In the new issue of Hot Press, Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott pays tribute to Porterhouse co-founder Oliver Hughes who helped him develop his Louder range of beers which, in time honoured Spinal Trap tradition, go all the way up to 11% ABV.
One of the Irish craft brewing pioneers, Oliver died unexpectedly last month in Dublin.
“Oliver was a visionary, my kind of guy,” Joe tells us from the States where the Leps are on tour with Reo Speedwagon and Tesla. “He was fun, loved his music and was very encouraging when it came to partnering up to do the Down 'n' Outz lager. It was always going to be a limited-edition but even so he took great pride in telling me it became the third best-seller in the Porterhouse! That's what got us moving on to develop Louder IPA, which was twice as strong at 11% and in fairness he was the one who was pushing the envelope strength wise, just to see how it would turn out. We had some right old laughs testing out the initial batch, talk about an eye-waterer! He was so excited too about the distillery in Dingle, so much so that I became one of the first to invest; he was that enthusiastic! It's so sad he won't be around to see his baby mature, but he's left behind a fantastic team to hopefully see it through to fruition, which in turn will solidify his well-deserved reputation as a maverick in the microbrewery world. I shall miss him.”
Joe’s tribute to Oliver is part of a Hop Press Irish Drinks Special, which can be found in our Electric Picnic Special, and also includes a preview of the Irish Craft Beer Festival taking place in the RDS from September 8-10.