St Patrick’s Day is Coming - Irish Stout
St Patrick’s Day is the one day each year that all of us get to be Irish and wear green. It’s also the holiday most closely associated with beer—well, Irish beer at least. Or, beer with green food coloring.
A few years back I was in the Rock Bottom Brewery in Seattle on St Patrick’s Day and everyone (of legal drinking age) was offered a sample of a pilsner that the brewer had colored green in honor of the Irish saint. Another year I was in Chicago on St Patty’s Day and was offered green Budweiser.
Typically, I like to have a stout from the Emerald Isle to commemorate St Patrick’s eviction of the snakes. There are three major brands of Irish Stout to choose from: Guinness, Beamish, and Murphy’s.
Guinness should be familiar to everyone. If a pub has one stout on tap, it will probably be Guinness brewed originally in St James Gate Brewery, Dublin. Sir Arthur Guinness founded the brewery in 1759. By 1833 they were the largest brewery in Ireland and by 1886 the largest in the world. Irish immigration to the US in the early to mid 19th century was largely responsible for Guinness’s introduction to these shores. Today Guinness is brewed in 50 different countries. There are as many as 19 different varieties of Guinness. The two most common varieties available in the US are the draught and the Foreign Extra Stout (available in bottles). According to the Guinness web site, the Guinness draught served on tap in US pubs is brewed in Dublin. The “draught” version also comes in cans and bottles that contain the famous widget that they invented to release a combination of nitrogen and carbon dioxide into the beer when the can or bottle is opened. Here’s what the Guinness web site says about how to pour a Guinness:
Guinness Draught is best served at 6°C (that’s 42.8°F), with the legendary two-part pour. First, tilt the glass to 45 degrees and carefully pour until three quarters full. Then place the glass on the bar counter and leave to settle. Once the surge has settled, fill the glass to the brim. It takes about 119.5 seconds to pour the perfect pint. But don’t fret. It’s worth the wait.
I’ll tell you more about Irish Stout, including Beamish and Murphy’s in some bonus beer posts coming soon. So stock up on those stouts and we’ll sample a few together this week.
