Irish Beers

Home to literally thousands of pubs, majority of the Industrial Output in Ireland is Beer. Dating back
to the early nineteenth century there were more than 200 breweries in Ireland, more than 50 of them
in Dublin alone. Slowly these numbers dwindled, leaving just a handful of large companies still
operating by the middle of the twentieth century. In the middle of the eighteenth century Arthur
Guinness opened a brewery in Dublin adjacent to the Liffey River. After some years of experimentation
with English porter recipes and local Irish ingredients, he created the Guinness stout so popular and
well known today. Other popular varieties of beer produced in Ireland include Murphys and Beamish
stout, brewed in County Cork. Murphys and Beamish also brew lager-style beers and red ales found
throughout the country. Smithwicks brewery, located in Kilkenny, produces an amber ale that is
sometimes sold outside of Ireland under the name Kilkenny.

Order a round of drinks on St Patricks Day and its inevitable that at least one of them will be a thick,
black stout with a deep, creamy head, served in a pint glass with the Guinness logo on the side. Other
Irish beer brands, such as Murphys, Caffreys and Harp, have tried to elbow Guinness from its perch
but the black stuff still dominates the Irish drinking scene.

These days there is, at last, more choice of Irish beers for the discerning drinker, with smaller
breweries in both the Republic and Northern Ireland gaining a following among both the craft crowd
and traditionalists. And for those of us who like to join in the St Patricks Day celebrations on the other
side of the Irish sea, quite a few of those beers are becoming available for the revelry. Weve scoured
the land to bring you the best for home consumption, so save the Guinness for another occasion and
raise a glass filled with one of these instead.

You can find a wide range of Irish beer selection at Cheers! However our top pick are the following:

1. Galway Bay Buried at Sea, 4.3%:

Anyone in need of a comforting beer to cradle should consider pouring this chocolate milk stout into
their favourite pint pot and taking long, slow sips. Black with a thin tan head, it has all the toasty
aromas you would expect from a stout along with the requisite silky smooth texture. Theres a decent
hit of chocolate and a creamy sweetness which dries out with some smoky and nutty notes at the
finish.

2. The White Hag Little Fawn, 4.2%:

Named after a mythical Irish creature, the White Hag brewery has been muscling in on the craft ale
scene with a fine range of flavour-packed beers. Little Fawn is its session IPA, brewed with clean malts
and American hops to an easy-drinking strength. Grapefruit flavours lead the way with some juicier
tropical notes of mango and a grassy bitterness joining along for the ride. These myth-loving brewers
are well placed to become Irish brewing legends.

3. Boundary, Detre, Raspberry/Blackberry, 4.9%:

Belfast based Boundary Brewing is at the cutting edge of the current Irish craft beer movement. It has
four core beers in its portfolio two IPAs, an APA and a stout which are supplemented by an ever
rotating line-up of experimental specials and eye-opening collaborations. Its Detre beers are a range
of seasonal saisons with a fruity twist. Pick of the bunch is this raspberry and blackberry mash-up an
inviting, opaque booze that swirls with dark red hedgerow fruits and ends with a refreshing, spicy kick.

4. Mescan Westport Red Tripel, 8.5%:

Mescan Brewery is the work of two vets, one from Dublin and the other from Genk in Belgium, who
produce Belgian-style beers from a farm in the shadows of Craogh Patrick mountain. We like our
tripels to have an almost grubby graininess, and this one delivers just that, along with some boozy
berry flavours and tangy spice.

5. Eight Degrees The Full Irish, 6%:2.99 per 330ml, Honest Brew

This corking American IPA is a bright, beer-ey international collaboration; brewed by a Kiwi and an
Aussie, and made using locally sourced Irish malts. Expect an explosion of piney hops when you pop
the cap. On the palate, punchy grapefruit leads the charge, with lime and lychee adding support.
Theres a smattering of sweet floral flavours in there too, and the finish is dry, herbal and long-lasting.
Best served at eight degrees.