Against the grain - New beer bar in Dublin

Pin It Now! It has been labelled the corner of death by some. No fewer than 4 pubs have come and gone at this location in the last few years so it is probably fitting that they named it Against the grain. Not only do they hope to set a different trend by actually staying in business but they hope to be different in everything they do. So what is different about this?

For starters, the beer available is different. Against the grain is run by the same people who run The Oslo brewpub in Salthill (Galway) and The Salthouse beer bar in Galway City centre as well as a couple of other places. You can read all about them at their website.

Against the grain features a number of craft Irish beers on tap, including their own from the Oslo brewed under the name Bay Brewery. A Lager and an Ale.

As well as a good tap selection, they also have an impressive bottle selection with 60+ beers from around the world.

What else is different? Well it is hard to tell from the above image but if you take a look you will see something is missing that you get in most Irish pubs these days. There is no TV? I said to the manager that I hope they are able to survive without one because it is great to walk in to a pub and not have it full of people shouting at the TV because some match is on. Don't get me wrong, I like to watch a rugby match at the pub but I think they are doing it right here because the plan is to open up the upstairs bar and have a projector up there. Those interested in watching a match can do so upstairs and those who want a quiet drink and chat can do so downstairs.

They also do not blast music either... instead they have light, relaxing music at a low volume. Loud enough for you to listen to it but not so loud that you need to raise your voice to be heard.

Down the back of the bar there is a table with a number of board games for people to play as well. A nice touch you get in some Irish pubs.

When I was asked if I thought they were doing anything wrong I honestly could not think of anything. They are a little on the expensive side with a pint costing €4.90 which is more expensive than The Bull and Castle (about €4.35) but it is not too bad. Also they make up for it with a pricing structure that makes most of the beers exactly half the price if you order a half pint. This is something that has bothered me for years that most pubs charge more than half the cost of a pint for a half measure so kudos to them for that.

I had meant to say it to them before I left but I forgot. One suggestion I would make is to provide free wifi. The Oslo does this so hopefully they will get that set up.

This got little note got my attention. The Bay Brewery lager is dry hopped? I was given a free sample and I actually enjoyed it. This is a new batch and while I have not tried the previous version, I have it on good authority that it was pretty meh... My wife would enjoy this lager as would most women considering the mango aroma.

So well done to the staff on a great new pub and I wish them all the luck. They start serving food from tomorrow.

Link to google map.