Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Breweries
390
Biddy Early's Brewery
The Crafty Brewers of County Clare
Ennis, County Clare, Ireland
This is the Ireland most tourists picture—
misty green countryside, winding roads,
flocks of sheep in craggy pastures, tidy lit-
tle villages, and of course a cheery wood-
paneled village pub with polished pine
floors, open stone fireplaces, and perhaps
some twinkly eyed gent in a nubby sweater
pulling the taps.
Yet as much as it conforms to this post-
card image, the Biddy Early's Brewery in
Inagh (15km/10 miles northwest of the
county town of Ennis on the N85) isn't any
old village pub; it's the first brewpub
opened in Ireland in years. No doubt Biddy
Early's benefits from proximity to major
visitor attractions such as the awesome
ocean views at the Cliffs of Moher and the
spectacularly weird stony landscape of
the Burren. But even if it weren't on that
sightseeing circuit, beer lovers would seek
it out for its award-winning brews: a rich,
fruity Irish-style stout (Black Biddy), a
ruddy herb-flavored traditional Celtic ale
(Red Biddy), a hoppy red cask-conditioned
ale (Real Biddy), a crisp golden pilsener
lager (Blonde Biddy) for those whose beer
taste is more continental, and various sea-
sonal and specialty beers.
Founded in 1995 by industrial chemist
Dr. Peadar Garvey, whose family still runs
the pub, Biddy Early's produces small
batches of artisanal beer without preser-
vatives, enzymes, or artificial additives.
The ingredients are as local as possible—
Irish-grown barley, local carrageen moss
to help refine the beer, bog myrtle for
flavoring, and carefully selected hops from
abroad (hops don't grow well in Ireland's
damp climate). You can look right into the
brew kitchen from the adjoining bar and
see the gleaming stainless-steel vats and
copper kettles used for milling, mashing,
boiling, and refining the grain into liquor.
Fermentation and maturation vats are in
an adjacent building. Top-fermented stout
and ale take about 4 days, while bottom-
fermented lager takes 1 to 2 weeks. In yet
another area, the beer is poured into
either casks or bottles, where the final
conditioning takes place.
The attached visitor center explains the
process before you embark on a tour of
the small plant, followed by a beer tasting.
(Prebook to make sure there's room on
the daily tour.) With all of Ireland's big
breweries now owned by foreign con-
glomerates, craft breweries like Biddy
Early's may be the wave of the future for
Irish beer. In terms of the charm factor
alone, there's no competition.
Ennis Rd., Inagh (
&
353/65/683-6742;
www.beb.ie).
(
Shannon (32km/52 miles).
L
$$$
Old Ground Hotel,
O'Connell
St. (
&
353/65/682-8127;
www.flynn
hotels.com). $$
Cill Eoin House,
Killady-
sert Cross, Clare Rd. (
&
65/6841668;
www.euroka.com/cilleoin).
