The lights go on again

The ground floor of the old soap factory on North King Street in Dublin's Smithfield had, as far as I know, been empty since the Dublin Brewing Company went out of business in 2004. That was a shame because it's a lovely piece of early 20th century industrial architecture, and a protected structure since 2021. I've always thought it would make an excellent visitor attraction, being in the neighbourhood of the Jameson museum and legendary Cobblestone pub. It's good news, then, that it is once again licensed as a brewery, with signage over the entrance declaring it the home of Smithfield Brewing Company.

Further information is thin on the ground, only that the owner also has a string of hospitality venues on the other side of town, along Drury Street and Fade Street, and they all sell the Smithfield range. While the brewery is legit, I wouldn't be entirely convinced that these aren't still contract brewed elsewhere for the moment. I pass by the brewery regularly and haven't seen any signs of brewing activity happening. Anyway, I called in to the newest pub in the chain, O'Regan's, to try them out.

The range seems very much geared towards standard pub styles, covering the everything-but-Guinness niche. Still, it's a sign of some level of sophistication in the mainstream Irish beer market that the lager isn't just "Lager", it's Smithfield Helles. Class-eh. I think that's just marketing, however, as it doesn't fit the standard classification of Helles. It's only 4.5% ABV, but is also quite thick-feeling and porridgey-tasting: all about the malt, but not in the light, fairy-cake way of proper Helles. Where there might be a balancing noble hop greenness there is instead a new-world kick of ripe mango and apricot. None of this is unpleasant, but it seems far more pitched at the sort of contemporary drinker for whom beer begins and ends with American-style pale ales. It barely resembles lager at all, let alone a specific Bavarian type. Perhaps the crypto-blonde-ale Hop House 13 was the pattern they were working off. Like that beer, this is fine, but disappointingly not to style.

They've called the IPA Jump Juice. Despite the name, the appearance immediately evoked the west coast, being amber and clear, not pale and/or hazed. A pithy aroma continues that Sierra Nevada theme, but there's an about-face in the flavour, where strawberry and vanilla take precedence. I think the recipe, or its execution, have missed the mark on what the bitterness should be, giving us much less than is optimal and unbalancing the beer in a sweet direction. To add to the oddness, there's a floral or herbal bath salts background flavour, which is fun, but doesn't belong in an IPA. When it's their brewery and their pubs, they can brew how they like, but this beer doesn't pass muster as a good contemporary Irish IPA.

At this stage I had given up any preconceived notion about what I would get from Smithfield Amber Ale. American? Irish? English? Czech? There's any number of options there. It's 4.2% ABV, so a little stronger than mainstream Irish red but well within the parameters for microbrewed. I liked that it's on the darker side of the spectrum, and the aroma immediately told me that it was more Irish red than American amber, missing any sense of citric or tropical American hop. Instead there's a spice which intertwines with the caramel malt to create a kind of cola sweetness, more cube-shaped candy than fizzy drink. Red lemonade is another descriptor I wrote down, for the combination of dark sugar, fizz, and something a little drier and more peppery. Still, like these soft drinks, it's thin of body and lacks aftertaste, making it not a very satisfying experience. I'd like something similar, but in a stronger, more sippable, non-pint format.

From my initial analysis, Smithfield will likely stay confined to its owner's pub estate. These are house beers, made to meet the mass market with something easily produced, safe and replicable. I will be pleasantly, but extremely, suprised if they start something like a wild fermentation project or barrel-ageing programme on North King Street. It would be nice if they considered setting up to let punters pop in to the brewery for a pint, though.