Beer Nut: 2 Beer Nuts go into a pub in Ireland

A holiday trip to Ireland provided Beer Nut George Lenker an opportunity to visit some of his favorite pubs in Galway and Dublin.

I don’t go to Ireland to drink beer, but I certainly drink my fair share when I’m there.

Yes, readers, I’m writing this from my hotel room in the center of Dublin. (Wren Urban Nest, if you want to know specifics. It’s a wonderful, modern and environmentally conscious venue.)

This trip was mostly for me to be in two major cities, Dublin and Galway, at Christmastime. I was in Ireland around Christmas about eight years ago but I didn’t really get to explore the holiday lights of either city as much as I wanted to. This time I was able to stroll around leisurely and soak in the holiday spirit.

Of course, one can look at pretty lights for only so long. So once that aspect was done, along with a small bit of shopping, and of course eating, it was time to hit the pubs.

My first couple of nights were spent in Galway, and I’ve already sung the praises of the great Salt House, so I won’t dwell on that fabulous venue. But it goes without saying I did spend some time there. But I also got to visit my other favorite place in Galway: the Bierhaus.

The Bierhaus was actually the first craft beer bar I ever visited in Galway, but I hadn’t been there in more than a decade. The place had changed a lot since my last stop there, but the changes were all cosmetic and none of them were bad. It still exudes a dark pub atmosphere, which is a characteristic I enjoy.

What hadn’t changed was the beer. I sampled several delicious ones there, but the one that struck me the hardest was a collaboration between the Bierhaus and O’Brother Brewing, named Lionn Ruadh na Samhna.

It’s a hoppy red ale that pours a ruddy, deep reddish hue and has some great caramel malt notes, which are held in check by a nice hop envelope. It’s a perfect winter beer, and if you can ever get some, I recommend it.

While I could mention a few other impossible-to-get beers I had at the Bierhaus, I have to move on to my time spent in Dublin. I once again met up with my friend John Stephens, and while we had a few pints at several bars, what I’d like to focus on here is our time spent at Against the Grain.

It was at Against the Grain where I was invited to the Christmas party for Beoir, an advocacy group that serves to promote Irish craft beer and educate people about it. John serves as treasurer for the organization.

But aside from being at one of my favorite Irish craft beer pubs with one of my favorite Irish friends, there was another exciting aspect: I got to meet another “Beer Nut” – literally.

John Duffy, who also uses the moniker “Beer Nut” for his blog, is the president of Beoir, but he’s also an esteemed beer writer and historian. He’s erudite and eloquent, and it was a real treat to meet him, even though the party circumstances didn’t allow a lot of time for one-on-one chatting. Check out his blog.

I did learn a few tasty morsels about beer industry news from the party, however. But those will have to wait for another week.

I hope your holidays – whatever and wherever you celebrate – are as enjoyable as my holiday sojourn to Ireland.

Cheers.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. By browsing this site, we may share your information with our social media partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.