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OUR STORY

OUR STORY

Mescan Brewery began as an idea in 2010 following a conversation between the founders, Irishman Cillian Ó Móráin and Belgian Bart Adons, about the strain of out-of-hours veterinary work. This led to a mid-life career change and new lives as brewers.

The intention from the beginning was to make and promote Belgian beer styles, to brew to a high standard using natural ingredients and traditional techniques, and to have some fun.  So, we welded together our first brewery - a 50 litre set-up made from old beer kegs. For the next three years, we brewed each week in Cillian's garage, creating recipes and learning from our mistakes. The real work started when we set about converting a shed on Bart's farm, building a 1,000 litre brewhouse from scratch using recycled bulk milk tanks.

 

In 2014, we sold our first beer. We’ve had to learn about a lot of stuff besides brewing: welding stainless steel, troubleshooting problems with plumbing, electrics, heating elements, hydraulics, gas burners and glycol chillers; as well as warehousing legislation, VAT, Excise, and a lot more. It’s been a steep learning curve but (mostly!) very enjoyable, and we now have a core range of beers representing the best-loved Belgian beer styles.

In 2021, Bart took a step back and returned home to Belgium. Cillian took on running the brewery by himself, assisted by Naomi Clarkin whose focus is on sales and marketing, and we now have a small crew of exceptional staff around us that are committed to the same high standards. In the coming years, we plan to make some big changes that will allow us to welcome many more of you to visit us here in Mayo, see what we do, and taste our beers. But some things will remain the same – our commitment to creating beer of exceptional quality using natural ingredients and traditional - slow - brewing methods.

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VISIT US

Let us show you around the brewery and tell you the story of how the founders, Cillian and Bart, left their busy lives as vets to run a microbrewery named after St Patrick's friend and personal brewer, the monk, Mescan. We'll lead you through our range of beers describing the flavour profile and history of each style. We serve light snacks on the tours, which are informal and fun and we encourage questions. They run weekly through the summer. Tap the link below to check out available dates and book yourselves in.

 

Private tours can be accommodated throughout the year. On them we encourage you to taste each beer along with something tasty - mostly Irish cheeses - and tell you a bit about Mescan beers' suitability for pairing beautifully with different foods. To arrange a private tour, send us an email and we'll work out the details.

OUR BEER

Mescan Brewery is named after Mescan the monk who was St. Patrick's friend and personal brewer. It is situated in the foothills of Croagh Patrick and was founded by Bart Adons and Cillian Ó Móráin, two Westport vets who were friends and colleagues for over a decade before they started brewing together. They spent three years perfecting their original recipes inspired by the beers of Belgium, Bart's homeland, before starting to brew commercially in 2013, selling their first beers in 2014 in Westport.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

The water for Mescan's beers comes from deep underneath Croagh Patrick via a spring at the brewery. The bulk of the grain used in the recipes is irish grown and malted; with speciality malts and yeast strains coming from Belgium. Most of the hops come from the Czech Republic. No finings or chemicals are used in the beers, which are unfiltered and unpasteurised. They all contain live yeast. 

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MESCAN GOLD ÓIR 5.7% NEW!

Brewed to celebrate Mescan’s 10th birthday, this ale is a rich golden colour, true to its name. There are aromas of coriander, citrus and melon. A creamy mouthfeel gives way to grapefruit, peach and pear on the palate, finishing dry with notes of ripened apples.

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WESTPORT BLOND BEER 4.8%

Flavoursome golden ale with pear and floral notes and restrained hop bitterness to perfectly balance the malt flavours, crisp and clean on the palate

Goes well with most dishes, particularly grilled meat and fish; enjoy with semi-hard cheeses and hard goat and sheep cheeses

Serving temp 4 - 6 °C

Click on the photo for a food-pairing graphic

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WESTPORT RED TRIPEL 8%

Complex, full-bodied, warming, malty and fruity with additional nutty and caramel flavours. A beer to sip and savour, this is our take on the strong beers pioneered by the Belgian Trappist monastery breweries. Tripels are strong, complex beers and are traditionally golden in colour. We decided to make ours red and the malts used to achieve this add even more complexity to the flavours on the palate

Serve with rich dishes like game stews and pies; with desserts like creme brule or cheesecake or with a selection of Irish cheeses; or enjoy on its own as a dessert beer

Serving Temp 7 - 10 °C

Click on the photo for a food-pairing graphic

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WESTPORT EXTRA 8.5%

Robust, dry, well carbonated golden ale, bursting with fruity esters and spicy yeast notes, balanced hop bitterness and warming alcohol

Serve with grilled or seared white fish and crustacea, white meats and smoked meats; creamy, fruity and nutty desserts and aged hard cheeses

Serving Temp 3 - 6 °C

Click on the photo for a food-pairing graphic

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WESTPORT SAISON 5.8%

Dry, light in body, fizzy and refreshing. Citrus notes from new world hops perfectly balance the earthy, spicy yeast flavours. Saison is a traditional farmhouse style from the South of Belgium, brewed to sustain the workers during long days of toil in the sun

 

Enjoy with white meats and fish in creamy sauces, smoked meats and spicy dishes like chillies or curries; washed rind cheeses and chutneys - ideal with a ploughman's lunch or summer picnic

Serving Temp 4 - 6 °C

Click on the photo for a food-pairing graphic

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SPECIAL RESERVE 8.6%

Rich, robust, dark beer with strong caramel aromas, maltiness and sun-dried fruits on the palate, dry with a pleasant bitter finish - our take on a Belgian dubbel

Serve with hearty stews, game pies, duck in fruity sauces; sticky toffee pudding, chocolate themed desserts; extra-old farmhouse cheeses and blue cheeses

Serving Temp 8 - 10 °C

Click on the photo for a food-pairing graphic

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SEVEN VIRTUES LAGER 4.8%

Seven Virtues Lager was the first in what was envisaged as a series of seven one-off brews. However it proved so popular, we decided to make it part of our core range. Crisp and lightly dry-hopped, this refreshing lager is a nod in the direction of both tradition and innovation: The term ‘lager’ comes from the German word for cold storage – lager beers were fermented and matured or ‘lagered’ at low temperatures for an extended period, a process we follow for our Seven Virtues Lager and which leads to a clean, refreshing and easy drinking flavour profile. To add a modern twist, we make an addition of American Amarillo hops late in the fermentation, giving a fresh citrus aroma and adding a layer of flavour and interest.

 

Seven Virtues Lager is thirst quenching and ideal to enjoy on its own. It also makes a good aperitif, and is great with a steak or a bowl of fresh Irish mussels served Belgian-style with chips; pairs well with smoked cheese

Serving Temp 2 - 4 °C

Kegged 4.4%, bottled 4.8% abv

Click on the photo for a food-pairing graphic

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SEVEN VIRTUES CARNAL
KNOWLEDGE 7.1%

A wheat tripel spiced with coriander and bitter orange peel; dry, with notes of soft citrus, ripe banana, clove, pear and spice, and a generous carbonation to balance the richness of flavours

 

Enjoy with creamy, spicy dishes like passandas and kormas; Christmas ham and salty crackling; stone fruit and apple desserts, custard tarts and creamy rice pudding; tangy blue cheeses and creamy blue cheeses

Serving Temp 3-4 °C 

Click on the photo for a food-pairing graphic

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