The Place of Irish Craft Beer: Exploring the growth and evolution of the Irish craft brewing industry post-1990.
Craft Beer has exploded as a global phenomenon over the past three decades (XX). Hoppy, bitter pale ales; smooth, refreshing and lighter lagers and the inimitable dark, rich, heavy stouts are just a few of the types of beer that have attracted and sustained the attention of drinkers and brewers alike. At a time when many younger drinkers have turned to hard liquor and binge drinking (XX), craft beer offers a countervailing picture of drinking behaviour. Although typically higher in alcohol content, craft beer has been characterised by the phrase: ‘less of better’ – an appreciation a deliberate decision to consume less (and often pay more) of a better thing. And so it pitches itself as a ‘healthier’ alternative of consumption and one that seeks to address global concerns around dilution of local culture resulting from increased mobility and the permeation of an always-on, globally connected social media.
The Consolidation of Irish Breweries 1975-Present
This flow chart shows the process of consolidation for a multitude to three larger brewing concerns.
Words Describing Irish Craft Beer
A v quick tag cloud scrapped from the brewers websites and labels – approx 1500-1700 descriptions.
Irish Beer Production and Consumption, 2003-2016
A chart using data provided by the Brewers of Europe plotting the decline of both production and consumption in Ireland over this time period.
Declining Irish Beer Consumption (per capita) 2003-2017
This chart uses data from the Brewers of Europe to demonstrate that average beer consumption per capita has declined by 21% over the period 2003-2017. There has been a slight change in the places in which beer is purchased and consumed.
Locations of Working Irish Microbreweries, April 2018
What Are Irish Brewers Brewing?
Using the BAA classifications, breaking down approx. 2,200 individual brews between 2010-2018.
Average ABV of Beer / County
Again using approx. 2,200 brews between 2010-18 computing and placing average ABV of beers brewed in particular counties.
Microbreweries per 100,000 residents
Looking at the number of microbreweries per 100,00 residents of each county in the Republic.
Microbreweries Over Time
Charting spatial and temporal growth of Irish craft brewers.
Vertical Timeline of Craft Brewery Foundings
This is a vertical timeline showing individual brewery founding dates from 1981-2019.
This TimeMapper product presents the complete database of all brewers documented since 1700 in Ireland.
Wheel of Irish Beer Styles
Using same data as the stream map of beer types, a different representation from 2,200 brews of BAA typology interactive.
Lost Breweries of Ireland
A crowdsourced project by members of Beoir looking for evidence of defunct Irish breweries.
Omeka Database of Irish Microbreweries
A Quick Interview on the Craft Brewing Boom for the Evening Echo – November 2018