https://open.spotify.com/episode/1rCyIDVsor77RloR2TPTlQ Ah the heady days of 2011, I remember them well: Darren Clarke won the Open golf, Game of Thrones premiered, Gaddafi and bin Laden exited this world and Ards Brewing came into being. The Greyabbey outfit is one of Northern Ireland’s oldest craft breweries and although it falls well behind 1996 for Whitewater and…… Continue reading Stash Killing: Ards Brewing
2021 sees a milestone birthday for three of Northern Ireland’s breweries. Ards Brewing Company in Greyabbey is 10 years old, Whitewater in Castlewellan turns 25 and the oldest independent brewery on the island of Ireland, Hilden Brewery near Lisburn, celebrates its 40th birthday. The NI beer landscape has altered immeasurably since the inception of each…… Continue reading A Birthday Trilogy. Part 1: Ards
You have to love a good barrel aged stout, eh? Brew a base stout, stick it in (usually) a whiskey barrel for a few months and bingo! A few have been on local shelves over the last few months: Mourne Mountains’ Hoops & Staves, Beer Hut’s Intergalactic and of course Galway Bay’s annual offering of…… Continue reading A Barrel of Fun
Here we are at the end of what’s been a year to remember and as is customary for the blog at this time of year (since 2014), it’s the Quare Swally Northern Ireland Golden Pints awards. Challenges bring diversity and innovation, and well done to all breweries for getting to the end of one of…… Continue reading Northern Ireland Golden Pints 2020
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s that time of year again. Apart from continuing the strange ritual of putting trees in our living rooms and seeing plenty of overweight men in ill-fitting red polyester/velvet outfits, mid December means a review of our favourite Northern Irish beer of the past twelve months. Of course I didn’t have every…… Continue reading My NI Faves of 2016
Quare Swally 