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"sbillings":1fpqda9g wrote: When Bud\Heini\Fosters were created, the [b:1fpqda9g]beers[/b:1fpqda9g] were formulated and brewed in their countries of origin. They then used the same recipe to brew the same beer in another country, rather than shipping the product abroad. [/quote:1fpqda9g]

That's all well and good if you have a established product with a definite share of the market.

"sbillings":1fpqda9g wrote: What Árainn Mhór are doing is quite different. They have crated and Irish Brand, to sell a Belgian beer.
[/quote:1fpqda9g]

I also don't think that's a fair comment. It's not a Belgian company, who've decided that this is the way to sell a few cases of their beer in Ireland. In which case I'd share your point of view.

It seems to me that it's an Irish company, attempting to sell an Irish branded product but using the production facilities available abroad. Which is probably the difference between the beer being on the market or not.

There's no point in bemoaning the fact that there's a dearth of Irish microbrewed beer (or in this case, Irish-branded microbrewed beer) and then when someone tries to get something started up, knocking them for using probably one of the only means of getting their beer produced available to them.

I'm inclined to agree with Poc. These people (whomever they might be) haven't decided to brew a stout and stick shamrocks on it and fob it off as traditional Irish stout, using the Oirish brand to make a few quid. I agree that the waxing lyrical about the islands is a bit rich, and the issue with the glasses not being large enough to contain a full bottle when the beer is bottle conditioned is iffy, but if we take them at their word, they plan to open a brewery up there and it'll be another Irish microbrewed beer which is excellent news.

Naturally, that is the way to start an Irish microbrewery.

First you get a brand, then you get a foreign company to make you a beer to go with the brand.

Then you make some vague promises about starting a brewery some time, but obviously you will have build a visitor centre first.

Come on. Look at the priorities being displayed here.

No-one is saying it is the 'ideal', or purist way of starting a brewery, but in this day and age it's marketing that will make or break a company.

To just go and build and open a brewery on a small island off the North-west coast, and then start brewing, to see how you get on would be crazy, even by microbrewer standards.

It may be vague, but they have promised a brewery on the island, and I think some peolpe here, including myself, are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. If all that appears on the island is a visitor's centre, then I might re-think my opinion.

I can see you point, but why did they go for a Belguim style beer which is hardly going to be a big seller? They could have produced a bland lager or stout that would sell far better. They must have some interest in beer to opt for a more challenging beer.

I suppose we might discover in the near future that they are producing the same beer for 10 different countries and slapping different labels on it....

[quote:1de4l0me]And what would be wrong with that? If it was brewed here it would be an Irish Stout.[/quote:1de4l0me]

I mean at the moment, what with it being brewed abroad.