BrewDog is, once again, back in the news for Negative Reasons, but coincidentally, we had plans to be at Dublin’s BrewDog over the weekend anyway. And so, rather accidentally, we’ve managed to cover a pub that’s been getting some press coverage…let’s dive in.
Similar to many other extant BrewDog pubs around the world, it’s a large, modern building: lots of exposed beams and concrete. Dublin’s BrewDog has the advantage (or disadvantage) of being something of a trek around the docks: this means there are interesting views of the canal and Poolbeg chimneys from the large windows and expansive deck, but you need to be heading there on purpose; there’s limited casual foot traffic beyond the offices in the immediate area. This can, theoretically, draw a large after-work crowd, but we’ve never found it particularly crowded – but whether that is down to the sprawling layout or a true reflection of its popularity is hard to say.
Inside, the look is straight out of the Craftonia playbook, with very little to give it a local feel from a decorative perspective. There’s an indoor firepit downstairs, with lots of long tables for groups (plus semi-covered outdoor seating at the back), and the upstairs has shuffleboard and a deck. The BrewDog branded house beers tend to be on the ‘it’s fine’ side – more on the other locals and collaborations in a moment – and the food is also in the ‘useful for a wide range of palates and allergy needs’ category without being particularly remarkable.
So far, so generic.
And yet, here’s the unexpected (to us) part: we’ve never had anything but positive experiences here. We used to come more often (back in the pre-workplace culture allegations era) when we lived nearby, for two main reasons: first, during different parts of lockdown, BrewDog could actually open, thanks to their outdoor seating; secondly, they have always been extremely family-friendly, and when we had Smaller Offspring, it was a more important part of the experience.
Nowadays, we are rarely in this part of town, and if we were looking for pre-show drinks, we’d be more likely to hit up Daphni, and yet, there are two other factors that give this particular BrewDog real appeal: the excellent staff, and the guest beers. We’ve never had a visit where the team behind the bar have been anything other than great: always deeply knowledgeable about the beers and beer styles in general, whilst being friendly and helpful. Given the size of the pub, it’s often a spot for events and parties, and they are clearly skilled at keeping those running smoothly and efficiently. And the guest and collaboration beers from the likes of Hope and Four Provinces are very much the sorts of things you won’t generally find elsewhere – on this most recent visit, they were excellent. Granted, we shouldn’t have to get so excited about finding a perfect pale ale on tap, but it’s a vanishingly rare thing these days.
We have no insights into ‘what will happen’ with BrewDog’s uncertain future (though it’s difficult to imagine a space of this size continuing without global private equity money). In our ideal world, this would continue as an independent tap room and community space with the same staff, but we also know that’s highly unlikely. It’s also possible a buyer will swoop in and continue running BrewDog’s portfolio as-is (for good and ill), but as of this writing, it’s all guesswork.
In summary, it’s a pub with a great team (and having worked for a lot of ‘evil multinationals’ like Amazon, we 100% empathize with rarely having the luxury of choosing the ownership/management of your parent company, even if we might choose to spend money elsewhere when possible), a unique-for-Dublin space and some interesting guest beers. While we may be no fans of BrewDog’s leadership, we’ve got our fingers crossed for everyone who works here.
Where: Three Locks Square, 4, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2, D02 E5R7
Access from the city centre: Buses C1/C2/C3/C4, 47, 56A, 77A; 30ish minute walk
Food: Pizza, burgers, salads, bowls: lots of veggie and vegan options, too
Sport: Lots of sport
TVs: Screens inside and even outside on the patios and terrace
Music: Varies, depends on the time of day
Family-friendliness: Very welcoming to families
Pub-crawl-ability: Medium – The local ‘Spoons (The South Strand) is the nearest spot, Daphni and Dockers are quite close, but otherwise, it’s a bit of a further trip to the pubs of Ringsend or spots like The Wind Jammer
Local sites of note: Grand Canal Dock, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Haunted: Only by alleged corporate malfeasance
Other notes: One of a very few fully-accessible spots in Dublin, with useful toilets and a lift
Socials: Facebook, Instagram
Staying on 
Inside, it can be absolutely packed at this time of year, both with decorations (similar to 
But The Hole in the Wall is a pub for life, not just for Christmas – there are also running and cycling clubs based here, and it’s a handy spot if you happen to be on this side of the Phoenix Park (though you’d have 
Dublin – indeed, Ireland – is not over-endowed with glorious (or even ‘fine’) train stations. Having recently 
The staff were also friendly and welcoming – how many pubs would put on the ‘Airwolf’ theme when asked to do so (not, it must be said, by us, but we did enjoy it)? And while it’s true that this part of Dublin still has a bit of a ‘reputation,’ something we’ve discussed in our entry on 
There’s a definite chill in the air, and a quick search on any platform will turn up a number of lists for cosy 
Our absolute favourites, though, are almost hidden gems when it comes to a roaring fire, and are well worth seeking out. 
We’ve not always been fair to 
The first point in its favour – for us, anyway – is its support for local independent beer: there are multiple 
While it’s true that when in this general direction we are more often to be found at 
As regular readers know, we are always on the lookout for 
While the ‘since 1793’ date is a little shaky, given the current building’s construction 
So, ghosts aside, what is the pub like? Well…most definitely not creepy. If anything, it’s a bit too polished to feel at all like a liminal space. There are several very different sections of the pub with their own character, but none are especially dark or gloomy. The front is much more ‘pubby’ and the rear more of a restaurant or hotel bar vibe (the many large TV screens are part of what gives that impression), though it’s worth knowing that the back bar is where the sole local-craft-beer representative is; there’s a Rye River tap if you know where to look. Indeed, the food was very good – a step up from a lot of pub food, though the enormous portions are perhaps created more for tourists than locals. There’s also the usual Guinness – and Murphy’s – plus some Warsteiner.
There’s a covered outdoor space too, more 
The 1884 is so called after 
And like many pubs in the more suburban parts of Dublin, it’s absolutely enormous inside – indeed, somewhat barn-like. But it’s all very tidy, and there’s plenty of space to spread out. There are much-appreciated coat hooks under the bar, which really should be standard everywhere, but here we are. Only a few years ago, this pub was known as Grainger’s, and it had, well, a 
And while the beer selection is mostly the usual Guinness-and-Heineken-and-so-so-much-Rockshore (despite being listed as a stockist of Hope, brewed just a bit further north), there is also the lesser-spotted Kilkenny, which has been popping up here and there of late, and it’s a nice alternative. The real hidden gem of The 1884, though, is the enormous 
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, 
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 
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 
Dublin excels at 
There’s a warm welcome, and not one, but two local independent beers offerings: Hope and O’Hara’s are always well-kept here. The bar serves two separate sections, each with their own respective snugs and other seating, and there are lots of little corners to duck into if you’re looking for that quiet solo pint. And it’s interesting to note that while everything you see now is very much hearkening back to the late 19th century, this is, in fact, an older pub – the original building(s) is/are Georgian, and its first license 
Our one knock on many Old Man Pubs is that they rarely offer any beers beyond the usual Guinness and Heineken (though to be fair, it’s usually an excellent Guinness from scrupulously clean tap lines), but as mentioned above, at Gaffney’s, there is good support for other choices, plus Beamish as another stout option. This beer selection, combined with the attractive interior, might just make it the perfect Dublin Old Man Pub.