History of The Brewhouse
1850: Milking It
The Brewhouse building was built in the 1850s and used mainly as a cowhouse! Twice a day cows would be brought from a field on Brewery Road, once in the morning and again in the evening, up Main Street, down Green Street and into the brewhouse building to be milked. In the winter months they were kept here over night! The cows farmed at the time were short horned Fresian cows. This all took place on the ground floor.
Good Fibers
In the loft above sheeps wool was laid out to be dried. The heat from the cattle below the only way to dry it. This wool was taken from sheep that were brought in from the Blasket Island by naomhog and once dried it was exported to Bradford in England. There it was treated and woven into looms for use in the textile industry.
Trains & Barrels
Dick Mack’s Pub opened its doors in 1899 and the brewhouse building would serve another purpose. Guinness used to send its beer down in barrels from the big smoke, Dublin, to pubs all across the country. Once it arrived by train as was the case in Dingle, pub landlords would collect their barrel and take it to their premises.
Kegs to Bottles
The keg was tapped, but was so heavy that it couldn’t be lifted to any decent height. This meant that they could only get it up a small bit so the person doing the pouring had to sit on a small stool, hunced over. The bottle caps were the standard ones that are used today, but with a cork cushion and were put on using a press specifically made for this function. The label was stuck on using a paste of flour and water. The last pubs to use this practice finished in the 1960s but fortunately records were kept of the labels.
Weather & Time
In the following years the brew house building was adapted to serve as a storeroom for kegs and deliveries for the bar, however the years were starting to take their toll and the building was starting to show the signs of over a century of Atlantic storms. It needed a new lease of life!
Forward to 2015
Three friends Aussie, Seamus and Dick Mack’s grandson Finn discuss times past in the snug at Dick Mack’s over a few pints. The discussion turns to Dick Mack’s history of bottling its own beer and a dream is born. Two years later, after months and months of research, planning and work, Dick Mack’s Brewhouse is born.
The Brewhouse
Beer with passion is the goal and the brew house solely uses equipment manufactured by Braukon, a specialist German based company.
Braukon systems fulfill the highest technical and design standards meaning we can consistently provide really great beer. Using this equipment allows the brewer complete control over every step of the brewing process. Man and machine work together to ensure the final product is the very best it can be!
