Demise of bottled McArdles ?

thegeezer

I hope this was not a sign of things to come, although this may just be symptomatic of the slow death of Dun Laoghaire at the hands of the hapless Council there.

Went into both Walters and the Cosie recently, places which always had McArdles bottles in plentiful supply (well at least until I arrived :-). Neither now stock them.

Is this just a one-off, or is it being removed by Diagio ?

TheGeezer

irish_goat

Diageo are still making it and I've heard of kegs of it appearing too. I'd imagine it will be gradually phased out as it makes more economic sense for Diageo to promote Smithwicks. I'd say they'll also lose a lot of Macardle's drinkers once they close the Dundalk brewery as well.

Try an O'Hara's Red, much nicer red ale.

thegeezer

irish_goat wrote: »

once they close the Dundalk brewery as well.

Try an O'Hara's Red, much nicer red ale.

What ???? when is this going to happen ? So end of Smithwicks as well ?

Tried O'Haras - prefer McArdles tbh

irish_goat

thegeezer wrote: »

What ???? when is this going to happen ? So end of Smithwicks as well ?

Tried O'Haras - prefer McArdles tbh

http://www.irishexaminer.com/business/whiskey-company-to-spend-35m-on-transforming-dundalk-brewery-240638.html

The closure of the Dundalk brewery has been on the cards for a few years now, they're pushing all production to Dublin.

Smithwicks isn't likely to go anywhere no, in fact given the seasonals that they're churning out I'd expect Smithwicks to gradually become their "craft" wing.

thegeezer

There would be some irony in that alright since it is the beer I have been trying to find a decent alternative to since I arrived here in 2004 !!

BeerNut

irish_goat wrote: »

Diageo are still making it and I've heard of kegs of it appearing too. I'd imagine it will be gradually phased out as it makes more economic sense for Diageo to promote Smithwicks.

IMO if Diageo were planning to kill Macardles they'd have done it already. Satzenbrau is the canary: when that pegs it, we can expect Macardles to go next

irish_goat wrote: »

I'd say they'll also lose a lot of Macardle's drinkers once they close the Dundalk brewery as well.

Nahh. They closed the Macardle-Moore brewery in 2000. Those drinkers are gone. The only real danger to Macardles, I reckon, is the age profile of its demographic. And their fondness for Carroll's No. 1.

rugbyman

Beer nut
as a non smoking Dundalk Mc Ardles drinker, i like your comment
happy christmas

sham69

When i worked in a bar in 1993 Macardles was one of the best sellers.
They still sell it off the shelf in my local but only a handful or people drink it.

Lovely drink for its time and much better than smithwicks IMO.

thegeezer

100% sham69, and it has basically saved my arse (literally if youve ever drunk the other ****e) several times in South Dublin boozers

irish_goat

BeerNut wrote: »

IMO if Diageo were planning to kill Macardles they'd have done it already. Satzenbrau is the canary: when that pegs it, we can expect Macardles to go next

Nahh. They closed the Macardle-Moore brewery in 2000. Those drinkers are gone. The only real danger to Macardles, I reckon, is the age profile of its demographic. And their fondness for Carroll's No. 1.

One leads to the other though, Macardles drinkers are dying off and not being replaced. More and more bars will simply stop stocking it and Diageo will be forced to stop selling it or invest a load into promoting it.

BeerNut

You'd think.

thegeezer

Well I dont fit the demographic, but looks like I am part of a dying breed. Maybe we need a campaign :-)

Big Nasty

A Big Mac was always far superior to a Smiths. Never understood why Diageo and before that Guinness Ireland always pushed the latter ahead of the former.

huskerdu

BeerNut wrote: »

The only real danger to Macardles, I reckon, is the age profile of its demographic. And their fondness for Carroll's No. 1.

But, Dundalk folk are genetically bred to be immune to the negative effects of the local products. We will never die.

Up the Town

BeerNut

Big Nasty wrote: »

Never understood why Diageo and before that Guinness Ireland always pushed the latter ahead of the former.

Smithwick's was the bigger player -- a national brand when Guinness took it over in 1964. Macardles was just one in the Irish Ale Breweries conglomerate which Guinness bought a few years previously. In 1964 it made sense to drop the small brands and push Smithwick's. It's a wonder that Irish Ale Breweries brands like Macardles, Phoenix and Cherry's lasted as long as they did.

BeerNut

huskerdu wrote: »

Dundalk folk are genetically bred to be immune to the negative effects of the local products. We will never die.

Until they no longer make Carroll's or Macardles in Dundalk. Oh wait...

blueshed

a few weekends back i was down in south Kilkenny, about 10 mins from Waterford and the hotel bar had plenty of Mcardles. in fact they stocked pint bottles of Harp, Guinness, Smithwicks, Bulmers and Cidona.

was about 20 young lads at the bar and at least a dozen of them were drinking either the pt btls of Mcardles or Smithwicks.

I had a few btls of Guinness and Mcardles myself and was a small bit naughty and borrowed 10 empty btls for my homebrewing.

Losty Dublin

blueshed wrote: »

a few weekends back i was down in south Kilkenny, about 10 mins from Waterford and the hotel bar had plenty of Mcardles. in fact they stocked pint bottles of Harp, Guinness, Smithwicks, Bulmers and Cidona.

was about 20 young lads at the bar and at least a dozen of them were drinking either the pt btls of Mcardles or Smithwicks.

For some reason the south Leinster area has always been a big area for pint bottles of ale, especially Wicklow and Wexford. I even had pint bottles of Bass export in a hotel outside Waterford some years ago; don't ask me who or how they got to be there

Big Nasty

BeerNut wrote: »

Smithwick's was the bigger player -- a national brand when Guinness took it over in 1964. Macardles was just one in the Irish Ale Breweries conglomerate which Guinness bought a few years previously. In 1964 it made sense to drop the small brands and push Smithwick's. It's a wonder that Irish Ale Breweries brands like Macardles, Phoenix and Cherry's lasted as long as they did.

Doesn't excuse pushing a pretty tasteless beer as opposed to a fairly decent bodied ale.

earlytobed

I wouldn't say I'm aniti-semitic, I just prefer Macardles
Boom Boom

BeerNut

Big Nasty wrote: »

a pretty tasteless beer as opposed to a fairly decent bodied ale.

Cue predictable response: have you tested this blind?

thegeezer

Have to agree, Smithwicks from the tap - awful, Smithwicks Pale Ale bottled - palatable, McArdles - top notch

nlgbbbblth

blueshed wrote: »

a few weekends back i was down in south Kilkenny, about 10 mins from Waterford and the hotel bar had plenty of Mcardles. in fact they stocked pint bottles of Harp, Guinness, Smithwicks, Bulmers and Cidona.

was about 20 young lads at the bar and at least a dozen of them were drinking either the pt btls of Mcardles or Smithwicks.

I had a few btls of Guinness and Mcardles myself and was a small bit naughty and borrowed 10 empty btls for my homebrewing.

What hotel was this?

I'm unlucky. Any hotel I end up in (usually at a wedding or Christmas party) always has a rubbish selection of beer with no variety. Forced to drink very mediocre draught Smithwicks.

the beer revolu

nlgbbbblth wrote: »

What hotel was this?

I'm unlucky. Any hotel I end up in (usually at a wedding or Christmas party) always has a rubbish selection of beer with no variety. Forced to drink very mediocre draught Smithwicks.

Pretty much any hotel bar around Waterford or Wexford will have pint bottles of Guinness.

Ravelleman

I've only had McArdles a couple of times and only from a can but I thought it tasted rather like the cans of Bass we get over here. On draught I've always reckoned Bass here was rather like Smithwicks, which leads me to believe that I'd struggle to identify any of them blind. None of them are great anyway, to be honest.

Lovely Bloke

Bass is a much lighter colour and has a hoppier flavour than Smithwick's.

Ravelleman

The colours may well be different - I haven't had any of the three in a number of years - but in terms of taste I'm not sure if I could even discern a hoppier flavour from the Bass we have here. Perhaps I should try the blind taste test The Beer Nut suggests.

Bass used to be my go to drink as a student. I made the move from Smithwicks based on price and the closeness in taste. I have thankfully moved on to brighter and better things.

BeerNut

I've tried Bass and Smithwick's blind and couldn't taste any difference. The test included Rebel Red and O'Hara's Red, both of which I could pick out.

Speak Now

McArdles is still widely available in Waterford city.

Technocentral

BeerNut wrote: »

I've tried Bass and Smithwick's blind and couldn't taste any difference. The test included Rebel Red and O'Hara's Red, both of which I could pick out.

Is there any noticeable difference between McArdles and Smitwicks, years since I tasted it but remembering thinking its fairly bland and indistinguishable from Smitwicks?

BeerNut

I've never tried it. I quite like bottled Smithwick's and would agree that Macardles is blander. But, obviously, without testing it blind my opinion is utterly worthless

Lurching

I was back in Ireland over Xmas. From what I saw, I reckon McArdles is available in more pubs now than it was a few years back (3-4 years).
This is predominantly based on my expeditions in Wicklow, but also on the west coast.

Lovely Bloke

I think Diageo may be placing it into pubs as a "different" alternative - certainly, as I've said before, if I go into what I know is a "non craft" boozer, I look for it, and on more than one occasion have been surprised to see it.

Nekarsulm

BeerNut wrote: »

Smithwick's was the bigger player -- a national brand when Guinness took it over in 1964. Macardles was just one in the Irish Ale Breweries conglomerate which Guinness bought a few years previously. In 1964 it made sense to drop the small brands and push Smithwick's. It's a wonder that Irish Ale Breweries brands like Macardles, Phoenix and Cherry's lasted as long as they did.

Going to have to display my ignorance here, but tell me more about Cherry's beer? I have never heard of it till your post.

BeerNut

My mistake: the Cherry's ale brand I'm thinking of was Phoenix.

Redsoxfan

Tried McArdles (had no idea what I was getting) in a pub in Maynooth just before Christmas (was looking for anything but the usual, had never noticed McArdles before) - I'm getting into red ales lately but wasn't a fan.

blueshed

Redsoxfan wrote: »

Tried McArdles (had no idea what I was getting) in a pub in Maynooth just before Christmas (was looking for anything but the usual, had never noticed McArdles before) - I'm getting into red ales lately but wasn't a fan.

was it McMahons pub, had a few there myself but they were served far to cold. much nicer at room temp imo.

btw is there any craft beer for sale in Maynooth, Avenue have btls of McGraths but dont think any of the pubs stock craft beer.

Redsoxfan

blueshed wrote: »

was it McMahons pub, had a few there myself but they were served far to cold. much nicer at room temp imo.

btw is there any craft beer for sale in Maynooth, Avenue have btls of McGraths but dont think any of the pubs stock craft beer.

Yep, it was the 'new' pub, McMahons - it was the only thing I saw behind the bar that caught my eye. Didn't find it too cold, and while I know red ale is meant to be served at a higher temperature, I find I like other red ales better out of the fridge. Each to their own I guess.

As to craft beer in Maynooth, SuperValu is as close as it gets as far as I know, I don't tend to drink in the town too often - I made the trip to Trim to get my beers last night.

I tend to drink in O'Neills every so often and haven't noticed anything interesting.

blueshed

Erdinger is as fancy as it gets in O'Neills, good steaks and burgers.

what you think of the off licence in Trim, the County bar in Lucan has a good selection of craft beers plus the off licence in Kennys of Lucan worth a visit.

Redsoxfan

blueshed wrote: »

what you think of the off licence in Trim, the County bar in Lucan has a good selection of craft beers plus the off licence in Kennys of Lucan worth a visit.

Not wanting to hi jack the thread, but the off licence in Trim is excellent. Thanks for the tips for Lucan.