A Pint of Plain: A Short Guide to Irish Beer
5 min read
Beer and Ireland are so entwined that for most of the world the country and a certain black stout are practically the same brand. But there’s far more to Irish beer than the famous harp, and the last fifteen years have seen one of the great beer revivals anywhere in Europe. Here’s a quick guide to what you’ll find in the glass.
The black stuff
Stout is the style most associated with Ireland: dark, roasty and topped with a thick creamy head. Guinness, brewed at St James’s Gate in Dublin since 1759, is the giant, but Cork has fiercely loyal rivals in Murphy’s and Beamish, both smoother and a touch sweeter to many palates. A proper pint of draught stout is poured in two stages — filled most of the way, left to settle as the famous “surge” cascades, then topped off. It’s worth the wait, and ordering it any other way marks you as a tourist.
Reds, creams and lagers
Beyond stout, the traditional Irish red ale is malty, smooth and amber-coloured — Smithwick’s, brewed in Kilkenny, is the best-known. Kilkenny (the beer) is a creamier, nitro-poured cousin popular abroad. For lager, Harp has been brewed in Dundalk since 1960. None of these will frighten a newcomer; they’re sociable, sessionable beers built for a long evening of conversation.
The craft revolution
Since the late 2000s, Ireland has gone from a handful of breweries to well over a hundred. Carlow Brewing’s O’Hara’s range helped lead the way; today you’ll find superb independents the length of the island — Galway Bay and Galway Hooker in the west, Kinnegar in Donegal, The White Hag in Sligo, Whiplash and Rascals in Dublin, Eight Degrees and the Franciscan Well in Cork, and many more. Styles run the full gamut from session pale ales to barrel-aged imperial stouts, and most decent pubs now keep at least a few craft taps alongside the classics.
Drinking like a local
A “pint of plain” is an old name for a pint of porter or stout, immortalised in Flann O’Brien’s line “a pint of plain is your only man”. If someone offers to “stand you a pint”, they’re buying. Remember the round system — taking your turn is non-negotiable. And whatever you’re drinking, the toast is the same: sláinte (pronounced “SLAWN-cha”), meaning “health”. Browse our Irish beers directory to see what’s brewed where, and build a little brewery trail into your trip.
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