This article was originally written in March 2007 for the food & drink website Taste T.O., and republished here in September 2011 (but back-dated to match the original publication date) after the Taste T.O. blog was shut down and taken offline.
If you believed all the advertising and hype that gets rammed down our throats around this time every year, then you’d think Guinness was the only suitable choice of beer for St. Patrick’s Day. And the sad fact is that if you have your heart set on sticking with an actual Irish beer for the 17th, then Guinness is the best of a mediocre and mass-produced lot that also includes Kilkenny, Smithwicks and Harp – unless, of course, you were smart enough to hoard a few bottles of O’Hara’s Celtic Stout from Carlow Brewing the last time it was available at the LCBO.
My advice, then, is to go local. If stout is your thing, there are a couple of locally brewed options available, including Amsterdam Irish Stout and Durham Blak Katt, although since both are draught-only, they may take some hunting to find.
Not a stout but still fitting the theme of the day is Celtic Pure Irish Ale from Oakville’s Trafalgar Ales & Meads. This brown ale is available at several LCBO locations alongside Paddy’s Irish Red ($3.75/650 mL each) with special labels promoting Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade (one of the biggest in the world, apparently – who knew?).
This beer is described by the brewer as an “everyday ale”, and it’s a pretty accurate description. It’s not an ale that wows you, but it’s still well made, with a pleasant flavour of caramel malt, delicate notes of coffee and cocoa, and moderate bittering hops to provide some balance in the finish. It’s a bit lacking in body, but it should serve as a good session ale if you’re planning on polishing off a few, and the unassuming flavour means it should pair well with your favourite pub grub. Sláinte!
