There's a double-whammy of Hop Press Talks today at the Irish Craft Beer & Cider Festival

"It really feels like the industry's come of age tonight," said the nice gentleman from Killarney Brewing who was pulling us our Casey Brothers Extra Stout, and he was bang on.
The full Friday floor at the Irish Craft Beer & Cider Festival was proof that what was once niche has now become mainstream and equal opportunities too with both sexes equally represented at the 50-plus stands.
Our valiant attempt to try every new-ish beer at the RDS continued with the Brown Paper Bag Project's 6.4% Aul Bruin Bagger Cherry Sour; Hope Brewing's 7.9% Bailey's Folly Small-Batch Trippel; Galway Hooker's 6.5% ABV Sixty Knots IPA; West Kerry Brewery's 5% Blue Rose Pale Ale, and Dungarvan Brewing Company's 6.5% Seaweed Saison all comprehensively tickling our tastebuds.
All the plush red velvet seats were taken for our second Hop Press Talk, which featured Metalman Brewing's Grainne Walsh, Lagunitas' Fraser Murray, Dingle Brewing Company's Jerry O'Sullivan and Manor Brewing's Michael Cowan.
The cameras were rolling, with video highlights appearing on hotpress.com early next week. In the meantime, here's the official team photo with our man Stuart Clark in the middle brandishing a Manor Brewing Mont Nude and everyone apart from Fraser branded-up for the occasion.
We've answered the pleas of those who want to watch the rugby and attend today's Hop Press Talks by kicking the first one off at 4.30pm rather than 3.30pm. The Brew Kids On The Block will be Wicklow Wolf's Quincey Fennelly, RadikAle's Alain Dekoster, The White Hag's Joe Kearns and Long Meadow Cider's Pat McKeever.
After a beer break, we return at 5.30pm with Craft Pioneers Cormac O'Dwyer from Dungarvan Brewing Company, Seamus O'Hara from O'Hara's, the Porterhouse Brewing Company's Oliver Hughes and Galway Hooker's Aidan Murphy.
As somebody in the HP office observed, it's the brewing version of metal's Big 4 Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth!
Admission is free and you're very welcome to quiz the panel during the Q+As.