Castlederg man ‘craft’-ing his own path

CRAFT beer has become ‘the’ thing to drink in recent years by those who enjoy a tipple or two. This revolution of tasty alcoholic beverages, which has seen an explosion of micro-breweries all across Ireland, will make its way into the Tyrone headlands in the coming weeks with a new microbrewery being founded by Castlederg man John McHugh.

The newly-established microbrewery has yet to begin trading but already boasts a fine range of beers. Called ‘Deirge Brewery’ John wanted a name which evoked the area, spinning a tale about the locality’s famed castle which was a focal point of many battles between the O’Donnell’s and O’Neills. He remarked, “Everyone loves a bit of Irish mythology and history and I’m lucky enough to have come from a place which has loads of it.”

Asked how the brewery came into existence, John offered, “Simply put; it was the pandemic. I was sitting around with a pile of time on my hands so decided to give brewing my own craft beer a try. I find that craft beer has a better quality and a nicer taste about it than the typical beers you’d find in the bar. I got all the right books, researched the whole thing thoroughly and began in earnest.

“Craft beer is a huge industry these days while still managing to remain niche, with breweries popping up all over the place. It’s seriously labour intensive; my girlfriend barely sees me between the brewery and work, which she isn’t happy about! The industry is growing and Irish people’s tastes have become more adventurous and expansive than they used to be; it happened in the food industry and the drink industry is no different.

“The branding was done by a local guy called Simon Byrne who did a fantastic job. As soon as I saw the branding, I knew it was another level. It gave me the inspiration to keep going and make a fist of it.”

So far, John has created a range consisting of light and dark lagers, a stout, an IPA, red ale and, surprisingly, a wheat beer . He said he hopes to be up and running in the next couple of months. Originally a car salesman, will John be swapping Skoda’s for stouts?

“We’re a few weeks off being ready so I think I’ll be with the cars for a while yet,” he laughed.