First Tuesday of the Month at The Salty Dog

Welcome to Bangor Beer Club!
Bangor Beer Club is a place to meet some of the characters behind the ever growing NI brewing scene. Nine years ago when The Salty Dog started in its present incarnation there were 5 craft breweries in NI and we made it our aim to stock at least one example from each of them. Since then one (College Green) was bought by Hilden and another has gone out of business.  When the count of Northern Irish breweries got to over 30 we decided to stock at least one of each of the County Down breweries and some guest ales from the rest of the Province.

Scroll down and take a look at the current list of breweries we are proud to stock.

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NEXT EVENTS:

7th  April 2020 – McCrackens Ale (with a hint of Easter?)

Not one of our core beers as they hail from the County of Armagh. But we love what McCrackens Real Ale do and have heard a whisper that they will be bringing something along that is highly appropriate for the just before Easter timing of this event!

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PAST EVENTS: 

Charity Event Bullhouse & Assisi

3rd March 2020

Modest Brewing

Ards Brewing Co. & friend Rob.

Tuesday 2nd Feb saw a good turn out for a tasting with our old friend Charles from Ards Brewing Company. Charles has been working with Rob, a keen homebrewer, on a new beer Dropkick (5.6%). Rob was looking at how to scale up production and came up with the recipe for a dark, malty bitter. Rob has now helped make it, bottle it, design the label and is now trying to sell it!
The FULL micro-brewery experience! Charles brought down a selection of beers including a Golden Ale, 4 hop IPA, single Citra hop IPA as well as a few others.

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 McGrath’s

This is our house craft producer (i.e. the one where we stock the complete range) named after Master McGrath a famous greyhound born a small, weak pup, he went on to become the most celebrated and successful dog of his time.  The range has 6 beers all brabded in the Greyhound trap colours.  Founded in 2008 by Mark Pearson and based in Waringstown, Co Down, McGraths is a small, dynamic and innovative microbrewery committed to producing only natural, high quality, handcrafted beers. Each beer was designed and refined individually, only moving onto the next beer once they are completely happy with the last, their ethos is: one of a kind, one at a time. (No 6 the Amber Ale with its purplle branding is also now available). Visit Website.

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Farmageddon

Established in 2013 and based just outside Ballygowan in County Down. Farmageddon’s ethos focuses around sustainability, their beer contains no preservatives or fish by-products and using natural carrigan from Strangford Lough as an alternative, this makes their products suitable for vegans. To reduce their brewing by-products their spent grain is used to feed their pigs and they are currently moving towards using solar power as the chief energy source on the farm. All this sustainability doesn’t compromise the great taste of their beer which is unpasteurised and unfiltered to maximise the flavour. Visit website.

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Hercules Brewing Company

Hercules Brewing Company was the first craft brewery to open in Belfast for almost 160 years, aiming to restore the heritage of the city as the leading powerhouse in brewing that was initially established in the 1800’s. The re-borne Hercules Brewing Company uses some of the old brewing traditions to create a small batch brew lager called Yardsman, a brew created with the best of local ingredients and filtered through Irish linen. Visit website

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Hilden Brewing Co.

Hilden Brewery is a family run microbrewery located in Hilden outside the City of Lisburn, Co. Antrim. Hilden Beers are authentic, unprocessed, and free of artificial additives and preservatives. Their character comes from the careful selection and use of malt and hops, products of the harvest and the natural ingredients of beer. Visit website

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Inishmacsaint

Founded in 2009, Inishmacsaint brewing company is a small, farm based craft brewery in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. They aim to brew tasty beers with exclusively natural ingredients which reflect the history and character of the local area. Always striving to do things differently; Lagering kegs in local potholes, maturing cask ales in the 18th century cellars of local neo classical mansions and searching the local moors & meadows for ingredients, you can be sure each of their beers comes with a personal touch. Visit website

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Pokertree

Pokertree Brewing Co is based in the village of Carrickmore in County Tyrone, named for a local legend referring to an old tree in the village, where it was rumoured on certain nights the devil would sit, playing cards, challenging passers-by for a chance of winning all that they desired. For them, temperature control is the key to the brewing process, from the first moment of brewing to the storage of the finished product; the temperature of the beer is strictly controlled, chosen specifically for that stage of manufacture. Visit website

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Whitewater

Established in 1996 Whitewater is Northern Ireland’s largest microbrewery, based in Kilkeel, Co Down, amongst the spectacular scenery of the Mourne Mountains. Their aim is to produce quality handcrafted beers made from the finest ingredients, with no additives. Visit website

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Clearsky

An ever growing beer company, Clearsky burst onto the scene at the 2013 Beer festival. The key to their Fulcrum is the balance between the crisp depth of taste and dry, satisfying refreshment; this is where they get the name, Fulcrum, the point where everything works in perfect balance. Visit website

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Sheelin

This microbrewery, founded by pharmaceutical chemist and yeast enthusiast Dr George Cathcart, sits firmly in the village of Bellanaleck near Enniskillen first brewing commercially in 2013. Viewing crafting beer as both a science and an art, his doctorate and research in biomolecular sciences and medicinal chemistry combined with his upbringing in the Sheelin family restaurant the perfect combination for brewing beer. Visit website

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Red Hand

Established in 2013, Red Hand Brewing Company forms part of the award winning Brewer’s house pub in Donaghmore, County Tyrone. Donaghmore was once home to one of Ulster’s leading breweries and owner, Ciaran McCausland decided it was time to renew the town’s brewing business opening a small microbrewery in the stable at the back of the pub. Brewmaster Simon Toner started out experimenting with all grain brews, recycling bottles, and having taste-tests with friends and family identifying the ideal pale ale recipe. Visit website

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Cloughmore

Cloughmore Brewery is nestled in the Mournes above Carlingford Lough, this unique location allows them to combine the pure mountain water from Northern Ireland’s most famous mountain scape with the finest hops and malt, the IPA is then infused with handpicked Heather and the Granite Larger is meticulously matured to provide potent, smooth flavour. Visit website

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Hillstown Brewery

Located in a rural area of County Antrim the Hillstown Brewery has very unique origins. Based in a farm, the owners originally crafted beer to feed to cattle to be used as luxury Wagyu beef, such was the demand for their beer that they were forced to expand their operation into a full scale brewery built by hand. Now they have turned their brewery and wealth of experience to the craft beer industry hoping to move people away from focusing on alcohol content and onto the taste of the drink. Visit website

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Northbound Brewery

Northbound Brewery, based in the Campsie area of Londonderry is producing beer on their 2,500 litre set-up. One half of the husband and wife team that owns the brewery, David Rogers, studied brewing in Sydney, Australia giving a unique blend of brewing tradition and culture only furthered by their German inspired Kolse Ale-style drink. Visit website

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Walled City Brewery

Based in Londonderry, Walled City is run by James Huey. After painstakingly perfecting his recipes over the last 12 years he has succeeded in making uniquely local, premium quality, fabulously flavoursome craft beers in small artisan batches. Visit website

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Glens of Antrim Brewery

Founded in 2014 and based at Murlough near Ballycastle, it currently has three bottled beers on offer and use only natural products and spring water to produce these handcrafted ale and beers.. Follow on twitter

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Knockout Brewing Belfast

Knockout Brewing is a one-man operation run by Joseph McMullan who’s love for making beer started as a home brew enthusiast. Marketed to reflect the rich boxing heritage of the Belfast boasting unique flavour and a down-to- earth brand, Knockout is proving to be a good contender into the local scene. Visit their facebook page

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Ards Brewing Company

Established in 2011, the Ards Brewing Company is bringing brewing back to the Ards Peninsula. Mainly found in bottle-conditioned form, our output consists of the following beers; Ballyblack stout, Rockin Goose, Pig Island pale ale and Cardy Man stout. Follow on twitter

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Cumberland/Station Works

Established in the village of Great Corby just outside Carlise, Cumberland Brewery expanded it’s operation creating a second Brewery in teh old Station Works in Newry, County Down. They create a range of beers including a Golden Ale, Blonde Fox (brown/red) and a Stout which they call ‘Noir’. On top of this they are also proud to bring us Finn Larger, inspired by the legend of the Giants Causeway, Finn McCool.  Visit website

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Barrahooley

The Barrahooley Brewery is a craft brewery located in the heart of the Glens of Antrim, Northern Ireland, producing high quality craft beers packed full of flavour. Brewing on a small scale and bottle conditioning ensures each and every bottle gets the maximum flavour from the quality Irish malts and fresh hops.Visit website

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Lacada Brewery

Lacada is a community owned Co-Operative brewery based on the world famous North Coast of Ireland.
Its origins lie in a love of beer and brewing, a love of place, and a love of people. It began with a father and son brewing together and grew to become a group of co-operative minded, good beer loving aficionados. Currently they produce an IPA, a Porter and a Golden Ale

Visit website

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Boundary Brewing Company

Based in Belfast, Boundary is a brewery owned and run by its members. Your brewery, your community, your choice.Visit website

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Mourne Mountain Brewing

Rich in history, the Mourne Mountains are said to have been an important source of prehistoric gold. Skilled craftsmen would take the precious mineral and turn it into beautiful and highly sought-after creations. Honest local beer brewed by hand in small batches in the Mournes. Visit website

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