Supporting craft breweries

BeerNut

From Twitter last week:

"The next time the dickhead form Lemon and Duke and other publicans start pissing and moaning about Diego upping the price of a keg remember: a keg of a local lager is +/- €154.5+ VAT and a keg of Harp of Carlsberg is €179.4+ VAT, but the won't stock the former. Self sabotage"

https://x.com/Seanaldinho/status/1791220545930838251

breezy1985

Terms like local lager always reminds me of this

Antelope is owned by Big Smoke who's next beer was called "Popular Global Beer" in his honour.

Kaisr Sose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166737#Comment_122166737

Thats some review by someone who should get out and experience more of life than mundane, bland etc beers served by people with no passion for what they do.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166828#Comment_122166828

I loved it so much I immediately ordered a few kegs of Popular Global Beer for the pub.

You deal with an awful lot of aggressive cockney clowns over there trying to return keg beer because it is off (cloudy)

Tinter Box

So are the Beer Temple and Brew Dock still going under separate ownership?

DelmarODonnell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122168199#Comment_122168199

I was in Brew Dock on Sunday before the Bruce Springsteen concert and all seemed normal. All the beer the same, staff wearing GBB gear. Maybe the changes haven't come into force there yet or new owners waiting to use up stock etc

DelmarODonnell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165438#Comment_122165438

When in Brew Dock on Sunday, a group of about 12 English folk came in, real mix of ages, seemed like extended family. There were probably 6 pints of lager ordered. Options were the Galway Bay Helles, Bru Lager, Veltins or Madri…..of course it was 6 pints of Madri, without hesitation. I just found it boggling that a brand that was only invented 2 years ago as a fake Spanish beer could be that drawing of customer loyalty. A lot of people just do not care what they are drinking, beyond it being recognisable.

Hotblack Desiato

Marketing BS works I'm afraid.

BeerNut

Unless your beer is called Island's Edge.

Twee.

Paid €7.80 for a pint of Whiplash Blue Ghosts and €7.50 for pint of Asahi in O’Neills Suffolk Street at the weekend.

For added lols, the BG was served in an Islands Edge glass!

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166430#Comment_122166430

Thanks for this information.

I had presumed that craft kegs were dearer than macro kegs, simply due to scale.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122169643#Comment_122169643

For a long time they were across the board but there has been a crazy amount of increases to the macros since 2020.

BeerNut

The price of drinks, especially in the on-trade, has very little to do with how much they cost to make and distribute, and everything to do with how much people will pay for them. Irish pubs could compete with each other on price, like every other retail sector does, but they've decided they'll make more money if they don't.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122169820#Comment_122169820

Not true in my experience.

Everything was priced off a GP calculator in any of the better run places I worked.

BeerNut

Were they in the UK, though? Ireland is different.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122169952#Comment_122169952

More so but not totally in the UK.

I was saying a few pages back that there are plenty in the industry here who just go with what's happening around them or charge whatever they are told is the right price.

Generally though those pubs don't have craft beer and the pubs that do are the better run ones which from what I can see are not overcharging for local craft. Macro often passed craft in the price rises in those pubs.

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166484#Comment_122166484

Thanks.

How many publicans seek out Beamish in response to Guinness price rises? Is that common?

Or is the attitude - ah sure the punters will continue to buy Guinness?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122170385#Comment_122170385

Anywhere I worked in Ireland where that would be relevant had both. The only thing I remember on the subject was lots of Guinness drinkers claiming they would make the switch on every price rise but never did.

I do remember there was a panic to get in Tuborg or an equivalent during the recession.

squonk

Let’s face it, Diageo could charge €100/pint for Guinness, burn down your house, violate your women folk and murder the texture family as d people would complain fur a week then go back to drinking it. People just seem to hold onto they’d brand. In fairness I’m partial to Guinness and Smithwicks but not when there’s slang be I could try in a pub. IMHO craft brewers aren’t helping themselves by mainly concentrating on IPAs and those hop heard beers that won’t appeal to a mass market. Some do great alternatives. Black Donkey’s Western Warrior or Kinnegar’s Donegal Lager sipe the floor with Heineken IMHO.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122170522#Comment_122170522

What brand of beer did you have 10 of before you wrote that post 😁

Acosta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166737#Comment_122166737

I find it hilarious how some people still get wound up by others drinking nice beer. And are basically afraid to try anything that's not heavily advertised.

BeerNut

Craft brewers make what sells, and pubs sell what sells. Unadventurous beer drinkers are the true enemy of the beer geek. Once we eliminate them it'll be wall-to-wall saison and kottbusser.

Hotblack Desiato

wiping the floor with Heineken is either setting a low bar, or an unusual cleaning method 😋

Pen Rua

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122154686#Comment_122154686

These are now in stock in addition to x3 DOT Aldi exclusive beers (a rebrew, a new-to-me brew and a V2 of a previous beer).

I overlooked the Fiere Mild beer. I'm very curious as to that one.

Macy0161

They only had the McCrackens and the Rhubarb and Honey Cider in my local one yesterday evening from what I could see. Only Dot was the Side Step.

Pen Rua

Unrelated. A curious commentor on the Galway subreddit is trying to assert Galway Hooker is a "macro" brewery, on the basis that it is now owned by a larger group and has beers in most of the venues.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122177850#Comment_122177850

We've a legal definition for microbrewery for tax purposes in Ireland, and I'd be quite sure they're under the limit still

breezy1985

Outside of the legal definition I would say there are about 3 distinct categories of craft beer. Galway Bay being in the higher end where the breweries are aiming at supermarkets, national distribution and eventual investment and buyouts.

Other end of the scale you have places like Crew who don't reach far beyond the tap room and then you have a group somewhere in between the two.

Macy0161

I personally reserve Macro for the MNC's. Galway Hooker were brought out by a larger, but still Galway based, company.

Insect Overlord

I haven't had a Galway Hooker in years now. Really must give them another go. Thinking of ordering some Black Donkey beers as well 'cause I can't find them in any shops in Limerick recently.