Supporting craft breweries

Insect Overlord · 10-03-2026 11:01PM

Big fan of Kinnegar here as well, especially their red ale. Their porter was fabulous, until they had to cut it from the core range. Sad the way all the Irish craft porters and stouts have disappeared one by one over the last decade of rising costs! Leann Folláin seems to be the only legend left standing.

breezy1985 · 10-03-2026 11:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124302942#Comment_124302942

I never knew that was a thing. I did notice that reds had dropped off but not porters and stouts. Is it just in cans and bottles it has stopped ?

BeerNut · 10-03-2026 11:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124302942#Comment_124302942

Rye River Nocturne is as good as Leann Folláin IMO, and usually €3 in Tesco.

Insect Overlord · 10-03-2026 11:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124302981#Comment_124302981

Yeah, I've had both recently. Two very good shouts.

I guess I'm pining for my youth a bit! Trouble Brewing had Dark Arts porter, Galway Bay had Stormy Port and Buried At Sea, 8 Degrees had Knockmealdown, and it seemed easier to pick up stuff like Carraig Dhubh from West Kerry or Shanco Dubh from Brehon. Wasn't there a teenager who came up with a chocolate orange stout at one stage, maybe James Brown?

Anyway, somebody mentioned Western Herd and their Spanish Point APA earlier. I'd echo that shout, definitely.

L1011 · 11-03-2026 12:06AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124303029#Comment_124303029

Buried at Sea, before its later recipe change… jaysus. I'm not a big stout drinker but that was amazing.

Kildare Brewing did a great milk stout when the brewer's wife had a kid during lockdown, Baby Boom. Wasn't quite OG Buried at Sea, but it was damn good.

BeerNut · 11-03-2026 12:23AM

Back then there was no Wicklow Wolf Apex nor Lineman Astral Grains, and I'd miss them if they weren't around. Dark Arts seems to be making a modest comeback on draught. We might get cans at some point.

awec · 11-03-2026 10:13AM

Also just stuck in an order for 4 Spanish Points, 4 Loop Heads and 4 Atlantic Reds from Western Herd. Not sure I've ever tried this particular brand before so will report back!

Pen Rua · 11-03-2026 10:31AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124302758#Comment_124302758

This is in stock in Cork at least, along with a saison by DOT.

breezy1985 · 11-03-2026 11:00AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124303455#Comment_124303455

They don't do many styles I like but they are a pretty solid brewery.

They are a welcome local draught option in a macro pub in the better spots around Clare and a few Limerick spots have it on the bar too.

Macy0161 · 11-03-2026 11:07AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124301818#Comment_124301818

Mammouth is my favourite of the WW core beers. They used to do "Eden" which was session strength which I (in my very uneducated taste buds way) always thought of as the lighter version. Eden and Avalanche were much better beers than the Sugarloaf and Sour that replaced them as their session beers.

flended12 · 11-03-2026 11:29AM

There was a whole load of 'flavoured' stuff from very reputable brewers that just had an awful chemical taste in the background.

Not naming anyone but christ lads leave well enough alone.

TaurenDruid · 11-03-2026 11:44AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124302663#Comment_124302663

There was always an "ordinary"-strength IPA beer there. Personally I'd class "session" as 4% or under - Kinnegar Scraggy Bay was the house IPA for the last few months and that's 5.3%! Maybe I'm just becoming more of a lightweight in my old age?

There were definitely weeks where that was the only West Coast/mostly clear IPA on the tap list. In fairness, yes, I could have had a NEIPA, but I don't like the style. Point being, I can walk in to my local Heineken/Diageo pub and have a choice of two IPAs, or walk in to Underdog and have a choice of one. Fidelity, Big Romance, and the GBB pubs can all manage to have a really good selection of average-strength beers, while also carrying some stronger choices, too.

I love a decent imperial stout as much as anyone, but I can't drink three of them on a night to rotate through all of the ones on a menu, followed by a couple of DIPAs. So I didn't. I'm not blaming Underdog's demise on poor selection of beers - that location and with that table space is doomed to fail, I think - but it certainly didn't help.

squonk · 11-03-2026 11:47AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124303080#Comment_124303080

Oh stop!! I’m fairly sure I had some sort of buried at sea addiction after it came out. Absolutely amazing and one of the nicest beers I’ve ever had but it louder a lot in the change and story port was pretty great. Not a fan of Ohara to be honest.

Hope you like the Western Herd beers @awec They don’t change up their range very often but are solid at what they do. I don’t find the beers mind blowing but they’re decent, solid and consistent and after what I said above about Buried At Sea, the consistency is simmering I appreciate.

At this stage my orders have series in a mix of western herd and kinnnegar beers and a few Germans just to mix it up.

awec · 11-03-2026 11:56AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124303681#Comment_124303681

To be honest I just avoid craft beers in the pub now, because the ABV is so often out of whack it makes rounds a nuisance.

Hotblack Desiato · 11-03-2026 12:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124301392#Comment_124301392

The problem with those "curated selections" is that they'll put in whatever they can't get rid of.

I was in White Hag's Clann monthly box thing during covid. Got fed up with it as there were too many coffee stouts (I don't like coffee, never mind coffee stouts) and sours (I wouldn't mind a sour once in a while but this really had the bang of "we need to get rid of these before they go out of date" off it)

Hotblack Desiato · 11-03-2026 12:18PM

I must be following this thread for a few years now and I don't think I've ever heard of Western Herd before😯 does it make it east of the Shannon at all? (Have never seen it on or off trade in Clifden either, I go there most years)

Still miss Independent Brewing though.. and then Bridewell went too 😕

BeerNut · 11-03-2026 12:35PM

In Dublin, I tend to find Western Herd in Molloy's on Francis Street, Mace on the South Circular, Martin's of Fairview and Blackrock Cellar. No idea why they don't seem to supply Craft Central.

Macy0161 · 11-03-2026 12:40PM

I used to see it in Molloys in Ballyogan as well when I was up there (along with a few others I wouldn't see in Stephens Street News). They were on one of the covid craic beer meet up's, and iirc they only started canning and bottling over covid/ when the pubs shut.

Insect Overlord · 11-03-2026 12:48PM

A couple of the Fine Wines offies in Limerick stock them. I picked up a Flora & Fauna imperial IPA in one shop last night for the weekend. I remember them being in a few of the popular bars around Ennis a decade ago.

breezy1985 · 11-03-2026 12:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124303842#Comment_124303842

Still in some bars in Ennis and a couple in Limerick. Definitely in most off licence in Limerick too.

I think they had their own bar in Ennis for a time. It was next to a real nice pub called Lucas who have their pale on draught still.

squonk · 11-03-2026 04:59PM

Yeah they had a bar in Ennis and one in Lahinch after that. I’m not sure if they still have that either. I’m surprised they’re bit more widely available. My local pub in north Clare has a few of the beers on draughty a few years ago but it’s closed now temporarily and will he under new management. It’s easy enough get there beers in the Midwest. Glad they’re available in Dublin in a few spots. Flora and Fauna is great. Every so often I do like a high abv IPA and it Ray bites the spot. Very much along the lines of Galway Bay’s Of Foam and Fury. .They’re Spanish Point lake ale is nice but high abv. They’re a nice brewery in that they do a good few regular abv stouts/pake ale/red kind of stuff and then high abv stuff too so you’ve a choice. Blue Jumped is great but an occasional treat being high abv.

Hotblack Desiato · 11-03-2026 05:09PM

Definitely never saw it in my local Molloy's

BTW your posts read like they went through some sort of random word generator.

squonk · 11-03-2026 05:56PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124304539#Comment_124304539

it’s the phone keyboard unfortunately. I usually try and fix them after the fact if I get a chance.

ciaran76 · 11-03-2026 06:05PM

Bru Brewery have a 5% IPA that I goto from time to time.

Like many said above Kinnegar is a goto now and always have a few of their cans in the house and I am a big fan of their Rye.

I have picked up Western Herd Blue Jumper IPA in Molloys Blanch a few times too but its about6%.

Rascals Happy Days Session Pale at 4.1% is a great BBQ beer on a sunny day.

andekwarhola · 11-03-2026 08:26PM

Had Western Herd on draught in Lehinch last summer. Think it was the recent pale ale.

jopper · 11-03-2026 09:01PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124302670#Comment_124302670

Ask them for me too! Better still, ask them can I be put on a waiting list 🤗

I have tried Grafters and other brown Ales that’s available in Irish shops and none come close I'm afraid.

Pen Rua · 12-03-2026 02:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124301392#Comment_124301392

So I take it you won't be interested in this Basqueland beer…

https://untappd.com/b/basqueland-brewing-omako-basoa/6471633#google_vignette

breezy1985 · 12-03-2026 02:40PM

Despite mostly agreeing with people earlier about strong stouts this was the greatest craft beer ever made

Sadly the brewery is no more. (Alphabet not ABC which was also a brewery confusingly)

awec · 12-03-2026 02:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124306838#Comment_124306838

Ha, that is exactly the sort of absolute muck I was referring to in my post.

Pen Rua · 12-03-2026 03:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124306901#Comment_124306901

I picked it up in Bradley's in Cork just there as I do like a coffee / vanilla stout from time to time, but the ABV was a no go for me. I didn't even dare look at the price!

Supporting craft breweries

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