St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in 1631 as a modest holiday honoring Ireland’s patron saint. Due to it falling right in the middle of Lent, people began using it as a reason to celebrate and take a break from the restraints of the period leading up to Easter. Fun fact, though – it didn’t become a public holiday in Ireland until 1904!
Fast forward to the 21st century and see that this Irish holiday has made its way to the States and boy do we love it! When it comes to iconic St. Patrick’s Day drinks, Guinness is the first that comes to mind. On average, there are more than 13 million pints of Guinness consumed on a worldwide scale. Indeed, sipping on an Irish beer feels like a holiday requirement. But Guinness is just one of the many fantastic brews hailing from the Emerald Isle, which deserve to be enjoyed on St. Paddy’s Day.
So, what kind of beer are we talking about? Guinness is big here for a reason: Ireland is most well-known for its stouts, which are generally characterized by roasted, unmalted barley and have a dark hue and toasty flavor. Also majorly popular are easy-drinking red ales, which tend to have a mild sweetness and a reddish tone. Hard cider is also a pub favorite, although it hardly resembles the sickly-sweet stuff Americans might associate with the category. Instead, Irish examples of the drink skew dry and refreshing. Do not worry – there won’t be a single green beer on this list. Green food coloring, you can take a hike!
How about something a little more red? Something like a Kentucky-American Amber/Red Ale. This style of beer generally offers balanced malt and hop flavor and aroma in a beer with an amber color and full body. This style pairs very well with a variety of grilled or baked foods. Atomic Amer by Apocalypse Brew Co. is a great pick for any fans of St. Patrick’s Day who are looking for something that’s not too heavy. From the 12 oz. can to a snifter, this solid amber pours a beautiful and luminous deep amber with a long-lasting head of off-white foam that settles to a thick fat ring and layers with some very nice lacing. With a nose of toasted malts and light spicy hops with a hint of bread crust, the flavors surpass with a fine presentation of toasted malts, caramel, light spicy hop notes, light vanilla touches, and faint cream elements.
If that ain’t sweet enough, this next one is sure to be quite the delight. Sitting at a surprising 6.5% ABV, I’m talking about Black Phillips from Blake Hard Cider. On the first sip you’re hit with Juicy Blood Oranges in tandem with bold cranberry, giving you a hard cider that is both brilliant in color and perfectly balanced between flavor and sweetness. Modern cidermakers use these time-honored techniques to contribute to the complexity and depth found in every sip of this phenomenal brew.
Finally, we are back where we started. If you’re a stout drinker, chances are you’ve tried New Holland Dragon’s Milk, or at least heard of it or seen it around. It’s brewed with Indonesian vanilla beans and aged in bourbon barrels twice. You heard me right – in addition to the smoky bourbon notes from the barrels from which the beer was aged twice, the Dragon’s Milk Double Vanilla, as it’s called, also produces notes of coffee, molasses, and wood. The vanilla adds a layer of sweetness, as one would surmise. Still, additionally, it smooths out the beer quite a bit, making it a much more drinkable libation than some other stouts.
Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day may be most well-known for their stouts, but easy-drinking red ales and hard ciders are also pub favorites and all these favorites will be available at Mellow Mushroom this St. Patrick’s Day and all through March.
-by Maeve Black
