Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon has officially opened the National Centre for Brewing and Distilling in Oakpark, Teagasc.

The centre has been allocated funding of €2.3 million by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) since 2020.

The funding is used for equipment for the centre to help producers in the beverage sector to pilot new products and innovate their production practices.

In addition to supporting beverage producers, the equipment in the National Centre for Brewing and Distilling will also be available to students who undertake educational courses in brewing and distilling.

Brewing and distilling

The initial funding investment by the centre was used to buy malting equipment to allow testing of grains, including native grains, for malting and to facilitate the production of small batches of specialised malts for the craft beer and spirit drinks sectors.

Due to a lack of such facilities in Ireland, much of this type of testing was previously carried out overseas.

Additional equipment for brewing and dealcoholizing processes will be purchased and expected to be installed by the end of 2025.

(L-R) Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine Martin Heydon; Professor Frank O Mara, Teagasc director; Gemma Merrins, National Brewing and Distilling Centre; Liam Herlihy, Teagasc chair; Lisa Ryan, manager of the National Brewing and Distilling Centre

Minister Heydon said the centre was allocated additional funding of €900,000 this year which will be used to install pilot scale distilling equipment.

“This important facility has been established for the benefit of producers to test and pilot their production processes for beer and spirit drinks, including testing the types of grains they use in their products.

“I am pleased that this equipment can be used by students who have an interest in pursuing a career in the drinks sector,” he said.

The minister also noted that €925,000 was provided last year for laboratory equipment for the Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Teagasc, to provide for chemical analysis of Irish Whiskey.

This analysis helps to identify factors that have an influence on the sensory perception of the product.

“This profile will help to give insight into how, for example, different grain inputs or casks can influence the development of Irish Whiskey.

“This will provide valuable information available on the characteristics that make Irish whiskey a quality product,” Minister Heydon added.

Commenting at the official opening of the National Brewing and Distilling Centre, Professor Frank O Mara, director Teagasc, said:

“The development of higher value markets for tillage farmers has been a priority of our crops research programme for a number of years and increasing the use of Irish grain in the drink sectors has been one of the areas we have been researching.

“Teagasc has invested significantly in this area, without the support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, for the capital equipment this wouldn’t have been possible.”

Brewing and distilling

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