Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Irish Style With These 10 Beers
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, which means a lot of the color green, pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, and a lot of getting drunk, especially off beers originating from the holiday’s originating country. Such choices may include porters, stouts, IPAs, and even Irish-rooted ciders. These are the 10 best Irish beers that can help make your St. Patrick’s Day all the more festive. And, of course, please drink responsibly.
1. Guinness
This first pick is at the top of the list as is one of the most well-known Irish beers in the world, with their most popular brews being their black lager, drought, blonde, and Nitro IPA. From bold beginnings “Arthur Guinness leaves home and heads to Dublin in 1759, where he signs a 9000-year lease on a dilapidated brewery at St. James’s Gate” and the history of the Irish brews says it all in the taste.
2. Harp Lager
Created by the brewery that made Guinness, this next brew gives that light, crisp taste of beer that’s been loved by many for as long as it’s been around. In fact, it’s even the preferred type as opposed to the darker-tasting stouts and porters.
3. Murphy’s
This is another brewery whose Irish roots have inspired other breweries since opening in 1856. Since then, the variety of flavors is enjoyed around the world with their most popular brews being their Irish Red, as well as their Stout and their limited edition Nolliaig brew.
4. O’Hara’s
Along with a brewery located in Barrow Valley, they opened their own pub in Kilkenny in 2013. . .“craft brew traditional Irish beers and our own interpretation of international beer styles, including our stouts and ales, wheat beers and lagers, all carrying the brewery founders family name, O’Hara’s. Each beer is crafted using classic brewing methods to create the traditional Irish beers styles that have long since been forgotten by many of the larger breweries. We use just four main ingredients; water, malts, hops, and yeast to produce the highest quality craft beer range.” Their most popular brews include their Irish wheat, Irish red, White Haze IPA, and Celtic stout
5. Smithwick’s
Giving a fruitier taste to this brand Irish inspired beer, this brand establishes “quality, reliability and the perfect marriage of technology and tradition. It spoke of independence, confidence and triumph over adversity. Today, you’ll find those same qualities in every pint of Smithwick’s and in everyone involved in making it. Smithwicks is still brewed to the highest standards today and continues to be enjoyed worldwide.”
6. Beamish & Crawford Irish Stout
In 1792 Richard Beamish & Richard Crawford, two Cork merchants, “established the famous Beamish & Crawford brewery, situated in the heart of Cork city. To this day Beamish stout is being enjoyed in bars and homes throughout Ireland. Beamish has a rich roasted flavor with coffee and dark chocolate undertones, making it a genuine Irish stout.”
7. Porterhouse Brewing Co.
along with the great-tasting beer that’s been inspired by the many brews that sprouted in Ireland, this brewery happens to be a “founding member of the Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland. The Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland is an association that supports craft breweries and lobbies on craft brewing issues. Peter Mosley is the current chairperson of the association and has been the head brewer at the Porterhouse Brewing Co. since we were first founded in our small brewpub in temple bar in 1996. Now at our new 120-barrel brewing facility just off the Ballyboggan road in Dublin 11, we are proud to be still 100% an independently owned and run company. their most popular brews carry their unique collection of IPAs and Stouts, including their Oyster Stout, which, according to Thrillest, “serves as proof of this commitment to quality, providing a roasty, medium-bodied beer with ever-so-subtle brininess that is as easy to drink with food as it is without. At the very least, this brew reminds you that even in the great global surge of craft beer, there are some classic styles that have yet to be topped outside of their country of origin.”
8. Lough Gill
Named after one of the famous lakes in Ireland, it was founded in 2016 “restored the lost tradition of brewing in a town that once hosted 5 breweries. The brewery is located in the Doorley Park area of Sligo close to the shores of Lough Gill which is also its water source & main ingredient in all the beers.” their most popular brews being their Cutback IPA, MacNutty Ale, Wild Irish Gose, and a breakfast stout named Round The Clock
9. White Hag
Since 2013 “interesting and innovative beers, with a nod towards the ancient and classic beer styles that were common in our hinterland for generations. While known for our award-winning stout range and a stellar set of IPA’s that make up most of our core range, our sour programme is emerging as probably our point of differentiation. The Púca sour range, in particular, has captured the imagination of the beer consumer who wants a tart, effervescent mixed fermentation sour beer. It’s supported by our Heather Sour, Apple sour and a few other special and collaboration sours we’ve made along the way.” their most popular brews include and interesting variety like their Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Irish Bog Ale, Irish IPA, WIT Beer, White IPA, Imperial Sour Red, and Oatmeal Chocolate Milk Stout.
10. Longueville House
The Irish stouts and other dry beers aren’t always everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s okay. If you’re picky with your brews like I am, then the next best thing is a refreshing hard cider. a reputation of quality – rapidly becoming a major hit in many restaurants and licensed premises throughout Ireland, U.K. Europe, and The U.S.A. Their most popular brews are their classic O’Callaghan’s Irish Cider and their Mór cider. “Dabinett and Michelin apples which after 1 year results in significantly Mór taste, Mór depth, Mór well rounded, Mór balanced, Mór character, Mór flavour and significantly Mór enjoyment a truly Mór delicious and Mór unique cider. Longueville Mór is a very drinkable and quite deceiving cider as it doesn’t taste like an 8% cider, however, it will remind you about halfway through the bottle that it is actually an 8% cider.”
