Northern Ireland’s craft beer sector continues to thrive with the official launch of its newest microbrewery, Mourne Mountains Brewery.

Located in Warrenpoint, the brewery, which borrows its name from the famous mountain range, recently opened with a special event for suppliers, stockists and a selection of lucky hop-heads to introduce their first three beers.

The new range, which is produced using water from the Spelga Dam, includes three core brews; Mourne Gold pale ale, Red Trail red IPA and Big Rock wheat beer. The brewery has also created two special seasonal brews; Mourne Mist Pilsner and East Coast IPA, to coincide with the launch.

Connaire McGreevy, founder and owner of Mourne Mountains Brewery said: “In Northern Ireland the craft beer revolution continues to grow and we’ve developed a real taste for high quality crafted ales.

“We are no longer satisfied with the mass-produced offerings of big breweries and instead are looking for something different and more interesting for our taste buds.

“That demand is part of the inspiration behind our brewery, but there’s also a strong personal interest for me. Craft beer is something I’ve been passionate about for many years and as a keen traveller I’ve visited craft breweries and bars all over the world and have seen how exciting the industry can be.

“I wanted to take that passion and my research to produce the finest artisan beers in the country and cater the growing thirst for local brews”.

The five new beers launched by the brewery are available both on draft and in bottles, with production overseen by Master Brewer Tom Ray, who has brewed award-winning real ales for microbreweries in England and worked at a number of global breweries.

“Tom is dedicated to producing the finest quality craft beer and his extensive experience has allowed us to develop a varied and balanced range of flavours,” Connaire added.

“Using his knowledge and the fresh spring water from the Mournes we’ve created a range that caters to both speciality beer aficionados and regular beer drinkers.

“Between the pale ale, red IPA and wheat beer there should be something for everyone’s palette and we’re also working to expand our range with a number of one-offs and seasonal specials such as the East Coast IPA and Mourne Mist pilsner.

“We’ve already received a fantastic response, both from stockists and consumers, which was one of the reasons why we held our launch event. It was just as important for us to thank everyone who has supported us so far, as it was to introduce our brand, our beers and our background.

“There was no better place to do that than at the foot of the Mournes and the event also gave us the perfect platform to tell people about the legend of ‘Slángha’.

‘Slángha was an ancient figure who travelled over from Greece and was one of the first people to produce beer using water from the Mournes. His story is part of the inspiration behind Mourne Mountains Brewery, as we’re just the latest in a long line of brewers to call these mountains home.”

Over 60 guests joined the Mourne Mountains Brewery Clan to celebrate the launch, with attendees enjoying entertainment and sampling each of the beers, which are now available in a wide range of bars and off-sales.

For more information visit www.mournemountainsbrewery.com and for a full list of stockists search ‘Mourne Mountains Brewery’ on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @MourneBrewery