|
The St. Francis Abbey Brewery occupies over 25 acres in the heart of Kilkenny City. The brewery has been part of local life for over 290 years and it is here that Smithwick’s Ale was first brewed in 1710.
The St. Francis Abbey Brewery continues to brew Smithwick’s to this day. It also produces Budweiser for the Irish market. Kilkenny has a proud brewing history, dating from as early as the 14th century, when monks in St. Francis Abbey began brewing at this location.
In the mid 1800s, driven by the ambition and skill of Edmund Smithwick, the brewery expanded as Smithwick’s ale became more popular nationwide. The brewery began exporting eight different types of beer. By the 1920s Smithwick’s had become Ireland’s most popular ale, a position it still holds.
Quality
The quality of Smithwick’s and the skills of the brewery have been recognised in the renowned Monde Selection Beer Tasting Competition. Smithwick’s and Kilkenny Irish Ale (also produced at the Kilkenny brewery) have won gold medals in this event.
In 1987 the brewery began producing Budweiser and now operates seven days a week to meet demand for this popular beer. Recent capital investment programmes have seen the brewery increase production capacity to over two milllion kegs a year.
The Budweiser brand is owned by the Anheuser-Busch corporation of the United States and is brewed in Ireland under licence by Diageo. Kilkenny-brewed Budweiser was given the official seal of approval by August Busch III on his visit to Ireland in 1986. It is tested for quality and taste by Anheuser-Busch brewmasters working in Kilkenny and also in Anheuser-Busch headquarters in St. Louis in the US each week.
Kegging and packing
Over 700 kegs of Cashels cider, Budweiser, Smithwick’s and Kilkenny ales are produced every hour for distribution locally, nationally and internationally. All output is checked and coded to ensure that it is fully traceable for quality control purposes.
Skilled staff in the on-site laboratory conduct over 2,000 analyses every week, checking each brew. The application of state-of-the-art technology has created an integrated, holistic brewing process that enables the brewery to continue its tradition of brewing great beers and ales.
The St. Francis Abbey brewery operates in partnership with the local community, suppliers and service providers. The brewery’s technical, administration and brewing teams are supported by external suppliers providing security, maintenance and support services on-site. The raw materials sourced for the brewery include barley from the region.
Factfile:
- St. Francis Abbey is Ireland’s oldest operating brewery
- Smithwick’s is Ireland’s number one ale
- Budweiser is the world’s best selling beer
- Smithwick’s ale has been awarded over five gold medals in the Monde Selection Beer Tasting Competition
- Ten qualified tasters work on-site assessing and monitoring all beers and ale brewed
- Investment in Kilkenny includes €6.7 million in new technology and equipment.
|