ICB Awards: Rated by Members 2009

The results of the third annual Irish Craft Brewer Awards were announced at the 2009 Franciscan Well Easter Beer Festival on Saturday 11th April. In a radical change from procedures in 2007 and 2008, voting was opened to all members and every one of the ninety or so beers brewed and sold on the island of Ireland in the previous twelve months was eligible for nomination.

This was very much a drinkers’ choice awards, and the winners can truly be said to be the favourite among people in Ireland who genuinely care about the beer they drink.

Voting mostly took place during March, with members submitting their top ten favourite Irish beers. When the polls closed on March 31st, the original list of every beer brewed and sold in Ireland had been whittled down to eight beers which had received 100% of the first preferences between them:

• Blarney Blonde (Franciscan Well)
  
• Clotworthy Dobbin (Whitewater)
  
• Galway Hooker (Hooker Brewery)
  
• Messrs Maguire Bock (Messrs Maguire/White Gypsy)
  
• O’Hara’s Celebration Stout (Carlow Brewing)
  
• Phúca (Franciscan Well)
  
• Porterhouse Plain (The Porterhouse)
  
• Wrassler’s XXXX (The Porterhouse)
  

It was therefore immediately apparent that the country’s microbrewers are making beer of a much higher quality than the large industrial breweries.

With the shortlist established, a proportionality system was used to transfer votes from the lowest scoring beers until the top three places were filled, giving us two runners-up and a grand prize Beer of the Year.

ICB Beer of the Year 2009
Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale
by Hooker Brewery

Galway Hooker has featured in the ICB awards since their inception in 2007. This year it returns to its place as Ireland’s supreme champion, as voted by the drinkers. Members of Irish Craft Brewer recognise not only the superbly balanced flavour of Galway Hooker, and the incredible consistency with which it has been brewed by Aidan Murphy over the last four years, but also the steadfast work put in by Aidan and Ronan in distributing their beer across the country. There’s no point in making a high quality ale if no-one is able to drink it, and the 2009 Beer of the Year Award, voted on by members all around Ireland and beyond, is almost as much a recognition of the hard work that goes into getting Galway Hooker to the drinkers as it is to the excellent beer itself.

1st Runner-up
Clotworthy Dobbin
by Whitewater

An immensely complex dark red ale, Clotworthy Dobbin is very much malt-driven, loaded with rich chocolate and toffee notes, but is also tempered by a definite hoppy bite. Perfect by the fireside or with rich food, it is also light enough to be sessionable in the pub. Drinkers south of the border are delighted at the inroads it has made during 2008 and early 2009 into the quality beer retail trade in the Republic. The draught version available as part of the Porterhouse Independent Irish Beer Festival garnered particular praise from ICB members, and it is hoped that this will become more commonplace in the future.

2nd Runner-up
Phúca
by The Franciscan Well

Much is made in brewing circles of the importance of balance in making beer. However, it is refreshing when, now and then, a brewer throws out the rule book and makes something that defies conventional brewing wisdom. Phúca was brewed to celebrate the Franciscan Well’s 10th anniversary, and is a heavily spiced Christmas ale made on a base of maple syrup with cloves, ginger and cinnamon adding warmth and giving the flavour incredible legs. The fact that this daring beer scored so highly with the membership while being available only for a limited time in a handful of pubs shows just how impressed so many drinkers were with it.

As in 2008, the group presented an additional merit award for a special edition beer brought to the festival which is not part of the brewers’ regular line-up. Almost all of the brewers present were in the running for this award and competition was very stiff.

Beer of the Festival
Druid’s Brew
by Carlow Brewing

It was clear from early on that a stout was going to take the prize but it was late in the evening before a consensus was reached and Druid’s Brew was identified as the winner for the second year running. Attendees loved the silky smooth texture and full roasted flavour that you only get with cask stout.

Noby presented the award on behalf of ICB to Liam from Carlow Brewing Company.

Congratulations to all the winners, and special thanks to the all the members of Irish Craft Brewer who took the time to make the very difficult judgement on their favourite Irish beers.

Once again, we thank The Franciscan Well who provided us with a venue for the awards as well as the opportunity to taste again the great beer coming from Ireland’s craft brewers. And most of all we thank the brewers, and hope that their product lines will continue to expand with new permanent beers and special once-offs. The members of Irish Craft Brewer guarantee them a receptive audience throughout the country and around the world.

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