Reviewers embrace heritage, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish brews

It’s been a while, dear reader. We’ve missed you, and we hope you’re all coming off a St. Patrick’s Day weekend filled with good times with friends and responsible consumption of your favorite Irish beverages. If you happened to see Jack on Saturday afternoon outside the monastery at St. Ben’s, no you did not. We thought it fitting to embrace our Irish heritage, writing the review with the Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly and the Notre Dame marching band blaring in the back. Jack also watched all three hours of his favorite film and Boston Southie Irish classic, “The Departed,” to prep for this one. Chuck put in work memorizing the bar scene from “Good Will Hunting” while sipping on a cranberry juice. It’s a natural diuretic. This week, we’re reviewing Ireland’s finest: Harp, Guinness, Smithwick’s and the hallowed Black and Tan.

**Guinness**

A hallmark. A staple. A titan. What Bono is to alternative rock. What McGregor is to MMA. What the Celtics are to the NBA. What James Joyce is to postmodern literature. It’s hard to mention Ireland without mentioning Guiness in the same breath. This hearty brew has quenched the thirst of the Irish and the rest of the world for centuries. Packing a substantial 1.1 grams of protein, one could also say it’s a super food. Taste-wise, it’s much like an Irish stew: hearty, filling, satisfying but not flashy by any means. We’ve certainly had better beers this year, but few that we respect more.

**Harp**

First brewed in 1960, this lager is a mere fetus to the Guinness name. A light lager with beautiful notes of wheat, lemon and delicate bitterness. It’s just a nice beer on its own. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, but you can drink it all night. It’s a very approachable beer, much like Irish folks. There’s a reason they say that Ireland is basically Wisconsin that’s green all year round (nope, not Minnesotan, too passive aggressive for that). If you want to get a start on Irish beer but aren’t a fan of darker beers like Guinness, this should be your start.

**Black and Tan**

Known to many by various names: Half and Half or Black and Tan, this libation is the combination of a pale ale resting on the bottom and a stout sitting playfully on top. The traditional drink utilizes both Harp and Guinness (we, of course, followed this format). Each beer is beautiful on their own, but the whole Black and Tan is greater than the sum of its parts. The only thing better than a beer is the combination of two beers. This libation is a beautiful union of a sweet stout and a slightly bitter ale that will keep you wanting more. It makes us want to flip on “Good Will Hunting,” quote the entire movie, and drop all of our r’s when we talk to each other. This was Chuck’s first beer with his dad, Marty, at an Irish pub (and it’s Marty’s signature at any Irish pub he goes to). If the bartender at the Irish pub doesn’t know what you mean when you order this brew, run away as fast as you can because that’s not an Irish pub.

**Smithwick’s Red Ale**

A personal favorite of Jack’s. His affinity for red ales of all kinds can be traced back to his first Smithwick’s at a non-descript time definitely after July 14, 2022. We were supposed to be joined by three Bennie guests to help us on our quest to uncover the Irish libations since they all have blood relations and boots on the ground experience in Ireland. Unfortunately, two of them dropped (shame on you Aidan and KP), but we are joined by our favorite Celtic Bennie, Annie McGuire. Annie took the reins on this brew as it reminded her of her time spent at Cissie’s Youngs in Cork, Ireland (be sure to stop by if you’re in the area). “It tastes like an Irish pub, in all the best ways possible.” On par with our previous takes, this brew is approachable like the Irish and is recommended by all three reviewers. This was far from our most exotic spread of beers, but they offered some of the most familiar, rustic and beautiful flavors you can find on the beer market.

Irish beer reminds us that you don’t need a hoppy IPA, a sour with fruit you’ve never heard of or a stout aged for a few years in a barrel to have a damn good beer. There’s something special that happens when you’re listening to bagpipes and fiddles and drinking Ireland’s finest. We hope that you and yours have a similar time. Slainte and long season.