It’s been a very long time since I’ve said those words and thankfully I’ve not had cause to utter them in the recent past either. What I mean is “Any Carlingford?” Incredibly, that request was not fulfilled during a recent stay in the beautiful coastal town of Carlingford in County Louth. Apart from the Carlingford Brewery taproom, not one of the establishments I visited on the Cooley peninsula sold it on tap or bottle. Isn’t that just like so many other towns across Ireland? The brewery bearing its name is ten minutes drive south from the town yet it’s not widespread in local pubs and restaurants. One barman hadn’t even heard of the brewery but then the poor sod tried to encourage me to imbibe in a pint of another ‘local’ beer, Harp, now brewed in Dublin! *Awkward look to the side* – “Er, I’m grand, ta.”

I’d been wanting to visit the taproom for a good while and a two night stay nearby gave me as perfect an opportunity as I was going to get. It’s open Thursday/Friday evening and all day Saturday/Sunday with a family friendly food menu on offer so everyone’s a winner. Five pizzas and a beer flight please.

The taproom was pleasingly busy on the Thursday night we visited. The photos might not reflect it as they were taken after dinner but when we stopped in at 7pm it was all go. There are cosy seats by the fire if you simply want a drink and I’m sure those outdoor picnic tables get well used during the four days of our hot summer.

As detailed in a photo above, there were five Carlingford beers on tap that night: a lager, blonde, west coast IPA, red and barrel aged red. My preference was Old Mill, a 4.2% ABV citrus lager, laced with the merest hint of cardamom spice, just enough to cut through a delicious goat’s cheese pizza.

Pint of Carlingford lager please, not Carling.