Vancouver is a colourful city, which is home to a magnificent amount of cultures and languages from all over the globe. So we are always excited to participate in all the cultural celebrations. However, as open-minded and enthusiastic we are about participating in these celebrations, we sure know how to butcher them don’t we?
If there’s one thing western culture knows how to do well, it’s to turn religious or cultural celebrations into a ridiculous gimmick. St. Patrick’s Day is a perfect example. Does everything seriously have to be green? What’s the purpose of making the beers green? There’s nothing Irish about green beer. It’s cheap, mass-produced beers with green food colouring, which does nothing to enhance the flavour or aroma of the beer.
If you want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with some colour to your beer, celebrate it with the colours red, brown or black. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with an Irish Red Ale or a Dry Stout. Drink craft beer!
Dry Stout:
All around town you’ve probably seen signs after signs by establishments saying they will be serving Guiness on special for St. Patrick’s Day. Well, that’s fine. It’s the benchmark, commercial example of an Irish Dry Stout after all. However, the Guiness that you get here in Vancouver is all brewed by Labatts. If you want flavour, we have some better recommendations.
North Coast Brewing Old No. 38 Stout.
The Old No. 38 Stout by North Coast Brewing is a fantastic dry stout. It is smooth, firm-bodied, with the toasted character and coffee notes of dark malts and roasted barley. It’s a great beer to pair with oysters, and Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant is a great place to enjoy the No. 38 (on tap) and some oysters.
5.5% ABV, 6 X 355ml
Molyan’s Dragoons Dry Irish Stout.
The Dragoons Dry Irish Stout by Moylan’s is dry, roasty and incredibly rich in flavour. It is brewed with a unique blend of imported hops and malted barley from the United Kingdom. You can still find some bottles of the Dragoons Dry Irish Stout at Darby’s Liquor Store and Legacy Liquor Store.
8.0% ABV, 650ml
Irish Red Ale:
Irish Red Ales are an easy-drinking, malt-focused beer, with an initial sweetness and dryness in the finish. Kilkenny Irish Beer and Smithwick’s Irish Ale are the most famous commercial examples of the style, but it’s not something that we’ll be drinking.
Moylan’s Dannny’s Irish Style Red Ale.
The Irish Style Red Ale by Moylan’s has a low hop profile with a massive barley character. It has an invigorating aroma and caramel character that will compliment most dishes from our Irish friends. You can still find some bottles of the Danny’s Irish Style Red Ale at Darby’s Liquor Store and Legacy Liquor Store.
6.5% ABV, 650ml
We at Beerthirst are an importing company, but we also love our local BC craft beers. On St. Patrick’s Day, you may find us drinking the Lighthouse Keepers Stout, or some of the great stouts produced at the local brewpubs such as Yaletown Brewing and Steamworks Brewing. Vern from Granville Island Brewing makes a pretty nice Irish Red as well.
Whatever you decide to do on St. Patrick’s Day, just stay away from the green beer. Everything doesn’t need to be green for it to be St. Paddy’s Day. Enjoy a nice stout, red ale, or any kind of great crafted beer. Please drink responsibly, and don’t drink and drive.
Cheers!
Leo Nomoto
Marketing Manager, Beerthirst
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