TOPIC:

What to do!

As previously explained I am in the process of opening a new brewery in Co. Meath . We are hoping to be operational in September. My business partner is involved in a small brewery in Manchester. I have been over and back most weekends now trying to get recipes right and troubleshooting issues we foresee with production for Ireland. We will be using the same brewhouse. (guest beers are a great way to sell our experiments)

Anyway, a local man is opening a Gastro pub in Meath and has heard what I am at through the grapevine. He had tried to get planning for a brew pub but pulled out for some reason. He opens the pub in six weeks and wants to do his own range of cask beers that I will brew for him. Three to be exact, a stout, IPA and Amber.

Am I mad to brew them in UK and transport over until I get up and running in the Autumn. I have done the maths and I will make a few quid, nothing major at all. I was hoping to use it to test the local market for Real ales but I worried that it will take the gloss off what I am trying to do, especially if the beer doesn’t travel well.

I have priced, bond warehouse, transport etc and it adds up if I do it.

Any brewers care to offer some advice or am I better off just holding on until I can brew here.

>a stout, IPA and Amber.

Ah, the holy trinity.

I think the man you want to speak to is Cuilan in White Gypsy. Not only is he a great brewer but he's incubated quite a few of the new Irish Microbreweries over the past few years.

If you can make money now go for it, any business starting up will benefit from early cash flow. On top of that you can use this gastro pub to iron out any beginner issues and problems before you begin brewing for yourself.

Certainly there's not a thing wrong with the Marston's and Fuller's cask beers that are shipped over here at the moment. I can't see any reason a beer wouldn't "travel well".

(Just don't try and pass off a UK-brewed beer as local. Customers tend not to like that.)

(Just don't try and pass off a UK-brewed beer as local. Customers tend not to like that.)

That is my biggest concern, the client wants to create his own range of beers to complement the food he is serving. He will be passing it off as his own.
I have made a number of enquiries about getting it done on contract here but have gotten nothing concrete yet.
(On top of that you can use this gastro pub to iron out any beginner issues and problems before you begin brewing for yourself.)
That is another reason why I want to do it, it will add a lovely bit of real market research to our business plan.
My head is wrecked by this

The fact that it is UK brewed beer isn't your concern really if you're selling to this gastro pub though. It's up to the pub to decide how to market and sell it and they might be happy not bothering to mention that it isn't brewed in Ireland.

Plus at the end of the day UK craft > Irish macro.