> Guinness (fine, on occasion)
> Heineken (pisswater)
> Carlsberg (probably NOT the best beer in the world, though props to the ad campaigns)
> Smithwicks (popular with an "older" crowd, she explains diplomatically)
> Bulmers Cider (a hangover in every bottle)
And that's largely it. Sure, now there's a smattering of pubs that offer draft Paulaner, Corona by the bottle (lime if you ask for it) and the occasional Erdinger (including non-alcoholic -- I've definitely made that mistake), but homegrown talent is hard to find.
Things, they are a-changing, however, as a small number of local microbreweries are making headway on off-license shelves and in Dublin's more progressive watering holes. Porterhouse Brewing Company (with locations at the bottom of Dublin's Grafton Street, in Temple Bar, Glasnevin and on the seafront in Bray) offer their own range on draft -- recommendations include Oyster Stout and Hop Head pale ale. Sister pubs, The Black Sheep on Capel Street and Against the Grain on Wexford Street, are also supporting local craft brew talent -- extensive beer menus, good ambiance and food...worth a visit if you're in town.
My favorite, though, has to be our summer discovery: Eight Degrees Brewing out of Ballyhoura, Co. Cork. Their Howling Gale pale ale is beer-y deliciousness personified. Not being a beer aficionado, I'm afraid I don't know the adjectives (hoppy? wheaty?) to explain with any expertise why I like it. (On the upside, we thus avoid any alcohol descriptive pretension -- "nutty, with a hint of peach and squirrel.") Just trust me when I say it's goooood.
To date, I haven't found 8-Degrees in any Dublin pubs, but it got to the point (perhaps worryingly) in August when we were so regularly stopping off at our local off-license to pick up a few bottles, they actually invited us in to meet-the-brewers. I was suitably devastated when I realized the date coincided with a trip away. Ah well. Next time, my brewer friends, next time.
And until then...
Slainte!
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