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The Battle of the Brews

By Clare E. Bonnyman

** This is a long-form journalism feature that I completed as a part of my multimedia collection produced for the Armagh Project 2014 and ieiMedia. I studied in Northern Ireland for a month and produced audio, visual and print work about the craft beer revolution and the rise of microbreweries.

LISBURN, Northern Ireland – It’s the most beautiful day Northern Ireland has seen in months, but Lisa Maltman has no time for that.

She is in charge of global sales and marketing for the Hilden Brewing Company, Ireland’s oldest independent brewery, established in 1981.

Being a small brewery in Northern Ireland is a struggle, with a large percentage of the market controlled by multi-national companies like Diageo and InBev – which run Guinness and Stella Artois, respectively.

Maltman’s office, much like the rest of Hilden Brewing, is a constant flurry of activity to keep the company’s product on the market and in the game. Her desk is covered in Post-it notes, graphs, business cards and bottles. In the midst of a craft-beer revolution in Northern Ireland, Hilden is using every opportunity to grow.Hilden Brewery, Lisburn

“We brew every day, and we are at peak capacity at the minute,” says Maltman.

“I’ve just remembered about seven different things I have to do,” she says, typing away furiously.

***

In recent years craft beer production and microbreweries have taken off internationally. Government-licensed alcohol vendors and bars across the world are serving more and more microbrews and craft beers, usually locally sourced.

In North America in particular, the craft beer market has boomed. In 2012 in Canada craft beer sales grew by over 30 percent, in contrast to relatively flat sales of wines and spirits.

This of course pales in comparison to the growth of microbreweries in England, where the microbrewery movement began in the 1970s. That was when a new generation of small, focused breweries started to produce cask-conditioned beer, also called “real ale.” From 2002 to 2012 the number of microbreweries in England doubled, making one brewery for every 50 pubs. There are well over 1,000 microbreweries in England today, and the number is growing by hundreds each year across the U.K. mainland.

But as of the summer of 2014, only 14 microbreweries are active in Northern Ireland. There are a number of reasons why.

Being in the U.K., it’s not hard for Northern Ireland to import a variety of microbrews to add some craft-style diversity. There are also very few bottling plants in Northern Ireland to service new microbreweries. This of course doesn’t even go into the politics that make it difficult to start a brewery in Northern Ireland.

The modern craft beer revolution has reached a crucial point for Northern Ireland, as more microbreweries pop up and fight to survive.

Continue reading “The Battle of the Brews”

10 Things I’ve Learned about (Northern) Ireland So Far:

1. Airports are confusing.
Despite my best efforts, my plane still landed in Terminal 1. Dublin Airport isn’t that confusing, but hauling gigantic bags up escalators on 2 hours of airplane sleep isn’t easy. Granted, with only 2 terminals I was bound to land in the wrong one. I live my life according to Murphy’s law.

2. The Irish are friendly.
The Irish are some of the friendliest people I have had the pleasure of meeting overseas. It probably helps that in a smaller town like Armagh my own accent makes me stick out like a sore thumb and I can’t help but notice. But more than a couple of people stop and say hi, asking me where I’m from, what I’m doing, ask if I’d like any help and are just in general lovely. 

3. Irish Netflix is a thing.
Somewhat unfortunately, my Canadian Netflix did not travel with me, but Princess Diaries 2 is still online so every is A-okay here.

4. The constant association of Ireland with green makes a lot of sense.
Everything here is green, and in the most beautiful way. It is so lush, with beautiful gardens, trees, and parks. There are plants and flowers sprouting out of every brick wall and sidewalk, much to my nature loving delight.

5. Converters may set off intruder alarms in the hostel you are staying in. Be warned.
(This one is pretty self-explanatory).

6. History is everywhere.
Everywhere you step, and almost every person you see has experienced some incredible history. There are so many stories I’ve heard and already my mind is bursting. Some of these buildings are older than my own country, and everywhere I turn I am confronted with another mind-blowing fact. Did you know that Armagh is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland? And that it was an ancient pagan ritual site? Mind. Blown. And that’s just the beginning.

7. Dairy tastes better.
Before my departure from the Great White North, I looked up a number of facts about Ireland, and this is a legitimate thing. The dairy here is brilliant because of the way the cows are fed. Based on Ireland’s climate and soil (wet and rainy, and not so fertile respectively) the crop that is most easily grown in abundance as feed is grass. North American feed (usually corn or soy) doesn’t really grow well here. Cows, being ‘ruminant‘ organisms have a unique four-chambered stomach and are happiest when fed grass. Thus, in Ireland, all the grass means happy cows, delicious cheese, and a very happy Clare.

8. My accent (and yours, probably) is funny.
After an incident ordering Fish’n’Chips on my first evening in Ireland, I can confirm that yes, I sound funny. And “we’re not Irish” is not the proper response to any question, especially not “Salt and Vinegar on your chips?” so don’t be surprised when the gentleman behind the counter laughs too hard to repeat himself.

9. Crossing streets is complicated.
There are very few street lights or cross walks. I may be brave when it comes to crossing streets back home, but Armagh is a whole different ball game. Everything is reverse road-wise. Let’s hope I figure it out or I may become Irish road-kill.

10. I belong here.
Maybe it’s the cheese, or the fact that I’m not the only one drinking tea constantly, or eating Scotch eggs, or maybe it’s even the abundance of green, but I have a huge crush on Northern Ireland, and I’m hoping they feel the same.