Carlow Brewing Company is, this month, celebrating 30 years at the forefront of Ireland’s independent craft brewing industry. Founded by the O’Hara family in November 1996, the family-owned brewery began with a simple ambition: to offer Irish beer drinkers more choice, more flavour and uncompromising quality. Thirty years later, with Seamus and Kay O’Hara still at the helm, that founding vision remains at the heart of the business.
Today, the company behind a growing portfolio of Irish drinks brands, including O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beers and Falling Apple Cider, continues to evolve alongside changing consumer tastes. Recent innovations include O’Hara’s Non-Alc IPA and Non-Alc Stout, the first non-alcoholic beers in the O’Hara’s range, delivering the quality, flavour and character for which the brewery is known in an alcohol-free format. The non-alcoholic range extensions are expected to hit shelves before Christmas.
Another innovation to hit the shelves is a Gluten-Free Fruited Lager range under the Bohem brand. Brewed to offer consumers more inclusive choices without compromising on taste, Bohem is available in Blood Orange, Lemon and Peach variants.
“Since 1996, our focus has been on brewing beers with authenticity, character, flavour and quality. Consumer tastes continue to evolve, but our commitment to innovation remains as strong as ever. These new launches are an exciting part of our next chapter and demonstrate our ambition to ensure our beers can be enjoyed by an even broader audience,” says founder Seamus O’Hara.
The past year has marked another significant chapter in the brewery’s evolution with the acquisition of a second brewing facility in Dundalk. The new site has expanded the company’s production capabilities, creating opportunities to bring its beers to an even wider audience at home and overseas. Steeped in brewing history, the new O’Hara’s Brewery Dundalk represents both a continuation of Ireland’s rich brewing heritage and an exciting investment in the company’s future.
With this increased production capacity, the team at Carlow Brewing Company is now focused on broadening their reach in the 30+ markets they are currently distributed in.
“Reaching 30 years in business is a significant milestone for any independent brewery, and we have seen many changes in the past three decades,” adds Seamus, “but we strongly believe in the opportunity that is ahead of us and see lots of untapped potential for both our beer and cider ranges. Rather than going wider, we are now focused on going deeper and building on the strong foundations already laid by our team”.
