The Devil's Half Acre

[admin]

The first Irish beer I think I've had that has well and truly smashed boundaries. A 13.5% barrel aged "dark IPA". €6.50 a 330ml bottle in the Porter House. Very drinkable (just the one), quite balanced for a wine strength beer. Get it while you can!

[irish_goat]

What's the name about does anyone know?

[irish_goat]

Is it this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil's_Half-Acre,_Pennsylvania

I saw that yeah but would seem odd as there's no obvious connection to Ireland there.

[delzep]

Theres an A4 sheet above the hand drier in the jacks that explains it. I wasn't arsed reading it though

[delzep]

The sheet in the jacks is gone now.

[delzep]

Bring the mot. Works for me 

[imark]

I better get in there and drink some of this epic beer before ye lads swamp it all!

[imark]

Tried it. Underwhelming!

[imark]

Pah. Lacks finesse!

[irish_goat]

So I asked on the Porterhouse FB page for the story behind the name and got an essay back.

In respect of the name as you are aware The Devil, it has been said, has the sweetest tunes. With this in mind we looked at the tradition of beers that are associated with the Devil. It is said that the trend originated with Duvel, that wonderful Belgian beer which when it was first produced a brewer commented that it was a Devil of a beer. Hence the name Duvel meaning Devil stuck. Since then this has influenced countless breweries around the world, and you have possibly drank such beers as Satan, Lucifer, all of these can note strong complex beers. With this in mind many years ago I heard the story that Dublin castle and its immediate environs, since its inception in 1204 up until 1922, when our state obtained independence, has had a history which is both dark and sad and it was known to locals as "The Devils Half Acre". This moniker gained further notoriety when military rule of Ireland was controlled from Dublin Castle. Thus Michael Collins used to very disparagingly refer to British military rule coming from The Devils Half Acre. In addition to this if one walks up Parliament Street and goes to the right of Dublin Castle, at the gates there if one looks above the arch one can see the scales of justice. This is a symbol of fairness and justice but as has been pointed out the statue is facing inwards to the inhabitants of Dublin Castle and justice did not apply to the population of Ireland. With this history in mind when I first heard the story I thought "The Devils Half Acre" what a great name for a worthy beer. And now here it is.