feature | ARDS BREWERY VERSION REPRO OP
Northern Ireland’s hidden treasure Northern Ireland beer fan Roy Willighan visits Ards brewery and talks to its owner and brewer, Charles Ballantyne
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELAINE HILL Last year saw a milestone birthday
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for three of Northern Ireland’s cask breweries. Ards Brewing Company was 10 years old, Whitewater turned 25 and the oldest independent brewery on the island of Ireland, Hilden brewery, celebrated its 40th birthday. The Northern Ireland beer landscape has altered immeasurably since the inception of each of these breweries, and even in the 10 years of Ards’ existence, much has changed. I first met owner and brewer Charles Ballantyne in 2012, a year after opening when there were only five microbreweries operating in Northern Ireland at that time. Yes, five. With now close to 40 breweries, brewpubs and brands across Northern Ireland, I wanted to get his thoughts about the past, present and future of Ards. Located a mile outside of Greyabbey on the Ards peninsula, you’d never know you’re approaching a brewery when you turn off the country road into a winding,
gravel lane. There’s no sign on the Greyabbey to Carrowdore Road, there’s not even an Ards sign when you park up at the brewery 15 yards from Charles’s house. I suppose you could say, why bother? It’s so well hidden through the trees that no one will see it apart from the postman and inquisitive beer writers. What you do notice as you drive down, however, is the fantastic, lush woodland enveloping the brewery. I’ve been to Charles’s place numerous times, but never had the opportunity to explore the surrounding seven acres. That was about to change. For the next 45 minutes, we meandered through some of those seven acres, picking our way along the tiny trail that guided us past many trees, crossing a muddy stream, marvelling at the stunning views and getting my trainers less white. I was loving this. I admit I was a touch disappointed when we arrived back at the house. Left: Woodland retreat – Ards brewhouse
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The 2008 crash was a catalyst for Ards
We sat down and Charles, a former architect, began to talk about the brewery. “It all came about after the property crash of 2008. I realised pretty quickly the building industry and architect work was going to disappear overnight. We [his company] had to lay everybody off and wound up the business pretty quickly. Just like that. Word on the street was it was going to take quite a few years for the industry to recover and I wondered what on earth am I going to do during that time? “I thought about baking bread, but
someone suggested brewing beer. Great, but I’d never made beer in my life. So a quick crash course in home brew with a friend and I was hooked. When yeast ferments, it gives off some magical power that gets up your nostrils and makes your brain turn to mush. That was it really, I started brewing every weekend and gave it away to friends over a year or so. “One of these friends worked in the food technology department at Loughry College in Cookstown and enjoyed the
