A general presentation to the School of Geography at UCC in support of first foray into the topic.

1. The Place of Craft Beer in Ireland
A cultural-geographical perspective
Supervisors: Dr John Crowley, Ray O’Connor

2. It’s Complex and Subjective

3. Craft Beer
‣ “Produced by independent breweries in small batches
using traditional means and ingredients”

4. WhatWe Know
‣ There once were many craft breweries
‣ During the 20th Century - Consolidation and Scale
‣ Craft Beer Boom Started in US and UK in 1970s
‣ Heineken and Diageo
‣ Ireland stagnant until 2008-2011
‣ There’s an Explosion of Interest and Investment

7. 2001

8. 2010

9. 2014

10. 2017

13. Why?

14. Why Cultural Geography?
‣ Qualitative-based
‣ Appreciates Multidisciplinarity
‣ Humanistically Inspired
‣ Phenomenologically driven
‣ Allow for deeper exploration of what’s behind the
Quantitive shape
‣ Appreciate diversity and subjectivity - differences
‣ Stories through ‘conversations with purpose’

15. Objectives of this Study
‣ What Place does Craft Beer have in Ireland?
‣ Ireland a unique case - Guinness is culturally embedded
(with apologies to Beamish and Murphy’s)
‣ Why and why is place central to craft beer?
‣ What life paths have brought brewers into brewing?
‣ Exploring experience and understanding to see how
meaning has been ascribed

16. Literature
‣ Largely American - although broadening
‣ Tends towards an Economic approach -
‣ Modelling, development, branding and predictive
‣ Where geography has explored the local, placemaking,
social hierarchy, performing of social rituals
‣ Cultural commodification of Ireland
‣ Craft, Meaning and Identity

17. Themes
‣ Place
‣ Human experience
‣ Fluidity
‣ Consumption
‣ Place Making
‣ Cultural Commodification of
Place
‣ Place of Drink
‣ Terroir
‣ Craft
‣ Identity
‣ Geography of Beer
‣ Craft Beer
‣ Coopetition
‣ Tradition
‣ Authenticity
‣ Meaning

18. Methods
‣ Semi-Structured Interviews
‣ 9 brewers identified - 2 contacted
‣ Farm-based, Locally Funded - 12 Acres, Ballykilcavan
‣ Exporting Irish Identity -Yellowbelly, O’Hara’s
‣ Acquired and reinvented - FranciscanWell, Eight Degrees
‣ Female Brewers from IT - Metalman, West Kerry
‣ Reinvest after Buyout - Lough Gill
‣ Retail brewing - Galway Bay, Rising Sons
‣ Local Adjunct Ingredients - Galway Hooker, Black Donkey
‣ Gypsy Brewers -Whiplash, Two Sisters
‣ Craft within Microbrewery - St James Open Gate

19. Methods
‣ Photo-Elicitation

20. Methods
‣ Participant Observation

21. Underworld Savage

22. ThankYou
Shawn Day @iridium shawn.day@ucc.ie