Dublin Brewing Co.

[MeridianFC]

I was reading in CAMRA's "What's Brewing" that the Dublin Brewing Company is now shuttered. How can this be I thought it was fairly popular. I thought they'd even expanded some in the past few years, the article mentions a new Canadian brewing plant.

I really enjoyed their beers and I find this really disheartening.

[chazwicke]

Man! With this office move taking much of my time lately I have not yet had time to read my Whats brewing, Mid Atlantic Brew News, All About Beer, all the colectors club mags and even my music mags such as Ice. Sorry to hear of this breweries demise. I've not yet been to Ireland but I'd certainly like to visit there some time.

Now that we are in the new offices and fairly well unpacked I hope to catch up on my reading.

[MeridianFC]

Unfortunately the Republic is not much for cask. Biddy Early does one cask (Real Biddy) which is very hard to find and the Porterhouse does cask but only for the London locations. That said it is very refreshing (both literally and figuratively) to find micro brews in a land dominated by Stout, Guinness specifically, as well as an increasing footprint for crap lager. DBC beers would compare favourably with many American style micro/brewpub brews. Not a world beater by any stretch, though their Revolution Red was very tasty. Anything for a bit of variety.

[MeridianFC]

I was wondering if any of the Dublin based folks (Sean) know anymore about this. Their website is still up and running. I just finished watching the "Thirsty Traveller" episode on stout which features a bit on the DBC.

[guildofevil]

I'm not actually a fan of the Dublin brewing company's beers. Can't put my finger on why. I just don't care for them.

I have passed their premises recently and there is a sign outside advertising a secure store to let. Their tasting room looks operational though. This was Saturday, so you can't infer anything from the fact that it wasn't open.

I have also seen one of their delivery vans knocking around town, so I just don't know.

Just tried phoning them but it rang out.

Séan

P.S. The Porterhouse does one cask conditioned beer in Dublin: TSB. Mmmm, TSB.

[MeridianFC]

I thought their beers were decent. The Porterhouse is miles better of that there is no doubt, but the Revolution Red is/was a good brew, certainly better than Smithwicks, Kilkenny, etc. The DBC beers gave a nice break even if they aren't/weren't world beaters.

About the only fault I find with drinking the Republic is the lack of choice. Sure the Guinness is good, the Beamish very tasty, but that's about it unless you're in one of the rare places to find Biddy or Carlow. Guinness in Ireland makes A-Bs hold over the US pale in comparison. Add to that the presence of Bud everywhere over there now.......

Have any of you Eire based folks had any of the Franciscan Well brews? Are Kinsale Brewing and Mssrs. McGuire still open?

[noby]

Well, if it is true that they have closed it would be a shame, as any brewery closure would be. I quite enjoy their Revolution Red too.

Carlow brewing seems to be growing in the market, and their stout is popping up in more and more pubs.
I tried a pretty unspectacular Kinsale Lager a few years ago, but I haven't seen much of them since.
Franciscan Well have a stout, red and lager. All tasty beers. They are starting to crop up in other pubs in Cork too.

There is a growing trend of imported bottle beers in pubs now. Even in Dungarvan, where I live (a town of 10000), Budvar, Erdinger etc. are standard now.
It's still a shame that a publican will stock beers from Germany/Chech rep., and not from Carlow/Cork.
The problem, as I see it, is publicans here (in general) get everything handed to them on a plate, and are now "lazy".
If you stock Guinness products (including bud, carlsberg), you get alot of benefits: you get all your gas supplied for free, a rep. will check your lines for you etc. If, as has happened in Cork, you want to stock a different Irish stout, Guinness will threaten to pull all their benefits.
There is also a company that import 4 beers (Budvar, Erdinger, Krombacher, and the last one escapes me) They will come to your pub, and without trying too hard, you now stock a 'range of european beers'.

It's only the publican who isn't afraid of doing the leg work themselves (and perhaps going against the wishes of 'the big G') that stock different beers, both domestic and imported.
I mean, from where I live, Cork is less than an hour away, Carlow about 90mins, Clare (Biddy Early) about 2.5hrs, Dublin 3hrs. It shouldn't be impossible to get a few kegs across what is only a small country.


Cormac