The social drinker

Everywhere you look, lunatics like Trump, Putin and Le Pen are attacking capitalism. It is an easy target, but anybody who doubts that capitalism works need only look at the Irish craft beer industry.

The local beers that are brewed in Ireland today are far better than they were just two or three years ago, thanks to the endlessly inventive brewers who operate here. Breweries that established themselves a decade ago, such as the Carlow Brewing Company, are getting better, while new entrants are starting at a high level, in order to compete.

One example of an excellent new market entrant is Boyne Brewhouse, which has been created by the Drogheda-based Cooney family, who are well known in brewing circles. Founder Pat Cooney is creating a new company which makes cider, cream liqueurs, beer, whiskey and gin a company that is likely to be a success, if Pat’s future whiskies taste as good as his current beers.

In the last few weeks, the Cooneys have begun selling their beers in many supermarkets across the country, and they are among the best Irish beers I have ever tasted. Unlike most other brewers, this company has taken the admirable decision to obey the old German purity laws which govern production of German beers, and ban all additives. Beers without chemicals taste better, and make hangovers infrequent.

Last week, I tasted all three beers from Boyne Brewhouse and enjoyed all of them. I have a strong preference for Pils (a type of lager) rather than ale, so my favourite was a Pils-like drink called Long Arm, but their Australian pale ale Born in a Day, pictured right, and another ale called Pagan’s Pillar were much better than normal ales. Now, if they could just think of sensible names . . . A