West kerry brewery
Our Brewing
Beoir Chorcha Dhuibhne
We’ve come a long way since the small brew kit we started with back in 2008. Today we’re now brewing over 17 different beers here in Beoir Chorcha Dhuibhne.
Our Experience
Our Brewing
All our beers are brewed and packaged here in our brew house, in low volume with little interference. Our process is simple; 4 days fermentation, 3 days rest in the fermenter, and then without filtering it, we move it to a conditioning tank where it is kept chilled, in a purged environment, away from oxygen and yeast, for a week or two. Then it’s on to the bottling tank, or the bright beer tank where it receives some Co2 through a carbonating stone under pressure, before its bottled or put into kegs for our customers to enjoy.
Our cask conditioned beer goes through the same process, but when it leaves the conditioning tank it is placed into casks where fresh yeast and a sugar solution are added, enabling secondary conditioning, and creating a very slight effervescence.
Our BREWING
Our Ingredients
Our Well Water
Drawn from 150ft below the brewery
The well was sunk in 2000 and was originally meant to service the pub and accommodation both guest and private. It formed part of the genesis of the brewery – Beer being primarily water. For many years after it’s sinking the water caused havoc with the pipework and boiler systems before a diagnostic and water analysis revealed the high lime content and the installation of a water softening system to alleviate the damage within the pub.
However, when it comes to beer and in particular ales, hard water is of great benefit. The marriage of our fresh yeast alongside our hard (high lime content) water, made the accidental discovery pivotal.
Irish Malted Barley
Source through Minch Malting in Athy
Primarily we are using Irish Barley which we source through Minch Malting in Athy where they have a number of farmers growing along the Hook Head Peninsula in the south east of Ireland. This barley is malted to the specifications of ales and delivered whole to us for crushing before mashing in (the act of mixing malted barley with warm water in order to extract the sugars from the grains, this solution known as wort goes on to be boiled)
There are no speciality maltings in Ireland so these are sourced from Europe through Minch. Specialties include Chocolate, Crystal and Cara malted barley to name just a few.
Hops
As of yet, there is no commercial hop growing farms in Ireland so the hops are all imported
Hops are the flowers that flavour the beers through what are called Alpha Acids. The plant is part of the Cannabaceae family. Being a traditional brewery means primarily the hops we use are European. We use whole hops not pellets – again wishing only to use the actual ingredient and not a composite
Hops balance the sweetness of the barley and can bring a myriad of flavours depending on the variety used. The European varieties have more resinous flavours and directly relate to their geography. New world – the Americas and Australia – hops are more citrus or stone fruit in flavour.
House Strain of Yeast
And finally, there is the yeast
Sourced through our brewery consultant – Brendan Dobbin – Who has also constructed and adapted many of our vessels.
The strain is English in origin. A top-fermenting yeast – as are all ale yeasts. It is this and not the colour of beers which determines whether or not they are ales. Beers are categorised by the strain of yeast used to ferment them. We organically manage the use and number of generations. This is something we have fine-tuned over the years and is somewhat fluid.
Our Tours & Experiences
REVIEWS
What people are saying about
our tours
Lovely pub all clad in wood, with welcoming fireplace we appreciated so much in a cold rainy day. Very nice staff and delicious craft beer! Also it should be said that this place is not just pet friendly, but rather pet loving! My dogs were both treated like princesses, offered a bowl of fresh water and even a soft dog bed for each to rest on. When we’re in Co. Kerry again, we’ll be back for sure!
Karin Najmanová, Dec 2023
Really enjoyed our stay. It’s a beautiful area for a very peaceful break. Got to spend some time getting hands on in the brewery which was brilliant and the accommodation was really nice. The pub and beers are excellent. Well worth a visit.
Padraic Keogh, Sep 2023
Imagine a cozy, warm wooden rustic pub with great craft beer. Well, that’s the place for you. A great place to chill out after/before hiking in the area. The beer is great!!
Ravid Dekel, Oct 2023
Quirky little place, with cosy interior, cute garden, cool pieces of art & AMAZING beer. Tried 6 different real ales – ALL top notch, including a golden ale with corriander seeds, a very drinkable mild, and an incredible porter aged in whisky barrels. Wow. How i wish this was my local
Jamie Rayner – Aug 2022
Beautiful rooms, very tranquil back patio area. Adrienne lovely lady and very helpful. Made our stay extra special and would highly recommend a stay here. Everything within easy reach. Views to die for in the area. A gem in Eire.
Damian O’C Broe, June 2022
A proper local pub that has its own microbrewery. Locals sitting at the bar will most often be speaking Irish and the stained glass panel in the pub is beautiful.
Pac SaGhaelscoil, Jun 2022
We did the brewery tour experience and tasting and it was awesome. Great information, great conversation, and we cant wait to travel here again! Food & drinks: The beer was EXCELLENT
Shannon Sykes, – April 2024
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