Photo: RyanJLane (Getty Images)
Regardless of whether or not you can trace your lineage to County Cork or if you have an “O” anywhere in your name, you can still celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. While almost 10% of the US population considers themselves to be “Irish,” everyone is Irish on March 17. That’s a day to drunkenly dance to U2, the Pogues, Dropkick Murphy’s, and Irish folk music while you sip on Irish whiskey, corned beef and cabbage, banger and mash, and way too many Irish beers. More pints of Irish red, lagers, and stouts than anyone should imbibe in one day.
While we’re all for celebrations for celebration sake, it’s smart to have a designated driver, Uber on standby, and drink responsibly. On that note, since we still have a few days before St. Patrick’s Day, we’re going to rank 10 well-known Irish beers (and one cider and one Irish-adjacent beer). Keep scrolling to see where your favorite beer landed on our list.
Irish Beers Ranked
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10) Killian’s Irish Red
While this isn’t technically an Irish beer, it’s an “Irish Red” made by Coors using an Irish recipe from 1864. This 5.4% ABV lager is known for its sweet, malty, refreshing flavor and is a great respite from the darker stouts associated with the holiday.
Photo: Coors
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9) Guinness Extra Stout
If you like Guinness Stout, but you wish it was carbonated and bittersweet and malty then Guinness Extra Stout is your jam. If not, stick to the regular Guinness Draught.
Photo: Guinness
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8) Smithwick’s Red Ale
This refreshing, low-ABV red ale is brewed with a combination of hops, sweet malts, and roasted barley. The result is a sweet, light, crisp beer with caramel and bready flavors.
Photo: Smithwick’s
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7) Harp Lager
Another beer from the Guinness umbrella, Harp is one beer you’d definitely want to have on hand on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a crisp, refreshing, highly drinkable break from the bold flavors of the day.
Photo: Harp
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6) Beamish Irish Stout
If you visit Cork, Ireland, there’s a good chance they’ll make you drink a pint of Beamish before they’ll let you have a Guinness. Even if you don’t plan to visit Ireland anytime soon, you’ll be happy to try this sweet, roasty, malty, delicious stout.
Photo: Beamish
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5) Magners Original Irish Cider
While most of this list is populated by beers, no St. Patrick’s Day list is complete without Magner’s Original Irish Cider. Made with seventeen varieties of apples, this complex cider is fruity, dry, sweet, and very refreshing.
Photo: Magner’s
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4) Sullivan’s Black Marble Stout
You might not have ever heard of Sullivan’s Brewing, but you should. Its Black Marble Stout should be the newest addition to your St. Patrick’s Day table. It’s a fruity, dry, roasty, coffee-filled taste experience.
Photo: Sullivan’s
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3) O’Hara’s Irish Stout
O’Hara’s is pretty new to the beer world with its inception in 1996. It makes a slew of highly-rated beers, but none is better for St. Patrick’s Day then its Irish Stout. This complex beer is filled with flavors like coffee, chocolate, roasted barley, and gentle bitterness.
Photo: O’Hara’s
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2) Guinness Stout
There’s no Irish beer more well-known than Guinness. This surprisingly light, creamy beer is known for its roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, and slightly, dry bitterness. If you don’t buy any other beer for the holiday, make it Guinness.
Photo: Guinness
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1) Murphy’s Irish Stout
It was a real toss up between Guinness and Murphy’s for the top spot. We gave the nod to Murphy’s mostly because Guinness always gets top billing. But Murphy’s is also a dry, creamy, and filled with coffee and chocolate notes. A truly memorable beer.
Photo: Murphy’s
