Christmas is a special time at the brewery. A time to look forward to a new year and new beers, a time to look back at what we’ve achieved. For 2025, we decided to release a pair of beers that sum up both parts of this equation.
First up is the new: Hōne’s Red IPA takes an Irish red ale and adds deliciously dank hops from New Zealand for a richly aromatic take on traditional. It’s NZ meets Ireland – we’re celebrating nineteenth-century solidarity between Māori and Irish vs English colonisers – and bringing these very NZ hops to the party.
Building on our strengths (forgetfulness and barrel ageing), V3 of our Black Ball Metric Stout features the strong stout that was a hit when first released in 2019, then again in 2020. When we rediscovered a small batch of this beauty and brought it to the 2025 Dublin Beer Festival, it got such a welcome that we decided to put what was left into cans.
Hōne’s Red IPA
5.2% ABV
Hōne Mohi Tāwhai was a Māori member of the New Zealand parliament in the nineteenth century. He felt a deep bond of solidarity between Māori and Irish people who, at the time, were all fighting to reclaim land rights from English colonisers. Expressing his solidarity in 1879, Hōne declared: “I am an Irishman” in the NZ Parliament. To celebrate these links, we have enhanced a traditional Irish red ale with the aromatic splendour of some New Zealand’s finest dank and resinous hops, Rakau and Wakatu. The flavour reminds us of Christmas pudding, a deep toffee and caramel body overlaid with mild tropical and orchard fruit aromas. Kia ora!
Black Ball Metric Stout
11.4% ABV
V3: You know that feeling when you find something you thought was gone forever? In our case, it was a small batch of barrel-aged Black Ball from five years ago with a flavour that was even more intense and smooth.
Still the same modern stout that shuns imperialistic, old school vernacular, the mash for our Black Ball was rammed full of dark, complex malts before being poured into those Irish whiskey barrels. It’s always been a big, bold stout, but, after five years, it has completely rounded out. This rediscovered stout is deep, dark, rich and rewarding.
More information: www.eightdegrees.ie
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About Eight Degrees Brewing
An award-winning Irish microbrewery renowned for its innovation and experimentation, Eight Degrees was founded in 2010 by Scott Baigent and Cam Wallace. The brewery, based in Mitchelstown, North Cork, was acquired by Irish Distillers in 2018. Just five years later, it was bought back by Scott and Cam. Since 2023 they have continued to work with the same core brewery team to release a selection of consistently Naturally Adventurous beers using natural ingredients. www.eightdegrees.ie
Please note: these beers will be available from the end of November. If you would like samples, please let me know your preferred delivery address and phone number – they will be sent out as soon as we have them in the cans!
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Caroline Hennessy
Head of Marketing and Communications
Eight Degrees Brewing Company
Address: Unit 4, Coolnanave Industrial Park, Mitchelstown, Co Cork, Ireland
Email: caroline@eightdegrees.
Web: www.eightdegrees.ie
Insta: EightDegreesBrewing | Twitter: 8DegreesBrewing | Facebook: Eight Degrees Brewing
