Strangford Lough Brewing Company’s Northern Ireland Office is located in Killyleagh, County Down, on the shores of the breathtakingly beautiful Strangford Lough. The company was founded in 2004 by Tony Davies and Bob Little, two marketing and business development professionals whose vision was to be “the second most recognisable Irish beer brand in the world”.
Our ranges of beers are all named after historical characters associated with this part of Ireland such as Saint Patrick and Magnus Barelegs, the Viking King believed to be buried on Downpatrick marshes in County Down. Magnus Barelegs has two beers named after him - Barelegs Brew and Legbiter, the name of his sword. Three beers are named in honour of Saint Patrick - St Patrick’s Gold, St Patrick’s Best and St Patrick’s Ale – probably the most famous character in Irish history, who is said to be buried at the Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, County Down.
In addition to having local names our beers are also based on traditional local recipes. The contents are typical for this part of the world, though we have added a very special local ingredient - Shamrock. This further honours our local tradition. Our aim is to make beers that give enjoyment in appearance, bouquet and taste and by so doing giving you a little of what is best about County Down, a largely undiscovered part of Ireland.
Our Magnus range was launched in May 2004 at the Killyleagh Viking Boat Festival and was favourably received. The first of our Saint Patrick’s beers was launched in September 2004 both in Ireland and the USA with the final two beers launched in 2005. On the stockists page you will find where you can purchase our beers.
As a relatively new business, our strategy is to bring our beers to the Irish markets around the world, particularly North America, and we have acquired the trademark for ‘St. Patrick’ for ale, beer, lager and stout in the United States. We are currently selling licenses for 42 territories in North America to qualified entrepreneurs who will then brew our beers to the high quality standards we specify, and then market and supply them in their individual territory.
We already provide local employment and our aim is to eventually increase this when we build our own brewery close to the beautiful shores of Strangford Lough. Now that our brands are established throughout Northern Ireland and the business can afford the significant investment to build the brewery, plans are going ahead and work is in progress on a new site in Saul, about 2 miles outside Downpatrick. We are looking forward to producing our exciting beers at the quality we expect.
In the meantime enjoy our brews and “experience a taste of home”. Feel free to contact us with your feedback or business suggestions by going to the contact us page. Our business is a learning business, every day we aim to learn more!
