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| Not all of these are actually Irish, but at least the Irish beers listed below are all here. |
With St Patrick's Day coming up in just two weeks, you may very well think your whole menu is planned out already: corned beef and cabbage, with a pint of Guinness. How else would you celebrate than with this very Irish feast? Except that corned beef and cabbage is actually an Irish-American dish, almost never featured on a menu in Ireland. That's right, corned beef and cabbage is as American as green beer! Who would have guessed?
This remarkable realization definitely expands your culinary options for an authentic St Patrick's Day feast; Everything from elegant salmon poached in cider to warming beef and Guinness stew, to the simple-but-delicious bangers and mash is now a possibility. Those who don't like cabbage can breathe a sigh of relief.
There is one small drawback, however: which beer do you serve with your much more traditional but less common feast? Well, as with wine, you want to pick a beer that compliments the flavors of the meal. Luckily, Irish beers are widely varied, so you will be able to find one to go with whatever you serve, and many are available in American supermarkets and liquor stores. I've written up brief tasting notes and food pairing suggestions for a variety of the most readily available ones, along with American craft alternatives when possible for those unable to find the Irish beer they want in their area.
Guinness
Brewed in Dublin since the late 18th century, this popular stout is probably the first thing you think of when Irish beer is mentioned. It's known for its black color and dense, creamy head (the foam on top of a pint). Guinness stout has a wonderful bitter, chocolatey or coffee like flavor, and pairs beautifully with roasted meats, especially beef. If you're eating beef and Guinness stew, roast beef, beef pies, or even burgers, Guinness is probably the best beer for you. It also pairs well with bangers and mash, especially if you replace some of the beef stock in the gravy with Guinness. And best of all, the espresso notes in Guinness mean it pairs beautifully with chocolate. That's why you'll often see Guinness chocolate cakes and brownies on pub desert menus: including a little Guinness in the recipe really brings out chocolate flavor and counteracts some of the sweetness in your baked goods.
Alternatives:
I doubt you'll have any trouble finding Guinness, unless you wait until the last minute and the stores have sold out. Still, Murphy's Irish Stout is a goos substitute (made in Cork, slightly less intense flavor). Deschutes Obsidian Stout is similar, and Left Hand Nitro would also work, though it's an (English-style) milk stout, and therefore a little sweeter. Even a good, more bitter porter, like Deschutes Black Butte is an option.
Smithwicks
An Irish red ale, brewed in Kilkenny since the early 18th century. This beer has a lighter body than Guinness, and a fruitier flavor. It pairs well with a variety of pork and chicken dishes, milder beef dishes like cottage pie (usually shepherd's pie in the US), and is also a good choice with fish and chips, though it will overpower many other fish dishes; I definitely would not recommend it with, say, poached salmon. Over all, it's a very nice, balanced beer, and quite versatile. It will work with any but the lightest and most flavorful dishes you might serve for St Patrick's Day.
Alternatives:
Smithwicks is available in most American supermarkets, which is fortunate, because I have yet to find a really good craft equivalent. Killian's Irish Red is to actual Irish ales as Redd's Apple Ale is to hard cider, which is to say it's just not the same thing at all, and most American pale ales, like Sierra Nevada and Deschutes Mirror Pond, are too hoppy to really compare. Occasionally I've found similar beers at brew pubs, but you'll probably have an easier time finding Smithwicks. In a pinch, a less hoppy English pale ale like Samuel Smith's or Bass can work, but that's really not appropriate for St Patrick's Day.
Kilkenny
A cream ale, also brewed in Kilkenny (obviously). It's really another red ale, similar to Smithwicks, but it's a bit creamier and smoother. It also has a milder hoppy flavor than Smithwicks, so will not overpower more flavorful fish dishes. It's a very versatile beer, and one of my personal favorites. Like Guinness (and most good beers, really) it's best if you can find it on draft (many good Irish pubs over here have it), but bottled is great, too.
Alternatives:
Unfortunately, Kilkenny is harder to find than Smithwicks, and there really isn't a good American alternative that I'm aware of (if you know one, please comment and enlighten me!). Still, most stores with a reasonably large imported beer selection do carry Kilkenny, and fewer consumers are aware of it, so it's less likely to sell out than Guinness or Smithwicks, in my experience.
Harp
Irish lager. Which is an oddity, as lager is a Czech and German style of beer, brought to the US by immigrants in the nineteenth century, and only popularized with the rest of the world after the first World War. Lager is far from traditional, and therefore really doesn't go well with most Irish food. Its light flavor tends to be overwhelmed by the rich stews and roasts, but will work with some chicken and fish dishes. However, if you must add green food coloring to lager, you may as well use the only Irish one you're likely to find.
Alternatives:
This is probably the easiest beer on this list to find an alternative to, since it's essentially the Irish version of Heineken, Carlsberg, or even Coors. I'm not much of a lager drinker, in case you hadn't guessed, so I don't have many to recommend, but there are lots of good craft lagers out there, if that's your style (I know Deschutes makes one, and no, they're not paying me to write this), or Heineken is always a good choice.
Magner's
Magner's cider is a great choice for those who don't really like beer, or who need something gluten free. It's made from apples, so it (sort of) counts as a serving of fruit, and it's delicious and refreshing. Unlike some American ciders I've tasted, it's quite dry, though it is sweeter than most beers. It would be my first choice to pair with many of the dishes lagers work with, since it's neither too hoppy nor overwhelmingly sweet. It won't overwhelm even the mildest poached fish, and it's absolutely perfect with pork. It also pairs very well with fruitier desserts, especially the apple tarts and cakes common in Ireland. It's also a much more traditional choice than lager for those who really don't like the dark stuff, as cider has likely been made in Ireland for the last few thousand years.
Alternatives:
Magner's is appallingly difficult to find in the western US. Even some of the Irish pubs serve an English cider instead, and if you do happen to find it at a specialty store, it will be expensive. Fortunately, cider has become more popular thanks to the recent gluten-free craze, so there are excellent alternatives that your supermarket probably carries for the same price as the average craft six-pack. My personal favorite is Woodchuck Amber, a dry cider made in Vermont, but Strongbow (from England) is also good, if a bit more highly carbonated than I usually like, and Angry Orchard Traditional Dry, made in Washington State, is sweeter but good.
Whether you'll be preparing a home-made feast, dining out at your favorite Irish pub or restaurant, or simply enjoying a few (or a few too many) beers this St Patrick's Day, I hope this very short guide is at least a little helpful. Feel free to ask any beer or pairing questions in the comments below, and I'll gladly answer them. Slainte!
| Just for fun: an old Guinness poster, because nothing sells beer like flocks of toucans. |
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