Today sees a unique beer festival at the Mansion House in Dublin. Whiplash brewery was founded in 2016 by Alex Lawes and Alan Wolfe. Until now they haven't had a home to call their own, renting space at other another brewery instead.
The plan was to open their own place in Ballyfermot, in Dublin, this week, and to celebrate with a party. Sadly, it hasn’t worked out quite so smoothly. “The brewery is miles off being ready,” Lawes says. “Well, not really, but it feels like that... It has been pushed out a good few weeks – maybe August. But we’ll still have a hooley.”
That hooley is the Fidelity beer festival. The participants include YellowBelly Beer and Rascals Brewing Co, from Ireland, and 30 others from all over the world. They'll be serving their beers in small tasting samples, which are free once you've bought your ticket (€62.50 plus a €7.11 booking fee), so punters can taste a wide variety of beers and talk to the brewers. Think of it as 70 beers at €1 a sample, Lawes says. "They include lots of great brewers that have been friends a long time, all in Dublin for the first time."
There will also be fringe events and takeovers around Dublin – whiplashbeer.com has details. The festival is split into two sessions – 11.30am-4.30pm and 6pm-11pm – and a few tickets will be available at the door.
Even if you can't make Fidelity, you can try a Whiplash beer, available from O'Briens and independents for about €4.50. Whiplash Bonehead, for example, is a classic American IPA, with exuberant tropical, orange and lemon citrus aromas, a rich, full-bodied, fruit-filled palate, and a lovely long, bitter finish. The artwork on the cans, by Sophie de Vere, is as good as the beer inside them.
