First India Pale Lager launched by Northern Irish craft brewery

Station Works Brewery has launched Northern Ireland's first India Pale Lager (IPL) to strengthen its portfolio of five Foxes Rock branded craft brews.

The new IPL (5.2%ABV) is produced by the company at its craft brewery near Newry in county Down and is one of the first of its type developed on the island of Ireland. It has been influenced by a developing trend towards IPLs in the US.

The Foxes Rock IPL is described as providing a burst of citrus and tropical fruit flavours from the specially selected new world hops. The lager has piney notes and a fruity flavour.

The IPL is among five Foxes Rock beers produced at the brewery; the others are an IPA, Red Ale, Irish Pale Ale and Stout.

The brewing team at Station Works is led by Master Brewer John O'Brien, previously a brew technician for Guinness at St James's Gate in Dublin. The beers use locally sourced ingredients such as malted barley from nearby county Louth and water from Camlough, near Newry.

O'Brien says: "The new IPL is a further example of the increase in beer styles in the burgeoning craft sector in Ireland. IPAs are doing particularly well at the moment and this will continue. However, there will be a broadening of beer offerings driven by the ingenuity of craft brewers and the curiosity of consumers. It is likely that there will be further developments in speciality ales, lagers and the premium craft sector of barrel aged beers."

The Station Works brewery began operation in 2013 on a site behind Newry railway station and in the shadow of the picturesque Cooley Mountains. It brews Finn lager and the Foxes Rock range. It also houses a bottling and canning facility.

Craft brewing has been a growth industry in Ireland in recent years.

According to the Campaign for Real Ale, there are now around 30 independent brewing companies in Northern Ireland - the vast majority of which have opened in the last three years.