Blog

Unfortunately we’ve had to cancel this weekend’s taproom at the brewery as our occasional license application was rejected this morning at Laganside Court. Just to give a bit of background as to how a license for a one off taproom is currently obtained in Northern Ireland. Each of the ~1200 pubs in Northern Ireland has the ability to apply for occasional licenses. These are licenses where the pub can trade outside it’s licensed premises and requires an application to be made to the District Court, the Commander of the District Police Station, and to the local Council. Up until lockdown,...

Hello beer fans.  Today we’re happy to let you know about our new look. We’ve had a few facelifts over the past 4-5 years as the brewery has evolved from little more than a hobby, to what it is today, five people's livelihoods.  We’ve been in our new premises for a little over 12 months now. 2021 has been a huge year for us. We've secured a license to open the first new bar in Belfast in around 30 years and we've had our beer pouring in multiple export markets around the world.  As our net has been cast wider and...

I know we always harp on about it (pardon the pun) but here in NI we’re the isolated little cousin of the GB craft scene and the ROI craft scene, and without having a thriving industry of our own, sometimes it’s a lonely place to be. The usual model for a recently opened brewery in GB is: start producing (keg only), selling at a high margin directly to your consumers at your taproom, with 90%+ of your income coming via high margin, cash sales. Once an established customer base has been established, go to the bank (or investors) and secure...

Pioneer Belfast - 442-446 Newtownards Road, Belfast. 8XL Beers? Today we’re letting the cat out of the bag on a project that’s been three years in the making. We’ve run into numerous brick walls and hurdles along the way and thought it would be useful to share our story, not only on the absurdities we faced along the way but also to thank the numerous people along the way who’ve believed in our plans and supported us. Way back in September 2018 we got in touch with Eastside Partnership when we knew the original 500sqft Bullhouse was going to be...