One of the leading lights in the micro-brewery business in Ireland, both manufacturing and retail, is The Porter House, which opened initially in Bray and then in Dublin's Temple Bar.
The company now has a number of other outlets, including one in London's Covent Garden. This year The Porter House celebrates its 10th year - years that have seen it grow from a clever niche idea into a thriving bar and restaurant business. And they have achieved all this by selling and making their own beer - "100% Irish, 0% chemicals" - as well as offering a very wide selection of top-class imported beers.
In their 10th anniversary brochure, the owners, Jim Flynn and Oliver Hughes, state their case: "We're passionate about beer. Not just our beer. We're passionate about all good beer. And in case you're under any illusion, we simply don't care for bad beer. We know it's a matter of one's personal taste, but for some reason most people still choose to drink beer that tastes of very little . . ."
The Porter House makes 10 beers: three draught stouts, including their formidable Wrasslers 4X; three draught ales; and four draught lagers. They also have a huge range of imported beers including examples from such exotic places as Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Ghana and Jamaica - the wonderful Red Stripe. It is not clear whether they are included in the owners' guesstimate of the number of pints they have served since they first opened 10 years ago, which stands at 13.5 million.