When I think of St. Patrick’s Day, I yearn for rich corned beef and braised cabbage. Use the leftovers for corned beef hash and whipping up a hearty Irish beef stew, and my holiday weekend is close to complete – close.
Beer makes a great pairing partner with all of these delicious eats. However, due to the salty, fatty nature of the typical St. Paddy’s Day grub, not all beer styles should be treated equally. While perusing the shelves or a beer menu, look for more medium-bodied, malt-forward styles to balance the saltiness of corned beef and to enhance the sweetness of all those braised and stewed root vegetables.
Tried and true Guinness, Murphy’s and Smithwick’s will always provide you with proper pairing beers for these feasts, but if you want to shake it up, try these fun and locally available options.
1. Irish stouts are to corned beef as peanut butter is to jelly. Roasted malt, satiating body and a drier finish help balance your meal. Give Square One Brewery’s Dry Stout or Schlafly’s Irish Extra Stout – and keep an eye out if either is pouring on nitro or cask.
2. Irish red ales generally boast light to medium body, light nuttiness, toasted toffee and sweet caramel malts. Change it up by trying those from Ferguson Brewing Co. and Boulevard Brewing Co. Both are beautiful renditions of the style.
3. Want to get away from the Irish styles? The Civil Life Brewing Co. is a great place to start for more malt-forward brews that pair nicely with any Irish fare. The British Mild is a beautiful choice, full of toasted malt and biscuit on the palate and a crisp, clean finish.
4. Maybe you want to increase the ABV a little bit. At 8 percent, Oskar Blues Brewery’s Old Chub is a Scottish strong ale is complete with massive amounts of toasted grain, some toffee sweetness, a tiny bit of smoke and great body.
Now my St. Patrick’s Day is complete – sláinte, St. Louis!
This article appears in March 2016.