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THE THIRD DEGREE: Conor McGlinchey enjoying the taste of life as a brewer

In his Third Degree column, Paul Bradley has beenspeaking to Letterkenny native, Conor McGlinchey, head brewer at Southwark Brewery in London 

Hi Conor, thank you for doing this interview. Could you tell us a bit about yourself please.
Aye no bother, I’m from Letterkenny and studied in NUI Galway. After finishing there, I moved down to Limerick for a few years working in Biopharmacy.
I moved to London in 2021 after I got a call from friends of mine who asked me if I fancied brewing beer in London. And I’ve been in London since.

You’re head brewer at Southwark Brewery in London. Is that the dream job it sounds like or am I being too romantic about it?
Yeah, it’s been great craic. It’s very hard physical work but by far the most fun I’ve ever had at a job.

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How did you end up there – was it a deliberate plan or was there a bit of sheer luck in it?
I got working in Southwark to learn about brewing and get experience. Then I just got lucky when I was offered the job at Southwark. I had no brewing experience but a lot of the biopharmacy skills were transferrable, and I learned brewing as I went along.

With everybody trying new flavours and beer types these days, is that a good or a bad time to be a brewer? Do you sometimes wish you just made two kinds of beer, take ‘em or leave ‘em?
Brewing is going through a bit of a lull right now, people are drinking less and the cost of brewing, like the costs of buying malts and hops as well as the water and electric charges are going up. I do like having a good selection of beers to brew as it gives people a choice to try different styles they might not normally go for. And it’s a lot of fun making new recipes.
What’s different about beer culture in the UK compared to Ireland? What do you miss about one place when you’re in the other?
The biggest difference is the cask beers you get in the UK that you don’t get at home. That and there are more small independent breweries as well, which is really good as it is a great wee community to be part of.
I do miss the cask beers when I’m at home, and one thing I’m still not used to is the lack of beer mats in pubs over here.

What’s the social life like in London? Do you have a lot of visitors from Letterkenny, and what do you do for a night out – is it fair to say there are so many other things to do in London that just going out for a few drinks isn’t always the option?
Yes, the social scene in London is unreal, there’s always something happening so yeah, if you don’t fancy a pint there’s plenty of other things to see and to do. I’ve had a few friends and family come to visit. I usually go for a few drinks with my mates on a night out, we try and arrange a meet up/pub crawl once every couple of months when we’re all free.

Apparently in Australia you were once an “axe throwing coach”. Explain please! (Presumably that didn’t mingle with beer too often?)
Oh no, not me haha! My assistant brewer Sam was the axe thrower. He’s only just moved back from Australia and applied for a job that we had open. We got him in for an interview and we thought he was a great fit for the team at Southwark.

Do you get home much? How about Christmas?
I’m in Ireland a few times a year, not always Donegal, but sometimes I get back to Galway or Limerick usually for someone’s wedding. Aye, I do get home for Christmas for about a week or so. I’m happy to go to most any pub back home really, I don’t mind as long as there’s a bit of craic.

QUICKFIRE
Your favourite kind of date night:
Having an activity planned, something that isn’t just going for drinks

Favourite film or music:
The Predator

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Your own choice of beer:
I love a good dark or red ale

A motto you live by:
Always cook far more than you need

If anyone else would like to take part in this interview, to raise a profile or an issue, please contact Paul at Dnthirddegree@gmail.com

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