Launch Date 26th April 2021

We are delighted announce the launch of our range of can conditioned beers, a first from us here in Dungarvan!

Our beers have always been bottle conditioned, and with the growth in popularity in canned beer over the last few years there was a puzzle to be solved in terms of how to go from a beer conditioned in the bottle, to a canned product.

Although the obvious answer was to go with contract canners, and condition beer to go into a can elsewhere, this didn’t sit right us here, as from day one prided ourselves on doing everything on site at the brewery.  Each bottle label declares that the beer inside was ‘Brewed and Bottled in Dungarvan’ so it was only ever going to be done at the brewery.

“As we’ve always produced bottle conditioned beers we knew that when it came to canning we didn’t want to stray too far from our core values.  So we decided to work on a can conditioning process in which, similar to our bottles,  the beer is packaged flat (unconditioned) then undergoes a second fermentation process in our warm room, in which carbon dioxide is produced, going back into the beer to give us a fully carbonated beer at the end of the process” – Cormac O’Dwyer, Head Brewer

The result is a naturally carbonated beer which is unfiltered and unpasteurised giving the full flavour and quality expected of a Dungarvan beer in a new format.  Our cans are fully recyclable, once the low stick label has been been peeled off they’re ready to pop in the recycle bin!

The canned range is now on nationwide release, and available to retailers through our distribution partners Fourcorners.  More beers are being planned to go into cans in the coming weeks, follow our social media channels to stay up to date!

FOLLOW FOR MORE UPDATES ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA 

@DungarvanBrewCo

Here in Dungarvan we are staving off the January blues with some R+D, and working with cans instead of bottles for a while to trial Can Conditioned Beer.

Can Trials 2021

With the rise of canned beers over the past few years, it’s the question we get asked most often and the discussion we’ve had most – will Dungarvan ever release their beer in cans?  With all the discussion and consideration, what held us back was changing our process from a bottle conditioned product, which we have always believed produces the best quality and best tasting beer, to a force carbonated product.  By working on a can conditioned beer we can keep our core ethos, retaining the character of the beer – undergoing its secondary fermentation in the bottle (or can) to produce a natural carbonation in the beer.

CANditioning

Like our bottled conditioning process, here’s how it works: we can the beer unfiltered so that the live yeast is present in the can after packaging.  The beer then undergoes a second fermentation process in the can, creating more CO2, which gives the beer its bubbles.  This leads to a natural carbonation, preserving the beer’s quality and enhancing its flavour.  After going through the conditioning process the yeast will fall away to the bottom of the can, leaving a natural yeast sediment behind.  Anyone familiar with our bottled beers, or any other bottle conditioned beers, will be familiar with this sediment!

The first trial batches of cans are now gone into our warm room for the yeast to work its magic. There are still lots of trials and research ahead of us at the brewery for the next few weeks and all going well we are hoping to have our first ever can release in March.  These will be available nationwide through our wholesale partners, Fourcorners.

Stay tuned to our Instagram , Twitter and Facebook pages for updates of Ireland’s first full time range of can conditioned beer. 

Now part of our Core Range

After our successful limited sale of our Alcohol Free Beer Main Sail in Summer 2019. Due to popular demand we have decided to make Main Sail a member of our Core Range.

Here’s Why;

Our Alcohol Free Beer has a great taste but also holds many health benefits.

The Beer

Irelands first micro-brewed alcohol free beer. We took a while developing this beer to get it just right, To give a refreshing hoppy flavour without the alcohol content. Coming in at 0.4% abv it is defined as an alcohol free product and can be enjoyed in place of a regular beer.

Plenty of hops give a lively, refreshing citrus and herbal flavour to this light bodied pale ale.

With great fanfare we declare our brewery member’s club open for 2019!

Following on from our tasting room redevelopment, the next phase is the launch of our Brewery Member’s Club which gives you discounts and access to events at our brewery and elsewhere, along with an invite to the official opening party on May 25th. Join our Member’s Club to become part of the gang here and share in our special events taking place in the brewery throughout the summer.

Included in Membership:

What you need to do:

It’s quite simple – fill in your details and let us take care of the rest! On purchase we’ll drop you a welcome email, then get your welcome pack posted out to you. You’ll be supplied with discount codes to book tours, events and merchandise either at the brewery or through our online shop and we’ll confirm your place at our open day event in May. Having received everything, it’s in your hands to book your six tour places at a date that suits you, and you’ll receive a monthly newsletter from us with details of upcoming events both at the brewery and around the country where you can get booking discount or an exclusive invite, depending on the the event.

If you’ve any queries drop us a line and we’ll do our best to answer them!

On April 9th 2010 we gathered in The Tannery for the launch of our brewery, followed up with a party for friends in Downey’s Bar in Dungarvan and first pours of our range. What a nine years that has been!

From an initial core range of three beers, we started adding seasonals beginning with our Coffee and Oatmeal Stout in 2011 and many one-off brews and festival specials. Nine years later our core range has grown to five, with regular seasonals and small batch releases. Added to this is our Greenway Pale Ale, released in 2018 and this year’s batch currently on release. Next to be added to the line up is an alcohol free beer, which is scheduled for release at the end of this month.

We’ve gone from hand bottling to semi automation, and seeing the craft brewing world grow from just seven microbreweries in Ireland when we started to upwards of seventy now. Our own brewery has changed and developed, along with the market and the Irish craft beer scene as a whole.

Making friends

Throughout our journey we have made so many new friends in the brewing and food world in Ireland and beyond. We’ve enjoyed festivals, tastings and collaborations, hosted tours and held long table dinners at the brewery, worked with many local producers and are proud members of Food The Waterford Way which promotes collaboration within the Waterford food and drinks scene. We are founder members of the Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland, a group which has campaigned hard on behalf of the small breweries of Ireland as well as promoting Irish craft beer through Indie Beer Week and the Independent Irish Craft Beer symbol.

What’s next

Since the start of this year we have been working hard on developing our tours side of the business. Alongside our brand new website, we’ve completely rebuilt our tasting room. As a result, we can now accommodate groups of up to 35 and plan on opening up a lot more to visitors this year. From an ad-hoc offering we now offer regularly scheduled tours throughout the summer, on Wednesdays and Fridays, and have plans to add more specialist events to our calendar. As well as continuing to produce great beers, we will be further developing this side of the business and are set to announce plans for our Members Club, which will be launched in the coming days.

So thanks to everyone for being with us along the way, and we hope you join us in raising a glass for our ninth birthday – and come with us as we enter our next phase.

Cheers!