In honor of the month of love, I thought I’d write a post dedicated to one of my true loves: beer. It’s been a while since I’ve featured a local Irish brewery. So it only suits that this month I would feature one of my favorite Irish breweries, Hope Beer. Their brewery is located in Kilbarrack, Dublin 5, at Howth Junction. I had the opportunity to tour Hope’s brewery last June during Indie Craft Beer Week. At the end of the tour, I had the privilege of meeting one of the founders, Wim de Jongh, and getting to hear more about the story which started it all.
Hope Beer officially launched in 2015. This Dublin-based brewery is owned by a group of old school friends who have a passion for beer and business. They founded the brewery with the intention of creating a local representation of Howth. In fact, the name “Hope” was given to their beer as it sounds similar to “Howth”. And since Howth is a seaside town, the anchor was a perfect fit as their branding. Thus, their logo was created.
What makes Hope Beer even more unique is that all labels & beer names represent different stories in Irish history. With this, they aim to respect the culture & history of their locality. A story is sent in and they create a label for the newest beer. Their cans are truly a work of art!
Hope Beer started with only three core beers when it was first launched. Now, they brew a core range of five beers, and release seasonal & limited edition beers throughout the year. Their most well-known core beers are Hop-On, Handsome Jack, and Passifyoucan.
Hop-On (4.3%) is an easy drinking session IPA that balances malty sweetness & body with fruity hop flavours and aromas. They describe it as “juicy, hazy & tropical”. The design for Hop-On is dedicated to the DART, the main mode of transportation taken to Howth. This especially suits as a core beer for Hope since the brewery is just off the Howth Junction DART stop.
“Our Hop On beer has gone from strength to strength and has become our best selling beer in the last 6 months,” Wim says.
Handsome Jack (6.6%) is an intense, double dry hopped citrus IPA. They describe it as “citrussy, malty & bitter”. This IPA gets its flavor from the mixture of both American and Japanese hops. This beer was named after Jack Criss, a 17th century Irish pirate, who was tall and handsome with blonde hair and green eyes. He set sail from Ireland, plundering his way to Spain and Italy. He didn’t die in battle but was stabbed to death in a Naples hotel – probably by one of his four wives!
Passifyoucan (4.6%) is a malty, slightly fruity blonde ale with a subtle hop kick. They describe it as “malty, fruity & easy-drinking”. They made it as an ideal beer which combines well with main dishes and desserts. This beer is dedicated to the “Highwayman”, Michael Collier. He was a notorious 19th century Robin Hood in North County Dublin. Collier was so successful that his townland was dubbed Passifyoucan! He was arrested in 1807 and deported, then returned home only to die of cholera.
The other two beers which are part of the core range are Grunt (4.8%), a citrusy wheat beer, and Underdog (4.8%), their crisp lager. One of my personal favorites they released seasonally was Limited Edition No 4: Export Stout. It is a rich, complex, full-flavoured stout, with a roast barley aroma and hints of coffee and caramel. It has tastes of coffee, dark fruits and cocoa. You should also try their Summer Session IPA & Oatmeal Stout if you can get your hands on ‘em!
Winter Seasonal Black IPA 
Limited 17
Hope’s most recent releases have included a very drinkable winter seasonal Black IPA (4.9%) and Limited 17: Foreign export Stout (6.8%). The Black IPA is crafted as a citrussy, hop-forward character of an American IPA, but with the attractive dark appearance of a stout or porter. And the Limited 17 has dominating flavors of roasted grains and dark coffee, yet is smooth and balanced with a touch of chocolate at the end. Both sound absolutely mouth-watering!
Stay on the lookout for two of their upcoming brews. “Limited 18 is in the tank and is a pineapple and passionfruit sour back due to popular demand. On our innovation kit we just released a Belgian-style Rum Dubbel: a Belgian Dubbel soaked with rum barrel chips. We are looking to do a Belgian series on the innovation kit so the Tripel might be next. Our other brewer is going first though and looking at a hazy, fruity, strong IPA,” Wim shares.
Hope buys most of their hops from Europe, but this last year they started experimenting with hop hash from Oregon, El Dorado. These hops are one of my favorites – I absolutely love the strong flavor they give beers like IPAs!
When asked about the highs and lows of running a brewery, Wim said: “Best part is running your own business in a sector that [you] love and is interesting and great fun. The hardest part is that making and selling beer has a lot in common with any start up business; it’s tough, hard work, long hours, plenty of mistakes and hard to make some money in the first three years.”
For only being five years old, Hope has been growing their brewery quickly. In March 2019, they doubled their fermenters. Currently, their biggest goal is to get their alcohol license so that they can sell their beers at their brewery. For now, they are open to tours of their brewery and hope that more and more people will learn about the story behind Hope at Hope Junction.
Wim says he doesn’t have a favorite beer: “They’re like children.” He can’t pick just one! However, one of the bar staff said the flat white stout and espresso stout were his personal favorites. I can now vouch for both of these beers – they are full of flavor and I personally think they make for a delightful dessert!
Hope’s new head brewer, Richie Hamilton, is a Belgian beer fanatic and loves their Grunt Wheat beer styled on a Belgian Saison. Wim is also a Belgian beer fan, and loves a strong tripel. He also enjoys trying all sorts of craft stouts, around 5-6%, especially when they’re on a nitro tap: “Hard to find, but the difference with flavourless Guinness is amazing.” So, if he had to choose a beer other than Hope, he says he would go to Gibneys in Malahide and ask for the Rye River stout on tap.
Wim de Jongh 
Richard Hamilton (middle) 
Des McSwiggan
When he isn’t busy concocting a new brew or planning big business moves, Wim enjoys playing tennis and golf. “I like to travel to the Netherlands and further afield for holidays,” he says. Richie also enjoys travelling, and he spends a lot of time in Brussels drinking great beers. Now that’s a ‘hoppy’ life!
Check out the Hope Beer website to find a stockist near you, and even buy your mates tour vouchers! You can also see a more complete list of all their brews, and the limited edition releases. Be sure to follow Hope Beer on Instagram (@hopebeer), Facebook, and Twitter (@HopeBeerDublin) to stay up to date on their latest news & brews!
