I have recently developed quite the love for beer… Craft beer in particular. Why, you ask? Because with “craft beer,” you get to discover smaller, local, and often growing breweries who have such passion and spirit for brewing beer. These are the types of companies and people I like to support. Especially since craft beer is relatively small batch and shorter shelf-life, which translates to better taste! Oh, and lots of unique varieties.

In spirit of this new beer enthusiasm, I have been eager to discover the very best of the breweries here in Dublin. I’m not talking Guinness Storehouse, I’m talking the real local guys doing something a little bit different… a little bit their own!

This adventure is now officially underway, as I found my first stellar craft brewery nestled just outside of Dublin city centre in a somewhat random industrial park. (Don’t worry, if I can make the trek out with ease, you will be fine… Taking public transportation isn’t my favorite) I stepped inside the Rascals Brewing HQ with very minimal knowledge of the brand, other than a love for their packaging and design work. Thanks to the hour-long premium brewery tour, I learned the Rascals story, what makes them special, and more about craft brewing.

Back in 2014 with an interest in craft beer, founders Emma Devlin and Cathal O’Donoghue decided to follow their ambitions and set up their own craft brewery here in Dublin. After winning Gold at the 2016 World Beer Awards for their “Yankee White IPA,” the pair was able to set up their first HQ and start distributing. Last February, they moved to a larger space (where they are now!) with not only the brewery, but a super cool taproom for guests (like me!) to come and enjoy.

The space is awesome, trust me. Come for the beer tour, stay for a fresh wood-fired pizza and more beer, watch a game, or even play your own game- yes, they have large screen TVs and board/card games for you to occupy yourself with. If you become a regular, don’t worry, I promise you won’t get bored of indulging in their five core beers. New specials and small batches are brewed and released every two weeks, so there is almost always a new beer-concoction to tempt you. Oh, and they also have a “pizza of the month.”

During the tour, you get a chance to try four different beers of their choice. It was my first time trying Rascals beer, and now I am hooked. Out of the four I tasted, the “Hoppy Camper” oatmeal pale ale, the Yankee White IPA, the Blackhorse Stout, and the Elderberry Sour, I fell madly in love with the Sour (which is crazy considering I don’t normally like Sours!). However, they were all exceptionally tasty compared to all of the other craft beers I have had.

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For dinner after our tour, my buddy and I ordered the “Brewer’s Platter” to kick off our meal, because, well, I can never pass up a charcuterie board… I am so weak. Expecting the portions overall to be rather small, neither of us shrugged at each ordering a salad and pizza as well. WOW. We were definitely wrong. Another great thing about Rascals- they do not mess around with value. We ate a lot, but still had to box some to go, despite how hard this was considering how great everything tasted and how badly I wanted to eat it all. Probably because they use all good Irish-sourced ingredients- score!

The whole night and experience at Rascals was fantastic, fun, and memorable. I have not stopped raving about it to my colleagues. I’m really looking forward to taking more little journeys out to their brewery for a bite to eat, a couple beers, and good times. If you want to check it out or learn more about these guys, head over to their website here! You’ll find all sorts of information about their beers, how to order, how to visit, book a table, book a tour,…. you get the gist!