22 Great Places for Craft Beer in Dublin, Ireland

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When you think of beer in Dublin, only one name comes to mind: Guinness. And yes, the city’s drinking culture & brewing tradition does revolve largely around that velvety stout. One unfortunate side effect of having such a large brewery in Dublin is that there’s more of a macro “craft” foothold than in other cities. Some Dublin pubs will feature craft-marketed beers from large breweries such as Guinness & Heineken, and your average consumer won’t have any idea since the true brewer is well-hidden. However, look a bit deeper and you’ll find some legitimately good craft beer in Dublin. You just have to know where to go. Here is where to get the best craft beer in Dublin, including its best breweries, taprooms, and bottle shops.

The Best Craft Beer Bars in Dublin

Fidelity Bar

Fidelity Bar is an outstanding craft beer and cocktail bar in Dublin that is a collaboration between The Big Romance (see below) and Whiplash brewery. It’s located near the Jameson distillery on the north side of the Liffey. 

The bar is a beautiful gathering place with a custom-designed sound system that provides great music while also not overwhelming conversation. There’s a lovely long bar with lots of seating, plus plenty of green booths.

The outstanding design also continues to the tap system, with its 18 beer taps & 6 wine taps forming prominent lines.

Fidelity Bar offers excellent beer & excellent cocktails, making it one of my favorite bars in Dublin.

Address: 79 Queen St, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 DW3R, Ireland (map)

The Big Romance

The Big Romance is a vinyl bar featuring craft beer and cocktails. Shelves with loads of records fill one area, along with a helpful display of what’s now playing. On my visit, they were spinning A Tribe Called Quest.

In addition to great music, there are 13 taps (12 craft & 1 Guinness – this is still Dublin, of course). Craft selections include lots from Whiplash and Boundary.

You can also get pizza delivered from nearby.

Address: 98 Parnell St, Rotunda, Dublin, D01 T2T3, Ireland (map)

UnderDog

UnderDog was once located under Brogan’s in Temple Bar, before temporarily moving to inside The Legal Eagle. It has now found a permanent space once again in the spot that formerly housed Beerhouse, which was one of my favorite Dublin beer bars before its closure.

UnderDog has one of the best beer selections in Dublin. There’s plenty from Irish breweries, along with the UK & the rest of Europe. In addition to regional brewing stalwarts, you’ll also find selections from the newest up-and-coming microbreweries.

The bartenders are some of the friendliest & most knowledgeable that I have encountered in Dublin. That’s no slight on anyone else; the staff at UnderDog are just that great. Sometimes a bar like this can be pretentious, but there’s none of that here.

Address: 199 King St N, Rotunda, Dublin 1, D07 PR5X, Ireland (map)

Cassidy’s

Cassidy’s is a beer bar that has a different atmosphere than most of the other pubs in the Temple Bar area. You won’t find nearly as many tourists in this eclectic hole-in-the-wall. Given how dark it is inside, you’ll have difficulty finding anyone. But that’s part of the charm.

Cassidy’s strikes that perfect balance between liveliness & chill depending on the day of the week, with friendly gathering areas, games, and great rock music.

There’s a nice tap selection, with 11 rotating taps, plus another 17 or so permanent fixtures. Oh, and free crisps.

Address: 27 Westmoreland St, Dublin, D02 PX77, Ireland (map)

P Mac’s

P Mac’s is a sister bar of Cassidy’s, with a similarly large selection of craft beer. There are 30 taps available, plus another 50 or so cans & bottles. It’s a big place, but some hidden little rooms provide a more intimate experience if that’s what you’re after. Again, there’s great rock & indie music playing, plus arcade & board games.

Address: 30 Stephen Street Lower, Dublin, D02 XY61, Ireland (map)

L. Mulligan Grocer

L. Mulligan Grocer is a little bit outside of the Dublin city centre, northwest of the old Jameson Distillery. However, it’s worth the journey, as it has one of the largest selections of craft beer in Dublin.

Address: 18 Stoneybatter, Dublin 7, D07 KN77, Ireland (map)

Camden Exchange

Camden Exchange features craft beer, cocktails, and street food. It has a bit more of a hipster feel than other Dublin pubs, but it’s a cool place. They have about a dozen craft taps plus a handful of bottles and cans, then other macro beers as well.

Their menu is somewhat different from typical pub food, which is a nice change. The food is tapas style, so the smaller portions could make it a bit pricier if you go in there hungry.

Address: 72-73 Camden Street Lower, Saint Kevin’s, Dublin, D02 E092, Ireland (map)

The Swan Bar

The Swan Bar might not be a craft beer bar, per se, but it’s something special. There are 16 remaining Victorian pubs in Dublin. Of those 16 pubs, The Swan Bar has the best craft beer selection, as limited as it may be. But it does provide a special drinking experience, so if you’re a craft beer drinker who wants to check one of the Victorian pubs out, this is the one to go to. It’s also near the Little Museum of Dublin, an excellent local history museum.

Address: 58 York St, Dublin, D02 RW67, Ireland (map)

The Brazen Head

While The Brazen Head also might not be considered a craft beer bar, its uniqueness & history merit a stop from any drinker.

The Brazen Head is debatably the oldest pub in Ireland (a few places make that claim), but whatever the case, it’s certainly old.

It’s got a courtyard patio, plus lots of little rooms & bars scattered about. They have a house craft beer called Brazen Red (brewed by Rye River Brewing Company, just outside of Dublin), which is good enough to merit a place on this list.

Address: 20 Lower Bridge St, Usher’s Quay, Dublin, D08 WC64, Ireland (map)

The Best Craft Breweries in Dublin

Considering the size of the city, there aren’t too many craft beer breweries in Dublin at the moment, but there are a few spots to check out.

Urban Brewing

Urban Brewing is located in the same building that also houses EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum. They offer tours & tastings, or you can just drink at their onsite bar & restaurant. Upstairs, there is a full restaurant, while the downstairs bar serves tapas. Outside, there is a heated patio that is open year-round.

They offer 6 taps of their own beer straight from the tank as well as guest beers, plus they have a large bible of bottle selections. There is also a large wine list for non-beer drinkers.

Address: Vault C, CHQ Building, Custom House Quay, Dublin, Ireland (map)

Rascals Brewing Company

Emma Devlin and Cathal O’Donoghue founded Rascals Brewing in 2014. It’s a bit of a journey to Inchicore out past Kilmainham Gaol on the Luas light rail, but Rascals Brewing Company is one of the most innovative breweries in Dublin, so it’s worth the trip.

Going beyond the standard styles found at every other brewery, Rascals has unique beers such as Chardonnay Saisons, Mint Chocolate Stouts, & Strawberry Vanilla Milkshake IPAs. However, this use of different flavours doesn’t mean they don’t still pay their respects to the styles at the core of these beers. They offer tasting trays so you can try a bunch of the beers. There are also fridges with cans to go.

Their Rascals HQ is home to their brewery, brewpub, & pizza restaurant. The pizza includes vegetarian and vegan options, as well as monthly specials. For non-beer drinkers, there are cocktails, including some with gin from the distillery next door.

The taproom has about 15 beer taps, including their core range, and then around 6 rotating taps. There’s a cool rainbow sign above the bar.

Inside, there are also windows looking into the brewery. There’s also a covered front patio.

I especially enjoyed the music selection, which included The Strokes, Mother Love Bone, Pulp, The Smiths, Pixies, Fontaines D.C., Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Radiohead, and more

Address: Goldenbridge Estate, Tyrconnell Rd, Inchicore, Dublin, D08 HF68, Ireland (map)

Guinness Open Gate Brewery 

Guinness Open Gate Brewery is the craft beer offshoot of Guinness. It’s located right near the Guinness Storehouse and the Roe & Co Distillery.

The brewery works with styles that are outside of what you’d typically expect from Guinness, while also still brewing interesting concoctions that are variations of Guinness.

The taproom has 16 taps (including regular Guinness, of course). On my last visit, I had styles such as the “Friends in Common” California Comment, “Just A tripel”, a Choc-Mint stout that used fresh mint, and Guinness Nitro Cold Brew, which was outstanding. It had smooth mocha flavours.

It’s not just beer too, as the brewery offers a food menu, including food & beer pairings.

The 80s soundtrack is fun, featuring well-known stars like Billy Idol, Whitney Houston, Tears for Fears, A-Ha, and Culture Club.

Address: 53 James St, St. James’s Gate, Dublin 8, Ireland (map)

J.R. Mahon

Across the Liffey is J.R. Mahon’s (formerly known as J.W. Sweetman), a microbrewery & pub. They have a West Coast pale ale, an Irish red ale, a stout, a porter, an American blonde ale, and a hefeweizen, plus seasonal rotations. The bar shows live sport on the televisions, plus they also have live music every day.

Address: 1-2 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, D02 F243, Ireland (map)

The 5 Lamps Brewery

The 5 Lamps Brewery is located inside The Camden, a multipurpose nightlife venue. Camden Street is packed with popular bars. 5 Lamps offer tours, including tastes of their flagship lager, pale ale, red ale, and stout.

Address: 84-87 Camden Pl, Saint Kevin’s, Dublin 2, D02 DH36, Ireland (map)

Porterhouse Brewing Company

Porterhouse Brewing Company is located near Glasnevin Cemetery, but at the moment it doesn’t appear to have any public tours. Go to one of their taprooms listed below instead.

The Best Brewery Taprooms in Dublin

There are a couple of Irish craft breweries, Galway Bay & Porterhouse, that have multiple locations in Dublin.

The Beer Market

Of all of the Galway Bay brewpubs I visited in Dublin, The Beer Market was my favorite. It had the best vibe, providing good banter with the other patrons & staff.

Being a bit cozier than their other brewpubs probably helped, but it also felt like more of a neighborhood pub even though it was right in the Dublin city centre near Christ Church Cathedral. The Beer Market has 20 taps, with a large selection from Galway Bay plus some guests, as well as a huge selection of Irish whiskies.

Address: 13 High St, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 K092, Ireland (map)

The Black Sheep

The Black Sheep is a Galway Bay pub with 30 taps, plus 100 or so bottles. Many of the taps are from Galway Bay, but they also have some guests as well, including imports. They also have lots of local Teeling whiskey available, including pairings. It’s got a somewhat traditional pub feel, with plenty of space as well as board games.

Address: 61 Capel St, Rotunda, Dublin, Ireland (map)

The Brew Dock, Against the Grain, & The Gasworks are also Galway Bay pubs. Their beer & food selections are similar to the other bars. If you’re going to have several pubs in one city, it would be nice if they were differentiated a bit more, but overall they’re pleasant places for a pint & some craic.

Porterhouse Temple Bar

There are a couple of Porterhouse brewpubs in the Dublin city centre. Their original Temple Bar location has been in operation since 1996. As is the case with most Temple Bar pubs, the’ve got live music every night of the week. It’s a huge, multilevel place, but the layout & wood decor still keeps things feeling like a more intimate pub.

Address: 16-18 Parliament St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 VR94, Ireland (map)

Tapped Late Bar

Tapped Late Bar was formerly known as Porterhouse Central on Nassau Street, but it still offers several Porterhouse beers. Thanks to being off Grafton Street just a little bit further from the heart of the nightlife action, it’s a bit more chill.

Following its change, Tapped Late now has a much more modern look than its predecessor, along with 50 taps of craft beer. They also have a couple of fridges filled with bottles & cans from around the world, including some fresh local selections. There is a large whiskey & cocktail selection as well.

The music invites fun. On my first visit during the bar’s Porterhouse days, it was mostly 70s, 80s & 90s hits, with the highlight being the entire bar singing together to Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”. Nowadays, it skews more indie rock, such as The Postal Service, New Order, Blur, & Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Address: 47 Nassau St, Dublin, D02 RP20, Ireland (map)

The Best Bottle Shops in Dublin

DrinkStore

Just down the street from L. Mulligan Grocer is DrinkStore, which has a massive selection of craft beer & other drinks. They also have a website for online purchases.

Address: 87 Manor St, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7, D07 NH48, Ireland (map)

Molloys Liquor Store

Molloys Liquor Store in the Liberties is probably the best bottle and can shop in the city centre. They also have a few other locations scattered around the suburbs of Dublin.

Address: 125 Francis St, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 V820, Ireland (map)

Redmonds of Ranelagh Off License

Redmonds in south Dublin has hundreds of craft beers, along with large wine & liquor selections.

Address: 25 Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland (map)

As you can see, while Dublin’s craft beer scene might not be huge, there are definitely a few places worth visiting depending on what you’re looking for. Hopefully the coming years will see Dublin catch up to the number of breweries & beer bars found in other major cities.

If you’ve spotted any other great places for beer in Dublin, let me know in the comments!

Here are some great Dublin tours & other things to see & do in the city.

If you’re looking for a place to stay in Dublin after drinking all that craft beer, check out these Dublin hotels & AirBnbs.

Do you love craft beer? Check out more of my recommendations for the best craft beer around the world!