Category: Guest Blog Post

2014, Boyne Valley, Cider, Dan Kelly's, Drogheda, Guest Blog Post, Irish Craft Beer Festival, Janice, Mrs Irishbeersnob, Navan, The Central

Visit to an Orchard, home of Dan Kellys Cider.

by irishbeersnobLeave a Comment on Visit to an Orchard, home of Dan Kellys Cider.
Here we have Janice’s second blog post! 

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We all now know my love for craft beer, but did you know i’m also quite partial to good cider? So can you imagine my excitement when Wayne tells me he’s organised a trip to meet the makers behind Dan Kellys Cider? Our very own private tour behind the scenes and the orchard itself, I lept for joy!!

So after a short drive on a beautiful sunny day we arrived to Boyne Grove Fruit Farm, the home of Dan Kelly’s Cider. It is located in Stameen, Drogheda, situated on the banks of the Boyne. Literally it is an oasis within the borough of Drogheda that I had no idea was there. I was introduced to the very friendly and welcoming Olan, who with his sister Fiona look after Dan Kelly’s Cider as well as the fruit side of the business. He kindly took some time out of a very busy day to show us around the farm and orchards.

This fully functioning fruit farm started in 1962 when Gerard Mc Neese, followed in his fathers footseps, and continued a family tradition of planting bramley apples. A tradition that goes back to 1880. Today they supply a number of the supermarkets with their fresh fruit, and also they produce their own apple juice, which is fantastic. It’s only natural that they make their own ciders.

Once we met Olan, he brought us around the different buildings which house the various parts of their business. From the impressive machinery which sorts the apples and packs them, to the huge cool rooms they have for storing both apples, and the aging cider. The scale of the operation was mind boggling, and it was very interesting to learn the various processes involved in preserving the apples in the best possible way.

The orchard itself is 80 acres in the total of the 200 acres. It’s extremely impressive with lots of beautiful apples trees with many varities. I think Olan had said there was over 14,000 trees in the Orchard. Bramley, is of course the apple used to make the magnificent cider, named after their Great Grandfather, Dan Kelly. He drove the “enterpise” steam engine and passed through the orchard daily. The main Dublin to Belfast train line passes through this farmland.

The cider is made from handpicked apples and wild yeasts that give a beautiful refreshing flavour. It really does taste like fizzy apple juice, though if you drink too many, you’ll know all about it! Olan was kind enough to give us a couple of bottles, and also of their famous apple juice. It really is a great summer drop, and we are spoiled to have such another great cider maker in the Boyne Valley.



Olan will be at the The Central’s Beer Festival on the 16th August in Navan, they will also have a tent at the Big Grill Festival the same weekend. They will of course be at the annual Irish Craft Beer and Cider Festival in the RDS in September also, so you’ll all get to try this great Irish product.
2014, Beoir, Bru Brewery, Copper & Spices, Dubh, Dublin Beer Ladies, Guest Blog Post, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Irish, Irish Craft Beer, Le Cheile, Mrs Irishbeersnob, Music, Rí, Rua

Music Festival, In a Brewery? It can only be the Le Cheile launch in Brú Brewery

by irishbeersnob1 Comment on Music Festival, In a Brewery? It can only be the Le Cheile launch in Brú Brewery

Ok, in a world exclusive, Its not me doing this blog post, i’m handing over the reigns to the long suffering Mrs Irishbeersnob. Janice. 

Janice, over to you.

Sampling some craft beers

Ok, a little about me. For a long time i’ve enjoyed craft beers, and I am the one who created the Irish Beer Snob, no matter what he may tell you. My love for Timothy Taylor Landlord is famous the land over. My name is Janice, i’m a proud Dublin Beer Lady, member of Beoir, and tryer of craft beer. Its all a lot of fun, and i’m looking forward to featuring a bit more here, and hopefully in podcasts in the future. Now, i’m going to talk to you about the awesome night we had, well, I had cos poor Wayne was toiling away pulling pints for a thirsty music crowd, while I hung around with my partner in crime Carmel, supping those lovely Brú Beers.

Every August in Oldcastle, they hold a music festival called Le Cheile, this event was ran as a facebook competition for people to win entry to the brewery, and have a few beers while they were rocked by 3 local bands, all of whom will be playing at Le Cheile. I was lucky enough to be one of the forty winners.

It all kicked off at 8pm on a Friday evening and when we arrived the band were sound checking and it was still very bright out. As you’ll see from the pictures below. Famished after a day at work we went straight to Carmel from Copper and Spices for some yummy Chicken Curry with Pilau Rice. Curry and Beer, what a great combination. Now we had the curry, but not the beer. So out we went to get some Rí. Poor old Wayne couldn’t even finish the bowl before he was hooked in behind the bar to help out Neil.


There was a good crowd, but the atmosphere really took off when a bus load of music and beer lovers came down from Oldcastle. Once they got in, and were fed and watered, the bands kicked off. It was still quite bright out so Daire closed down the main loading door at the back of the brewery which made the brewing area dark, and perfect for the music that was going to come next. 

The first band was an acoustic duo called T4AA, they were perched up over looking the crowd strumming away as people continued to drink. It was notable a lot of these people wouldn’t be your typical craft beer drinkers. Most of them were Craft Beer Virgins! Lucky for them Wayne was waiting to eagerly convert each and every one of them. He even said how one lad said he’d never go back to Guinness after drinking the heavenly Brú Dubh. We all know my love of Brú is massive! 

The next band up were Travis Oaks, who were an original band, who played all their own material, and this was the group most of the crowd were here to see. They got them all worked up. Or was that the beer? Probably both. But they were rocking, and it’s a good thing that there was plenty of Copper and Spices Curry, and Samosa’s to go around. 

In fairness to Wayne, he never let my glass of Rua empty, its just delish, and it doesn’t get any better than served at the brewery.

Last up, then for the night were local covers band, No Halo, playing lots of familiar rock hits, kicking the crowd into overdrive. 

All in all, it was a great night, but, more importantly, it was very unique. 3 Bands, in a Brewery, with great curry. Where else would you get it? The organisers from Le Cheile and Brú should be commended for their imagination, and execution of a great event. 

Tickets for this great festival, are available for purchase at www.lecheile.com and several outlets in Meath. If you’ve no plans for the August Bank Holiday weekend you should check it out. Oh, and don’t worry about it being rubbish beer, the beers at the Festival will be Brú!

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Now that i’ve wrestled the laptop away from Janice, as supping a lovely Blackstairs Ruby IPA, I just want to thank Janice for being so supporting with all my beery escapades, and to let you all know this will not be the last time Janice will be posting to my blog. Hopefully soon, you too will be able to listen to us waffle on in our very own podcast, once Ian teaches me how to do it!!

Thanks for reading, please share this with all your friends! Mrs Irish Beer Snob, has arrived.