The Great Northern Brewery, on the Carrick Road, Dundalk was an Irish brewery home to Harp Lager, formerly owned by Diageo. In 2015 the brewery closed, and production of Harp Lager was moved to St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin.
History
The Great Northern Brewery in Dundalk, Ireland was the second largest brewery in Ireland after St James’s Gate Brewery. Diageo’s association with brewing in Dundalk dates back to the late 1950s, when what was then the Great Northern Brewery was bought by Smithwick's Ale of Kilkenny and subsequently by Guinness. Up until 1960, the brewery had produced stout and ale. However, in response to an increased demand for lager at that time, Guinness converted the brewery into a modern lager operation. Working with German master brewer, Dr Hermann Muender, and local ingredients, Harp Lager was created.
Expansion
Within 12 months of launch in 1960, Harp had become an established brand throughout Ireland. A year later it was launched nationwide in Britain. This success meant that the brewery’s capacity had to be expanded to meet demand. Today, the brewery has extensive facilities and it produces and packs a collection of beers and ales, including Harp Lager, Smithwick's Ale, Satzenbrau Pils, Carlsberg and Warsteiner. Some 80 people are employed across a range of disciplines including production, supply, customer service, technical and quality control. In recent years there has been a substantial investment which has seen the addition of a new brewhouse, additional fermentation vessels, a pall filtration plant and a carbonation/nitrogenation plant in the existing filtration centre.
Closure
On 9 May 2008, Diageo announced that the brewery, along with its Kilkenny plant, would be closed by 2013 with operations moving to either St. James's Gate or a new brewery to be built near Dublin. However, due to the declining property markets throughout the globe, Diageo has reassessed its decision and put all closures on hold for the foreseeable future much to the delight of the local population in Dundalk. This decision has however come at a cost, with the Kegging Facilities in Dundalk being ceased and moved to St James Gate in Dublin; this is expected to take place in mid-July or shortly after. The working staff shall be reduced and many contractors shall be finishing up their time meaning in effect a reduction in staff from 82 bodies to 53 bodies not taking into account the contractors. On 30 September 2013, all brewing and processing ceased and the brewery was officially closed by Diageo. Dismantling and removal of certain facilities to St. James' Gate in Dublin continued into 2014.
Great Northern Distillery
After Diageo closed the site, it was announced that John Teeling, founder of the Cooley Distillery and director of the Irish Whiskey Company, would acquire the site and convert the brewery into a distillery. On 31 July 2015 distilling began for the first time with the brewery having been renamed as the Great Northern Distillery. The site was renamed as the Great Northern Distillery. The Great Northern Distillery became the second largest and only the third grain distillery in Ireland. It maintains the use of spring water from the Cooley Peninsula as a key feature of production, just as the brewery had before.
