New craft brews launched in Northern Ireland

Ards Brewing Company, a new Northern Ireland craft brewery, has recently launched its first two products, a Pale Ale and a traditional Irish Stout.

The Pale Ale, named Pig Island Pale, was launched to acclaim at the recent Ulster Ale and Beer Festival 2011. The annual event was organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and attracted over 100 craft ales and stouts from most parts of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

Pig Island Pale Ale, named after a small island on Strangford Lough, has been followed by Ballyblack Stout, after a townland near Newtownards, where Ards Brewing Company was established last year by architect Charles Ballantyne in the garage at the family home.

The two beers were developed by Ards Brewing Company in early November and are now on sale in a number of local bars in 500ml bottles.

The company is now among a developing cluster of craft breweries in Northern Ireland that also includes the Great Taste award winning Whitewater Brewery in Kilkeel, County Down, Hilden, Lisburn, County Antrim, the region's first real ale producer, College Green, Belfast's only craft brewery, Clanconnel. Lurgan, County Armagh, and Inishmacsaint, Derrygonnelly, County Fermanagh, the latter brewing a wheat beer in local caves. Three of the breweries are already selling outside Northern Ireland - Whitewater, Hilden and Clanconnel.

Ballantyne, who hopes, in time, to be selling the beers in the Republic of Ireland and to beer enthusiasts further afield, was influenced to start the business by the success of craft beers in England. "I noticed in England that most regions have their own craft beers which are popular with local people and were also attracting attention further afield because of a growing interest in distinctively flavoured real ales.

"The Beer Festival in Belfast has also become an extremely popular event and is helping to showcase ales and stouts crafted by smaller breweries. The festival proved to be a perfect launch pad for the ale that I decided to develop to test the market. I wanted to see if the types of beer that I liked would be popular particularly in my local community. I bought the tanks and fermenters and started to develop my known recipes.

"My aim was to produce an ale and a stout distinctive flavours that people would enjoy drinking. Flavour is what counts with me. Pig Island Pale Ale is a refreshing pale ale with a fruity, hop aroma. It has a full malty flavour with a satisfying bitter marmalade finish. It's made from malted barley, hops, yeast and water with natural seaweed finings.

"Ballyblack Stout is rich and full bodied with robust roast coffee and dark chocolate flavours. It's made from malted, roasted and flaked barley, hops, yeast, water and also seaweed fining," He adds.

Both beers are bottled conditioned and do not contain any artificial colours or preservatives. The company is currently producing around 300 bottles a week and has plans to increase capacity.