Friday 18th of January 2008 10:20:01 AM

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Messrs Maguire is a pretty horrible pub. It occupies two huge four-storey 18th century houses smack in the middle of Dublin. It gets packed out with tourists, office folk, local drunks and every other sub-set of drinker. There are huge TVs everywhere and the only escape from loud sports is the loud music. It wouldn't be worth a second look if it wasn't for the on-site brewery.

The core house beers are fairly good: better than the macrobrews they seek to emulate, and which are also sold on-site. Rusty, the red ale, is of particular note. Where it excels, however, is in the seasonals: limited, generally one-time-only, brews in styles that just don't exist elsewhere in Ireland. Recent examples have included a smoked imperial stout (the only non-nitro draught stout in Ireland) and a Scandinavian-style winter beer. Best of all, all house beers are great value at only €4 a pint.

The lunchtime carvery is quite decent, though the evening menu has taken a recent turn for the worse. Service can be very hit and miss, and you can forget about asking most of the staff about any of the beers.

Messrs Maguire is at its best on a Sunday evening, the only time a quiet pint in a comfy chair is possible.

Cuilan the brewer is also the owner of White Gypsy brewery in Templemore, which opened in mid-2009. While Rusty is now brewed at White Gypsy, all other Messrs Maguire beers are still produced by Cuilan in-house.