Cask ale, as we have often complained, is something of a rarity in Ireland. While there are a few more pubs with a regular cask offering up in Belfast, here in Dublin, it is simply not a regular feature in most pubs. Happily, though, a tipoff from a reader (cheers, Ciaran!) alerted us to a beer engine in regular use at Harty’s Bar. Naturally, we dropped everything to go investigate.
One reason this pub had not been on our radar is that, appearances notwithstanding, it’s a fairly new establishment (but also not; bear with us) – until about 18 months ago, it was the Dingle Whiskey Bar. But like its neighbour, Tapped, with whom it shares a kitchen and menu, it has had a variety of identities, both before and throughout its tenure in the broader Porterhouse portfolio. Now described as ‘a country pub in the big smoke,’ its most recent refit leans into low light, dark woods and deep reds. It also seems smaller than during its whiskey days, but we’re not certain whether this is an accurate feeling or some kind of MR James ‘Number 13’ effect happening. In any event, there’s still plenty of Dingle Whiskey, also part of the Porterhouse group, as well as others.
While it doesn’t have the selection of beers next door in Tapped, with its enormous bar, for a small space, it has a good lineup of some of the more standard Porterhouse beers – the Plain Porter, Yippy IPA and Red – as well as Trouble’s Ambush. There’s also Guinness, of course, and Beamish. But as you know, we were here for the cask option: this week, it was Brehon Brewhouse’s Blonde. And cask is a great way to serve this beer; it helps bring out a bit more of the biscuity malts that are a bit harder to notice when it’s poured from a can. The bartender shared that it’s more commonly the Stony Grey IPA on the hand pump, so it was a nice changeup.
And although you can still count the pubs in Dublin with working beer engines on one hand, it’s nice to know that we are at least back to having at least 1-2 cask options available on nearly any day of the week…if you know where to go.
And to that end, we’ve added a new category: cask.
Enjoy!
Where: 44 Nassau St, Dublin, D02 YY44
Access from the city centre: Right there
Food: Pub grub and beyond
Sport: Football, GAA…the usual big sports
TVs: Small screen near the bar
Music: No music on our visit; sport instead
Family-friendliness: Depends on the time of day, but there is food
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Tapped is next door, and McDaid’s, Bowes, O’Neill’s, Cassidy's, Mulligans, The Palace Bar, JR Mahon’s, The Oval Bar, Porterhouse Temple Bar, Kennedy's and many, many more are all within a very short stroll
Local sites of note: Trinity College, National Library of Ireland, National Museum of Ireland (Archaeology and The Dead Zoo), Leinster House, Irish Whiskey Museum, NATIONAL WAX MUSEUM
Haunted: Perhaps the revamp was too recent for ghosts?
Other notes: There’s even working air con…more rare still than cask ale
Socials: Instagram
We know that we tend to be biased toward pubs on the north side of the Liffey, but this week, we travel (relatively) far into south Dublin – all the way to Blackrock and . Once a quiet fishing village with a sideline in 
And while the 
There are some lovely little snugs and the pub also has a bit of a nautical bent – the seafront is right here, after all – but it’s very welcoming to all; the standard Guinness (and Beamish!) is on offer, and there is good support for independent offerings like Hope and Wicklow Wolf, as well as 
Our featured Dublin pub this week is one that has been in the ‘much requested’ queue for some time. While we had to make it a flying visit, we finally got to 
Until a little over a decade ago, 
And while it can be a bit rough around the edges, likely needing a few coats of paint and some repairs here and there (not to mention having slightly-infamous toilets), that’s part of the charm. Yes, it would be nice if some of the derelict buildings surrounding The Cobblestone were used for, say, housing, but it really does feel like a landmark as-is.
Irish pubs are, broadly speaking, welcoming to all ages during the day and early evening – or, at least, they are more often than not, compared to pubs and pub-adjacent spaces in the UK or US (the never-ending ‘kids in taprooms’ debate there notwithstanding). Dublin has a wealth of pubs that are especially good at catering to families, whether it’s for a meal or just a relaxing pint for the adults and a Coke or Club Orange for the kids.
In the city centre, it might be useful to navigate by proximity to a few tourist attractions. If Temple Bar is on your list, but this is a family trip and not a stag or hen do,
Going north of the river, 
If you’ve brought the family