Louth will be home to a new craft beer brewery as Dundalk Bay Brewing Company is set to start brewing, which will see it "focusing on contract brewing", while brewing its own beers "intermittently" that will be "primarily for export", according to founder Faye Healy.
The brewery, which will have a capacity to brew 45 hectolitres, has already agreed contracts with a number of microbreweries and is currently in talks with large retailers about the possibility of brewing for them, reports The Irish Times.
"We’re focusing on contract brewing on behalf of others that do not have the capacity to brew themselves, of which there are many in Ireland and the UK. We will also be brewing our own beers intermittently, which will consist of IPAs, lager, red ales and stouts, and be primarily for export. We’re focused on Ireland, with the UK as our primary export target during year one. From then on we’ll be looking to expand into mainland Europe and the US, where we’re already seeing interest. Brexit has led to delays in establishing the brewery, but we don’t expect it to have a huge impact as we go forward because there are capacity issues at so many breweries across the UK currently," said Healy.
Discussing the future of Ireland's craft beer industry, Healy added: "You only have to look at the US, which is years ahead of us in terms of craft brewing, to see that it is here to stay. I think people are increasingly looking for something that is both authentic and different, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon."
