• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers

World of Beer Craft: Here’s your update on the Irish craft beer market

October 12, 2016Keith Gribbins

Irish ireland flag drops
Let us grow our American/Irish bonds via beer.

The most reliable rule if you want to drink like an Irishman is to stick to stout. While that’s still a pretty reliable rule, the Irish inclination to try new beers and new beer categories is growing. While stouts and lagers still rule the sales of beer in Ireland, craft breweries and a variety of ales and other exotic brews are beginning to pop up all over the Emerald Isles. According to Ireland’s Food Serve Platform (a solid resource for those involved with Ireland’s food service sector):

According to the latest Bord Bia report, the Irish craft beer market continues to grow domestically and internationally with 62 microbreweries now operating in Ireland, and craft beer representing 2.5% of total beer consumption in Ireland, projected to rise to 3.4% in 2016. That amounted to sales of €40m in 2015 and projected sales of €59 in 2016.

You can compare the Irish market to the 12-percent market share for craft beer in America. Unsurprisingly, the Irish have a lot of the same hurdles as American beer entrepreneurs — namely distribution in a market that’s been monopolized by Big Beer for some time. Here’s a fun example: Heineken Ireland was recently accused of selling “low-volume high-quality draft products” at a number of Irish outlets under local craft beer names. Criminal, right? Unfortunately, we could see that same sort of stuff happening here in America or anywhere else for that matter. So what sets an Irish craft beer apart from these corporate ne’er-do-wells? Back to the article:

Reuben Gray, Chair of Beoir, the Irish Craft Beer Consumers Association, says: “We use the same definition as Revenue: an independently owned microbrewery, not owned by any larger brewery, producing less than 30,000 hectolitres per annum.”

Responding to the statements from Heineken and C&C Gleeson, Gray said: “We as the beer consumers organisation in Ireland would definitely welcome these clarifications because it clears up certain misgivings and misinformation that have been in the public domain. We welcome transparency from all brewers. It’s only from false provenance and when we don’t know where a beer is coming from that it becomes an issue. When the consumer sees a Bheanntraí Brú, they are not making an informed choice. Who knows where it comes from? It could come from Heineken in Cork or any part of the world. The independents are not competing on a level playing field, especially when it comes to sales and marketing budgets, they don’t even come close. This type of thing creates further imbalance and confusion. It skews the line.”

Meanwhile, according to the Brewers Association’s latest numbers (released in March), Sweden, Ireland and the United Kingdom each took a market share of approximately 10 percent when it came to buying U.S.-brewed craft beer exports. The numbers suggest there’s an opportunity for both Irish and American craft brands to satisfy customers in the U.K. market — if locals can level that playing field Gray mentions above.

world-beer-cup-winners_1200x800
Register now for World Beer Cup 2025
white house
Issues for craft breweries to watch under another Trump administration
bob pease
Brewers Association president Bob Pease to retire in 2025
Craft Brewers Conference 1
Fawn Weaver announced as keynote speaker of Craft Brewers Conference 2024

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rossire84 says

    October 13, 2016 at 5:50 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: World of Beer Craft: Here’s your update on the Irish craft beer market. https://t.co/pOyCWwTHR2 https://t.co/OrwtNS5Ocy

    Log in to Reply
  2. BeerPadawan says

    October 13, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: World of Beer Craft: Here’s your update on the Irish craft beer market. https://t.co/pOyCWwTHR2 https://t.co/OrwtNS5Ocy

    Log in to Reply
  3. VicinityBrew says

    October 13, 2016 at 11:12 am

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: World of Beer Craft: Here’s your update on the Irish craft beer market. https://t.co/pOyCWwTHR2 https://t.co/OrwtNS5Ocy

    Log in to Reply
  4. margaretadams_ says

    October 13, 2016 at 11:03 am

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: World of Beer Craft: Here’s your update on the Irish craft beer market. https://t.co/pOyCWwTHR2 https://t.co/OrwtNS5Ocy

    Log in to Reply
  5. Jared Read says

    October 12, 2016 at 4:36 pm

    Jared Read liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  6. KCHopTalk says

    October 12, 2016 at 3:17 pm

    The Irish inclination to try new beers and new beer categories is growing https://t.co/6uRmf8iEFw

    Log in to Reply
  7. crsimp01 says

    October 12, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    World of Beer Craft: Here’s your update on the Irish craft beer market 2016 https://t.co/DwN18FHxCC via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Lagers, lemons, and legendary collabs: 6 beers to know this week
  • Meanwhile Brewing and Uptown Sports Club host 2nd annual Backyard BBQ Summer Series; 100% of proceeds benefit central Texas flood relief efforts
  • Athletic Brewing extends Arsenal F.C. partnership, expands non-alcoholic beer options at Emirates Stadium
  • Abstrax Hops calls out DMTS flaws in hop extracts in new white paper

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • 2025 L.L.Bean 4pk Mock UpLagers, lemons, and legendary collabs: 6 beers to know this week
    July 17, 2025
  • UK_ArsenalAnnouncement_MD_PressAthletic Brewing extends Arsenal F.C. partnership, expands non-alcoholic beer options at Emirates Stadium
    July 16, 2025
  • gross flavor man faceAbstrax Hops calls out DMTS flaws in hop extracts in new white paper
    July 15, 2025
  • Allagash White 12 Packs_horizontal coastDistribution news: Allagash returns to Ohio + moves from Outlaw, Mother Earth and more
    July 14, 2025
  • face palm embarrassed guy beard cbb cropJune Beer Purchasers’ Index shows craft continues to sink
    July 14, 2025
  • Deschutes non alcoholic beer brands toasting in the wildernessNon-alcoholic beer is booming in 2025 — here’s why craft brewers should pay attention
    July 9, 2025

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2025 · CBB Media LLC