Custom House Quay may not be the first spot that comes to mind when considering ideal pub locations in Dublin, but when the sun is out, it’s difficult to beat Urban Brewing’s beer garden. And given just how few true brewpubs there are in this city – Rascals is really the only other one at present – it’s a great place to enjoy a few pints (or cocktails) in the sun, although there are also very handy shade options, too.
Although the branding is different, Urban Brewing is an outpost of Carlow Brewing, of O’Hara’s fame, which means that the core O’Hara’s beers are always available, the gorgeous Leann Folláin included (and if you haven’t read Eoghan Walsh’s thoughtful take on that beer, with beautiful illustrations by Mark Hill, you should head to Pellicle and remedy that now). But there is a rotating lineup of exclusive and one-off beers brewed here on site as well – there’s often a mild that’s a delight in warmer weather, and a variety of interesting things to try. There’s also a brewery tour you can book.
And the site is one of the main reasons to visit Urban Brewing: built into a Grade 1-listed former warehouse at Custom House Quay that has been here since at least 1820, it’s an excellent example of thoughtful and creative reuse of a heritage building – something we could really use more of in Dublin (looking at you, Aldborough House). And while I’m probably not the target audience for EPIC (as someone who lives locally, and who has no ‘Irish emigrant’ connections – I’m the opposite here), also housed in this complex, their gift shop is one of the few places on this side of the river where I can buy delicious Brona Chocolates – buy the dark chocolate Salt & Chili and thank me later.
But what I particularly enjoy about Urban Brewing is that each part of the venue feels very different – the outside space is the go-to when the weather is good, but the modern bar in the old building has a lovely look and feel, while the vaults below are great for events – cosy and always beautifully decorated. And as a newer business in an older building, they’ve had the space to get their accessibility figured out in the retrofitting; there are lifts as well as stairs.
Oddly, in 5+ years of living nearby, I’ve not had the chance to do the brewery tour, but I imagine I’ll get around to that eventually. In the meantime, it’s always a nice surprise to find Emerald Ale, the aforementioned mild, on tap, so it’s well worth the longer walk from my usual haunts…
Where: CHQ Building, Custom House Quay, IFSC, Dublin, D01 Y6P5
Access from the city centre: Buses 14, 15, 15A, 15B, 27, 151, Luas Red Line, 18-ish minute walk
Food: Brunch, flatbreads, cheese board, tapas, sandwiches, ‘elevated’ mains and more…
Sport: More pre- or post-sport
TVs: If they are there, they are well-hidden
Music: Always a varied soundtrack inside, harder to hear outside
Family-friendliness: No specific children’s menu, but handy after a tour of EPIC
Pub-crawl-ability: Medium – Dockers and The Wind Jammer are across the Liffey, while The Brew Dock is a short walk away; The Morris Bar isn’t terribly far, either
Local sites of note: EPIC, Custom House, 3Arena, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Grand Canal Dock
Haunted: The vaults have a lovely, spooky atmosphere
Other notes: There’s also basic Eurolager if that’s your thing, as well as very nice cocktails
Socials: Instagram, Facebook
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I’ve never seen U2 live. But like everyone of my age and fighting weight, I saw Rattle & Hum a fair few times, and back in the 1980s, I rented the U2: Live at Red Rocks VHS not infrequently. And while I completely agree that a lot of the stuff of that era of the band still slaps, I can see that the kids might find certain things about U2 a bit, well, cringe. But as a transplant to Dublin, I also don’t have that immediate animosity some seem to have to anything Bono-related – I’m essentially U2-agnostic.
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