St. Patty's Day - Just an Excuse to Drink?
It's St. Patrick's Day again. Tonight, and over the course of the next few days, many Americans (of Irish descent and otherwise) will go out and drink......a lot. Some of them will partake in a strange ritual whereby blue food coloring is actually added to yellow beer. They drink it as if they might make themselves as green as St Patty himself, from the inside out. It's making me green just thinking about it.
More careful drinkers know that stout is the beer of choice in Ireland. Stout should be near black in color, and almost completely opaque. Irish stouts are usually low in alcohol (4%-5% abv), low in carbonation, and with a dry, roasty, creamy character. Most people have heard of Guinness, which makes a nice "Extra Stout" and a lighter, blander "Guinness Draught." Many think of Guinness when they think of Ireland and vice versa. Unfortunately, today Guinness is owned and operated by a huge international beverage company called Diageo. Nearly all of the Guinness sold in the US is now brewed in Canada, with the secret "essence of Guinness" imported from Dublin, Ireland. Here is an interesting article describing one guy's take on how Guinness tastes today.
There are better options for celebrating St. Patty's Day with beer. Stephen Beaumont, a great beer writer, describes a few here. By the way, did St. Patrick really do anything worth celebrating? Cheers.
posted by John @ 11:45 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
OK, since you asked,Patrick was kidnapped from the British mainland around age 16, and shipped to Ireland as a slave. Sent to the mountains as a shepherd, he spent his time in prayer. After six years of this life, he received had a dream in which he a command to return to Britain; seeing it as a sign, he escaped. Studied in continental monasteries. Priest. Bishop. Sent by Pope Saint Celestine to evangelize England, then Ireland, during which his chariot driver was Saint Odran, and Saint Jarlath was one of his spiritual students. In 33 years he effectively converted the Ireland. In the Middle Ages Ireland became known as the Land of Saints, and during the Dark Ages its monasteries were the great repositories of learning in Europe, all a consequence of Patrick's ministry. There is a legend that Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland, serpents being a form Satan took in Christianity although the Celts actually saw snakes as a fertitlity sign.
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