Beer in Northern Ireland

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Beer in Northern Ireland has been influenced by immigration into Ulster, especially from Scotland, and the drinking habits in Ireland until the partition of Ireland. Whiskey [1] drinking was always a tradition with Guinness from Dublin being a strong influence in the style of beer drunk in the 19th and 20th centuries. Brewing traditions almost ceased to exist as smaller breweries closed, or were taken over, and then the large breweries in turn closed down their facilities.[ when? ] The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) was founded in 1971; however, it was 10 years before the first new brewery, Hilden Brewing, opened its doors.

Contents

Most microbreweries in Northern Ireland find it difficult to sell beer in draught form due to the local tied-pubs issues, where most pubs are owned by Diageo (Guinness), C&C Group (Tennent's) or Molson Coors Brewing Company.

History

Whitewater - Clotworthy Dobbin Whitewater - Clotworthy Dobbin.jpg
Whitewater - Clotworthy Dobbin

The Celtic tradition of brewing beer almost certainly existed in Ireland from before 1,000 BC using barley. The Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate, in a 1,600-year-old poem, described Celtic beer as smelling “like a billy goat.” [2] Historically Ireland produced ale without the use of hops, as the plant is not native to Ireland, which led in the 18th century to importing quantities of hops from England.

During the 18th century, the Irish Parliament used taxation to encourage brewing at the expense of distilling, reasoning that beer was less harmful than whiskey. [3] In the 1760s about 600,000 barrels of beer were brewed annually in Ireland. [3] In the 1760s, the Royal Dublin Society offered prizes to brewers who used the most Irish hops and those that produced the most Porter. [4]

During the interwar period in Northern Ireland, "many drinkers preferred whiskey to beer." [5]

The Caffrey's Ulster Brewery, established in Belfast in 1897 and taken over by Bass in 1974, closed in 2004, so ending big company brewing in Northern Ireland. [6] Stout is the most preferred beer in Northern Ireland, with lager second and bitter beer as a distant third preference. [7] Guinness, brewed at St James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, is still a popular stout beer in Northern Ireland. [7]

Hilden Brewing Company claims to be Ireland's current oldest microbrewery, founded in 1981. [8]

In 2007, Clotworthy Dobbin, produced by Whitewater Brewing Company, was judged one of the best 50 beers in the world. [9]

The number of microbreweries in Northern Ireland has significantly increased in recent years, from five in 2012 to a peak of thirty in 2018. [8]

For many years Northern Ireland's craft breweries called for a change in the law, which prevented them selling their produce directly to the customer on site or online. This also incurred additional costs using a third party for sales. In 2023, an Amendment to the 2021 Licensing and Registration of Clubs Act (Northern Ireland) created a new category of license for local producers, allowing them to sell directly to the public. [10]

List of Northern Ireland breweries

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Brewers in Northern Ireland
BreweryTownCountySinceContract Brewed?
Ards [8] [11] [12] [ full citation needed ] Greyabbey County Down 2011
Armagh Brewing Company [13] Armagh County Armagh 2020
Beer Hut [8] [9] Kilkeel County Down 2017
Bell's Belfast County Antrim 2022
Boundary [8] [11] [10] Belfast County Antrim 2015
Bubble (formerly Norn Iron Brew Co) Derriaghy County Antrim 2023
Bullhouse [11] [10] Belfast County Antrim 2016
Dopey Dick Derry County Londonderry 2016Rough Brothers
Farmageddon [8] [11] [10] County Down 2013Fermanagh Beer Co
Fermanagh Beer Company (Inishmacsaint) [11] Derrygonnelly County Fermanagh 2010
Heaney Farmhouse Bellaghy County Londonderry 2016
Hercules (Yardsman) [11] [10] Belfast County Antrim 2014
Hilden [11] [14] [15] [10] Lisburn County Antrim 1981
Knockout [11] [10] Belfast County Antrim 2015
Lacada [16] [11] Portrush County Antrim 2015
MashDown [10] Banbridge County Down 2018Whitewater
McCracken's [17] Portadown County Armagh 2018
Mourne Mountains [11] [18] [10] Warrenpoint County Down 2015
Northbound [11] Derry County Londonderry 2015
Ormeau Belfast County Antrim 2022
Our Brewery Randalstown County Antrim 2022
Out of Office Belfast County Antrim 2022
Rough Brothers Derry County Londonderry 2019
Tilt & Pour Belfast County Antrim 2023Heaney
Walled City Brewery [11] [15] Derry County Londonderry 2015
Whisht (formerly Sheelin) Bellanaleck County Fermanagh 2023
Whitewater Brewery [8] [11] [9] [10] Castlewellan County Down 1996

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed.: "In modern trade usage, Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey are thus distinguished in spelling; whisky is the usual spelling in Britain and whiskey that in the U.S."
  2. ↑ Bower, Bruce. "2,550-Year-Old Celtic Beer Recipe Resurrected". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  3. 1 2 Ireland Industrial and Agricultural, 1902. p. 455.
  4. ↑ Ireland Industrial and Agricultural, 1902, p. 454
  5. ↑ Blocker, Jack S.; Fahey, David M.; Tyrrell, Ian R., eds. (2003-12-17). Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia 2 Vol. Set (Illustrated ed.). Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. ISBN   978-1-57607-833-4.
  6. ↑ "Bass Ireland Limited — Ulster Brewery".
  7. 1 2 "Passport to the Pub Chapter 6". Social Issues Research Centre. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Northern Ireland's craft beer revolution". Belfasttelegraph.
  9. 1 2 3 "Real ale in world's best 50 beers". BBCNews. 23 Aug 2007.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Northern Irish brewers welcome launch of independent alcohol licensing review". Brewers Journal. 24 Feb 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Calder, Tina (21 April 2016). "27 Craft Brewers In NI Making Great Local Beer & Ale". bamni. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "Local Breweries". CAMRA Northern Ireland. Retrieved 3 Nov 2015.
  13. ↑ "Armagh Brewing Company, homepage".
  14. ↑ Todd, Iain (31 August 2011). "Hilden Beer Festival". Culture Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  15. 1 2 Smith, Brian (3 August 2018). "Craft beer in Northern Ireland - five of the best experiences". Belfastlive. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  16. ↑ McConville, Paul (5 October 2019). "Craft Beer: Bigger Lacada Brewery sure to be even better for its home town Portrush". The Irish News. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  17. ↑ "McCrakens Brewery Armagh, About us".
  18. ↑ "Business award for fledgling Mournes brewery". October 2015.
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