Entries by Barry Masterson

Review: Around Brussels in 80 Beers

Earlier this year I made my first trip to Brussels. I didn’t have a guidebook, although fellow ICBers had made some great suggestions that I had fully intended following up. As it turns out, I ended up having the next best thing to a guide book: Joe Stange. Joe agreed to meet me while he […]

Review: Amber Gold & Black

Amber Gold & Black – The Story of Britain’s Great Beers is a unique kind of book. Written by Martyn Cornell, author of Beer: The Story of the Pint and beer writer of the year in 2003, Amber Gold & Black is published only in electronic format. As a result it is a low cost […]

Bottling Beer: An Illustrated Guide

While bottling beer is a relatively simple process, there are some aspects that can be a source of confusion when faced with bottling your first brew. This article describes one proven technique: the use of a bottling bucket and a simple calculation that lets you plan the amount of carbonation you want. Carbonation is probably […]

Mapping the Lost Breweries of Ireland

Following a post on the forums from a member of ICB asking about old breweries, it occurred to me that given my career path — firstly as a land surveyor working in an archaeological research institution, to developing Geographic Information Systems for organisations such as Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Department of the Environment — […]

Extract Brewing: An Illustrated Guide

Brewing using Dry Malt Extract and speciality grains is a really simple and flexible method for making great beers tailored to your own tastes. This article presents an illustrated guide for a method of brewing using Dry Malt Extract with specialty grains and pellet hops. It's not a complex procedure, and the example recipe illustrated here […]

ICB Tasting at the Bull and Castle

The management at the Bull and Castle have kindly offered to let ICB members to bring their own beers in to the Beer Hall for a tasting evening on Thursday the 19th of July. This is only the second time ICB members will have the oppertunity to get together to try each others beers, and […]

The Bull and Castle Gastropub and Beer Hall

The Bull and Castle, formerly the Castle Inn, is located on Lord Edward Street, just opposite Christ Church Cathedral in the heart of Dublin. The Castle Inn had a long history, but in taking over the old pub, FXB began trying something new in the locality; a Gastropub-style establishment with decent food, a fantastic beer […]

ICB Awards: Rated by Members 2007

The Easter Festival run by the Franciscan Well Brewery in Cork provides a unique opportunity for people to experience a huge range of quality Irish Craft Beers in one location. With this in mind, a group of ICB members converged on the Well to sample with gusto. This fantastic festival also provided an opportunity to […]

Is beer good for you?

Well, according to the Brewers of Europe it is. At least in moderation! They produced a booklet called "The Benefits of Moderate Beer Consumption", currently in its third edition (2004) which is based on a symposium held in October 2003. This conference was billed as revealing that moderate beer consumption can "reduce the risk of […]