FDBusiness.com

Alltech Beverage Division Ireland (ABDI) has made an announcement about the planned opening of a new brewery at the historic site of the old MacArdle Moore Brewery in Dundalk. The new Pearse Lyons Brewery will incorporate the relocation of the Station Works Brewery in Newry, which was acquired by the late Dr. Pearse Lyons in 2015 and produces the Foxes Rock™ range of ales, stouts and lagers. The new facility will be fully operational by early December 2018.

The history of brewing in Dundalk, Co. Louth, dates back to 1683, when records indicate that more than 30 ale and beer breweries existed in the town. The renowned MacArdle Moore Brewery provided the perfect location for Alltech to honour Lyons, its late founder.

“It’s an honour to be bringing new life to this historic building,” says John O’Brien, master brewer at Pearse Lyons Brewery. “The MacArdle Moore Brewery was synonymous with brewing in Dundalk. Formed in 1850 from the merger of two older breweries, it joined the Guinness empire in the late 1960s. Dundalk is also where our late founder, Dr. Lyons, grew up, bringing this move full circle in terms of our evolution.”

The move to Dundalk will see all current Station Works staff relocating to the new facility, with plans for new hires in 2019. There will be no disruption to the usual brewing process of Foxes Rock, and transportation logistics will be eased, as the majority of orders come from the south.

“Ultimately, we are simply moving the plant 20 minutes down the road; customers will see no change to service,” says O’Brien. “We look forward to bringing new life to this historic building and resurrecting the brewing tradition of Dundalk.”

Education will play an important role at the new Pearse Lyons Brewery, as O’Brien is developing a special beer academy to teach industry staff about craft beer.

“We will be hosting workshops for bar and hotel staff looking at the craft beer process and industry to give them a better understanding of craft beers and what makes them special,” O’Brien adds. “During the workshops, we will look at the different brewing styles of craft beer, comparing Irish and American methods. We will also look at the ingredients that go into craft beers and their taste profiles.”

The late Dr. Lyons had a passion for and a history with drink, as he was the first Irishman to achieve a formal degree in brewing and distilling from the British School of Malting and Brewing. Following his move to the United States in the late 1970s, Lyons opened his first brewery in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1999. He purchased the Station Works Brewery in Newry, along with the Cumberland Brewery Ltd. in Cumbria, England, in 2015 from the late Northern Irish businessman, Lord Ballyedmond. In 2017, Dr. Lyons, along with his wife, Deirdre, opened the Pearse Lyons Distillery in the historic St. James Church in the heart of Dublin’s Liberties.

CAPTION:

Mark Lyons, President and CEO of Alltech, and John O’ Brien, Master Brewer at Pearse Lyons Brewery.