Brewing the Past in the Present Event 6
Dates
21/02/2026 - 21/02/2026
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Location
Dublin Castle
Brewing Power: Food and Drink in Sixteenth-Century Ireland
Dublin Castle is delighted to present a six-part public lecture series exploring how food and drink shaped everyday life, social relationships and authority in sixteenth-century Ireland. The series draws on new research conducted by the FoodCult project, led by Trinity historian Dr Susan Flavin, and moves between the kitchens of Dublin Castle and the reconstructed Tudor brew houses combining history, science, archaeology, craft and film.
EVENT 6: Brewing the Past in the Present
This is a discussion and tasting with Maurice Deasy and Susan Flavin.
What happens when historical research moves into a working brewery? In this talk, brewer Maurice Deasy reflects on the experience of developing a sixteenth-century beer within a farmhouse brewery using Irish-grown heritage grain and hops, malted on site. Building on earlier experimental work with historians, the project shifted from controlled reconstruction into sustained brewing practice. The lecture explores what changes when historians and brewers work together over time, what such collaboration makes possible, and where its limits lie. It considers what this process reveals about flavour, craft skill and sustainability, and how historical research can continue to inform brewing in the present. The session concludes with a guided tasting that allows audiences to connect research with contemporary practice.
Link to the film Drunk? Adventures in Sixteenth-Century Brewing
Date: Saturday, 21st February, 2026
Time: 7 pm – 8.30 pm (Doors open at 6.45 pm)
Location: George’s Hall, The State Apartments, Dublin Castle Upper Yard
Adults (18+)
Getting Here
Situated in the City Centre off Dame Street, behind City Hall, 5 minutes walk from Trinity College en-route to Christchurch.
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