Northern Irish brewery wins Dublin Craft Beer Cup

Northern Ireland's original real ale business, Hilden Brewery recently won the top award at a major beer festival in Dublin.

Hilden's 'Twisted Hop' was selected from 130 beers to win the Dublin Craft Beer Cup in the International Craft Brewing and Distilling Competition in Dublin this year for the first time, in conjunction with 'The Gathering' international tourism initiative.

The unique event was hosted by AllTech at the Convention Centre, Dublin. Competitors showcased their carefully crafted beers to a panel of leading industry judges. Local breweries went head to head with the best craft beers from across the globe.

As well as winning the top award for 'Twisted Hop', Hilden gained a bronze medal for Barney's Brew.

Twisted Hop is a new Irish classic with lots of aroma, bitterness and hop flavour. It is a strong premium pale ale, made with late Galaxy hops from Australia, which pack a powerful punch. Then balanced with plenty of Brewer's Gold from Germany, this ale is all about the hops.

Seamus Scullion, who founded the craft brewery with wife Anne in 1981, says: "This excellent news comes a few weeks after Hilden Brewery's Barney's Brew was announced a regional winner at the Sainsbury's Great British Beer Hunt 2013. The latest award is a marvellous endorsement of the quality of our products and will help as we seek to boost sales outside Northern Ireland."

Hilden Brewery is a family run microbrewery based in Hilden, near Lisburn in county Antrim. At the time Hilden was somewhat of a revolution in Ireland as it was the first brewery to reintroduce real ale and consequently is Ireland's oldest independent brewery.



In the 1990s a Visitor Centre and Restaurant was developed as a shop window for the brewery beers.



The brewery is managed by Owen Scullion, a qualified and full time brewer, who joined the business in 2005.