I’ve been living in Dublin City Centre now for nearly ten years. Dublin is a big city with a small footprint. You get to enjoy all the cultural diversity of a capital but without the hassle of it taking hours to travel from one side to the other. So, if you’re visiting Dublin City and want something a bit more meaningful than a trip to The Temple Bar, here’s what to check out. It’s my favourite craft beer bars in Dublin.
Want a guided tour of Dublin City Craft Beer Bars? Get local knowledge, tips and advice for the rest of your trip in Ireland from an Irish All-Ireland-winning homebrewer!
Underdog – Too Many to List
At long last, Underdog has found a forever home. After a successful stint in The Legal Eagle, Dublin’s best selection of craft beer has moved to end top of Capel Street. Well, that’s what it is to me – really it’s North King Street.
The team behind Underdog properly love craft beer. I mean, they live and breathe it. None more so than Paddy Delahunty.
Any night in Underdog, you will find craft beer lovers enjoying the widest and most eclectic selection of craft beer in Dublin. Paddy deals directly with breweries to secure rare batches and kegs. This is the only bar in Ireland I’ve ever seen Lambiek on tap. Often, when these beers are gone, they’re usually gone for good. These kegs are often first-time pours on the island of Ireland, and indeed, could be last-time pours too. There are a few regulars like Hopburgh Helles to savour, but Underdog prides itself on having a expansive range of beer on offer.
The new location is excellent given the edible delights of Capel Street. Simply put, if you’re visiting Dublin and love craft beer, you cannot miss the opportunity to visit Underdog. Oh, one final mention. They do a lovely charcuterie board too.
Follow them on Instagram for daily tap updates along with the usual online taplist.
Beer Temple/Against the Grain – Althea
If you’re right in the heart of Temple Bar, head to Beer Temple. If you’re closer to the Stephen’s Green area, it’s Against the Grain you’re after.
Galway Bay has grown its footprint massively in Dublin City Centre over the past few years. They’ve taken over operations at Brú and bought several spots around the city focusing on both food and beer.
The beer I recommend from Galway Bay is Althea. It’s an easy drinking nice Pale Ale. Quite approachable and a great way to ease yourself into a bar you’re not that familiar with. Galway Bay bars have plenty of choice to offer, including some great guest beers too.
One caveat comes with attending a Galway Bay bar though. Ask what’s pouring well. I’ve just recently discovered this makes a massive difference in these bars in particular. That’s the difference between an “ok” and a “great” experience.
If you find these bars are all a bit too far away, you can also check out Brew Dock or The Black Sheep. Galway Bay really do offer a wealth of City Centre locations.
Urban Brewing – O’Hara’s Red Nitro
Will you find yourself up at EPIC? EPIC is one of Europe’s best-known and loved tourist attractions. For that reason alone, there’s a good chance you’ll be within a stone’s throw of Urban Brewing. Urban Brewing is a long-standing brewpub in Dublin City. Owned by O Hara’s, you’ll find a mix of beloved O Hara’s favourites, in-house brews and some lovely tapas food.
Now, the in-house beers are ok. But that’s the best I can say about them I’m afraid. I’ve always found the beers to be slightly off-style or served somewhat poorly. But don’t let that rule out a visit.
You can still get a much more established beer in Urban Brewing. Personally, I would recommend the O’Hara’s Red Nitro. This is a classic Irish Red Ale served with a burst of nitro. The result is a gorgeous grain-forward red ale with a lovely creamy mouthfeel.
I’d argue it’s one of Dublin’s best red ales plus the food is good there, if not a little expensive. You should be able to score a discount after EPIC though so box clever.
Rascals HQ Inchicore – Wunderbar IPA
For a long time, I was steering clear of Rascals. For me, the problem was the location. What I didn’t cop for a long time was just how easy it is to get to Rascals. The brewery is based out in Inchicore but is just a short walk away from the Blackhorse Luas stop on the Red Line. This means you can catch the Luas near the Spire on Abbey Street and be sipping on freshly brewed beer in a brewery within 30 minutes for just a couple of Euro.
Now, once you’re there, Rascals serves up a wide selection of beers. You’ll be spoilt for choice. If I had to recommend one, I’d say stick to the core range. Wunderbar IPA is my goto beer from Rascals and it’s never let me down.
If you ask nicely (and pay for it obviously) you can even do a tour of the brewery. The pizza they serve is whopper too. Don’t be intimidated by the Luas trip – it’s well worth it.
Street 66 – White Hag Ninth Wave
Another entry for Temple Bar shows there’s a lot more to this lively area than just overpriced Guinness and stew. Street 66 is a welcoming bar for the “global citizen”. Within these four walls, you’ll find an amazing range of gin and cocktails. But you’ll also find a nice little stash of craft beer too.
Honestly, it’s surprisingly hard to find Sierra Nevada on tap, but here it is. But I’m not going to push an American beer here. No, no. It’s another beer from Sligo in honour of the bar’s Sligo co-owner Siobhan Conmy.
Ninth Wave is a lovely big-hop American Pale Ale. It’s juicy but not overly so. I’d probably keep this for a sunny day, but don’t be caught waiting too long for one of those in Dublin.
Porterhouse Temple Bar – One of the Guest Beers
I live in Dublin. More accurately, I live in Templebar. The place is a tourist trap from morning to night. But there are some exceptions if you’re clever. The Porterhouse in Templebar is a must-visit for people seeking a craft beer in Dublin City.
The Porterhouse in Temple Bar is Ireland’s (not just Dublin’s) first-ever brew pub. That’s enough to earn your interest. The beers on site earn your visit.
Here, you’ll find some marvelous beers on tap and a few crackers from the fridge. But, why am I ultimately recommending a guest beer in what used to be a brewpub? Well, rumours that Conor McGregor is buying a stake in Porterhouse have really soured my view of the brand. Porterhouse was already contract brewing McGregor’s Forged Stout. I’ve never drank this stout, nor will I ever, because I want nothing to do with McGregor for a multitude of reasons. But his investment has nothing to do with the restaurant and bar side of the Porterhouse business.
For that reason, I still visit on a fairly regular basis for a portion of buffalo sauce hot wings, chips, and a guest pint. Kinnegar Big Bunny is a fairly regular beer on tap.
The Thomas House – Trouble Brewing Ambush
A trip to Dublin, in my opinion, isn’t complete without visiting the Liberties. It’s authentic Dublin. You’ll find lovely cafes, markets, and street vendors selling fruit. It’s what Dublin could easily have ceased to be, but refuses to lose.
Here, you’ll also find The Thomas House. This is an awesome rock bar serving great beers. You’ll find old-school staples that your macro friends enjoy and excellent Irish craft beers.
My tipple of choice here is the ever-wonderful Ambush by Trouble Brewing. It’s a real fruity hazy IPA. I mean it’s a proper fruit bomb. It pours well in nearly every bar in the city. For that reason, I’ll also give a big mention to Dockers over near Sir John Rogerson’s Quay. Very unlikely most tourists end up here but if you do, this new bar does a wonderful Ambush.
Note: it’s mandatory you tweet “I’m back on the Ambush” when drinking.
Tapped – White Hag Atlantean
We used to have two Porterhouse bars in Dublin. The one in Temple Bar that I’ve already mentioned, and another off Grafton Street. That one on Grafton Street has just been refurbished to be all fancy and modern. With the lick of paint came a new name; Tapped.
While my earlier recommendation stands, there’s something special on tap here too.
Tapped boasts over 50 taps serving craft beer, wine, prosecco and cocktails. But let’s stick to the beer. One of those taps is Atlantean by the White Hag. A lovely fruity NEIPA. Arguably the best Ireland has produced. Here in Tapped is probably the best way to drink it inside The Pale (that’s how we Irish refer to the Dublin region).
Fidelity – Pick a Rotation
What a bar this is. One of Dublin’s most beautiful craft bars. Fidelity is a collaboration between Big Romance (Parnell Street) and Whiplash (one of Ireland’s best breweries). The atmosphere is chilled, the music excellent and the drinks on offer brilliant. Naturally, you’ll get the core range from Whiplash on tap, that’s a given. The beauty of Fidelity is the tasty guest taps, forever changing collabs and a great wine and cocktail selection. This is one of those rare spots you can go with friends who don’t care for IPAs or Imperial Stouts.
When you’re here, I highly recommend the likes of Whiplash’s Blue Ghosts, Body Riddle or Rollover. Three beers I could easily drink any evening. Incredibly consistent, a word I use to describe Whiplash because it’s the reason I love them.
But, as the title says – check out their rotation taps too. There’s an exploration of flavour to enjoy. If you’re
Honourable Mention – Craft Central
As much as we all love craft beer, we can all also admit it’s a pricey passion. So if you’re going to be in Dublin for a few days or even heading to the West for a bit, you might want to stock up on a few beers for your hotel room. Craft Central is an unassuming newsagent near Stephen’s Green.
I couldn’t even tell you if they do newspapers because I’m straight into the back where you’ll find beer fridge heaven. Everything from Ireland’s best craft beer to random imports you’ll find nowhere else. Honestly, check this out.
My big pro tip here is to order a click-and-collect order a day or two before you plan to visit. They have stock on-site but also have a warehouse five times bigger with a lot lot more beer. Check their opening hours too and remember Irish shops like this close at 10pm.
Staying in a different part of town or Ireland and want some ideas? Drop us a DM on Instagram and we’ll gladly give you a steer. These are just our favourite craft beer bars in Dublin. We have more outside the City Centre and beyond Dublin itself!
