So where is Northern Ireland at...

As mentioned previously, the Northern Ireland beer scene is exploding with 15 breweries currently in production (possibly 16 now or even more if you believe everything you hear) with more to follow this year. Roy Willighan did a good overview of these breweries in his post “Northern Ireland Breweries as of 2014 and beyond...”.

In such a small country and market can they all survive?

I personally think they can but they need to look around them to see what everyone else is doing not just what the status quo up to now suggests. They then need to make sure, if they are not doing something different, they need to be better than the competition. In my general day to day I look at User Experience and User Centred Design. A key point is, if you are going to produce something you need to do it better than what is already out there, otherwise there is no point. Users have an expectation of how something will work/taste/feel and if you fall below that expectation they won’t come back. They can be an unforgiving lot and within the digital world this can be easily voiced.

The benefit that the Northern Ireland breweries currently have is that expectation of great beer is fairly low for the general populace, which will give them time to get their feet under the table. In saying that the times are changing and fast! There is a growing availability of imported beers in off-licenses and bars, some of the current breweries are already pushing their own boundaries and collaborating with others and we are seeing beer clubs popping up all over the place to educate the palates of Northern Ireland drinkers. So the time for thinking outside of the box, growing the community and the industry is arguably now.

I understand the thought that branching out beyond the norm is a business risk, and that risk not paying off is in some cases financially not an option. With that in mind we have seen that the risk isn’t as great as you may at first perceive, just look at the success of people like PokerTree and their Dark Nirvana Dark Cascadian ale and collaborations with Marble (Little Barney) and Inishmacsaint (Crann) Look at the pubs in Belfast, The Garrick that has been in this space for a long time is hardly empty. New kids on the block The Hudson, Sunflower (not new more reinvented) and The Woodworkers again seem to be doing a roaring trade any time I am in. Not saying my presence has anything to do with it mind (If so where do I get my paycheck?). Further afield this is also the case, with places like Kiwis Brew Bar on the North Coast attracting a good crowd and serving a great selection of local and not so local brews. The various beer clubs are always busy and The Woodworkers Tap Takeovers are well attended. We are even seeing the competition possibly pushing the old heads into territories new, Buck’s Head double IPA from Hilden anyone. There is even a new Beer Festival on the horizon the ABV Beer Festival that is selling well from what I have heard.

It isn’t just the locals though, in the relatively peaceful times Northern Ireland finds itself, the tourists are coming in droves. A lot of them from countries with a massive array of beers who want choice, so let’s give them more than Guinness! Let’s give them something they don’t expect to find in our wee country, a diverse range of awesome local beer.

Am I barking up the wrong tree or just kidding myself? Either way I am excited at what the future holds and look forward to see what this year brings!

They call me Bruce.