https://www.facebook.com/thecraftyirishabeerstory
At the End of February, I got the opportunity to preview a new film about Irish Craft beer from Pauric Brennan, the film ‘The Crafty Irish’ is a story of Irish Craft Beer and
Unlike a tale of two cities, a tragic story set against the French revolution, the film is a not so tragic story of the love of Craft Beer, set against the Craft beer Revolution in Ireland and is a tale of four breweries as they thread the waters of the Irish Craft Beer Market.
The breweries in question are, 12 Acres, Ballykilcavan, Oh Brother, and Black donkey, and throughout the film they tell their story in their own way, a story of innovation and what seems to be a constant battle for market share in a market dominated by the Marco Breweries and one ‘black’ beer predominately, what they lack in marketing budget they make up for with great tasting beer and enthusiasm.
Each brewery has its time in the limelight discussing everything from how they started on their brewery journey to their thoughts about where the brewery is going and what the future holds.
From 12 Acres
Paddy a Quantity Surveyor who swapped up his career for Craft beer came home from traveling to the family farm which had good water and barley and decided to malt some of his own barley and built a brewing from the Barley which grew in a twelve-acre field
To David from Ballykilcavan, 13 Generations of the one family on the Ballykilcavan farm who no doubt saw the best and the worse this island had to offer over the past three hundred years, the owner now, entrusted with the legacy that is Ballykilcavan Farm, and how he is moving forward in a most picturesque setting to not only produce good beer but create a tourism project in the midst of a global Pandemic.
The Brothers from O’Brother Brewing formed during a session of drink in Co Wicklow and who plied willing work colleagues with Craft Beer as a way to hone their skilled
And to Black Donkey
Richard from Black Donkey, his story of how he ended up in the Brewing Industry is the story of the Irish Diaspora and his story of the brewery is an interesting take on the story of his brewery but also an insight into the world of Craft Beer. The segment where they found a new strain of yeast is very interesting, especially the part about 'Roscommon Ebola'
At 1hr 50 minutes the time flew by, the film not only shows the different types of people who become brewers but how everyone approaches the Craft Brewing Business differently whilst all having the same problems with 'Macro' Beer. If you are interested in Craft Beer then this is one to watch, and I hope it is only the start of a series of films covering the four corners of the Island and the Craft Breweries of Ireland.
https://www.facebook.com/thecraftyirishabeerstory
