They Come And They Go

Location of Origin: S Main St, Cork, Co. Cork, Ireland, +353 21 4911100
Date Established: 1792
Category: Subsidiary Regional Brewery Brand Wholly Owned By Heineken International, N.V., Currently Distributed Only Within Ireland.

For over two hundred years, the Beamish and Crawford brewery was part of the identity of the large city (large as defined by the Irish) of Cork, Ireland. The brewery was established by way of the purchase of an old brewery by William Beamish and William Crawford from Edward Allen (the original porter brewery began operations sometime between 1500 and 1650) in 1792, making it the oldest brewery in Cork, and one of the longest established in Ireland. The brewery enjoyed instant success, becoming the largest brewery in Ireland in 1805 and the third largest in the entire United Kingdom (when that part of Ireland was still a part of the UK). It held onto that top spot until The Guinness Brewery overtook Beamish to become the largest brewery in Ireland in 1833. The brewery remained fairly unchanged until the 1900s when it underwent moderinisation and expansion schemes and went public the year of 1901. In 1962, the Carling-O'Keefe, Ltd brewery (now Molson Coors) purchased the brewery, and subsequently sold it to Elders IXL (Elders Limited) of Australia in 1987 when Elders purchased Carling-O'Keefe. In 1995, it was transferred to Scottish and Newcastle (defunct and now a brand of Heineken) in 1995. Scottish and Newcastle was debranded in 2008, and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Heineken (Heineken UK) thereafter. In 2009, its original brewery in Cork was closed down (though the actual buildings still exist), moving brewing operations to Murphy Brewing Ireland, another Cork brewery and the sister Irish subsidiary of Heineken. Also made in 2009 was the decision to stop selling Beamish outside of the Republic of Ireland. Sad, really, but if you're ever in the area (yes, Cork Ireland), be sure to do whatever you can to get your hands on a pint of their flagship beer, a dry stout, because it may not be around forever. For Shame. Many breweries, even international brands go through multiple ownership changes, but it isn't unreasonable to call Beamish the worldwide brewing industry's town bycycle... yes, everyone gets a ride, and no, condoms are not necessary. Get your mind out of the gutter kids.

Reviewed Beer from Beamish and Crawford


None Yet.

All rated Beer from Beamish and Crawford

3-22-10 - Beamish Stout - 3.62, Irish Dry Stout, 4.10%
This top fermented, traditional dry stout is the flagship product of the Beamish and Crawford brand. Very roasty and adequately malty, this beer pours smoothly, with a higher viscosity, and features a thick, creamy foam head. Low contact carbonation and full bodied. This is a sweeter, smoother, and somewhat lighter stout compared to Guinness Draught. It is currently brewed in the brand's sister brewery, Murphy Brewing Ireland, also owned by Heineken.