I remember a while back a lot of London breweries running into (good) trouble trying to get specials out because kit was maxed out on increased demand for core.
There is a lot of money to be made and still a big gap in the macro market for a brewery just banging out a simple IPA
I don't understand why none of them have done this - apart, possibly, from the hope that IPAs wouldn't catch on because they're more expensive to make? Cute Hoor was a sugary mess, the Smithwicks non-red ales I've had once each and wondered what they're trying to do and why they bothered. Still, I guess it's a good thing overall that they haven't, there's then still a gap in the market for the craft breweries!
At this time of year a lot of breweries will have their tanks full of beer due to be shipped to Europe for St.Patrick's Day. So that will limit capacity for specials.
They tried and we're useless at it so instead just bought out the likes of Fran Well, Beavertown and Camden.
Generally though in Ireland things like IPA and pale are still only drank by people who know the breweries. Also to use Limerick as an example macro won't do well because most decent pubs have Harris on draught which will even appeal to people who don't know breweries. So buying breweries or massive retros to exclude micro are the only way to go.
I've tried a few of the diageo attempts at ales, and wouldn't (and haven't) bothered again. When I've been in a macro only pub with those options I just go Guinness (Beamish if in luck) or Smithwicks rather than buy them. It's probably a bit catch 22 though, as those pubs probably use the lack of sales of the fake craft to justify not having mircos.
A lot of pubs for various reasons don't really care what they sell. Guinness for the auld locals or Heineken for the match nights is all they need.
You also have a woeful amount of talentless publicans in Ireland that need to be spoonfed. They literally would not be able to cope with ordering from and working out GPs for craft beer never mind being able to clean the lines themselves or knowing why thats important.
I guess Lagunitas and Punk are filling any need mainstream pubs have for IPA?
Funnily enough this was dropped in today as a sample. Still haven't wax topped it yet so don't know when it'll get released.
We are lucky in Limerick with Crew who don't seem to have much of a core range.
Just had their tasty new Brown Ale and they live can all their draught too.
Is that the Brown Cacao? Heard great reviews, must try get up for it.
Ya it's pretty nice not mind blowing but good.
Need to go back and try the mango and pineapple sour soon. Only saw it going out the door.
Anybody know much about Farringtons? I hadn't heard of them but see them in Molloys recently and grabbed a few cans (tbh I assumed they were English when I read the name). I wasn't particularly impressed.
Funnily enough though, my wife arrived home with a couple of cans from "Post Card Brewing company", who it turns out brew in Farringtons. I'm currently drinking their West Coast IPA, and it's nicer than Farringtons own beers for sure.
Pub and restaurant out in Rathcoffey outside Maynooth; in the odd situation of being basically joined on to a large Glanbia animal feed mill; brewkit has been around the entire country at this stage, as far as I know it was Craftworks which means it was also Galway Hooker/Emerald's old one. I assume its on-site in Rathcoffey as its licenced to be there!
The pub has been there, with a different name (Tierneys) for a while, for as long as I can remember but some of their setup was the mill offices when it was independent.
Had five different canned products, lots of lager-alikes but the NEIPA is inoffensive and on my rotation of what to get if the shop is out of Kinnegar like it often is.
Very interesting. Cheers for that. Pub looks really nice.
So it's a beer whose marketing is all about Dublin landmarks that's brewed in Kildare. There's something quite apt about that 🤣
I refer you to Five Lamps... (and not in a "D'ye know de Five Lamps?" way! 😁 )
There's also Outerplace, who have Kildare mentioned multiple times but are brewed in Dublin
And appropriately enough brewed on the kit Galway Hooker used when it was operating from Roscommon.
The dirty feckers!
excellent beers all the same. I know the brewer and he does live in Kildare, at least.
Ones I've had have been decent but they're on the pricey end - 4.50 a can. Contract brewing has two sets of margins of course
Lucky you! I thoroughly enjoyed the 2020 edition.
Yeah, find Outer Place pricey.
Intrigued & horrified in equal measures by the 40 (forty!) hop variety beer recently landed in Ireland from Lervig.
Why? How does it taste? Very very curious but feel like it could just be a horrific mess
Haven't heard about that. But to be honest, I love most beers from Lervig. They do some really nice beers, even if they can be pricey sometimes.
I feel 40 hops might just blend into one another. Even though I can't identify most hops by taste alone.
Akoya, Amarillo, Aurora, Azacca, Bru-1, Cascade, Celeia, Centennial, Chinook, Citra, Crystal, Denali, Ekuanot, El Dorado, Ella, Enigma, Galaxy, Hallertau Blanc, Hallertau Mittelfruh, HBC 431, Hort 9909, Idaho 7, Loral, Mandarina Bavaria, Mosaic, Motueka, Nectaron, Nelson Sauvin, Nugget, Pahto, Perle, Riwaka, Saaz, Sabro, Simcoe, Solero, Southern Passion, Southern Promise, Styrian Fox & Trident
Outer Place down to 4.20 in my local shop; or at least the only one that actually scans is so that's what you get charged for any of them... still balk at paying over 4 for a can though.
Whiplash web shop up and running. 12 x 440ml cans of Blue Ghost Pils for 28 euro seems a good bargain.
Sweetman's now renamed J. R. Mahon's. Not sure how they plan on being a brewery without a brewkit, but that's hardly stopped plenty of other businesses.
must be out of that now
