ale.

I would say it'll remain a niche, although a growing one.

Some reasons for this:

Unlike the UK, we don't have lots of local breweries (that's rapidly changing but from a very low base)

Publicans generally don't know a lot about beer. Serving cask ale is going to involve staff training and hassle that they never had to worry about in the good times for the on-trade.

Any tradition of drinking cask ale in Ireland was lost a couple of generations ago. There isn't enough demand at the moment to have it widely available.


BTW I don't think cask ale is particularly common in the North. Whitewater do a couple.

LordSutch

You seem to know what I'm talking about 'Bigcheeze' but its lost on many who have never enjoyed the delights of hand pumped Real Cask Ale as served in 99% of UK Pubs. I guess Diageo's vice like grip on the Irish market has something to do with us not being able to get the real stuff hand pumped here on a countrywide basis?

BeerNut

LordSutch wrote: »

hand pumped Real Cask Ale as served in 99% of UK Pubs.

That figure is only 51%, though growing.

LordSutch wrote: »

I guess Diageo's vice like grip on the Irish market has something to do with us not being able to get the real stuff hand pumped here on a countrywide basis?

If they thought enough people were interested in drinking it, they would make it.

LordSutch

BeerNut wrote: »

That figure is only 51%, though growing.

Only 51% of UK pubs serve real Ale? that's an amazingly low figure. I have travelled the length & breath of the country & never found a pub that couldn't serve me a pint, but I take your word for it.

BeerNut

LordSutch wrote: »

Only 51% of UK pubs serve real Ale? that's an amazingly low figure. I have travelled the length & breath of the country & never found a pub that couldn't serve me a pint, but I take your word for it.

I was reading something today that quoted 54%, but it's around there. Cask beer is only 12% of draught beer sold in the UK. There's very little cask ale sold across vast swathes of Scotland and (oddly) northern England. Northern Ireland brings the average down too.

Plus a lot of the common cask beers just aren't very interesting, IMO. On a sunny Sunday in south Dublin I'd much rather be drinking fresh O'Hara's IPA in The Queen's in Dalkey than anything by Shepherd Neame.

LordSutch

O'Hara's is OK, but I love this time of year in an English pub with the guest Ales lined up, what a choice

A nice golden Ale, followed by another, and another, I can dream . . . . . .

Losty Dublin

BeerNut wrote: »

I was reading something today that quoted 54%, but it's around there. Cask beer is only 12% of draught beer sold in the UK. There's very little cask ale sold across vast swathes of Scotland and (oddly) northern England. Northern Ireland brings the average down too.

Just to put an angle on that figure; most pubs I've seen in the UK just have 1 or 2 beers on the hand pump out of maybe 7-8 keg taps per bar. Allow for those pubs/night clubs/social clubs/sports venues that would only stock kegged or bottled beer as well as those areas where real ale isn't strong and the 12% of beer served from the cask is actually respectable enough a figure IMO.

As an aside, where are the cask beer taps in Dublin? Bull and Castle, I know of....

BeerNut

Losty Dublin wrote: »

As an aside, where are the cask beer taps in Dublin? Bull and Castle, I know of....

Porterhouse Temple Bar, Porterhouse Central, L. Mulligan. Grocer, Against the Grain, Messrs Maguire, The Palace, The Cobblestone.

Oh, that's eight. There you go.

Losty Dublin

BeerNut wrote: »

Porterhouse Temple Bar, Porterhouse Central, L. Mulligan. Grocer, Against the Grain, Messrs Maguire, The Palace, The Cobblestone.

Oh, that's eight. There you go.

How long has the Palace one? I was in there on the June Bank Holiday last and I didn't see it in

BeerNut

Losty Dublin wrote: »

How long has the Palace one?

About a fortnight now.

Focalbhach

When did the Cobblestone get one / what's on? Very interesting news...

BeerNut

Leto wrote: »

When did the Cobblestone get one

A month or so ago.

Leto wrote: »

what's on?

It's a dedicated Dungarvan tap, serving Helvick Gold last I heard.

n97 mini

BeerNut wrote: »

On a sunny Sunday in south Dublin I'd much rather be drinking fresh O'Hara's IPA in The Queen's in Dalkey than anything by Shepherd Neame.

+1

Well, maybe not O'Hara's IPA (for me), but the point is that just because a beer is on cask doesn't mean it's necessarily any good.

Kid Charlemagne

BeerNut wrote: »

On a sunny Sunday in south Dublin I'd much rather be drinking fresh O'Hara's IPA in The Queen's in Dalkey than anything by Shepherd Neame.

When you say fresh do you mean cask? And its in The Queens?
Or am i misunderstanding?

LordSutch

BeerNut wrote: »

Messrs Maguire, The Palace, The Cobblestone.

Oh, that's eight. There you go.

Messers Maguire with hand pumped real Ale, are you sure ???

I dont know the other pubs, but I do know Messers & I Have never ever seen a real ale on tap (hand pumped). so at this point I think we should clarify what this thread is meant to be about . . . . I am trying to establish if there are any pubs (not necessarily in the City centre) wher you can get a pint of Real Ale hand pumped from the cask, ala all the Ales I mentioned in post #1.

I am not interested in anything on draught or with gas added.

A pint of Tetleys or Adnams would be lovely

noby

No clarification necessary for the Beernut, I reckon.

Go down stairs in Messrs. The brewery bar in the basement usually has something on cask.

BeerNut

Kid Charlemagne wrote: »

When you say fresh do you mean cask?

Nope, keg. Unpasteurised, lightly filtered, deliciously hoppy, keg.

Kid Charlemagne wrote: »

And its in The Queens?

So I'm told.

LordSutch wrote: »

Messers Maguire with hand pumped real Ale, are you sure ???

Usually yes. Though contrary to what noby says, last I saw they'd moved the beer engine to the first floor, on the left-hand end of the bar.

LordSutch wrote: »

I Have never ever seen a real ale on tap (hand pumped).

When they first opened they had Dublin Pale, a brown bitter, on cask on the ground floor. I think it may even be listed on some of the old blackboards. The revamp from earlier this year saw a beer engine installed in the basement, serving cask White Gypsy beers first, then some of MM's own when the brewery was recommissioned. Last I was in, as I said, the engine was on the first floor bar. MM Summer Berry Weiss was the beer that day.

Edit: Here's Melissa the head brewer pulling me a pint of their Pale Ale in the basement bar a few months ago:


All eight places I've mentioned that have cask beer have cask beer. Irish cask beer, for the most part.

noby

BeerNut wrote: »

Usually yes. Though contrary to what noby says, last I saw they'd moved the beer engine to the first floor, on the left-hand end of the bar.

I stand corrected. I don't get up to Dublin as often as I would like to.

mayordenis

LordSutch wrote: »

Messers Maguire with hand pumped real Ale, are you sure ???

I dont know the other pubs, but I do know Messers & I Have never ever seen a real ale on tap (hand pumped). so at this point I think we should clarify what this thread is meant to be about . . . . I am trying to establish if there are any pubs (not necessarily in the City centre) wher you can get a pint of Real Ale hand pumped from the cask, ala all the Ales I mentioned in post #1.

I am not interested in anything on draught or with gas added.

A pint of Tetleys or Adnams would be lovely

See this for me is hypocrisy, on one hand you laud the fantastic selection of ales in England and on the other you pine for us to have their selection.

What makes english beers great is the variety, if we just take in their beer then we'll never have a decent real beer culture.

Tetleys is utter ****.

You want english beers go to England, you want Belgian beers then Belgium is the place to be, nobody does Czech beer quite like the Czechs, we're are see really fantastic beer being made in this country, miles better than swill like Old Speckled Hen.

Technocentral

mayordenis wrote: »

See this for me is hypocrisy, on one hand you laud the fantastic selection of ales in England and on the other you pine for us to have their selection.

What makes english beers great is the variety, if we just take in their beer then we'll never have a decent real beer culture.

Tetleys is utter ****.

You want english beers go to England, you want Belgian beers then Belgium is the place to be, nobody does Czech beer quite like the Czechs, we're are see really fantastic beer being made in this country, miles better than swill like Old Speckled Hen.

Also its hard enough to get people here to drink (and pubs to sell) anything other than Budweiser and Coors L(sh)ite never mind pie in the sky dreams of huge numbers of bars with cask beers.

LordSutch

noby wrote: »

No clarification necessary for the Beernut, I reckon.

Go down stairs in Messrs. The brewery bar in the basement usually has something on cask.

Nothing at all yesterday, not downstairs, not upstairs, they seem to have stopped serving it! > and this is the point I am making, Yes I love English Ales, can't get enough of them, but I am not travelling to England, Wales, or Belfast just for a pint, and it seems to be hit & miss down here, one week one pub has a cask, and the next week its gone.

I would truly love an Irish real Ale selection in all Irish pubs, thats what I crave, but there are only about eight independent breweries on the whole island, so to fill the void I wouldn't mind some real Ale from the neighbouring island to be sold in Irish pubs, and lets face it Guinness & Magners sell really well in Britain.

No hypocrasy intended, please note 'mayordenis'.

BeerNut

LordSutch wrote: »

one week one pub has a cask, and the next week its gone.

But if you're in Dublin there are several other pubs a short walk away that have them. The Palace is almost literally across the street from MM.

LordSutch wrote: »

there are only about eight independent breweries on the whole island

There are 18. Two more are expected this year.

LordSutch wrote: »

I wouldn't mind some real Ale from the neighbouring island to be sold in Irish pubs

The Bull & Castle occasionally has Hobgoblin, but their beer engine mostly serves Irish cask beer.

LordSutch

I'd love a pint in Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire, Killiney, Bray, or Dalkey, the City centre is too far to go

PS; Oz Clarke & Hugh Dennis (BBC HD) said there were about eight independent breweries in Ireland, and that there was one giant player in the Irish market (Deagio I presume) who kept a vice like grip on what beer sold in the pubs, hence the poor selection, but maybe Oz said eighteen?

BeerNut

LordSutch wrote: »

I'd love a pint in Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire, Killiney, Bray, or Dalkey, the City centre is too far to go

Closer than England, though, eh? Chin up.

LordSutch wrote: »

Oz Clarke & Hugh Dennis (BBC HD) said there were about eight independent breweries in Ireland, and that there was one giant player in the Irish market (Deagio I presume) who kept a vice like grip on what beer sold in the pubs, hence the poor selection, but maybe Oz said eighteen?

Or maybe they were completely wrong on all fronts due to poor research. There are two giant players and neither of them have much of a grip on what's sold in pubs: it's all decided by the free market. If the pubs in Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire, Killiney, Bray, or Dalkey reckoned there were drinkers to buy cask beer, and knew where to get it, then they would sell it. Bray has a pub owned by a brewery that makes cask beers, but it doesn't sell cask beer because it doesn't reckon there are customers for it.

noby

BeerNut wrote: »

The Bull & Castle occasionally has Hobgoblin, but their beer engine mostly serves Irish cask beer.

Trouble Brewing Ór, dry hopped with Cascade, at the moment. Sounds good for a sunny summer Sunday.

thelynchfella

mayordenis wrote: »

See this for me is hypocrisy, on one hand you laud the fantastic selection of ales in England and on the other you pine for us to have their selection.

It's typical CAMRA bulll****!!! Real ale or nothing!!

Personally though I'd love To try Ór or Galway Hooker on cask with lots and lots of Cascade in one of these
http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Blichmann-Hop-Rocket.html

I need to get me one of these!!!!!

n97 mini

LordSutch wrote: »

I'd love a pint in Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire, Killiney, Bray, or Dalkey, the City centre is too far to go

All those places are on excellent public transport and you have no excuse for laziness.

But... if you want it in your local, then you have to ask for it in your local, and ask repeatedly, until they get it in.

LordSutch

n97 mini wrote: »

All those places are on excellent public transport and you have no excuse for laziness.

I have no idea what that means :rolleyes:

As I said in a previous post "I'd love a pint in Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire, Killiney, Bray, or Dalkey" precisely because I can hop on a Bus or Dart, but there is still nothing available outside Dublin City centre, and even then the choice is severly limited, and that's my point!

n97 mini wrote: »

But... if you want it in your local, then you have to ask for it in your local, and ask repeatedly, until they get it in.

But I have been for ten years, alomst to the point of boring the staff to tears, and to be honest ulness there are other Ale heads 'like me' asking in all the southside pubs on a regular basis, then I am a lone voice in the wind.

To finish > I started this thread thinking (foolishly) that I would have some sympathy from like minded fellow Ale drinkers, but all I get in return is silly jibes and a very luke warm response from some.

Goodbye & goodluck, I'm off to the Queens in Dalkey for a pint of Heineken

n97 mini

LordSutch wrote: »

I have no idea what that means :rolleyes:

Simples. Stay on the DART to the city centre.

BeerNut

LordSutch wrote: »

but all I get in return is silly jibes and a very luke warm response from some.

Plus directions to some pubs where you can get what you're looking for. For which you're very welcome.

LordSutch wrote: »

Goodbye & goodluck, I'm off to the Queens in Dalkey for a pint of Heineken

Every pint you buy sends the message to the pub and the drinks industry that there's no need for anything different. If you were even drinking the IPA in the Queen's you'd be a step closer to having cask available. Heineken Ireland don't do cask beer; Carlow Brewing do.

Krusty_Clown

LordSutch wrote: »

I'd love a pint in Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire, Killiney, Bray, or Dalkey, the City centre is too far to go

I know it doesn't exactly tick your boxes, but if you go to Hollands in Bray they have a number of really good beers/ales on draught (yes, I know, not cask), and you can also order anything that they have in their off-license at the bar (some 120+ beers, including numerous English ales (and yes, again, I know this is not the cask you are looking for).

Saruman

Funilly enough I have been in several pubs in England that do not serve cask ale, though like Irish pubs they might have an old decorative hand pump. Quite recently actually, One called The Eagle Tavern in Deal, Kent. I ended up with a bottle of Shepherd Neame Masterbrew.

LordSutch, make sure you get down to Cork for the next winter ales and Cask festival. I think it is on again this year in February. You should be able to drink all of the cask ale you can handle and maybe meet the odd CAMRA member while you are at it. There was at least one CAMRA member there last year (though that might have been Easterfest a couple of weeks later) and we had a great chat. Thankfully he was open to non cask beer as well so he was able to enjoy the few beers that were no on cask at the festival.

_blank_

BeerNut wrote: »

Bray has a pub owned by a brewery that makes cask beers, but it doesn't sell cask beer because it doesn't reckon there are customers for it.

The market that the Porterhouse in Bray has positioned itself in means they won't get the customers who'd be interested in craft beers, in my opinion. It's a disco bar. In fairness to them though, if you aren't blasting Black Eyed Peas at a thousand decibels in a pub in Bray after dark, you'll probably go out of business

Actually, although I enjoy their beers, I don't really ever enjoy a night out in the Porterhouse bars.

Bray, Central and North are disco bars, and I suspect that the majority of people drinking the bottled selection are doing so not because they enjoy the taste and difference in these beers, but because of the stronger alcohol content getting them pissed up quicker. Anyone drinking pints is doing so grudgingly, and drinking a "closest match" to their usual Bud, Heinieken or Guinness.

As for the Temple Bar one, it's uncomfortable and too small for amped up bands to be blasting cover versions.

I live close enough that their Phibsboro outlet could and should be my local, but when I head that direction I invariably end up over the road in The Brian Boru drinking pint bottles of guinness.

I much, much prefer The Hole in The Wall set up - good beer selection in their off licence which they'll let you drink in the pub, always something different on tap (they started off serving O'Hara's, but the last time I was there they had Belfast Blonde on tap), friendly staff who are happy to offer tastes of the guest beers before you buy, and excellent food, a turf fire and when they have live music on it's just at the right level to be able to listen to if you fancy it, or tune it out if you want to actually converse with your fellow revellers.

redalan

Des wrote: »

The market that the Porterhouse in Bray has positioned itself in means they won't get the customers who'd be interested in craft beers, in my opinion. It's a disco bar. In fairness to them though, if you aren't blasting Black Eyed Peas at a thousand decibels in a pub in Bray after dark, you'll probably go out of business

Actually, although I enjoy their beers, I don't really ever enjoy a night out in the Porterhouse bars.

Bray, Central and North are disco bars, and I suspect that the majority of people drinking the bottled selection are doing so not because they enjoy the taste and difference in these beers, but because of the stronger alcohol content getting them pissed up quicker. Anyone drinking pints is doing so grudgingly, and drinking a "closest match" to their usual Bud, Heinieken or Guinness.

As for the Temple Bar one, it's uncomfortable and too small for amped up bands to be blasting cover versions.

I live close enough that their Phibsboro outlet could and should be my local, but when I head that direction I invariably end up over the road in The Brian Boru drinking pint bottles of guinness.

I much, much prefer The Hole in The Wall set up - good beer selection in their off licence which they'll let you drink in the pub, always something different on tap (they started off serving O'Hara's, but the last time I was there they had Belfast Blonde on tap), friendly staff who are happy to offer tastes of the guest beers before you buy, and excellent food, a turf fire and when they have live music on it's just at the right level to be able to listen to if you fancy it, or tune it out if you want to actually converse with your fellow revellers.

That is good to know about the Hole in the Wall. Must try that.

Krusty_Clown

Des wrote: »

The market that the Porterhouse in Bray has positioned itself in means they won't get the customers who'd be interested in craft beers, in my opinion. It's a disco bar. In fairness to them though, if you aren't blasting Black Eyed Peas at a thousand decibels in a pub in Bray after dark, you'll probably go out of business

I find it quite disappointing that the original Porterhouse bar is the worst served, in terms of their craft beer offerings. On tap they rarely ever reach beyond their own products. Not entirely unexpected, but just a bit disappointing.

Thankfully Bray is well served by Hollands, which has managed to remain open despite the fact the they don't play the Black Eyed Peas at a thousand decibels (in fact, they could probably do with a little more noise!), which has a good selection of craft beers on tap (Belfast Blonde, O'Haras stout, 5am Saint, Galway Hooker, Cúrim (if I remember correctly), and more than 130 different bottled beers and ales can be ordered in the bar from the off-license.

_blank_

Don't know how I forgot Hollands, and I was just in there a couple of weeks ago.

Their beer menu is certainly impressive, but try asking for some of the bottled stuff...they don't have it

My "loud music" comment was more about Bray Seafront, than the town itself.

the beer revolu

Des wrote: »

Actually, although I enjoy their beers, I don't really ever enjoy a night out in the Porterhouse bars.

Bray, Central and North are disco bars, and I suspect that the majority of people drinking the bottled selection are doing so not because they enjoy the taste and difference in these beers, but because of the stronger alcohol content getting them pissed up quicker. Anyone drinking pints is doing so grudgingly, and drinking a "closest match" to their usual Bud, Heinieken or Guinness.


I live close enough that their Phibsboro outlet could and should be my local, but when I head that direction I invariably end up over the road in The Brian Boru drinking pint bottles of guinness.

I was staying within walking distance of Porterhouse North for a few weeks earlier in the year. While on previous visits I did find it very disco barish, this time I found that, midweek, they seem to cater more for the quiet drinker. One end of the bar seems to attract a few locals, the music is generally quieter (Tom Waits on one night), and they offer porterhouse beers at, iirc, €4 a pint including Brian Blasta! I also found their bread and dips extremely cheap and tasty, if a little salty for my taste. Oh, and a loyalty card - buy 9 pints - one free!! Alas, no cask.
Weekends are a different matter, though:eek:

Focalbhach

the beer revolu wrote: »

I was staying within walking distance of Porterhouse North for a few weeks earlier in the year. While on previous visits I did find it very disco barish, this time I found that, midweek, they seem to cater more for the quiet drinker. One end of the bar seems to attract a few locals, the music is generally quieter (Tom Waits on one night), and they offer porterhouse beers at, iirc, €4 a pint including Brian Blasta! I also found their bread and dips extremely cheap and tasty, if a little salty for my taste. Oh, and a loyalty card - buy 9 pints - one free!! Alas, no cask.
Weekends are a different matter, though:eek:

My biggest gripe with Porterhouse North is that they're forever advertising beers that they don't have - including their own brews (e.g. Hophead). Usually "what I'm picking from the taps" and "the taps that are actually connected to beer" sync up on about the third attempt...

ajmorno

Need quick answer anyone know where they have Helvick Gold on tap around O Connell street?

BaZmO*

ajmorno wrote: »

Need quick answer anyone know where they have Helvick Gold on tap around O Connell street?

You won't get it on tap unless it's on Cask, and even at that it's only available on Cask very occasionally in the likes of the Bull & Castle, L. Mulligans, Porterhouse, ATG, etc.

BeerNut

There's usually a Dungarvan beer on draught in The Palace on Fleet Street, but they're all rotated so there's about a one in three chance of it being Helvick at any given time.

ajmorno

Yep cask is what I'm looking for they had it in the Magpie (great pub) in Dalkey for awhile and was in Ardmore last weekend and again they had it on cask, best beer Ive had in a long time, might check the bull and castle now and I believe Davy Byrnes has it but I'm guessing it's bottled. Work you shall have to wait 'til Tuesday. TY for the response

faigs

BeerNut wrote: »

There's usually a Dungarvan beer on draught in The Palace on Fleet Street, but they're all rotated so there's about a one in three chance of it being Helvick at any given time.

I think they actually have the new Dungarvan IPA on tap today.

BaZmO*

BeerNut wrote: »

There's usually a Dungarvan beer on draught in The Palace on Fleet Street, but they're all rotated so there's about a one in three chance of it being Helvick at any given time.

Really? I thought they didn't do draught other than Cask?

BaZmO*

faigs wrote: »

I think they actually have the new Dungarvan IPA on tap today.

Yep! From Twitter "Mahon Falls now in Dungarvan, also delivering today to The Palace in Dublin RT: @MerrysGastroPub: First pint sold"

BeerNut

BaZmO* wrote: »

Really?

Really.

BaZmO* wrote: »

I thought they didn't do draught other than Cask?

That's right, they don't.

BeerNut

faigs wrote: »

I think they actually have the new Dungarvan IPA on tap today.

BaZmO* wrote: »

Yep! From Twitter "Mahon Falls now in Dungarvan, also delivering today to The Palace in Dublin RT: @MerrysGastroPub: First pint sold"

If it's only delivered today it's not likely to be served today.