Raise a pint for St. Patrick’s Day

            Green beer long has long associated with gimmicky St. Patrick’s Day antics. This year, try leaving the food coloring in the pantry and celebrating the March 17 holiday with a traditional Irish brew.

            The most common Irish libation is stout, a form of ale created by top fermenting yeasts that work at relatively warm temperatures. The chief ingredient in stout is malted barley that has been heavily roasted until it is blackened like an espresso coffee bean.

            Stouts possess a complex array of flavors, including sweet, sour, bitter, roasted and nutty. Although intensely flavorful, stouts are not necessarily high in alcohol content, with most in the 5-percent range.

            The most well-known stout is Guinness. The company operates breweries around the world, but the pub-draft version available in the United States is crafted in Dublin using the famous local well water. The bottles and cans contain a widget, a tiny plastic bladder packed with nitrogen. When the container is opened, a torrent of nitrogen spews from a tiny hole in the widget, creating a thick, creamy head similar to a bar-drawn pint.

            Ireland’s County Cork is the home of Murphy’s Irish Stout. It is a bit sweeter and less bitter than Guinness and has been described by some tasters as a distant relative of chocolate milk. In 1854, James J. Murphy and his brothers purchased a hospital that was situated next to a well noted for its high-quality water. Murphy began brewing in 1856 and became so successful that he helped bail out a failing bank in 1885. Today, Murphy’s is sold in more than 40 countries around the world.

            A relative newcomer to stout brewing is Ireland’s Carlow Brewing Company, the makers of O’Hara’s Irish Stout. Founded by the O’Hara family in 1996, Carlow utilizes modern technology to brew beers with only natural ingredients. The brewery is located in the Barrow Valley, an area famous for the production of superior barley and hops, the primary beer ingredients (after water). The stout is dark and opaque in color with a thick, cream-colored head. The flavor is rich with roasted, chocolate notes.

            If these heavily roasted brews sound like too much for you, take a look at Smithwick’s Irish Ale. The ale was originally brewed at the St. Francis Abbey Brewery in Kilkenny, but was purchased by Guinness in 1965. Today, both are owned by beverage giant Diageo. The ale has a reddish-brown color and nice light head. Sweet malt flavors predominate and bitter hop notes are muted. Folks who say they don’t like beer should taste this smooth, mild brew.

            If your tastes run more along the lines of golden lager-style brews, try Harp Lager. Harp was introduced by the Great Northern Brewery in Dundalk in 1960 in response to the ever-increasing popularity of American lagers. A German brew master was hired to keep the style smooth and clean. Today’s Harp is brewed in Canada and is a bit richer than American lagers, but still crisp and refreshing.

            Lake residents creating their own Irish celebration can find all of the beers mentioned above (except O'Hara's Irish Stout) plus a few others at the Westlake Kroger.

Gordon Kendall has more than 20 years of experience in the wine business and is currently the wine, beer and spirits columnist for The Roanoke Times. He teaches wine classes and enjoys educating people on all things related to the industry. If you have an idea for a future Spirits column, please email gmoney007@cox.net.

 If you fancy a bit of craic (Irish slang for good times) at the lake, check out what several local businesses are doing to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.