Day Nine: Temple Braü, Brain Blasta And Wrasslers XXXX

The benefit of the AHA International style of running a study abroad program is their weekly schedule. We only have classes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, allowing for day trips on Wednesdays and three-day weekends for sightseeing, etc. We decided to spend this weekend around the Dublin area, exploring places we’d yet to see.

This, of course, led to one of the most popular destinations in Dublin: Temple Bar and its environs. There are all sorts of shops and restaurants to look into, and no one really bats an eye if you’re not Irish. In fact, Temple Bar is one of the few places in Dublin where there seem to be more foreigners than actual Irish people. It has a very international vibe that makes it a very nice experience, especially for those of the college age.

But all that walking requires sustenance, so naturally we began looking for the most interesting food options. We landed on a place called the Porterhouse Brewing Co., largely because the rule in the US is that breweries usually make good food and they often have sampler options for their beers. We were correct on both counts. For a mere €5, you got three 1/3 pints of any of their nine house beers. I opted for a lager called Temple Braü, an ale called Brain Blasta and a stout called Wrasslers XXXX.

Temple Braü is described as “the lager beer of Temple Bar,” which seems unlikely due to the sheer number of pubs in Temple Bar, and the fact that only one of them actually serves Temple Braü. Regardless, it was delicious, and quite easy to drink. Brain Blasta is described as “a deep copper tinged brew for the true aficionado,” and is exactly that. It was a bit too bitter for my liking, and its 7% alcohol content was somewhat unexpected. But that’s why you get a sampler, right? Wrasslers XXXX is, apparently, the best beer they serve at the Porterhouse Brewing Co., and they say it’s “a stout like your grandfather used to drink.” As one member of our party observed, “It looks like oil in a glass.” That it did, but it’s taste was about as far away from oil as possible. I hate to admit it, but it might be better than Guinness, and I’ve had it at the source.

Walking around Temple Bar after our samplers made things far more interesting. The weather in Ireland has been incredibly nice, which just about every Irish person has been quick to point out to us Yanks. I’ve tried to explain that Oregon has very similar weather most of the year, but it largely falls on deaf ears. Anyway, we wandered around Temple Bar for another two hours or so in glorious sunshine, then took the DART home. After yet another full dinner, we went for a long walk around Dun Laoghaire, watching the sunset over the ocean.

I think I could live here.