Wikipedia
The Galway hooker ( Irish: húicéir) is a traditional fishing boat used in Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland. The hooker was developed for the strong seas there. It is identified by its sharp, clean entry, bluff bow, marked tumblehome and raked transom. Its sail plan consists of a single mast with a main sail and two foresails. Traditionally, the boat is black (being coated in pitch) and the sails are a dark red-brown.
Recently there has been a major revival, and renewed interest in the Galway hooker, and the boats are still being painstakingly constructed. The festival of Cruinniú na mBád is held each year, when boats race across Galway Bay from Connemara to Kinvara on the Galway/Clare county boundary.
Galway Hooker is a brand of craft beer brewed the Galway Hooker Brewery in Oranmore, County Galway, Ireland. The brewery was founded in 2006 by two cousins, Aidan Murphy and Ronan Brennan, and the name of the beer was decided by an online competition to choose a name.
Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale is the brewery's flagship product and is brewed in 650 litre batches. The beer is similar to traditional Pale Ales such as that brewed by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in the USA, but has an added taste of caramel similar to an Irish red beer. It is made from mainly pearl and crystal malt and Saaz and cascade hops. It has a bitterness of 35 IBUs and is 4.3% alcohol by volume.
The beer is available kegged on draught and is available in pubs throughout Galway, Dublin, Cork and Roscommon and other towns across Ireland.
The brewery's bottle range was expanded in 2014 and includes Galway Hooker Irish Stout, Galway Hooker Amber Lager and Galway Hooker Sixty Knots IPA (6.5%) which are available throughout the country in independent off-licences, local supermarkets, restaurants and hotels. Galway Hooker Irish Stout, Amber Lager and Sixty Knots IPA are also available in a limited supply on draught. It also produces a number of specials from time-to time which have been available in Galway City including a dark wheat beer and a pilsner. The brewery has also brewed some festival beer specials including an Irish Coffee Porter, a Weissbier and a dry hopped IPA.