Brewing in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
has a long history. Production currently stands at over 8 million hectolitres, and approximately half the
alcohol consumed is beer.
Lager accounts for 63.5% of the beer sold. The market share for stout is 29.3% and ale is 6.2%.
History
By the beginning of the nineteenth century, there were over two hundred breweries in the country, fifty-five of them in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
. In the nineteenth century, the number of breweries fell to about fifty, and by 2007 only about twelve remained.
Historically, Ireland produced
ale, without the use of
hops. As the plant is not native to Ireland, large quantities were imported from England in the 18th century. In 1752, more than 500 tons of English hops were imported through Dublin alone. In the second half of the 18th century, beer, mostly porter, was imported from England in increasing quantities: 15,000 barrels in 1750, 65,000 in 1785, and over 100,000 in 1792.
["Ireland Industrial and Agricultural", 1902, page 455] In the 1760s about 600,000 barrels of beer were brewed annually in Ireland.
In the 18th century, the Irish Parliament used taxation to encourage brewing at the expense of distilling, reasoning that beer was less harmful than whiskey.
In the 1760s, the Royal Dublin Society offered prizes to brewers who used the most Irish hops and those that produced the most porter.
Brewing prospered in the early decades of the 19th century and by 1814 Ireland was exporting more beer to England than it imported.
["Ireland Industrial and Agricultural", 1902, page 457] Irish exports to England accelerated as the century progressed
and from a modest 11,328 barrels in 1828, exported 689,796 barrels by 1901.
Beer market
![Guinness brewery, front view](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Guinness_brewery%2C_front_view.jpg)
In 1998, Ireland produced approximately 8.5m hectolitres of beer per year; this rose to 8.7m in 2002. Exports were 3.5m hectolitres in 1998 and fell to 2.4m in 2002. Whilst the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
lies 6th in the world for beer consumption per capita, it ranks 4th in the
consumption of alcohol, with 11.7 litres per head in 2011.
Stout
In 1756,
Arthur Guinness set up a small brewery, in County Kildare moving to
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
in 1759. Having initially brewed ale, he switched to producing
porter
Porter may refer to:
Companies
* Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto
* Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets
* Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer
* H.K. Porter, Inc., ...
, which was a style from London. In the early twentieth century, Guinness became the largest brewer in the world, exporting the Irish style to many countries. Although no longer the largest brewer of beer
in the world, it remains the largest brewer of stout. In 2014, Guinness sales amounted to 19% of all beer sales in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
.
Stout brewed by
Guinness (and the smaller brewers
Murphy's and
Beamish) once dominated domestic beer consumption in Ireland, with
lager
Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storag ...
and
ale having much smaller shares. Lager has subsequently grown in popularity with Carlsberg taking 8% of the market and Budweiser 7% in 2014.
[
Draught Irish stout is normally served nitrogenated, to create a creamy texture with a long-lasting head.
Craft stouts available in Ireland include Shandon Stout by the Franciscan Well in Cork, O'Hara's Irish stout by Carlow Brewing Company, Black Rock Irish Stout by Dungarvan Brewing Company and Irish stout by ]Galway Hooker Brewery
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
.
Gallery of Irish stouts
File:Guinness 7686a.jpg, Draught Guinness
File:HK drink SW Parkn shop goods Beer dark bottles 健力士 Guinness Foreign Extra June-2013 (cropped).JPG, Guinness Foreign Extra
File:Beamish Genuine Irish Stout.jpg, Beamish Genuine Irish Stout
File:Murphy's Irish Stout (cropped) (cropped).jpg, Murphy's Irish Stout
Irish red ale
The ales produced in Ireland are now largely in the Irish red ale
Irish red ale (), also known as red ale or Irish ale, is a style of pale ale that is brewed using a moderate amount of kilned malts and roasted barley, giving the beer its red colour. Its strength typically ranges from 3.8% to 4.8% alcohol by vol ...
style, with a slight red colour, generally in the 3.8–4.4% ABV range (although export versions are often stronger). The largest national brand is Smithwick's
Smithwick's () is an Irish red ale-style beer.
Smithwick's brewery was founded in Kilkenny in 1710 by John Smithwick and run by the Smithwick family of Kilkenny until 1965 when it was acquired by Guinness, now part of Diageo. The Kilkenny b ...
, produced by the Diageo multinational. Others include Diageo's Macardle's, Franciscan Well's Rebel Red, Carlow Brewing Company's O'Hara's Irish Red and Messrs Maguire Rusty. Dungarvan Brewing Company's Copper Coast red ale was released in 2010, along with Clanconnel Brewery's McGrath's Irish Red. Hallion Irish Red is produced in County Down by the Whitewater Brewing Company. Eight Degrees brewery launched their Sunburnt Irish Red Ale in 2011.
Lager brewing
The first lager
Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storag ...
brewery in Ireland was set up in Dartry, Dublin, in 1891, but did not survive very long. Lager was later brewed for a short period at the Regal Brewery, Kells. Harp Lager has been brewed since 1968, originally in Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
.
Heineken
Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star.
History
On 15 Feb ...
Ireland, based at the Murphy Brewery in Cork, have the largest share of the lager market. In addition to Heineken, they brew Amstel and Coors Light, as well as the brands they acquired from Beamish & Crawford including Fosters and Carling.
Tennent's, although brewed in Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
in Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, is a very popular pale lager
Pale lager is a very pale-to- golden-colored lager beer with a well- attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness.
The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid-19th century, when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brew ...
in Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
, especially in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
and County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...
(mainly East Donegal and Inishowen
Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland.
The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringfort ...
).
Irish craft beer and real ale
Beginning in the 1990s, brewpubs and microbreweries began to emerge. While some, such as the Biddy Early Brewery, Dublin Brewing Company and Dwan's, have since ceased production; others such as Porterhouse have celebrated twenty years in business, while the Hilden Brewery in Lisburn is Ireland's oldest independent brewer, having been established in 1981. The Carlow Brewing Company, established in 1996 and makers of the O'Hara's range, is another survivor of the "first wave" of Irish craft brewing, as is the Whitewater Brewing Company in Castlewellan, County Down, also established in 1996.
The "second wave" began in the mid-2000s and has included the ''Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne'' brewery in County Kerry, Galway Hooker brewery in County Galway, Dungarvan Brewing Company, Inishmacsaint Brewing Company (Fermanagh Beer Company) in County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland.
The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...
, Clanconnel Brewery, Trouble Brewing, Metalman Brewing, The Dingle Brewing Company in County Kerry, Bo Bristle (formerly Breweyed), and the Galway Bay Brewery, which, like the Porterhouse Brewing Company, also runs its own chain of pubs.
The "third wave" of Irish craft brewing began in 2013. The surge of new breweries is largely a result of changes in excise requirements, access to EU funding, and an increase in government-funded brewing education courses. Many second- and third-wave brewers are also involved in a professional brewers' association, Beer Ireland, which has provided members with networking opportunities and information on setting up a brewery.
Growth and market share
As of mid-2018, in addition to international/macro-breweries such as Guinness and Heineken, there were around 110 independent Irish craft breweries in operation, in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
and the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
combined, and craft beer represented 2.8% of 2017 sales in the Republic of Ireland. This was an increase, in the Republic of Ireland, from approximately fifty breweries and a market share of 1.5% of beer sales by volume in Ireland in 2014.
Despite the low market share, macro breweries have begun to produce product lines targeting this sector of the market. Heineken Ireland began marketing a pale ale, "Cute Hoor", distributed in the craft beer sections of supermarkets and off licences and without plainly identifying the brewer. Heineken also briefly deceptively marketed "Blasket Blonde", in Kerry, from March 2015 to September 2016, and "Beanntrai Bru" in Cork in August 2016, as locally-made craft beers, from invented breweries.
C&C Group
C&C Group plc (known prior to its flotation as Cantrell & Cochrane Limited) is an Irish manufacturer, marketer and distributor of alcoholic drinks, particularly cider, and soft drinks. It has production facilities across Ireland, Great Britain ...
produce 'Roundstone' Ale and 'Pana Cork' Lager at their facility in Clonmel. Both Heineken Ireland and C&C were investigated for these naming practices in 2016.
Consolidation and acquisitions
Carrig Brewing Company Carrig may refer to:
* Carrig, County Tipperary, a settlement and electoral district in the historical Barony of Ormond Lower, North Tipperary, Ireland
* Carrig, a band of Paul Brennan
It is an Irish word meaning ‘rock’ and it is sometimes An ...
and Brú Brewery, both of which operated pubs in addition to brewing, merged operations in 2019 with brewing moved to Brú's facility in Trim, County Meath
Trim () is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is situated on the River Boyne and has a population of 9,194. The town is noted for Trim Castle – the largest Norman castle in Ireland. One of the two cathedrals of the United Dioceses of Mea ...
. Brú merged with Galway Bay Brewery
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on t ...
, another brewery with a pub chain, in 2021
As in other countries, international brewers and drinks companies have acquired independent craft breweries in Ireland, too, in order to either protect their market share or to expand their own portfolios. Cork's Franciscan Well Brewery was acquired by Molson Coors
The Molson Coors Beverage Company is an American-Canadian multinational drink and brewing company incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law and headquartered in Golden, Colorado and Montreal, Quebec.
Molson Coors was formed in 2005 ...
in 2013. It continues to brew the main Franciscan Well beers, but now also markets a mainstream lager, "Archway" with the parent firm name abbreviated to "MCBC" on packaging. The Eight Degrees Brewery was acquired by Irish Distillers
Irish Distillers is a subsidiary of the French drinks conglomerate Pernod Ricard. It is the largest distiller of Irish whiskey, distilling popular brands such as Jameson and Powers, in addition to premium whiskeys such as Redbreast and Midleto ...
, the producer of Jameson Irish Whiskey
Jameson ( or ) is a blended Irish whiskey produced by the Irish Distillers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. Originally one of the six main Dublin Whiskeys at the Jameson Distillery Bow St., Jameson is now distilled at the New Midleton Distiller ...
in 2018, in order to secure a supply of barrels used to brew stout and IPA for its "Caskmates" range.
Investment without full takeover has occurred at some breweries. 32% of the Carlow Brewing Company has been acquired by Hijos de Rivera Brewery, the makers of Estrella Galicia
Estrella Galicia is a brand of pale lager beer, manufactured by the company Hijos de Rivera Brewery, and located in A Coruña, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain.
The Estrella Galicia brewery was founded in 1906 by José María Rivera Corral when he ret ...
; while Warsteiner
Warsteiner () beer is brewed in the Arnsberg Forest Nature Park outside of Warstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Warsteiner has been owned by the Cramer family since 1753. Warsteiner is Germany's largest privately owned brewery; its b ...
have invested in Rye River Brewing
Tap access
While Ireland has little history of the tied house
In the United Kingdom, a tied house is a public house required to buy at least some of its beer from a particular brewery or pub company. That is in contrast to a free house, which is able to choose the beers it stocks freely.
A report for th ...
system - outside of Cork where both major breweries had, but eventually disposed of, substantial estates - craft breweries have experienced problems in gaining taps in pubs. A number of craft breweries now operate pubs, on-site restaurants or entire pub chains to provide outlets with guaranteed availability. These include Brú Brewery, Carrig Brewing, Dead Centre Brewing, Galway Bay Brewery
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on t ...
, The Porterhouse, Rascals Brewing and Rising Sons Brewery
Professional, Trade and Consumer Associations
There are three brewing associations operating in Ireland.
*The Irish Brewers Association was founded in 1904 and is now a division of IBEC
Ibec is an Irish business representative lobbying organisation and human resources services provider According to the Standards in Public Office Commission register it is the organisation that is doing "the most lobbying" in Ireland.
Ibec is ...
. While it claims to be "the representative voice for the brewing industry in Ireland" it has only five members, which include Diageo, Heineken, and Molson Coors, all macro breweries.
*Beer Ireland was founded in 2012 by a group of third wave brewers hoping to set up their own microbreweries. By the end of 2013, the group had 100 members, including brewers at approximately 20 Irish craft breweries. The group has embraced the spirit of comaradery and collaboration typical of the craft brewing industry. The organisation's goal is to improve the quality and proliferation of Irish craft beer.
*The Independent Craft Brewers & Distillers of Ireland was founded in 2013 by Carlow brewing director Seamus O'Hara. The group was initially established to support craft brewers and distillers in Ireland, but has since re-focused its efforts solely on brewing to become the Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland. Membership of the group is open to anyone operating a microbrewery in Ireland, within the definition of same by the Irish Revenue Commissioners.
Beoir (Irish for "beer"), founded in July 2010, is an independent group of consumers which seeks greater choice, quality, and value-for-money for beer and cider drinkers on the island of Ireland. Their primary goal is to support and raise awareness of Ireland's native independent microbreweries and craft cider-makers.
Pseudo-Irish beer
A number of beers claim an Irish provenance or are commissioned by Irish companies, but are produced outside Ireland. In the past these have included Árainn Mhór beers and Time Lager. Today, the Strangford Lough Brewing Company produces a concentrated wort which they export to Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
and the US where contract breweries turn it into finished beer.
Many breweries outside Ireland produce Irish-themed beers which are not commonly available in Ireland, such as Killian's Irish Red and Wexford Cream Ale.
Spirit grocery
In 19th and early to mid-20th century Ireland, a spirit grocery combined a public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
and an ancillary retail business, usually a grocery or hardware shop. Several spirit groceries can still be found in rural towns and villages.
List of breweries in Ireland
See also
* Beer and breweries by region
* Beer in Northern Ireland
References
Further reading
* Griffiths, Iorwerth. ''Beer and Cider in Ireland: The Complete Guide''. .
* Protz, Roger. ''The Complete Guide to World Beer''. .
External links
Beoir – Independent site supporting craft beer in Ireland
The Best Craft Beers in Ireland
A review of Craft beers in Ireland from 2011.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beer In Ireland
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
Irish cuisine