Musicandbeer attheCityHall
THE combination of great beer, good music and mouth-watering food is always a sound basis on which to plan a great night out on the town.
All three of the above will be in under one roof over the course of the next three days with the second annual Great Irish Beer Festival set to tickle tastebuds and electrify ear drums at Cork City Hall.
As its name would suggest beer will be the main focus of the festival, with two-dozen craft brewers and one distillery showcasing an an astounding array of ales, stouts lagers and ciders over the weekend.
In addition to local breweries including Francisan Well, Cotton Ball Brewing and Eight Degrees the festival will also feature brews from Irish companies based farther afield including Roscommon’s Black Donkey, Kildare-based Trouble Brewing and the Wicklow Brewery.
A series of lectures will also take place over the weekend about a range of topics including what dishes to pair with different beers, discussions led by Chris O’Flynn of the Malting Company and demonstrations in the fine art making your own tipples courtesy of the Lee Valley Brewing Club.
In addition to celebrating the rich tradition of Irish brewing and the increasing popularity of micro-breweries over recent years, the festival will also offer visitors the chance to hear some of Ireland’s top bands perform live.
Cork band Audible Joes will get proceedings off to a blistering start tonight (Thursday), followed by what promises to be a typically high-octane set from veteran Northern Ireland punk rockers Stiff little Fingers.
Another Cork band, The Band Anna who made a name for themselves busking on the streets of the city will play the venue the following night, followed by a set by electronic four-piece La Galaxie, arguably one of Ireland’s most exciting live acts.
Leeside duo Fire & Water will take to the festival stage on Saturday night, with Rebel Rebel – The David Bowie Experience set to bring the weekend to a rousing finale.
The festival is open to the public (over 18’s) from 7pm10pm on Thursday and from 4pm-10pm on Saturday and Sunday, with live music from 6pm each day.
Admission will be €13.50 daily in advance of €15 at the door.
For more information about the festival tickets visit www. greatirishbeerfestival.ie.