The Final Draft > Most Instagrammable Spots in the Smithwick’s Experience

Most Instagrammable Spots in the Smithwick’s Experience

Our brewery tour has always offered an aesthetically pleasing, medieval-yet-modern, vibrant visual feast for all of our guests. As a must-visit Kilkenny attraction, we’ve continued to develop the tour and the brewery over the years, with additions such as the Flavour Rooms and the Barrel Yard adding to the visual experience.

There are lots of fantastic photo opportunities throughout the tour that will give you perfect snaps for the gram. From the architecture to atmosphere, the layout to the lighting, and holograms to heritage, here are the most Instagrammable spots inside the Smithwick’s Experience:

The brewery mural

You can’t miss it, big, bright, and colourful as you approach the brewery here on Parliament Street. The mural on the side of our building, created by Irish artist Gareth Joyce, is practically a landmark in its own right by now, and is a perfectly Instagrammable way to start your brewery tour.

Our big red doors

Our famous heavy, bright red wooden doors are a brilliant backdrop for a selfie - and make for a pretty great photograph all on their own, too! The yellow arch and doors at the entrance to the Barrel Yard are a particularly photogenic sight and make for a great shot for the ‘gram. The arch is huge, so whether you’re on your own, with your love, or in a group, you can all comfortably fit beneath it for a super-selfie.

The holographic monk

While the old stone walls of the original Franciscan brewery still stand, the monks who brewed some of Ireland’s first beers within them are long gone. But their stories remain, and we tell those old stories using new technology. In fact, it’s this marriage of heritage with modern storytelling that makes our tours one of the top things to see in Kilkenny. In the old rooms of the brewery, the monks appear as bright 3D holograms projected onto dark stone walls, offering great snaps of the modern meeting the medieval.

The Flavours Room

Since the Flavours Room was added to the brewery, it has become a firm favourite with our visitors and remains one of our most popular photography spots within the tour. Long counters filled with glass jars and vials, and pots filled with the different ingredients used to create our ales. From close-ups of you holding a vial of one of our ale’s ingredients to a flat lay of the ingredients laid out alongside each other, photo opportunities are rife. It’s a bright and colourful room, complete with a wall of bottle-filled, illuminated shelves; great ‘gram potential everywhere you look.

Our bottle wheel

Our logo in the centre at the bullseye, and circles of vintage backlit bottles, glowing amber, and fanning out across the wall around it – this round bottle display is a standout feature you’ll meet as you tour the brewery. Super all on its own as a wide-angle shot, this modern display of retro aesthetics is also a prime portrait background for selfies and group shots.

The Gift Shop

The gift shop, at the tour’s exit, is a well-curated treasure trove of our Smithwick’s-branded merchandise, souvenirs, and other goodies. From pint glasses to retro coasters, mugs to hats to keyrings, it’s full of colourful displays and neatly arranged shelves that make for interesting and playful shots.

The Barrel Yard

Vibrantly painted with a cool rustic vibe, the Barrel Yard is more than just a stop on the brewery tour – it’s a beer garden, sun trap, and with our summertime Barrel Sessions, one of the newest and busiest live music venues in Kilkenny. On top of all that, it’s a very Instagrammable spot. The walls are a bright blue and red, cheerfully, and aesthetically reflected in the blue benches and red umbrellas where our guests sit and enjoy their pint of ale. Rustic rows of wooden planters bring life and nature to the old stone courtyard, and it’s a fantastic location to take photos of yourself, your pints, or maybe even some live music.

Coming to visit us here at the Smithwick’s Experience? Don’t forget to post your snaps with the hashtag #SmithwicksExperience!