Collaboration Tour: Carlow/O'Hara's (Ireland)
Summer is always a busy time at the brewery, and 2015 is quite possibly our busiest yet. Starr Hill's Collaboration Tour has kicked off the first leg of it's first-ever international trip in Ireland with Carlow Brewing Company / O'Hara's Brewery. It was an incredible time spent in the Emerald Isle, where Robbie and Brian McNelis joined Founder Seamus O'Hara and Head Brewer Conor Donoughue to make "Foreign Affair," a Session Red IPA. While this beer is (sadly) only available in Ireland, Carlow will be making a trip to Virginia to brew another collaboration for a US-release in Spring 2016."We went for a Red IPA, the idea being to combine an Irish malt red ale style with American hops, as they have a real track record there," said Robbie. "Falconer’s Flight hops (a blend of hops from Northwest brewing) are hard enough to get your hands on over here, so they looked after that."After a fishing excursion, the guys capped off the week at an event held in a beloved Dublin pub. Irish craft beer lovers sampled some Starr Hill beers and had a chance to ask questions from both sets of CEOs and Brewmasters. It was a great chance to share some personal stories and provide unique insights into the craft beer scenes in each country.
UPDATE
In early 2016, O'Hara's Head Brewer, Conor, will travel to Crozet, VA to brew a collaboration with the Starr Hill Brewery team. The beer, an Irish-style stout, will be released at Starr Hill's St. Paddy's Day event.