9 WHITE DEER
9whitedeer.ie
facebook.com/9WhiteDeer
@9whitedeer
Tel. 026 27110
9 White Deer might be a new name in bars and shops, but the journey to the shelves has been a long one. Don O’Leary cut his teeth as a successful publican in the Cork/Kerry area for many years while Gordon Lucey has been busy brewing his own beer for over a decade. Together, they are setting about putting the West Cork village of Ballyvourney on the craft beer map.
9 White Deer takes great pride in sourcing as much as possible locally from the manufacture of the plant to the barley and the bottles it's shipped in. One of Ireland's most modern and well-equipped microwbreweries, it has the capacity to produce 8,000 pints a day. They recently launched their first beer, the 4.5% ABV Stag Bán, which has a lightly malted body and spicy citrus hop character: perfect for a lazy summer’s evening. The boys plan on introducing more products, including a mouth-watering oatmeal stout, and will be commencing brewery tours next spring.

BRADLEY’S OFF LICENCE
bradleysofflicence.ie
@bradleys_offlic
Tel 021 4270845
When Bradley’s, on Cork’s North Main Street, started selling craft beer in their off-licence around 15 years ago, people thought they were a little crazy. As history has since proved, the trail-blazing traders were right to assume that when folk tasted real beer made with passion they would be converted instantly. Front and centre of the Irish craft beer boom, Bradley’s is a welcoming spot with staff who have a true affection for craft beer and cider. The sight of their 100ft of chilled craft beers is almost as exciting as the tipples themselves! If you're not living in Cork, fear not, they do nationwide delivery.

DAN KELLY’S CIDER
dankellyscider.com
facebook.com/DanKellysCider
@DanKellysCider
Tel: 041 9837333
Olan and Fiona McNeese named Dan Kelly’s Cider after their great-grandfather; even now, the Co. Louth product is still a family affair. Made from fruit grown on the family farm in Stameen, Drogheda, four generations' worth of experience and passion is present in every drop. Handpicked fruit is hand-pressed to produce one of the freshest, purest ciders you’ll ever taste. Filtered, lightly carbonated, and always made with love, a perfectly chilled pint will warm the heart. While Dan Kelly’s has been shortlisted for the Irish Quality Food And Drinks awards (to be announced in September), they're not resting on their laurels; plans for the future include selling their outstanding product across the entire country as well as working on both seasonal specials and vintage ciders.

INDEPENDENT BREWING COMPANY
independentbrewing.ie
facebook.com/IndependentBrewing
@IndBrewing
Tel. 087 9655093
Independent Brewing Company is one of the newest arrivals on the Irish craft scene. Launched in January, it hasn’t taken long for their beers to make an impact, with their mantelpiece already creaking under the weight of awards. Based in Carraroe, deep in the Connemara Gaeltacht, the proximity of the Coral Strand (just a mile from the microbrewery) has inspired their creations, as well as reinforcing their commitment to producing beers with no added chemicals or additives. Every bottle is capped and labelled by hand; it might be time consuming, but the focus is on quality. Their newest arrival debuts at the RDS in September; a whiskey barrel-aged stout, which has sat in those barrels since Christmas 2013, soaking up the character and flavour from the wood.

JJ HARLOW’S
facebook.com/jjharlowsroscommon
@jjharlowsbar
Tel. 090 6626225
A bastion of good music and great brews, JJ Harlow’s in Roscommon town has it all. Fans of Irish craft beers are in for a treat as the hostelry offers the likes of Galway Hooker, Bru Brewery, Carrig Brewery, Eight Degrees Brewery and Kinsale Craft Brewery, along with a range of international beers on rotation, weekly cask ales and plenty of other bottled drinks too. As well as boasting a drinks menu that will make Irish craft beer aficionados go weak at the knees, JJ Harlow’s serves delicious homemade Castlemine Farm pies - check out their excellent pie and pint deals. Music fans are catered for, too. Soon to tread the boards on Saturday nights are Moo, StrangeBrew, Joe Slyde Psychedelic Blues, Jukebox Gypsy, Lands End, Ronan Gallagher Band, Ed Deane Band, Fox Jaw, Huey & The Hobgoblins and The Elders. Harlow’s also hosts an excellent open-mic night on the first Friday of every month.

KINNEGAR BREWING
kinnegarbrewing.ie
@kinnegarbrewing
Tel. 074 9158874
Named after nearby Kinnegar Beach, just north of Rathmullan in Co. Donegal, Kinnegar Brewing offer a range of finely crafted, all-natural farmhouse beers and very tasty they are too. For the guys at Kinnegar Brewing, beer-making is part science, part art, part tradition, part innovation. Operating under the mantra that variety is the essence of a healthy beer culture, they believe the potential for exploration is boundless; their ales, which include the likes of Devil’s Backbone, Limeburner, Rustbucket and Scraggy Bay, are as exciting as their monikers suggest. A small but important detail if you want to be in the brewing know is that Kinnegar rhymes with vinegar! Kinnegar Brewing encourage people to visit: they run a small but very in-depth tour of their brewery. Check their website for details.

POKERTREE BREWING
facebook.com/PokertreeBrewingCompany
pokertreebrewing.co.uk
@PokerTreeBrew
Tel. 0044 28 8076 1923
Founded in January 2014, Pokertree Brewing is the first brewery in Co. Tyrone in over three generations. Aiming to make superb quality, small batch, handmade beers that use all-natural and local ingredients where possible, they pride themselves on creating old fashioned ale made the way it should be. At the moment they have three beers available via-Barry and Fitzwilliam distributors: their Ghrian Golden Ale, Red Earle Ruby Ale and Seven Sisters. In September, they welcome a new addition to the family in the form of Dark Nirvana, a tribute brew to Kurt Cobain, whose roots stem from Carrickmore, Co. Tyrone.

RASCAL’S BREWING CO.
rascalsbrewing.com
facebook.com/pages/Rascals-Brewing-Co
@rascalsbrewing
Tel. 086 7239594
A love of craft beer brought Emma Devlin and Cathal O’Donoghue together in New Zealand; now the couple are looking to share their passion for brewing with the public. Rascal’s range includes a lively 4.8% ABV Ginger Porter, a deep and complex 5% ABV Big Hop Red, and an easy-drinking 4% ABV Belgian wheat beer, the fantastically monikered Wit Woo. As well as winning plaudits from beer drinkers, they saw ginger turn to gold by winning top prize at the Alltech Dublin Craft Beer Cup for their Chocolate Ginger Porter. Also in the pipeline for the Dublin-based brewery is a raft of seasonal specials to be released this autumn, including an exciting Lemon Saison that will be tapped for the first time at the Irish Craft Beer & Cider Festival in the RDS, with two more autumn seasonals to follow. Already poured in pubs all across the capital, Rascal's will be going nationwide very soon...