There was a time, not so long ago, when if you were interested in Irish beers and spirits, it was still okay to be an amateur. You know: someone with a keen interest, who sorta knew what was going on, read the weekend papers, the magazines, liked trying new things at the weekend.
Today, to keep up to date with Irish craft beers and spirits, you need a Ph.D, a WSET diploma, and a private investigator’s license. You need to be a combination of the late Michael Jackson (The Beerhunter), Sam Spade, and Robert Oppenheimer. Your forensics have got to be as good as your olfactory system and your science. You have got to know your Listoke from your Hope from your Whiplash.
But if your forensics are rubbish, and you confuse Listoke with Greystoke, don’t worry. There are people who can help, and you will find them in Baggot Street Wines.
Every time we visit Dublin, we go to Baggot Street Wines. We ask the team what is new in Irish craft beers and spirits, they tell us, and then we buy it. If we have remembered to bring our Growler, we ask them what beer we should fill it with, and then they fill it up for us.
Our relationship is a thing of beauty: they know all there is to know about beers and spirits, and we are the willing vessel for their expertise. If they suggest the Peach and Blueberry Sour from Hope Beers, then that’s what we buy. Lord knows, they could suggest the Paraquat and Parazone Sour from Death’s Door Brewhouse, and we would put it in our bag.
Of course, they also know everything about wine, and their basement Cavern is a lovely space for drinking and eating. But that’s for another day.
17 Baggot Street Upper, Dublin 2
