Murphy's Irish Stout
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Murphy's Irish Stout (often simply Murphy's) is a
stout Stout is a dark, top-fermented beer with a number of variations, including dry stout, oatmeal stout, milk stout, and imperial stout. The first known use of the word ''stout'' for beer, in a document dated 1677 found in the Egerton Manuscr ...
brewed at the
Murphy's Brewery Murphy's Brewery was a brewery founded in Cork, Ireland, in 1856 by James Jeremiah Murphy (James J. Murphy). It was known as Lady's Well Brewery until it was purchased by Heineken N.V. in 1983, when the name changed to Murphy Brewery Ireland Lt ...
in
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
. It is owned and distributed by the Dutch brewer
Heineken International Heineken N.V. () is a Dutch multinational brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. , Heineken owns over 165 breweries in more than 70 countries. It produces 348 international, regional, local and speciality be ...
.


Flavour profile

It is brewed to be less heavy and less bitter than its chief competitor Guinness. Its flavour is evocative of
caramel Caramel ( or ) is an orange-brown confectionery product made by heating a range of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard. The process of carameli ...
and
malt Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malted grain is used to make beer, w ...
, and is described as "a distant relative of
chocolate milk Chocolate milk is a type of flavoured milk made by mixing cocoa solids with milk (either dairy or plant-based). It is a food pairing in which the milk's mouthfeel masks the dietary fibres of the cocoa solids. Types The liquid carbohy ...
". The resemblance to milk extends beyond flavour to texture: Murphy's is free from any hint of
carbonation Carbonation is the chemical reaction of carbon dioxide to give carbonates, bicarbonates, and carbonic acid. In chemistry, the term is sometimes used in place of carboxylation, which refers to the formation of carboxylic acids. In inorganic ch ...
, and is delivered "black as strong cappuccino" with an inch of foam – the head – on top. The water of the River Lee in Cork allegedly gave Murphy's its quality.


History

After years as a solely local stout, the acquisition of the brewery by Heineken in 1983, with a consequent expansion in distribution and international television advertising, exposed Murphy's to the international drinking community. In 1988,
Whitbread Whitbread plc is a multinational British hotel and restaurant company headquartered in Houghton Regis, England. The business was founded as a brewery in 1742, and had become the largest brewery in the world by the 1780s. Its largest division ...
acquired the distribution and brewing rights for Murphy's in the UK, where it was brewed in the Magor brewery at Magor in Wales. In 2000, these rights went to
Interbrew Interbrew is subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV is based in Breda, Netherlands. It has one subsidiary, Ambev S.A. of São Paulo, Brazil. Brands Interbrew brands have historically included Budweiser, Stella Artois, Boddingtons, Beck's, S ...
when they acquired Whitbread Brewing Company.


Widget

In addition to being distributed in
kegs A keg is a small barrel. Wooden kegs made by a cooper were used to transport nails, gunpowder, and a variety of liquids. A keg is normally now constructed of stainless steel, although aluminium can be used if it is coated with plastic on th ...
, Murphy's is also available in a can. To simulate the appearance and texture of the tap version, cans of Murphy's contain a nitrogen widget, which increases the creaminess of the
head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals ...
when poured.


Sales

Export volumes peaked in the mid-1990s and domestic volume peaked around 2000. The brand is suffering in its native Ireland due to a declining market for stout. It holds a 5 percent share of the Irish stout market, although this is largely a result of its 28 percent share of its native Cork market. Murphy's has a limited presence in Ireland outside of Cork. In 2011, 60,000 hectolitres of Murphy's were sold in Ireland.Alcoholic Drinks: Euromonitor from trade sources/national statistics


Overseas markets

Murphy's was launched on draught in the United Kingdom in 1989. Cans were launched in 1992. It is now rarely found on draught in the UK, although is stocked by many major supermarkets in cans. In the UK it is brewed at Heineken's
Tadcaster Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, east of the Great North Road, north-east of Leeds, and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the ...
plant in
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...
for the home market and some export markets. According to Euromonitor, Murphy's sold 25,000 hl in the UK in 2011. Murphy's held less than five percent of the British stout market in 2016. Popular export markets include Norway and Italy. In New York the importer is United States Beverage (USB), which is a premium imported /craft beer sales and marketing company located in Stamford, Connecticut.


Advertising

In 1997 an
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television advertisement was created for Murphy's called "Last Orders".Production_I.G_[WORK_LIST[Details]]
/ref>_It_was_created_by_Production_I.G.html" ;"title="ORK LIST[Details]]">Production I.G [WORK LIST[Details]]
/ref> It was created by Production I.G">ORK LIST[Details]]">Production I.G [WORK LIST[Details]]
/ref> It was created by Production I.G (the creators of ''Ghost in the Shell''), and directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo. The 60-second film features six fierce samurai who rush through a post-futuristic megalopolis to make it on time for the last order at their favourite pub. It was the first anime style commercial film ever aired in the UK and Ireland.


Sponsorship

Murphy's Irish Stout is the main sponsor of the
Cork Athletic Union League The Cork Athletic Union League, also known as the Cork AUL, is an association football league featuring amateur and junior clubs from County Cork. Its top division, the Premier League, is a seventh level division in the Republic of Ireland foot ...
, an
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
league featuring amateur and junior clubs from
County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...
. They were also the title sponsor of the Irish Open golf tournament from
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
to
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
.sportspromedia.com
– Heineken to sponsor Irish Open – 27 July 2011


References


External links

* {{Authority control Beer in Ireland