“We love challenging perceptions of what beer can be”
A Belfast brewery has got itself into a pickle with its newest craft beer.
Bullhouse Brew Co has teamed up with a popular Dromore food spot to create a one-of-a-kind pickle beer – set to divide opinion, spark conversation and celebrate the power of collaboration.
Brewed Bethel’s Kitchen and The Woodworkers, ‘Dill With It’ is a “sour, salty, zingy pickle beer with bite – inspired by a love of bold flavours and born from a three-way collaboration stretching from Michigan to Dromore, New Zealand to Belfast.”
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The idea was born last November during a chat between The Woodworkers team and Bullhouse Brew Co about sour beers, bold flavours and pickles.
A few months later, Bullhouse Sales Manager Brent Nielsen, originally from New Zealand, created the recipe for a pickle beer and suggested working with Willetta Gabriel, founder of Bethel’s Kitchen.
Originally from Michigan, Willetta has been transforming the local food scene with her artisan bagels and the dill pickles crafted in Dromore for over three years.
Willetta said: “Going on 20-plus years in Northern Ireland, I spent the first half searching for good pickles. Then during lockdown I started hunting for good pickling recipes and started creating.
“I finalised a recipe that satisfied my Michigan cravings and wowed my friends. I now sell to the public from my micro bakery and pickling kitchen in Dromore, and I also stock in a handful of local artisan shops including cheesemongers and butchers.
“To think we would be involved in the first pickle beer in the country is wild beyond my imagination. Thankful for the blend of stories with Bullhouse and The Woodworkers.”
Bullhouse was founded in 2016 by William (“Willy”) Mayne and began in a converted bull shed on his family farm near Newtownards.
Since then, Bullhouse has expanded to a 6,000 sq ft brewery in South Belfast and opened Belfast’s first permanent taproom, Bullhouse East, in June 2022.
Brent Nielsen, Bullhouse Brew Co added: “At Bullhouse, we love challenging perceptions of what beer can be.
“This collaboration is about pushing boundaries and showing how local food influences can inspire something completely different.
“Northern Ireland has an incredible food and drink scene, and we want to showcase that – taking the best of what’s produced here and bringing it to market so more people can experience it.”
When creating the Dill With It label, collaborators The Woodworkers, Belfast’s first rotating taproom, worked with Belfast-based illustrator Fiona McDonnell to design the label.
If you think you are ready to ‘Dill With’ the beer’s unique flavours, it is available to try from the off-sales at Bullhouse East and The Woodworkers.
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