St. Patrick's Day: Match Your Beer and Food

St. Patrick's Day preparations are here and it's time to plan on pairing your favorite Irish beer with traditional Irish meals.  Irish reds to rich, dark stouts here are some suggestions to complement your Irish meal and make your party a success!

Stout

Irish stouts like Guinness and Murphy's are dark, rich in flavor. Many do not know that they are surprisingly light and do not have as much calories as people think.  Their flavor is predominantly coffee like, making them a perfect pair with chocolate desserts.  You can also use the beer as an ingredient in your Guinness chocolate cake.  No only do these stouts taste great with dessert, but they also go well with oysters and fish 'n chips.

Red Ale

Irish reds like Smithwick's and Killian's Red Irish are medium-bodied beers.  These beers have a distinct caramel flavor and get their color from the roasted barley that is added at the end of the brewing process.  Their balance of sweetness and bitterness are a perfect paring with corned beef and cabbage and Shepherd's Pie. The saltiness in this St. Patrick's Day staple is counterbalanced by the sweet, caramel flavor of these red ales.  

Lager

Lagers are light and refreshing beer and Harp's and Rogue Irish Lager have the perfect touch of carbonation. Served cold, but not too cold to lose its flavor, lagers should be dry, a little bitter, flowery and bready in flavor. This unique mix of flavors make lagers an ideal ingredient for Irish soda bread.  

Serve all three types of beer at your party and complement them with the appropriate food pairing and you are sure to bring out the flavors of the beer and the meal.  Taking that extra step to perfectly match your meal and drinks, will make your St. Patrick's Day stylish!  Erin go braugh!