Irish Style

This is the second post in our "What to Drink for St. Patrick's Day" series, with at least two more to come. Beverages with the Irish designation cover several categories, and this will be the first installment in the Beer category. And the headline alludes to the fact that we'll be discussing Irish-style beers that are actually brewed in the US.

We're not big fans of green beer; our favorite beers for St. Patrick's Day will be red, or otherwise be a bit darker and maltier than usual. Here's an alphabetical listing of beers that we carry that fit the profile we've described.

Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout

Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout proudly carries on the tradition of dry stouts brewed in Ireland for centuries. A blend of dark roasted, pale, and flaked malts produce a thick, natural head as well as rich coffee and chocolate flavors that wipe away clean with a stampede of refreshing carbonation. It weighs in at a sessionable 4.7% ABV and is best served with "two fingers" of foam alongside burgers, oysters, corned beef, and friends. Sláinte!

Malts: Two-row English, black malt, black barley, caramel malt and unmalted barley.

Hops: Willamette, Fuggles, Cascade, East Kent Golding.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. Conway's Irish Ale®

We pay homage to Patrick Conway, grandfather of co-owners Patrick and Daniel, and a Cleveland policeman who directed traffic near the Brewery for nearly 25 years. Second only to dry stout as Ireland’s most distinctive brew, red ale was first made popular by the G.H. Lett Brewery of Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland.

Conway's Irish Ale® has a notable toasty flavor, derived from lightly roasted malt. Pair with Corned beef, Shepherd’s pie, and stews.

This was actually the Featured Product in our Bottle Club® email back on February 13.

Samuel Adams Irish Red

As comforting as an evening in an Irish pub, this red ale brings together a roasted malt sweetness with an earthy hoppiness for an incredible balance and full flavor.

Made with East Kent Goldings, English Fuggles, and Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops, plus Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend and Caramel 60 malts. 5.8% ABV. While this is available year-round, it's particularly in demand around St. Patrick's Day.

Schlafly Irish-Style Extra Stout

Our Irish-Style Extra Stout amplifies the traditional drier versions from Ireland for a bolder, black brew.  The addition of both roasted barley and Dark Crystal malted barley give Extra Stout undertones of chocolate, molasses and dried fruit.  The beer is generously hopped with East Kent Goldings to balance the sweetness from the malted barley.

Extra Stout is a descendent of the British and Irish porters of the 18th Century.  These strong porters eventually became known as strong stout, then Foreign Stout or Extra Stout, depending on origin.  Extra Stouts were exported world-wide, gaining popularity in the West Indies, Africa and parts of Asia. 8.0% ABV.

In case you missed it, we reviewed our Irish Cream Liqueurs in part 1 of this series. Click here to read that.