The last decade has seen an explosion in the craft beer industry in Ireland. With the amount of craft beer being consumed in Ireland on the rise I am going to highlight the best breweries that are producing some of the top craft beers. This list includes breweries based in all four provinces of Ireland so wherever you are in our country one of these beers shouldn't be too far away!
Kinnegar
The Kinnegar brewery in Donegal founded in 2011 must be tried by all craft beer lovers. Their beers are brewed in a small brewery in Rathmullan Co Donegal. The most popular has been their IPA Scraggy Bay which has a refreshing orange twang that is perfect for a summer day on the beach. The beer has an ABV of 5.3% and can be found in all good off licences at around €3.80 a bottle. For a light crisp IPA the “crossroads” fits the bill it has a citrus flavour along with a hint of tropical fruits. The popularity of Kinnegar has seen the company open a second brewery in Letterkenny. Brewery tours are available at Christmas in both breweries were guests can taste their full repertoire.
McGargles
Based in Cellbridge, Kildare a town known for its breweries its no wonder that McGargles has been a great success. It was honoured with the title of Europe’s most successful brewery at the 2018 beer awards. Further, a panel of experts voted Dans Double IPA the best IPA in the world so if that’s not a good enough reason to try it out I don’t know what is. This beer is infused with Pineapples, mangos and candied lemon, and is perfect to go along with some cheese. This beer has an ABV of 8.0% and can be found in the majority of off-licence's in Ireland.
Mountain Man brewery
Founded in 2012 this is West Corks first Irish Craft beer brewery. Two beers worth mentioning are the "Green Bullet" which is a quite light pale ale with subtle flavours more suitable for those who prefer less hops, it has an ABV of 4.0%. For something a bit stronger the "Sneaky Owl" (4.6%) would be a great option, it is a dark ale with malty flavours of caramel and chocolate with a slight fruity hint. These beers retail at €4.39 in SuperValu per 500ml bottle.
O’Hara's Brewery
Based in Carlow O’Hara's brewing company is a family owned business since 1996 and is one of the pioneers of the Irish craft beer movement. A beer certainly worth trying is called "Irish Wit" this is a malt beer infused with whiskey for quite a distinct tasting beer. O’Hara’s partnered with Tullamore Dew in making this one. The beer has both a dry but sweet zesty flavour leaving your mouth refreshed after a sip. It has an ABV of 4.0% content so you can tuck into a few more of these than the usual craft beer. They also have an Irish stout available which many claim that it tastes how real Irish stout used to taste before the flavour changed to become more palatable to a wider audience. This stout has a slight coffee aroma due to the bitterness of the hops used to produce it.
Galway Bay Brewery
The Galway Bay brewery was one of the first to make a pub a brewery pub when they started the Oslo in Salthill. They have since expanded to 11 different locations in Ireland where you can purchase one of their four core beers. The star of the show is the beautiful ‘Of Foam and Fury” which is a double IPA which has sweet malts and a slight tropical fruit flavour. If you’re in Dublin “Against the Grain” on Camden Street is one of their subsidiaries where you could purchase this delicious beer, they are priced at €6 a pint and have an ABV of 8.5%.
Wicklow wolf
Wicklow wolf as the name suggests is an Irish Craft beer brewery based in Wicklow, it was established in 2014. They run great brewery tours with the brewery modelled on the inside of a Wolfs Belly. The hops, yeast and water are all based in Wicklow with all ingredients 100% Irish. The brewery also produces their craft beers in a sustainable manner. Their new beer “50 shades of Bray” is definitely worth a try this is a black IPA with a fresh hop punch to it. Their most popular beer is the “Elevation Pale ale” this is an American style pale ale with a summer fruits aroma and usually retails at around €3.50 per 440ml bottle.
The White Hag Brewing Company
Founded in Ballymote, Sligo in 2014 this is Sligo’s first brewery in over hundred years. They produce a wide range of some of Irelands finest craft beers, one of their most popular is “little Fawn” which is an American style IPA which has fruity hops of Blueberries, Grapefruit and passion fruit and is very easy to drink. It has an ABV of 4.2% and comes in the traditional 330ml can that the United States use. However, if your looking for something a bit stronger they do have an Oatmeal stout that has a whopping 10.2% ABV so do be careful!
Dungarvan Brewing Company
Based in Dungarvan Waterford they create their range of craft beers using only four ingredients barley, hops, yeast and water. Their Black Rock Irish stout has a slight chocolatey flavour from the roasted barley it is said to be served best at room temperature. For a very different tasting stout they have a “coffee and oatmeal” stout made from Flahavan’s oats and specially chosen coffee beans. This beer is very warming on a winters night and thus they only sell it between November and February.