Turning Bread Into Beer – A Proper Sligo Collaboration

At Lough Gill Brewery, we’ve always believed that the best ideas are the simple ones  especially when they come from close to home.

This one started with bread.

Just down the road from us, O’Hehirs Bakery have been doing their thing for generations. Real baking. Real people. Real Sligo. And like any bakery, there’s always a bit of surplus at the end of the day, perfectly good bread that just doesn’t make it to the shelf. Instead of letting that go to waste, we saw an opportunity.

Not to make a gimmick beer.

But to make something that actually means something.

Brewing with Purpose

Beer is built on grain. Bread is built on grain.

So the idea made sense straight away to replace a portion of our malt with surplus bread and give it a second life.

That’s exactly what we did.

Working with the team at O’Hehirs, we took their leftover bread and used it in the mash, creating a Pale Ale that’s not just brewed locally,  it’s made from local ingredients in the truest sense.

This isn’t about ticking a sustainability box.

It’s about doing things the right way, where we can.

What It Tastes Like

The result is OH! Pale Ale (4.5%)  a proper easy-drinker that doesn’t hold back on flavour.

Expect a hit of bright citrus and soft fruit up front, backed by a smooth, rounded body. The addition of real bakery bread brings a subtle biscuity edge that gives it depth without weighing it down.

It finishes clean, crisp, and seriously moreish.

Balanced, effortless, and built for repeat pints — the kind of beer you don’t have to think twice about ordering again.

Why It Matters

Projects like this don’t change the world overnight.

But they do something just as important , they connect people.

A local bakery

A local brewery

Local customers

All part of the same story.

For us, that’s what building a brewery in Sligo was always about.

Not just making beer. But being part of something bigger.

A First for Sligo

As far as we know, this is the first time a beer like this has been brewed in Sligo using bread from a Sligo bakery, brewed in a Sligo brewery, and poured back into the community.

That’s something we’re proud of.

Try It Yourself ---     OH! Pale Ale is available now in limited quantities.

If you see it on tap or in the fridge, give it a go.

You’re not just drinking a Pale Ale, you’re tasting a small piece of what local can be.

Brewed for Adventure. Built on Community.