Brewery planning to install a beer pipeline under historic Cork street

CORK is set to have Ireland’s first underground beer pipeline linking two of the city’s microbreweries.

Pedestrians walking down Cornmarket Street could soon have beer, ale and stout flowing through a special pipeline under their feet through a new proposal from Cork brewer and publican Benny McCabe.

The popularity of the Rising Sons range of products has led to expansion plans for their brewery.

Last month, McCabe lodged an application with City Hall for a €5.2m revamp of The Bodega to include a microbrewery for Rising Sons products. They also plan to operate a distillery in The Bodega creating dark ‘Navy Rum’.

He is now seeking the go-ahead from the council for a plan to link both breweries through an underground pipeline under the street. The pipeline will be used to transfer beer products from one site to the other.

“Similar beer pipelines exits in other locations. There was one installed in Bruges in Belgium in 2016. Our proposal would be similar but on a smaller scale. Linking the Rising Sons to the new microbrewery across Cornmarket Street,” Mr McCabe said.

City Hall planners ruled out an initial proposal to run the beer pipeline overhead across the street. Mr McCabe said they will now be coming forward with proposals to put the pipeline underground.

A €1.2m revamp of Cornmarket Street took place in 2010 and The Bodega has been in contact with the engineers of that project to discuss how best to accommodate the pipeline.

It’s understood the pipeline could prove technically difficult given that the current infrastructure including electrical, broadband, water and wastewater services run down the street while the beer pipeline would cross them perpendicularly.

Despite these obstacles, McCabe said they were hopeful the project will go ahead.

"Historically, The Bodgea has had industry operating on Cornmarket Street and we want to continue that. As city centre's worldwide move away from high-volume retail and other offerings, coming into the centre of your city is becoming more and more about experiences such as food, drink, entertainment. It is important we have small-scale brewery operations like this," he said.

"Such developments are a big draw for visitors and tourists."