In the last week of June, the Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland organized an incredible event, Indie Beer Week. There were various breweries across Ireland which were involved and chose their own event(s) to host. These events were held in their communities, mainly at the breweries themselves, as a way to highlight local beers. When I checked out the list myself, I was so excited to see that one of my personal favorites, Priory Brewing, was participating!
Priory Brewing’s first event for Indie Beer Week was an artisan food & beer pairing, so obviously, I had to go. I first learned about Priory Brewing in September at the Irish Craft Beer Festival held in the RDS. At the time, the brewery was just launched and only had one beer – an American style IPA, Original Sin.
Now, I’m one of the rare creatures that loves IPAs. The hoppier the beer, the happier my palate. So you could say American style IPAs are one of my favorite drinks. Unfortunately, Ireland’s craft beer scene offers few options for me in this department (I’m picky, okay). However, when I tasted Original Sin, I was brought back to the summer days I spent drinking an IPA under the California sunshine. I remember telling the brewers how it was one of my new favorite IPAs. You can say I was thoroughly impressed.
Since encountering Priory’s Original Sin, I always kept my eyes out for their beers. To my dismay I didn’t come across one. Until Indie Beer Week. Oh, what a glorious Saturday afternoon the trip to Tallaght became. A journey which was well worth the trek.
You wouldn’t have expected a brewery to be stationed in the Tallaght Enterprise Centre. I certainly would have had no idea. But as I walked through the carpark, I could see banners which led into the entrance of County Fare, a cute cafe which offered outdoor seating past the register. The deal for the event was a free beer paired with each tasting dish. These dishes included chicken fajitas, McLoughlin’s artisan meats, vegetarian tostadas, and chocolate and ginger truffles with Mortal Sin ice cream. I think you can guess which one I chose 😉 I mean who could resist beer-infused ice cream?? Granted, all the other dishes looked delicious as well.
After ordering my dessert, I headed down the hall to the brewery itself, where I could receive the paired beer. With the dessert I had chosen, it was the Mortal Sin. I was too excited. John Kearns, one of the owners, was the man in charge that afternoon. He asked me what I had ordered and when he saw I chose the beer with the highest alcohol content (not on purpose, I promise) he stated, “You must be a brave woman.” Heck yes, I am. I was so ready.
The Mortal Sin is Priory’s newest addition – a double IPA. Darker than a normal IPA, it’s amber tone beckons drinkers. Like any temptation, you don’t even know what you’re getting yourself into once you start drinking it. It surprisingly tastes lighter than it actually is, as the hops are subdued by a more malty flavor. I absolutely loved it. I’d have to say it became my new favorite of Priory’s, which is saying a lot considering I love their Original Sin.
The food pairing with Mortal Sin was mouth-watering. I took a bite of truffle and a scoop of ice cream between every sip of beer. It was all too darn good. Theresa Hernandez, owner of Mero Mero Mexico, was the chef. I had the pleasure of speaking with her about the creation. She said she really wanted something that not only balanced with the double IPA but also accentuated it’s flavors. Her chocolate n’ ginger truffles did just that.
John Kearns & Bernard Bennett are the two directors of Priory Brewing. Seb Kondol is the head brewer, who is from Poland. John describes the three of their roles this way: “Bernard and I are the business minds behind it all, while Seb is the science behind it.”
Currently, Priory makes three beers, all of which are IPAs. As stated before, their first was the Original Sin, and the newest is the Mortal Sin which launched in March. They also have a session IPA, Venial Sin. So, why IPA? John’s answer: “It’s my favorite beer!” On top of that, the IPA was chosen as a style which could appeal to anyone and is accessible to everyone.
John is actually the CEO of the Tallaght enterprise. He owns a total of four enterprises in the area. So when Bernard, Seb and him came together with the idea of starting a brewery, the location was set.
Due to Tallaght’s history, it was the ideal location for Priory Brewing. As they state on their Facebook page: “Tallaght, in South Dublin, has a proud heritage as one of Ireland’s most important medieval monastic centres. On the same site, now known locally as the Priory, the Archbishop of Dublin established a summer palace, incorporating a small brewery and hop garden. Now 250 years later, Priory Brewing is again producing hand-crafted local beer in the heart of Tallaght village.”
Thus emerged Priory Brewing as Ireland’s first social enterprise brewery. This means the brewery gives back so all profits are put into creating jobs in Tallaght. Another hope for the brewery is to give Tallaght something of its own to be proud of; their goal is to create an excellent local beer. However, the city originally didn’t want its name associated with a brewery in fear of a bad product being created. Lucky for Tallaght, Priory is already creating a star name for themselves and the city. The Original Sin and Venial Sin were awarded gold medals at the recent Alltech Dublin Craft Beer Cup competition out of 400 beers competing. Now that’s definitely something to be proud of!
Winning these awards was certainly a highlight for John – one of his favorite moments! He said aside from this, his favorite part of being a brewer is the bottling process. Though their beers have already been such a success and it would be easy to justify expansion, they don’t necessarily want the brewery to become more mechanical. As a local brewery, they want the production to remain small as they enjoy bottling everything themselves.
John’s other passion outside of beer is music and he actually has his own music label. Brews of his choice (not including Priory) are Yellowbelly, White Hag, and Trouble Brewing. All of which have great IPAs, of course!
If you haven’t come across any of Priory’s beer yet, visit one of these pubs in Dublin which offer their IPAs on tap:
– Brickyard
– Taphouse
– The Hill
Their beer can also be found at Molloy’s off licenses or online (beerclub.ie). Definitely follow Priory Brewing on Facebook here to stay up to date on their latest creations. Specifically, you will want to keep your eyes peeled for their stout which is coming out soon, called Indulgence! Sounds beautiful already. For December, they are also planning to offer holiday beer hampers, which will make the perfect gift for friends & family – or yourself (or both!) 😉
Loving a beer this much has got to be sinful. But it’s one sin I’m willing to commit over and over.
