This month, Whiplash celebrate the one-year anniversary of the first official brew in their very own brewery, custom built in 2019.
Initially founded in 2016 as a side project for Alan Wolfe and Alex Lawes, both already working in the brewing industry, Whiplash went full time in 2017. The lads started off gypsy brewing around Ireland and later wider-Europe, taking slots where available to produce both the core beer favourites as well as special editions. It quickly became apparent as the interest and demand for more Whiplash beer grew across Ireland and internationally that they would need a space of their own.
“It’s now quite the pain in our neck. We’ve ruined our lives.”
– Alan & Alex (Founders, Whiplash)
Breaking ground in Ballyfermot in 2019, the team began to build their own brewery, designing and commissioning everything in-house. What is now in place is completely customised, perfected for modern brewing and tailored to the exact needs of Whiplash Beer.
The facility is adept at handling small runs of new pilot brews as well as big tanks of consumer favourites from the year-round range of Rollover, Body Riddle and Northern Lights. In addition, the brewery has its own mash filter, something rarely seen in microbrewing and at the cutting edge of brewing technology.
In the last year, Whiplash have produced everything from hazy IPAs, Belgian style Tripels and Grisettes, massive Stouts and more, all while maintaining their position as the #1 top rated microbrewery in Ireland.
Last year, Whiplash had hoped to bring guest brewers from all over the world to work on collaborations as part of the launch but as delays in brewery commissioning set in, it wasn’t seeming possible. Instead, they joined forces with The Big Romance, called some of their brewing friends and set up a beer festival in Dublin and invited everyone to visit.
Fidelity took place in July 2019 in Dublin’s Mansion House and for many of the guest breweries it was their first time to ever pour in Ireland. Attending breweries flew in from all over the world and included the likes of Other Half, J. Wakefield Brewing, Jackie O’s, Barrier, Northern Monk, Finback, North Brewing Co and many other friends closer to home too such as Yellowbelly, Rascals and Boundary. This festival was just a taster of the type of global craft beer community Whiplash want to forge from Dublin, and those collaborations are still on the books, as soon as it is possible.
2020 has raised unprecedented issues for everyone – Whiplash included – but Alan and Alex have worked hard, along with the team, to subvert these challenges and keep doing what they do best – producing world class, award-winning beers, and having a bit of a socially-distanced sesh along the way.
November marks one year since our brewery in Ballyfermot officially went into commission. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we mark the occasion, and of course put out some banging beers! Did someone say stout season? pic.twitter.com/SZCIqcRsjH
— Whiplashbeer (@whiplashbeer) November 7, 2020
In the last few months Whiplash have launched their online store, which has allowed them to deliver direct to consumers across the whole of Ireland during lockdown and the team has expanded, with nine staff now employed across multiple departments, from brewing and canning to lab analysis and marketing.
Whiplash have also continued working with collage artist Sophie Devere to create the unique artwork for each new beer released and have established new relationships with other Irish artists for upcoming projects.
The rest of the year is jam-packed with new releases coming for winter including the much-awaited seasonal return of Fatal Deviation Imperial Stout and the first taste of the brewery’s barrel-aging programme which has been quietly maturing for the last few months.
To find out more about Whiplash, check out their website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and go buy some tasty beers from their webshop.
