Well now this is an exciting one! The first new brewery to open in a while in Ireland and it’s in Cavan! Even as I type this some others are coming to mind, okay, well this is the first one I’ve visited, while it was still new, in the recent past. But please bear with me for a brief diversion to Dublin.
I was in Dublin on Friday and I spotted that there was a screening of Once We Were Punks in the IFI. The film follows Baileborough, Co. Cavan punk band The Panic Merchants who formed in the 80s, went on an extended hiatus to return this century as the Sons of Southern Ulster. The film was directed by Frank Shouldice. And he did a great job of capturing the highs and lows and telling the very human story. After the screening there was a question and answer session hosted by Eamon Carr (you may have heard of him!) with the band and the director. I know it’s not beer but I recommend watching this, it’s showing in a few cinemas around the country this week check local press or the Once We Were Punks social channels for details.
Bréifne Gael got their license to brew in March. Derek cut his teeth with the Capital Brewers where he won a gold medal for his Ór Dubh Stout. After home brewing for ten years he decided to make the leap and set up what I believe is technically a nano brewery. He’s brewing 200 litre batches and then manually filling and labelling 400 bottles. Clearly not a man afraid of work. He did mention that his wife had been in earlier labelling and she was also responsible for the fine range of merchandise that was on display!
Derek told me about the journey to this point and some of the teething problems he’d had along the way. Unfortunately he’s had to dump a couple of batches as he wasn’t 100% happy with them which is always difficult. But I respect the commitment to quality. He wants the drinkers first impression to be a good one. The first two releases are the stout and a red ale with a lager and pale ale to follow in about a months time.
If you are in Cavan or visiting the area look up Bréifne Gael – Derek is offering brewery tours and if you want to get the full experience you can do a Brewery School! I can think of worse ways to spend a Saturday. And Derek is a great host.
After all of the talk about beer it was time for a bit of grub and a beer. I first visited Luso in Cavan town in 2024 and they bought some beer from me. They are doing the best burgers and pizza in this part of the country and they had a special burger on for the weekend which featured the aforementioned Ór Dubh. It was super juicy and the chips were very tasty too. During the meal American duo Deni Bonet and Chris Flynn played fiddle and guitar and provided some good vibes. I don’t think they’re there every Saturday though! I recommend calling in to Luso after your brewery tour. Say hello to Ciaran and Paula and they’ll make sure you leave full and happy. Sláinte!
