Does Limerick have a local Craft Beer of its own?

SoCo2009

I don't know about ye, but I'm currently loving the Craft Beer phase at the moment and long may it continue! Its great to try new beers and makes for a great change from Bud, Heineken, Miller etc.

Would I be right in saying that there is currently no local brewed beer that is sold in local pubs and off-licences? Ala, Galway Hooker Beer in Galway, and Tom Creans in Dingle.

If so, this seems like a missed opportunity to me. Does anyone agree?

Insect Overlord

SoCo2009 wrote: »

Would I be right in saying that there is currently no local brewed beer that is sold in local pubs and off-licences? Ala, Galway Hooker Beer in Galway, and Tom Creans in Dingle.

If so, this seems like a missed opportunity to me. Does anyone agree?

Tom Creans is nothing special. I'm pretty sure most of the production isn't done in Kerry either!

Galway Hooker is actually made by the Carlow Brewing Company, along with Belfast Blonde and the O'Hara's range.

Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne have a few nice brews in that part of Munster.

The closest one to Limerick that I can think of is 8 Degrees Brewing Co. in Ballyhoura (County Cork) and the Franciscan Well in Cork City.

A few friends of mine have done their own home brews, but nothing they could bottle for sale!

xxlauraxxox

came across this link for you I cant see any from limerick but there is a list of pubs that do the the beers you mentioned
http://www.beoir.org/community/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8029

Berty

I haven't heard of one.

Galway Bay Brewery are about to start bottling as well so something nice is coming down the line at least.

Galway Hooker was originally a Roscommon Beer given a Galway name because I'm sure Roscommon Hooker didn't have the attraction.

SoCo2009

Wow, never realised that those beers arn't actually produced where they state on the label! Shame that!

Wouldn't it be great to be able to go into Fine Wines in town, or into a pub and be able to choose a locally produced, locally brewed unique Limerick beer?

Insect Overlord

SoCo2009 wrote: »

Wow, never realised that those beers arn't actually produced where they state on the label! Shame that!

Wouldn't it be great to be able to go into Fine Wines in town, or into a pub and be able to choose a locally produced, locally brewed unique Limerick beer?

At least Carlow Brewing Co. and 8 Degrees and Trouble Brewing are produced in Ireland! Only a small portion of Crean's is made and bottled in Ireland.
A Limerick beer would be interesting, definitely. The hard part would be to find a gap in the market that doesn't already have a few excellent contenders.

SoCo2009

Perhaps a Packet and Tripe flavoured brew??

xxlauraxxox

new bar opening on Denmark called the Caftey fox heres the facebook page could be worth a try
https://www.facebook.com/thecrafty.fox.3

Txatxu Urki

8 degrees brewing is the closest as in produced, to Limerick. Mitchelstown I believe-they they have a very nice stout call Knockmealdown Porter and its available in off licences in Limerick.
White Gypsy is a brewery in Templemore and has a small range of fantastic craft beers. These are not as easy to find in Limerick, but Desmonds next door does carry them.
..Caution: They come in 75CL (Wine size ) bottles and they pack quite a punch..the Pale Ale is 7.5 % and the Belgian Style Dubbel is 8%. Even the Russian Imperial Stout is 7%...great for home drinking I suggest.

Insect Overlord

Txatxu Urki wrote: »

White Gypsy is a brewery in Templemore and has a small range of fantastic craft beers. These are not as easy to find in Limerick, but Desmonds next door does carry them.

Is that the one on the Fr Russell Road?

um7y1h83ge06nx

Yeah, that's the one. My local offy.

The lads there really take pride in their setup.

Insect Overlord

Monroe Happy Drunk wrote: »

Yeah, that's the one. My local offy.

The lads there really take pride in their setup.

My favourite off-licence. Fine Wines on Catherine Street and O'Brien's at the Parkway are great as well. Brilliant range of drinks from Ireland and Europe.

donutheadhomer

Insect Overlord wrote: »

My favourite off-licence. Fine Wines on Catherine Street and O'Brien's at the Parkway are great as well. Brilliant range of drinks from Ireland and Europe.

been drinking these of late and they are lovely from NZ http://www.macs.co.nz/macs-beers.html

hop rocker is great as is great white. hop rocker makes lovely shandy too

Mr.Mackey

Interesting thread,

I might just add that Cash Conveince on Parnell St. do homebrew kits for 50e, I made a batch a few years back and it went down really well on a Good Friday when the pubs were all shut (well after the Munster match!!)

Whatnuclearsub

Bit of a difference between a homebrew kit and the craft beers they are talking about in this thread, but its a good hobby and its how all the brewing companies in this thread got started. There are 2 new brewerys just opened in Cork, they are Mountain Man in West Cork and Blacks Brewery of Kinsale. With 2 more Brewerys opening there must be a market there but it takes a lot of work to get a brewery up and running, there is a fair bit or red tape to get through, its easier to get someone else to brew it for you, its called contract brewing, this is why a lot of craft beers aren't made where people think they are. So I guess what Im saying is, if there is an enthusiastic home brewer in Limerick and he can get some finance behind him theres no reason why there can't be a craft beer from Limerick!

grenache

Whatnuclearsub wrote: »

Bit of a difference between a homebrew kit and the craft beers they are talking about in this thread, but its a good hobby and its how all the brewing companies in this thread got started. There are 2 new brewerys just opened in Cork, they are Mountain Man in West Cork and Blacks Brewery of Kinsale. With 2 more Brewerys opening there must be a market there but it takes a lot of work to get a brewery up and running, there is a fair bit or red tape to get through, its easier to get someone else to brew it for you, its called contract brewing, this is why a lot of craft beers aren't made where people think they are. So I guess what Im saying is, if there is an enthusiastic home brewer in Limerick and he can get some finance behind him theres no reason why there can't be a craft beer from Limerick!

Being pedantic here but Mountain Man is brewed in Mid-Cork, just outside Macroom. They don't like being lumped in with West Cork

SoCo2009

Whatnuclearsub wrote: »

Bit of a difference between a homebrew kit and the craft beers they are talking about in this thread, but its a good hobby and its how all the brewing companies in this thread got started. There are 2 new brewerys just opened in Cork, they are Mountain Man in West Cork and Blacks Brewery of Kinsale. With 2 more Brewerys opening there must be a market there but it takes a lot of work to get a brewery up and running, there is a fair bit or red tape to get through, its easier to get someone else to brew it for you, its called contract brewing, this is why a lot of craft beers aren't made where people think they are. So I guess what Im saying is, if there is an enthusiastic home brewer in Limerick and he can get some finance behind him theres no reason why there can't be a craft beer from Limerick!

Id definitely agree with you there Whatnuclearsub.
Its all about making a unique flavour, but a flavour that will be liked by a broad spectrum of people. And also having a good name, logo, and advertising.

Kess73

Monroe Happy Drunk wrote: »

Yeah, that's the one. My local offy.

The lads there really take pride in their setup.

They sell Aspall Cyder, specifically the organic range (although I am partial to the Premier Cru also:)). That alone makes them top notch in my eyes.

Whatnuclearsub

Sorry Grenache didn't mean to offend, Ill ensure to refer to Macroom as Mid Cork from now on, but Im a Dub so I haven't got a clue about Cork politics altho I have lived down there for 3 years. Yeah thats exactly it SoCo2009, I couldn't put it better myself, get it right and Im sure there could be a successful craft beer from Limerick or any other county for that matter!

jmch81

http://www.irishcraftbeerfestival.com/

Disappointing that there are no Limerick brewers at this.

Insect Overlord

I think the Baile Brew guys are based in Limerick. They've just the one beer at the moment though.

vkid

no help to the Op, but am the only one who just doesnt get the craft beer buzz. I've yet to try one I really enjoyed..and I've tried a few. A lot of them taste absolutely rank imo..but each to their own and all that.

jmch81

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I think the Baile Brew guys are based in Limerick. They've just the one beer at the moment though.

Baile Brew is the latest Irish Craft Beer to hit the market created by cousins Paul and Jason Noonan. Paul Noonan of Newcastle, Clonmel, created the successful recipe for Baile last year which is currently being brewed in a craft beer brewery in Cork. Having a keen interest in home brewing over the years, cousins Paul and Jason felt it was time to take the leap and produce their own brew. Paul stated “We wanted to make a beer that was far from the mass produced usual boring drinks currently dominating the Irish market.” “Craft beer is an emerging market that continues to grow in Ireland today and although we only have a very small market share we hope to really push the boundaries set before us.”

Looks like its a Tipp beer made in Cork.

Insect Overlord

vkid wrote: »

no help to the Op, but am the only one who just doesnt get the craft beer buzz. I've yet to try one I really enjoyed..and I've tried a few. A lot of them taste absolutely rank imo..but each to their own and all that.

Budweiser, Heineken, Bavaria etc all taste a hell of a lot worse. :P

Limerick Dude

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Budweiser, Heineken, Bavaria etc all taste a hell of a lot worse. :P

To be honest, I like all beer. But if there is one thing I can't stand with the whole craft beer 'craze' its people who look down their nose at you for ordering a Heineken/Budweiser/Carlsberg while their sipping their Blue Moon (which to be perfectly honest, is average mass produced beer in itself).

/rant

P.S IO....get off that feckin' high horse of yours

Insect Overlord

Limerick Dude wrote: »

To be honest, I like all beer. But if there is one thing I can't stand with the whole craft beer 'craze' its people who look down their nose at you for ordering a Heineken/Budweiser/Carlsberg while their sipping their Blue Moon (which to be perfectly honest, is average mass produced beer in itself).

/rant

P.S IO....get off that feckin' high horse of yours

I'd never look down on anyone for ordering them! And I've tried again and again to drink them myself, but I just can't get to like the taste or the feel of them. And of course Blue Moon will be on the same list after a few years, once more people recognise what you've just said.

source

Had a bottle of baile the week before last, I think it's bland, no real flavour off it. I actually left half the bottle and ordered a different beer.

vkid

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Budweiser, Heineken, Bavaria etc all taste a hell of a lot worse. :P

maybe in your opinion. I like Heineken..never would drink Bud or Bavaria but I have yet to find a craft beer I actually like but to be fair, I drink spirits or wine mainly. In a pub, i do like a beer. But the majority I have tasted are bland flat pee imo..a matter of taste i suppose. Anytime we are in pubs selling craft beers, there are a lot of them left unfinished.

I do agree with the previous poster though.. nothing worse than someone taking the high ground because they drink a craft beer. Pure snobbery imo...but work away.

Itsdacraic

At what stage of popularity/sales does a craft beer stop being a craft beer?

Procasinator

Itsdacraic wrote: »

At what stage of popularity/sales does a craft beer stop being a craft beer?

This is how the Brewers Association define a craft brewer:
http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/craft-brewer-defined

Blue Moon wouldn't fit their definition.

um7y1h83ge06nx

My road as a drinker has been long, winding and unpredictable with good times and bad. ;-)

People should drink whatever they like best, I agree that the whole craft beer thing can be overdone a little by people.

That said the beers I live just happen to fall under the craft beer umbrella.

When I started drinking I was drinking Bulmers and Bud. Then it was Fosters, Bavaria and whatever was cheap. Start drinking Guinness then in the colder months and Heineken was my go to lager. Then I started liking wheat beers and started to experiment more.

Now my drink in a beer with little choice would be Guinness in the winter or Smithwicks if I want something lighter.

However I really like ales and pale ales and still give wheat beers a blast, so in a pub with a good selection these would be my first picks. I could never go back to Bud now as all I taste is water and gas. That's not meant to sound snobby it's just that my palate has adjusted from trying different things,.just like a kids food preferences change over time.

I've started brewing at home now. Have an English ale almost ready and a really hoppy IPA is following that. After that it will be a strong (at least 6%) stout or a wheat beer.

Bottom line, don't be shy and experiment! I still love the fact I discovered the taste of a good pale ale.

his_dudeness

Spotted this on Facebook back in April, closest to a Limerick brewery I've heard of, but haven't heard of anything from them in a while.

https://www.facebook.com/limericklady

Berty

I think there's a micro brewery in Ballyhoura.

Insect Overlord

Beer Baron wrote: »

I think there's a micro brewery in Ballyhoura.

Another one besides 8 Degrees?

Engine No.9

jmch81 wrote: »

Baile Brew is the latest Irish Craft Beer to hit the market created by cousins Paul and Jason Noonan. Paul Noonan of Newcastle, Clonmel, created the successful recipe for Baile last year which is currently being brewed in a craft beer brewery in Cork. Having a keen interest in home brewing over the years, cousins Paul and Jason felt it was time to take the leap and produce their own brew. Paul stated “We wanted to make a beer that was far from the mass produced usual boring drinks currently dominating the Irish market.” “Craft beer is an emerging market that continues to grow in Ireland today and although we only have a very small market share we hope to really push the boundaries set before us.”

Looks like its a Tipp beer made in Cork.

Jason's from Limerick though, so we could claim it as our own:pac::pac: