Advertisement
Dublin: 6 °C Friday 29 March, 2024
Shutterstock
tops of the hops

These are the best craft beers in Ireland right now*

*According to judges at the Killarney Beerfest, that is.

A CRAFT BEER from a 23-year-old County Meath producer has been crowned Ireland’s champion brew, according to judges at the first Killarney Beerfest.

Organisers said over 2,000 craft beer fans attended the festival at the INEC and Gleneagle Hotel over the weekend, when more than 80 brews from across the country vied for the top gong.

In the end, judges awarded James Brown Brews the top spot overall for its Chocolate Orange Stout – which has been described as a “light, refreshing stout” with a twist of citrus.

The stout, which earlier this year took a bronze medal at the Alltech Craft Brews & Food Fair in Dublin, is the product of Co Meath brewer James Brown, who started making beer at home at the age of 18.

The overall runner-up prize went to Kinnegar Brewing for its Black Bucket, while third place was taken by O Brother Brewing’s The Chancer.

According to craft-beer group Beoir, the entrants represented over one-third of the commercially available craft beers in the country.

Gleneagle Group managing director Patrick O’Donoghue said he looked forward to hosting an “even bigger and better festival next year” after the inaugural event.

Killarney Beerfest event1 The Killarney Beerfest

Here are all the category winners:

Pale ale: O Brother Brewing The Chancer

Belgian-style ale: Hillstown Spitting Llama

Dark ale: Torc Brewing Amber Ale

Lager: Trouble Brewing Remiz Lager

Speciality beer: Kinnegar Brewing Black Bucket

Porter and stout: James Brown Brews Chocolate Orange Stout

Wheat beer: Elbow Lane Arrow Weisse

READ: Had enough of craft beer? Now it’s time for craft Pepsi… >

READ: The owners of Jack Daniel’s want to branch into Irish whiskey >

Your Voice
Readers Comments
58
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.