When I began compiling the annual summary, I quickly realized that nearly every trip, whether work-related or extracurricular, had a significant library- or bookshop-related element. Yes, there were a fair few beer-led short holidays, but things of a literary nature also took up space in the diary (and luggage).
The first little break away in the year was over to Sheffield in March for Indie Beer Feast, accompanying the charming and erudite Christina Wade as she launched her first beer history book (you can pre-order the new one on Irish beer history right now!) – it was a cosy little festival, and we had the opportunity to meet some stalwarts in the beer writing community, all very welcoming and supportive. I especially enjoyed Abbeydale’s Moonshine Pale Ale, but I also took a bit of time out upon arrival to finally visit St Mars of the Desert – getting re-acquainted with their beer was a real delight. I also managed to fit in a bit of Parkrun tourism while in town.
The ‘big’ holiday of the year was Scandinavian: a trip to Malmö and Copenhagen with Katie, taking in Eurovision and the Mikkeller Beer Fest. While the crowds for these events were very different, they were both good fun, if exhausting, and the newly-reopened Carlsberg complex is very much worth a visit. The real ‘discovery’ was Hyllie Bryggeri in Malmö, but getting to enjoy some top-notch beers from Ebeltoft Gårdbryggeri at the festival was also a highlight; two of them feature in my personal top 10 of 2024, which we’ll get to at the end of this wrap-up.
We got properly into the bookish part of the year with a visit to Manchester, taking in both the John Rylands Library and Chetham’s Library, as well as all manner of wonderful independent bookshops. This trip also kicked off my minor obsession with Bird & Blend teas, and was rounded off by stops off at Track Brewing and the Marble Arch Inn. Track seems to have become one of my go-to UK breweries, now that their cans are pretty broadly available here in Ireland (as well as popping up on tap at Underdog) – I’ve yet to have anything from them that wasn’t pleasant.
Toward the end of the summer, while the offspring went off to visit their grandparents in America, we took an adults-only excursion to Bristol and Bath. In Bristol, we had the pleasure of meeting Ray & Jess of Boak & Bailey in person, and gladly accepted their suggestions for all things beer and books in the area. The Bath portion of the trip had been planned around none of the usual Roman or Jane Austen-y sights in town, but rather, a visit to Persephone Books, which was as excellent as expected. Happily, Bath has an even broader range of independent bookshops, so we took in most of those before taking a side quest to the George Inn in Norton St Philip for some medieval pub tourism. Back in Bristol, we also stopped in at Lost & Grounded for their lovely lagers, as well as Left Handed Giant and a number of local pubs. And yes, there was another little bit of Parkrun tourism, and more Bird & Blend teas were purchased.
September was all about running, with a hop over to Newcastle for the Great North Run. A stop off at the Lit & Phil continued the library-visiting theme, and yes, another Parkrun was ticked of the list before the half marathon the next day. But there were also some really lovely pubs in town, with the Free Trade Inn very much at the top of the list, and the Wobbly Duck offered a warm welcome after the long, chilly, wet race. The new Donzoko taproom was perfect for a little bit of carbo-loading the day before, and I’m still impressed by how nice the airport was…I’ll need to find an excuse to visit Durham or other surrounding areas to fly in and out of it again.
We also had an actual beer festival here in Dublin, with some real standouts from Hope, Hopfully and Zichovec…a nice mix of local and visiting breweries. As I couldn’t make it to Hagstravaganza in Sligo this year, getting in a local festival that didn’t involve any travel beyond a quick bus ride was a nice bonus.
I managed to fit in an extremely quick trip to the British Library for the Medieval Women exhibit, and cannot rate it highly enough; if you have the opportunity to visit, don’t miss it, even if you’re not the biggest fan of Margery Kempe – there’s so much more, including my longtime fave, Lady Margaret Beaufort making an appearance. And yes, more Bird & Blend tea as well – we’ve been powering through their excellent advent calendar.
Finally, as the year was winding down, I once again popped over to the Neighbouring Island, this time, via the currently-non-operational ferry route to Wales. My object was Talking Terror at Gladstone’s Library in Hawarden, and both the MR James focus of the event and the opportunity to stay at a residential library lived up to my high expectations. I hope to go back for another edition next year, ideally with a bit more time to stop back in at The Glynne Arms.
And so, without further ado, my top 10 beers of 2024:
10) Rascals Brewing Riptide NZ Pilsner, Ireland, 4.5%
9) Left Handed Giant Dark Mild, UK, 3.4%
8) Pivovar Zichovec Krahulik 12 Czech Pilsner, Czechia, 5.1%
7) Lineman Brewing/Underdog Underline WCIPA, Ireland, 8.3%
6) Track Brewing Halftime Horseman Brown Ale, UK, 4.9%
5) Ebeltoft Gårdbryggeri Pedes Pale Ale, Denmark, 4.6%
4) St Mars of the Desert Laska Pils, UK, 4.8%
3) Track Brewing Zeno Tenth Birthday IPA, UK, 7.2%
2) Hope Beer Limited Edition #34 ESB, Ireland, 5.9%
1) Ebeltoft Gårdbryggeri MBCC Raw Power #1 DIPA with Riwaka, Denmark, 8.3%
I have one more quick trip to London with the smaller child this Twixtmas for theatrical purposes, so may fit in the odd final fave or two before the new year, but in any case, here’s hoping for a great 2025; go buy some books!
