What people say about Haarlem & Nijmegen’s craft beer …

What is authentic Irish Red Ale? And why is The Stolen Bicycle Brewery’s Thievin’ Fecker unique? Common questions at Tierney’s Irish Pubs.

Authentic Irish Red Ale is uncommon

Irish beer drinkers seldom find authentic Red Ale at home. The country’s pubs claim to have it, but most are doppelgangers: commercial, multinational amber-coloured lagers masquerading as the real thing. You’ll recognise this classic beer’s many imitators; they sit beside Guinness in Irish Pubs across the world, tasting sweeter and less bitter than their original inspiration.

Sometimes, lucky drinkers find an authentic Irish Red Ale — a genuine treat. And thanks to the craft beer revival, this smooth, easy-drinking copper-coloured beer’s popularity is increasing at home and abroad.

Irish Red Ale history

Inspired by British Bitter, Red Ale became a unique, distinct Irish beer style during the early 20th century. But as a result of mergers and acquisitions, most twenty-first century examples of the style are owned by US breweries. No longer produced in Ireland, today’s homogenous ‘Irish Red’ is a modern reproduction that lacks the authentic version’s delightful character. Despite the name, the lookalikes are rarely even ales.

Irish Red Ale production has declined during the past forty years, with industrial red lager seizing its market position. Fortunately, a few artisanal craft brewers strive to reinvent the style; and a few genuine Irish Pubs also produce their own version.

Enthusiastic drinkers relish increasing opportunities to rediscover authenticity.

Tierney’s Irish Pub

Haarlem’s The Stolen Bicycle Brewery produces Tierney’s Irish Pubs’ in-house beer, and its Thievin’ Fecker Irish Red Ale — brewed by Amsterdam’s Poesiat & Kater — reinvigorates this beer lover’s favourite. Thievin’ Fecker’s signature flavour offers hints of toffee and caramel biscuit sweetness alongside characteristic dry-roasted barley bitterness, typical of authentic Irish Red Ale.

Beer enthusiasts or not, visiting Haarlem or Nijmegen’s Tierney’s Irish Pub offers drinkers an opportunity to savour authentic Red Ale, served at a genuine Irish Pub. The Stolen Bicycle Brewery’s Thievin’ Fecker — seize it while you can!

From Thievin' Fecker seizes Irish Red Ale's essence at Tierney’s Irish Pub, by Peter Mulville, 2019 (Professional Beer Process Writer)

With the arrival of the Stolen Bicycle Brewery, Haarlem’s burgeoning Craft Beer scene gains momentum to rightfully reclaim its title as an important centre for Dutch beer production. The expectant buzz around the city’s hospitality industry, and its imminent reopening, welcomes the Thievin’ Fecker (Irish Red Ale), Robbin’ Bastard (IPA) and Crafty Bitch (Blond). And there are more beers planned.

True beer lovers visiting the Netherlands often complain about the lack of a genuine pint: low(er)-ABV, quaffable ales with bold flavours and less carbonation. The Dutch beer-drinker preference for ubiquitous pale lagers from well-known corporate brands dominates the industry, and national craft-beer brewers tend to focus on high-ABV, heavy-hopped beers.

The Stolen Bicycle Brewery in Haarlem is bucking the trend. Another high-calibre beer producer in the city is another reason to visit. Haarlem — a centre for Dutch beer-tourism.

From Greeting Haarlem's Stolen Bicycle Brewery, by Peter Mulville, 2021 (Professional Beer Process Writer)