TOPIC:

Curragower sounds good. Here it is listed in 10 best beer gardens in Ireland (along with Franciscan Well).
[url:2nfxvo17]http://www.ireland.com/food-and-drink/pubs/features/10-of-the-best-beer-gardens-in-ireland/617788[/url:2nfxvo17]

[quote:2nfxvo17]Franciscan well cask and winter ales festival on the 10-12 feb.[/quote:2nfxvo17]
This sounds like an option for Feb meetup. Every brewer should make a pilgrimage to this medieval beer garden at one of the festivals.

[quote:2nfxvo17]Oh congrats on the job Brett[/quote:2nfxvo17]
Ta - tis the sort of place where you could meet [u:2nfxvo17]anyone[/u:2nfxvo17] in the lunchroom. <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->

Why now kill 2 birds with the one stone?
Mid-Wesht Meetup, Beer Exchange and Roadtrip for Sat 11th Feb.?
A few weeks more, it will be worth the wait!
Plus we get a chance to meet up with some of the Dublin Jacks.
It could be a good 'un!

[quote:pz9iewht]Why now kill 2 birds with the one stone?
Mid-Wesht Meetup, Beer Exchange and Roadtrip for Sat 11th Feb.?[/quote:pz9iewht]

This would certainly make for a memorable startup event and make those browny points count.
I'd be all for it if majority agrees. I might go anyways, even if we have a local meetup. I went by myself to their easter festival and had a great afternoon.

I'm not worried about which option is best because if we have a meetup every 2-3 months well get to try them all.

As a cork man exiled in Limerick I've no problems with the plan <!-- s:mrgreen: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt="" title="Mr. Green" /><!-- s:mrgreen: -->

Twin B&B for the sat night for €29 pps at the belvedere, tis only a short taxi ride from the well/chipper

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="www.travelrepublic.ie/accomodation/hotel...b8b09&id=2193076">www.travelrepublic.ie/accomodati ... id=2193076

I can take a few people down from Limerick in my car too

[quote:37jht0qm] tis only a short taxi ride from[/quote:37jht0qm]

I'm sure there'll be a horse ou'side fir the Limerick lads

Well, the votes are in and the options were :
[b:179lxg4p]1)[/b:179lxg4p] a lovely pub in Limerick that sells a few real beers, or
[b:179lxg4p]2)[/b:179lxg4p] another lovely pub in Limerick that sells a few real beers, or
[b:179lxg4p]3) [color=#FF8000:179lxg4p][quote:179lxg4p]A 3 day beer festival featuring Ireland’s finest cask ales and craft-brewed winter ales from [i:179lxg4p][u:179lxg4p]all of Ireland's micro breweries[/u:179lxg4p][/i:179lxg4p]. The newest beerfest to the Franciscan Well’s established Easter and October Beerfests, the Cask & Winter Ale Festival prioritises real, hand-pumped ale but will have plenty of choice available for the casual beer drinker too. The Beerfest will take place in a heated beer-hall with food available throughout the weekend, and there will be live music each night. There is no cover charge.[/quote:179lxg4p][/color:179lxg4p][/b:179lxg4p]

Well, the results are in and we have a winner. The results are ;
- 7 mid-west amateur brewers voted for the cork festival.
- 1 mid-west amateur brewer is baking brownies by the dozen
- 5 mid-west amateur brewers didn't reply. I can only assume they drooled so much into the keyboard that their internet went offline. Hopefully they get it working again for the next phase of the plan.

Some can only go on Saturday, so [b:179lxg4p][i:179lxg4p]Saturday 11th Feb[/i:179lxg4p][/b:179lxg4p] it is !

[u:179lxg4p]Next phase of the roadtrip[/u:179lxg4p]
Logistics. I guess the sooner you get your transport and/or accommodation organised, the better.
Given that few of us have ever met, outside cyber space we might need some plan to identify each other ?