Though Ireland is better known for stout, 63% of the beer sold in the country is lager. Stout makes up 32% of the market, with ale the remaining 5%.^[1]

Brewing in Ireland has a long history, and by the beginning of the nineteenth century there were over two hundred breweries in the country, fifty-five of them in Dublin. During the nineteenth century the number of breweries fell to about fifty, and today only about 12.

Historically Ireland produced ale, without the use of hops as these are not native to Ireland. Even in the late 18th century hops were not used, when almost all other countries had adopted the use of them as an ingredient to preserve and flavour their beer.

Most beer was imported from England, Scotland and Wales in the eighteenth century. However in 1756 Arthur Guinness set up a small brewery, moving to Dublin in 1759. Having initially brewed bitter, he switched to producing porter, which was a style from London. Unlike the London beers he used some unmalted roasted barley, as this avoided tax (which was on malted barley only), making it more bitter and dry. In the early twentieth century Guinness became the largest brewer in the world, exporting the Irish style to many countries.

Contents 1 Lager brewing 2 Irish red ale 3 Stout 4 Irish craft beer 5 Pseudo-Irish beer 6 References 6.1 Notes 6.2 Bibliography 6.3 External links

[edit] Lager brewing

The first lager brewery in Ireland was set up in Dartry, Dublin, in 1891, but did not survive very long. Lager was later brewed for a short period in Kells, in the Regal Brewery. Harp Lager has been brewed in Dundalk since 1968.

In 1959, the consumpution of lager in Ireland and United Kingdom was five times greater than the 1950s figure elsewhere, and the potential of brewing and marketing lager with a traditional continental character in the islands was realised.

Heineken Ireland, based at the Murphy Brewery in Cork, have the largest share of the lager market. In addition to Heineken, they brew Amstel and Coors Light, as well as the brands they acquired from Beamish & Crawford including Fosters and Carling.

[edit] Irish red ale

The ales produced in Ireland are now largely in the Irish red ale style, with a slight red colour, generally in the 3.8 - 4.4% ABV range (although export versions are often stronger). The largest national brand is Smithwick's, by Diageo. Others include Diageo's Macardle's, Franciscan Well's Rebel Red and Messrs Maguire Rusty. Ireland's second-largest brewer, Heineken, no longer make a red ale in Ireland, having discontinued local production of Murphy's Red and Beamish Red.

One major variant is Galway Hooker, a highly-hopped ale more reminiscent of US pale ales.

[edit] Stout

Stout brewed by Guinness (and the smaller brewers Murphy's and Beamish) once dominated domestic beer consumption in Ireland, with lager and ale having much smaller shares. However, lager has subsequently become Ireland's favourite beer style.

Draught Irish stout is normally served nitrogenated, to create a creamy texture with a long-lasting head.

[edit] Irish craft beer

Beginning in the 1990s brewpubs and microbreweries began to emerge. While some, such as Biddy Early, Dublin Brewing Company and Dwan's, have since ceased production, the Franciscan Well Brewpub in Cork and Dublin's Porterhouse have both celebrated 10 years in business. Carlow Brewing Company, makers of the O'Hara's range, is another survivor of the first wave of Irish craft brewing.

The second wave began in the mid-2000s and has included the Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne brewery in Co. Kerry and Galway Hooker brewery, based in Roscommon.

[edit] Pseudo-Irish beer

A number of beers claim an Irish provenance, and are commissioned by Irish companies, but are actually produced outside of Ireland. These include Árainn Mhór beers, Strangford Lough Brewing Company beers (including the "St Patrick's" range) and Time Lager.

Many breweries outside Ireland produce Irish-themed beers which are not commonly available in Ireland, such as Caffrey's, Killian's Irish Red and Wexford Cream Ale.

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

• Griffiths, Iorwerth. Beer and Cider in Ireland: The Complete Guide. ISBN 978-1-905483-17-4.
• Protz, Roger. The Complete Guide to World Beer. ISBN 1-84442-865-6.

[edit] External links

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