Local Food Hero
Liam Lahart and Oliver Hughes,
Porterhouse Microbrewery and pubs.
Liam Lahart and Oliver Hughes opened their first
pub in the seaside town of Bray, Co Wicklow, in 1989.
In 1996, they realised their dream by opening their first
microbrewery in Temple Bar in Dublin city centre.
Hughes and Lahart were two young men with a simple
mission: to revive the traditional Irish culture of small
craft breweries producing a variety of ales, beers and
their first love – traditional Irish stouts
and porter.
Ahead of their time in embracing diversity, they
found a huge interest in the concept of
microbreweries. As the business has grown,
so has a wider appreciation of the excellence
of their products. In the World Beer
Competition held in the UK, they were
awarded the accolade Best Stout in
the World.
The original Porterhouse has since been
joined by others in Dublin’s Temple
Bar, Nassau Street and Glasnevin, and
one in London’s Covent Garden. With 9
different Porterhouse brews on offer and
the occasional seasonal brew,
connoisseurs can sample a tasting tray
selection of plain porter (a traditional
light stout); Oyster stout (brewed with
fresh oysters); Wrasslers 4X (based on
a traditional recipe from Cork);
Porterhouse Red (a traditional ale);
An Brain Blasta (strong); and
Temple Brau.
47
