About

This is your one stop guide to the Irish craft beer market.

Brewed Awakening focuses all 32 counties on the island of Ireland (well, 31. Get your shit together Cavan). This project aims to identify some of the greatest beer locally produced in each county across this fine country.

I am not an expert, nor do I claim to be. This project grew organically from the lack of relevant google results to some all-important questions:

  • Who produces the best beer(s) in Ireland?
  • What are the best beer(s) per county produced in Ireland?
  • Which Irish breweries are considered the most innovative?
  • What the fu*k is going on with Northern Irish alcohol licensing laws?
  • Why do we drink so much Danish shit in favour of the gems produced on our doorstep?

I can’t claim that I’ll answer all these questions along this journey. Not the coherent ones, and certainly not the rambling hot takes. What I can assure you is this; this is a totally honest, independent project.

This will no doubt be subjective- how could it not be? I will endeavour to recreate a similar tasting environment, but we all know- no two beers are the same. It’s not just the contents of the can that shapes your experience. It’s the craic, the company, and your appreciation for that very moment in time. Beer, like any true art form, is a truly subjective experience. Then again, that’s just my opinion.

What this site Can NOT currently offer you:

  • An in-depth scientific breakdown of the brewing process for the beers that make an appearance here
  • An academic level of rigor applied to the tasting process of each beer (pure Gulag level craic)
  • Free lessons in microbiology

What this site CAN offer you:

  • A county by county breakdown of some cracking beers across the county- North, South, East and West
  • A bit of craic and 32 opportunities to sit down for a chat with some great people and suitably great beer
  • A road map of beers to try  
  • Interviews with some of the countries most innovative and passionate creatives
  • Blogs, ideas and short stories on beer, culture or anything we think you’ll find interesting
  • A platform for some incredible artists and creatives

If you are yet to see your county appear on the site:

Please be patient, I just haven’t got around to it yet. If you have any suggestions on who to try, where to buy or who to talk to- I encourage you to Get in Touch. I’d be buzzing to hear from you. Be it a hometown hero or a cross country classic.

In the meantime, please be patient. If there’s one beer conglomerate ideology we can all get behind, it’s that of King Arthur himself; Good Things Come to Those Who Wait.