Except you only get 4 beers! Or 6 beers for the one at 150 euro
My only pint of Cute Hoor ever was lumpy. I don't want to know how/why.
Last time I had it was on a ferry to France in the before times - it was still better than the other options!
One can only hope! Absolute muck!
I'm most regularly offered HH13 when I ask for craft. I haven't come across Cute Hoor in a while though - actually thought it may have gone.
The not knowing is ignorance by bar staff. More senior ones should know their product but the standard thing in Ireland seems to be knowing your customers alone.
Junior bar staff are likely in the job a wet week and will go when someone offers them more for any other job at all
The not making it clear they're Heineken brands - particularly for Cute Hoor - is deliberate though!
The use of "MCBC" on Archway is another deliberate obfuscation by a major
Lagunitas and Moretti mostly.
And when you ask if they've any craft beer, you'll be offered the Lagunitas or Moretti, or possibly a Cute Hoor. Through deliberate deception or ignorance ("they don't have TV ads, they must be craft"), I don't know.
The Oireachtas library has reports from the 60s referring to anticompetitive but not illegal behaviour by the main brewery players at that time. The same has been true the entire time since and likely decades before!
Local to me, absolutely everyone has Rye River taps and a few added more on reopening and RRs rebrand away from McGargles. But the extra taps - Kelly's Clane - that many of them had a few years ago were eaten with Heineken lines. Lagunitas and Moretti mostly.
There could also have a been a bit of trepidation by the breweries to keg as well?
fwiw, in my village we've an additional pub with a Wicklow Wolf Elevation tap (Roundwood Inn) - and selling well when we went in to support the pub/ tap just because of the availability - with it staying in the other one (Byrne and Woods). The third one (The Coachhouse) was refurbished over covid and has the 3 taps back - Wicklow Brewery Helles, WW - Wildfire and Elevation. We managed to persuade a 4th to at least get bottles, but they got Bay Ale as they didn't think the WW 330ml "on trade" option would sell (and they are probably right in fairness, bizarre decision a few years back by WW).
However "the dark arts" mentioned by @L1011 definitely happens in fights between the macro's, so I've no doubt it wouldn't be beyond them.
this URL - the hop/fullybrewing dot com one is triggering a security alert on my system, a bad reputation domain alert
Some places have just been a little slow to reactivate craft beer lines as well. I think there was a little trepidation by the pubs, not knowing if they would be busy etc. That seems to be easing now so we should see more craft beer taps emerging again.
Multiple issues
1: The big boys releasing extra product lines to suck up lines. Rockshore/Rockshore Light/Rockshore Cider/Islands Edge (often multiple taps)/two types of Orchard Theives/two types of Cute Hoor/Outcider all come to mind from the past few years.
2: Reduced overall footfall in pubs without much/any outdoor due to distancing rules means a lot of places have less taps on. I've seen pubs where half the Diageo and Heineken taps are off even; and proper craft bars with bugger all guest product.
3: There may be some darker arts going on in terms of free kegs to take a competitor out but good luck getting anyone to admit to it.
I'm not out in pubs too often these days, but I just want to lament that I've started to notice a phenomenon that I read about on here for the past few months.
There are pubs that a few years back would have had 3-4 craft beer taps (Maybe just things like Galway Hooker) and now when I revisit them the taps might or might not be there, but they're rarely running. I was in Ryan's on Parkgate Street last week, which would have had a few craft options in years past, and they had a few defunct Bru taps, a defunct Galway Hooker tap and the best option they still had was O'Hara's Pale Ale (Which I'm not really a fan of, frankly).
I've noticed this more and more, seems like as people have said on here, there has been a concerted effort by the bigger boys to push out newcomers?
Hopfully have launched a Kickstarter to raise €15k.
The page goes on to detail their planned goals including upgrading branding and aiming towards international expansion.
Kickstarter doesn't allow them to promise alcohol, but they can promise an "extra item" that is alcohol.
You need to commit to a contribution of €120 minimum before you get into the beer range.
Possibly more useful to look at the brewery's check-ins: https://untappd.com/BrewDogOutpostDublin. Back Order stout and Lighten Up pale ale seem to be the two newest.
In general, it's not a good time for beer ticking expeditions to the on-trade. I'm guessing the guest beer supply lines aren't running yet, even to reliable venues like the Porterhouses and Galway Bays. You might know more about that than me though 😉
Nothing from the brewkit listed on their Untappd menu though? https://untappd.com/v/brewdog-outpost-dublin/9595437
I've been a bit bored with BrewDog bars recently, the lineup of BrewDog beers has been near identical in each one. Lervig Tasty Juice could tempt me in though...
They've been keeping things ticking over to a certain extent but I haven't been in since the Before Times. Across the way, BrewDog seems to have been busy with its brewkit lately.
Has there been much of interest pouring in Urban Brewing recently? Will be in the big schmoke tomorrow so was thinking of calling in.
Why does this feel like the Gillette blades saga? Lol.
Interesting. I've ordered a few:
https://twitter.com/RascalsBrewing/status/1427965917963689991?s=20
I was just commenting on how they did a quad not too long ago. When I tried it and checked it in on Untappd, I commented wondering when someone will do a quintuple.
Also I don't think 15% is slightly stronger than your average Belgian. In my head the average is no more than 10%.
Only went and did what? Brewed a beer somewhat stronger than your average Belgian beer, then literally added orange and pineapple juice? 😐️
We were in Athlone for a few days, so had booked Dead Centre for Sunday evening. Really top notch food (and service) as well as the beer. Great to sample their core beers on draft finally, and try a few of the current specials. Gentle Chaos the winner for me! The missus is also a decent beer convert, but even the teens were impressed with the food enough we'd have been back the Monday, if it had been open*.
*ended up in Sean's on the Monday evening, who had Seeking Sunshine on tap. Second hotel of the summer, and their two for two for not even having a pretend craft available either on tap or bottle/ can.
It's pretty easy when the terms don't actually mean anything. Chances of failure = 0.
To Ol only went and did it - not too long ago did they have a quad IPA out, they've one upped it to a quintuple [milkshake] IPA. €13.75, 15% ABV.
https://craftcentral.ie/collections/frontpage/products/to-ol-penta-quintuple-milkshake-ipa-orange-pineapple-440ml-can-15-abv?variant=39420908863523
I only had a couple but I liked them. Sounds like they're gone though so cans it is.
They have a wife acceptance factor of zero.
"You don't mind if I dismantle half the shelves in the fridge so I can fit this yoke in, do you? BTW I'll be under a bit of pressure to get it all drunk before it goes flat. Oh and it costs up to twice as much as just buying individual cans. What's not to like?"
They were a trendy thing last summer, they started tailing off nearly immediately after that.
That they're generally a bit crap to use, you really do need people over to use one (which would have been a tad unacceptable to market for during lockdowns) and increased on-sales demand this year reducing available capacity have probably both reduced the number being sold.
Are mini kegs becoming a thing of the past? I was looking for a couple but the range and availability is really low compared to what it used to be.
It did, because I've only ever bought one box of beer (so far) directly from WH but still got the email. I had zero chance of being able to go so didn't apply 😕
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