It’s hard enough for small, independent breweries in Northern Ireland to get their beer into bars and off licences so when Covid-19 hit last March and closed both those routes to market, the writing was on the wall. Many breweries began selling and delivering via their own hastily assembled webshop and thankfully off licences were…… Continue reading Downward Sales (Except NI?)
First of all I hope you are healthy and safely indoors. If you’re a key worker, thank you for venturing out. Thank you to every single one of you – from the front line NHS workers living a daily nightmare to the guys emptying my bins once a week to the good folk working in…… Continue reading Stay Safe, That’s An Order!
Time is running out if you want to help your local microbrewery. A consultation on the local alcohol licensing laws here in Northern Ireland is, at last, being put forward for public opinion and you can tell the powers that be how outdated things are here. And boy, we know how outdated they are. If…… Continue reading You Can Change the Law
A terrible thing preceded a wonderful thing last weekend in Manchester. The terrible thing was Cloudwater brewery’s much anticipated first Friends & Family & Beer festival being wound up after less than one full day. Licensing issues were to blame and whatever the intricacies of rights and wrongs, the festival came to a shuddering halt…… Continue reading United in Manchester
Attention all beer drinkers in the UK, especially those living outside of Northern Ireland. How many brewery taprooms do you have nearby? One? Maybe two or three if you’re in a city? Unlike any other British brewery, Northern Irish breweries are gagged from having their own permanent taproom alongside the brewhouse. The archaic licensing law…… Continue reading Licensing Limbo
Quare Swally 