Brewery Tour - O'Hara's | Carlow Brewing Company

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Carlow Brewing Company,
Muine Bheag Business Park,
Royal Oak Road, Bagenalstown,
Co. Carlow, Ireland.
Tel: +353 (0) 59 97 20509 

 APPRECIATING CRAFT BEER

The best way to understand and appreciate a craft beer, after tasting one of course, is to visit the brewery and talk with the brewers.
Here at O’Hara’s Carlow Brewing Company you will learn all about the O’Hara’s beer range, see the entire craft brewing process, taste
the special malts and smell the hops used to brew O’Hara’s and sample some of our award winning beers. MILLING THE GRAIN

The brew begins with preparing the malts and today Maurice is on the job, milling in our locally sourced and specially selected malts to crush
the grains and aid the release of the starch and enzymes. BREWING THE WORT

Grain is transferred to the mash tun where it is mixed with hot water to activate enzymes which change the malt starches into simpler sugars.
The result is a sweet liquid called wort which is separated in the lauder tun from the spent grain. ADDING THE HOPS

The nutrient-rich wort is transferred to the brew kettle. In the kettle choice hops are added for bitterness to balance the sweetness of the
wort. The selection of hops used and the timing of their addition to the kettle gives the beers enticing flavours and aroma. FERMENTATION

After the specified recipe time, the hops are removed, and a whirlpool is used to sift out any remaining hop particles before the now
“hopped wort” is transferred to the fermentation tanks. The cooled liquid meets with the yeast already placed in the fermenters and the process of
creating the alcohol begins. The yeast converts the sugars from the brewing process into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. RECYCLING SPENT GRAIN

After each brew our spent grain is usefully recycled by local farmers who use the nutrient rich food to supplement their herd’s feed. FILTERING THE BEER

Most of our beers are sent through our filtration system after fermentation and maturation for kegging and bottling. Here any yeast and
other particles are removed to prevent spoilage. CASK & BOTTLE CONDITIONED

Our unfiltered cask-conditioned and bottle-conditioned beers skip the filtration process to remain in their most natural form. CROPPING THE YEAST

As the fermentation vessels are emptied our yeast is cropped for the next brew. KEGGING

After our beers are filtered they are kegged or bottled. The same care and dedication that goes into the O’Hara’s brewing process is carried right through
to the end of the kegging line. TASTING EACH BATCH

It’s a hard job but someone has to do it! Every batch of O’Hara’s is personally tasted for quality assurance by head brewer Alan and quality manager David. MEET SOME OF THE BREWING TEAM

It takes a combination of passion and respect for the craft, curiosity and creativity to build a good craft brewery and to brew great beers. Share in our
passion, taste our beers and we’d be happy to have you join us one day at the brewery!

Brewery Tour

*Due to Covid-19 restrictions all tours have been cancelled for the foreseeable future.*

Experience our passion for the craft.  Meet the Carlow Brewing Team and walk through the brewing process with our brewers. The brewery tour will take you on a journey through Ireland’s indigenous craft brewing history, teach you about the brewing process and how we brew O’Hara’s award winning beers. You will of course have the opportunity to taste the special malts, smell the hops that make O’Hara’s craft beers so enjoyable.  We finish off our tour with a visit to O’Hara’s tasting room where you will have the chance to sample and compare some of our award winning craft brews

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