Kinnegar triumphs at World Beer Cup
Black Bucket from Kinnegar Brewing in Donegal was awarded the Gold in the American-Style Black Ale/American-Style Stout category.
Black Bucket from Kinnegar Brewing in Donegal was awarded the Gold in the American-Style Black Ale/American-Style Stout category.
Awards were given in 103 beer-style categories at the recent competition at the Minneapolis Convention Centre in the US town of Minnesota.
A black rye IPA, Black Bucket is part of Kinnegar Brewing’s core range of 12 beers.
“Kinnegar is quite well-known for rye beers — any of our beers with ‘Bucket’ in the name feature rye”, explained Kinnegar Brewing’s Co-Owner Libby Carton, “We first made Black Bucket in 2014 and while it’s one of the more challenging styles in our core range, it’s actually a remarkably drinkable beer that beautifully balances rye and roasted malts with fresh hop aromas and flavours.”
Until Kinnegar’s triumph last week, no Irish brewery had ever achieved a Gold award since the inception of this competition presented biennially by the Brewers Association since 1996. One Silver and two Bronze awards have been brought back in the past by Galway Bay Brewery in 2016, Eight Degrees in 2014 and The Porterhouse Brewery in 2010.
The 2022 World Beer Cup was the largest competition to date. Some 2,493 breweries from 57 countries worldwide entered 10,542 individual beers in 103 different categories, with a maximum of one Bronze, one Silver and one Gold per category up for grabs. Kinnegar’s win with Black Bucket also elevated Ireland to the number one spot in the “country with highest winning rate” table at 16.67%.
“Naturally we’re delighted with every award we win but there’s one accolade that matters more to a brewery than any other and this is it,” said Founder and Head Brewer Rick LeVert. “We’re consistently improving what we do at our base off the beaten track in Donegal and it’s exceptionally rewarding to receive this level of recognition for our effort.”
Producing at commercial scale since 2013, the brewery rapidly outgrew its original premises in Rathmullan and moved to K2, a state-of-the-art facility in nearby Letterkenny in 2017. Since then the business has continued to flourish. Today Kinnegar is one of Ireland’s best-loved and most highly-respected independent breweries, enjoying a significant share of the Irish craft beer market both at home and in continental Europe.
