My wife and I lived in Dublin for half of last year and I can definitely tell you that Dublin and most of Ireland really is craft beer wasteland. Having said that, I met a group of VERY passionate homebrewers while I was there. Google Irish Craft Brewer and it will get you in touch with those guys. They are all fantastic. As for places to find craft brew, I'd definitely recommend hitting the Bull and Castle, right across the street from Christchurch Cathedral. They have something like 30 beers on tap and will have most of the Irish micros there. Go upstairs to the beergarden, it is a treat. Try Galway Hooker, it's an Irish take on American Pale Ale. I rather liked it and find myself missing that beer. You can also get the brews from Carlow Brewing there, the O'haras stout and Celtic Wheat beer are pretty good, sometimes they have a seasonal. Definitely hit the Porterhouse, there are several of them around Dublin. I liked the one up in Bray but it didn't have all of the beer lineup all the time. The Porterhouse on the edge of Temple Bar is a fun place, they have all of the beers there, and most are pretty good, though I found the Oyster Stout to be undrinkable. They have a hoppy stout called 4X or something like that and it is really nice. Go and get a sampler of their stuff, but be prepared to be underwhelmed with the wait staff! I never went to the Porterhouse north of the Liffey or to the one on Grafton street. Probably the best microbrews I had there were at a place called Messrs. Maguire, south of the Liffey near the O'Connell Bridge. I enjoyed many pints there upstairs looking out the windows at the river while it rained..... Hope that helps! Enjoy your trip to Ireland.
Topic: Beer tour of Ireland (Read 1761 times)
