With the Irish’s love of Guinness and Irish pub culture, we really thought we’d be in our element for craft beer breweries to choose from during our two month trip to Ireland. But we couldn’t be more wrong!
I’ve always been a beer drinker and was introduced to craft beer when I met my partner, Taylor, who lived in Portland Oregon (which has a huge craft beer scene!).
So when we travel anywhere, we always look up local breweries or taprooms to try the local beers, support local businesses and also the craft beer community is great, always awesome to chat to and passionate about their beer. Plus they have loads of tips for other places to visit and try out locally - beyond what the guidebooks tell you!
However from these chats with brewers in Ireland, we quickly learnt that the licensing laws around the distribution of alcohol and on-premises selling of alcohol make it challenging for breweries to not only get started, but the competition with popular Guinness and well-established pubs also makes it incredibly difficult for breweries to grow.
As a consequence, there’s a significant amount of local craft beer to try in Ireland, but not many breweries with taprooms or tasting rooms to go with them. Usually they’re distribution centres only - which we found out a couple of times too late when we’d already driven and arrived there!
In total, we visited 10 craft beer breweries in Ireland with taprooms open to the public.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something. While clicking these links won't cost you anything, they will help me to keep this site up and running! Check out the full disclosure policy for more details. Thank you so much!
Wicklow Wolf Taproom
Craft beer Ireland: the top spots
Tig Bhric and West Kerry Brewery
West Kerry Brewery
A real gem on the Dingle Peninsula and an easy stop right off the Slea Head Drive loop to add to your Wild Atlantic Way itinerary.
This unassuming craft beer taproom in Dingle Peninsula is a real Irish pub aesthetic with wooden panelling, quirky decor and a selection of craft beers brewed on site.
The owner was happy to have a chat and we sat outside in the small beer garden at the back. The same family have lived and brewed here for 4 generations, using water from below the brewhouse and specialising in small batch brewing.
As well as the Tig Bhric pub, there’s also a hotel on site and you can book tours of the brewery.
They have a core range which consists of a porter, a red ale and a golden ale. There’s also a Renegade range and a Riasc Range.
Killarney Brewing Company
Killarney Brewing
Probably our favourite brewery of our whole two months in Ireland, Killarney Brewing Company was recommended to us by a friend in the UK and since we were staying in Killarney for a week, it was the perfect opportunity to try it out.
They have a fantastic location not far from the centre of Killarney and not only do they brew, they also make fantastic wood fired pizzas.
This was the perfect spot for a pizza and a pint after exploring the Ring of Kerry.
They have a heated deck outside with mountain views and the staff were wonderful and friendly.
The brewery is doing so well that they were currently building a new facility on the outskirts of the town, much bigger than the existing taproom, in order to cope with the increase in demand.
Dick Mack’s Pub and Brewery
Dick Mack’s exterior wall
If you’re looking for craft beer in Dingle, don’t miss a stop at Dick Mack’s. We were recommended this spot by another craft beer friend we met while in Ireland and loved the Irish pub vibe.
With a huge outdoor courtyard, it’s perfect for a pint in the sun. They often have live music playing and there’s a big whiskey selection too.
There are tours of the brewhouse available and the brewhouse courtyard has food trucks to accompany the beers from the taproom. There’s also often pop-up stores in the courtyard from local sellers.
This is a real family afternoon out type of brewery and it’s dog friendly too.
Tom Crean Brewery, Kenmare
Tom Crean
This was a brewery we stumbled on by accident after a long day exploring the Ring of Kerry.
We were in search of a beer and food for refreshment and found this stop in Kenmare towards the end of our day. You won’t miss the building - it’s bright blue!
This is a family run brewery with a fascinating history as their relative was Tom Crean, the famous Antarctic Explorer.
Not only is this a brewery and taproom, but it’s also a whole tourist experience as the family is passionate about sharing the story of Tom’s expeditions.
There’s an indoor space where the brewing happens as well as an outdoor courtyard and a restaurant that’s open Wednesday to Sunday serving a range of dishes.
We spent a while here chatting with the staff who were kind enough to send us off with a book about Tom Crean and we bought some beers to take home with us too.
Dead Centre Brewing, Athlone
Beer at Dead Centre Brewing
We drove for longer than I’d care to admit to visit here, but since we’d only been travelling around Ireland’s coast, we couldn’t miss the chance to drive inland and visit an Irish craft beer brewery in the very centre of the country!
Athlone is very central in Ireland, located pretty much equidistant between Galway and Dublin.
They have a good selection of beers and also do some interesting collaborations with other breweries in Ireland.
We had pizza there too and they have a great selection on the menu as well as a lovely location on the river with riverside deck seating too.
Wicklow Wolf Brewery
Wicklow Wolf Beer
Another favourite stop of ours on our Ireland road trip was in Wicklow.
We’d tried Wicklow Wolf beers from local supermarkets in Ireland so we were keen to visit the actual facility which had a very newly opened taproom.
Located around 15 minutes north of Wicklow itself, on Ireland’s east coast, their facility is huge and we were really impressed with the newly opened taproom and large outdoor seating area, all decorated in an industrial vibe.
Staff were super friendly and we spent a good time chatting as well as purchasing some merch. You can also do tours of the brewery itself.
My favourite beer was the Mixed Berry Sour but the Oatmeal Stout was also amazing.
Rising Sons Brewery, Cork
Rising Sun Brewing
Despite the name, this is more of a taproom, brew pub and has a great Irish city pub atmosphere.
They’ve got some solid beers with the standard IPAs, lagers, pale ales and red ales on tap.
There’s also a good menu selection too, making this a super easy choice for a drink and a meal in Cork after a day of exploring.
Franciscan Well Brewery, Cork
Another bar and brewery in Cork, located on the site of a medieval monastery - hence the name!
They host events all year round and there’s also a shop and options for booking on a brewery tour.
Their beer list is also pretty standard with the staple larger, IPA, red and stout, I preferred the Irish Pale Ale.
Again, more of a pub vibe but all in all, another great spot for drinks in Cork with a good atmosphere.
Sullivan’s Taproom and Brewing Company, Kilkenny
Sullivan’s Taproom
This was an Irish brewery in Kilkenny that we stumbled on by accident as we tried to escape the pouring rain and I’m glad we found it!
Tucked back off John Street Lower in Kilkenny, they have a big industrial space as well as a covered outdoor space with great huts (with heaters!).
The beers were great and the woodfired pizzas were fantastic too.
We particularly liked the red ale and the wheat beer and it was great to see they also had other local irish craft beers available too.
Walled City Brewery, Derry-Londonderry
Outside Walled City Brewing
I was instantly sold when I saw they had an Orange Sour on tap called Beerexit!
This is a really unusual brewery location and building but I loved the sophisticated facade, outdoor seating with a view of the city and the dark interior with vaulted ceilings.
I’m a big lover of sour beers and tart craft beers so they’ sours, grapefruit ale and passionfruit lager were all winners for me.
They are a gastro-pub brewery and have a full pub menu with Sunday roasts every weekend. There are also great dishes on the regular menu and we loved their platters and snack menu in combination with a tasting flight.
Bullhouse East of Bullhouse Brew Co, Belfast
The first permanent taproom in Belfast is a must visit if you’re staying in Belfast!
Located in East Belfast with the perfect industrial brewery aesthetic, I loved their sour and gose offering and pale ales.
They also have a beer garden and offer a pizza menu as well as events throughout the year including Oktoberfest and beer festivals around Northern Ireland.
Boundary Brewing Taproom
We were recommended this taproom by a friend before our trip to Belfast, however when we arrived we found that it was production only and the taproom was closed for the foreseeable future. We’d tried the Boundary brews at various other locations in Ireland and Northern Ireland and the staff at the production facility were kind enough to send us on our way with a free selection of beers.
So because the staff were so lovely, I wanted to check if they have any plans to reopen the taproom so I could include them in this guide, and it turns out they do!
Coming autumn 2022, their newly fitted out Belfast taproom should be opening, so check them out and pay them a visit.
Summary: the best breweries and taprooms in Ireland and Northern Ireland
Although I love a good pint of Guinness, it was a lot of fun to discovery more about the craft beer scene in Ireland and discover more Irish craft breweries, Northern Ireland craft breweries and Irish taprooms around the island of Ireland. I hope you enjoy them too if you’re able to visit!
Pin for later to plan your future trip!
