Shane Butterly’s beer and brewing journey has taken him from the Republic of Ireland to Norway via England, India, Vietnam and China. A revered and respected professional brewer, he has helped create a raft of world-class beers. But despite this decorated career, he has never forgotten his hombrewing roots.

My brewing journey started, as Irish law dictates, at 18 years old. Starting with extract kits and fermenting store bought apple juice to the joy, and soon to realise, regret from my friends during house parties and music festivals.

The focus soon switched from making cheap booze to going down the rabbit hole of different beer styles and ingredients. I ditched the extract kits for a more controllable and versatile all grain set up from my grandfather, who was also a home brewer and earlier in life worked at a brewery in my home town of Drogheda, Ireland (Cairnes Brewery).

I still remember nights coming home from a day at university or after a 10 hour work shift and firing up the hot water to mash in, listening to a podcast from The Brewing Network and drinking one of my previous homebrews.

For me it was a combination of creating something new, putting hard work into a recipe and brew day, then being able to share that with other people, gauging there response and planning the tweaks for the next batch. Something I still hold close 16 years later. The early years of my home brewing knowledge was moulded from any resource I could find.

From passed down information from my grandfather, Brewing TV Youtube channel, The Brewing Network Podcasts and books from the Brewers Publications.

Also getting out there and seeking great beers became a goal of mine, whether it was in Ireland trying beer from new craft breweries, drinking cask ale on trips to the UK or trying a wide range of European classic styles and breweries on an Inter Rail trip. I found myself amazed at the varied styles and flavours to be found in every place I went.

A stand out was when myself and a friend went to a packed German beer hall in Munich and I ordered a 1L stein of Munich Dunkel and pork knuckle, a flavour combination I can still taste. My first step after that trip was to try my hand at a triple decoction mash schedule that resulted in a long and sticky brew day but an amazing beer.

“My first step after that trip was to try my hand at a triple decoction mash schedule that resulted in a long and sticky brew day but an amazing beer.“

I truly found my passion and wanted to make brewing a career, so after finishing my degree in Engineering I took and add on course in Food Science and Technology.

With perfect timing the Irish craft beer scene was booming and new breweries and opportunities where available. My first professional brewing role was with Rascals Brewing Co based in Dublin. I started as an apprentice brewer washing and filling kegs, delivering beer and cleaning lines.

Learning from owners Cathal and Emma (Award winning home brewers turned pro) on translating my experience as a home brewer to brewing on a 1,000L brew house, double batching into 2,000L FV’s and cellaring. I progressed to brewer and then Head Brewer over a course of 4 years.

In this time I developed recipes, trained other brewers and started a small scale barrel aging project for Imperial Stouts and fruited sour ales. It was also in this time I got my degree in Brewing Science from IBD and became a certified beer judge with the BJCP.

Both of which I would highly suggest to new brewers, theoretical brewing knowledge and being a good beer taster for styles but more importantly for recipe tweaks and off flavours is very useful. Plus I have had some great fun and met great people judging at homebrew and commercial beer competitions.  

After 4 years of working with Rascals and living in Dublin the itch to go further afield and go traveling took over. So I left Ireland with a one way ticket to India, a visa and immunization vaccines in my veins.

My plan for traveling was still to stay connected to the beer scene and find any local brewery I could. With an exciting and varied beer industry, Asia as a whole had a lot to offer.

I noticed a similar camaraderie and openness to other beer enthusiasts when I went to visit breweries and beer bars. Over my 2 and a half years traveling around Asia I also got to work with a few breweries along the way.

Arbor Brewing Co, Goa, India – brewing American Pales/IPAs, crushable wheat beers and an amazing honey and lavender Ale. Turtle lake brewpub, Hanoi, Vietnam – Specializing is session-able and easy drinking pales and fruit beers. NBeer, Chengdu, China – brewing a range of classic styles, a core Mango Sour and a mixed fermentation barrel aging program.

This time traveling and working in Asia really opened my eyes further to the full range of beers, ingredients and tastes people have. It showed me that great beer is global, you can find it anywhere, you just have to get out there and find it.  

Soon after returning from my travels I started on the lookout for a new brewing role. It was at this time I moved to the UK and took up the head brewer position at Nottingham’s Neon Raptor.

This role really hit at the right time as the hype craft beer bubble was at its peak and drinkers wanted the newest, craziest thing they could get their hands on. At Neon that’s what we specialized in, or as it’s called, the big three – IPA’s, Fruited Sours and Imperial Stouts.

The brewery hosted a 2,000L brew house with eight x 2,000L FV’s, canning line and on site taproom. Each week we would brew 2 – 3 new beers, the perfect opportunity to experiment with an ever growing selection of hops, hop products and yeast. Plus a fun approach to fruit combinations for sours and adjuncts for Imperial Stouts.

Over my three years at Neon Raptor it was a fast paced production of interesting beers, collaborations with some of the industries finest and some unforgettable, but at the same time hazy, beer festivals across the UK and Europe.

“In true fashion, I was eyeing up my next brewery, and after a conversation with Dave at a beer festival in Gothenburg, I took my next big step in taking on the position of production manager at the well respected and legendary Lervig in Stavanger, Norway.”

In true fashion, I was eyeing up my next brewery, and after a conversation with Dave at a beer festival in Gothenburg, I took my next big step in taking on the position of production manager at the well respected and legendary Lervig in Stavanger, Norway.

This role would see me managing a 25,000L brew house, with a 465,000L cellar capacity, focusing on managing production, improving processes and efficiency, managing a team of 12 across brewing/cellar/packaging and lab, while working with other departments to meet national and international orders for a wide range of SKU’s.

Outside of the sizable production capacity of Lervig, it’s also my duty and honour, to manage our extensive barrel aging program, Rackhouse, where we focus on barrel aged imperial stouts and barley wines.

At Lervig we still have a home brewers soul as many of my colleagues are ex-home brewers and we let this shine in our 500L brew pub. Anything goes at the brew pub as far as style and flavor, as long as it’s good!

From my beginnings with home brewing to a professional brewing career spanning over a decade know I have learned one golden rule. No matter whether you’re drinking a creamy pint in a Dublin pub, a Munich Dunkel in a Bavarian beer hall, an ice cold rice lager while sitting on a tiny plastic stool in Hanoi, or a world class beer at a beer festival – Drink good beer with good people….And don’t get a stuck mash!

You can learn how to make Shane’s Munich Dunkel right here….