Do you only drink Guinness in Ireland?

A little Irish beer story 

• Similar to Germany beer has a long tradition in Ireland and is one of the most popular drinks in the country. Early 19th By the 19th century there were over 200 breweries in Ireland, but in 2007 there were only 12.

• Irish breweries originally produced almost exclusively ale, i.e. top-fermented beer. This fact is due to the fact that hops are not indigenous to Ireland. But already in the 15th In the 19th century, hops were imported and cultivated from the Netherlands to England and finally to Ireland.

• In the 17th In the 19th century, the Irish government boosted beer brewing when, as a result of the tax change, it taxed distillers and hard liquors more heavily, but less so on breweries and beers. Prices were even given to the breweries that processed the most Irish hops or brewed the largest quantities of porter.

• Middle of the 19th In the early 1900s, Irish beer was so popular that Ireland exported more beer to England than it imported from the UK.

Beers native to Ireland

• Guinness - Ireland's most internationally famous beer - is a so-called stout, a top-fermented, dark red to Deep black draft beer with a pronounced, cream-colored head and an alcohol content of 3 to 4.5 % By volume. It is brewed with heavily malted barley and barley malt; some breweries also use caramel malts.


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• The term stout goes back to the original name "stout porter", which means "strong porter". However, the adjective "strong" does not refer to the alcohol content of the beer, on the contrary: A porter was a porter and the stout porter was developed as a beer for people who do hard physical work pursued. It was characterized above all by a relatively low alcohol content, but a strong flavor. Eventually, over time, the name was simply shortened to stout.

• Another typical Irish beer is the so-called red ale. While the word "ale" is also used as a synonym for "beer" in English, it draws The top-fermented beer type ale is mainly due to the use of malted barley in the brewing process the end. Irish Red Ale usually has between 3.8 and 4.4% alcohol by volume and the typical reddish color.

• In addition, lager is also brewed in Ireland. Originally the pale lager was an outsider on the Emerald Isle, but in recent years it has the relationship between lager and the once so popular ale is reversed and there is more light beer produced. In England, Scotland and Ireland all bottom-fermented full beers and draft beers with 4.6% to 5.6% vol .-% are considered lager beers, while in Germany it is understood to mean beers that have the original wort content of whole beers, but are weaker than Pilsner hops are.

Irish breweries and their beers

• Founded in 1759 by Arthur Guinness, the Guinness Brewery is still one of the largest breweries in Ireland to this day. Today the company belongs to the British drinks group Diageo.

• Guinness on the mainland is different from that in Ireland. In pubs outside Ireland you can get an export Guinness, which has a higher alcohol content of 5%; Original Irish Guinness, on the other hand, has 4.2%. It is no longer considered a draft beer and is sold more expensive, and it tastes different because Basically, the lower the alcohol content in a stout, the more pronounced the typical one Stout taste.

• By the way, Guinness is not suitable for strict vegetarians and vegans. The mash is still filtered through fish bubbles during the brewing process - as it was 250 years ago.

• Another major Irish brewery is the Beamish and Crawford Brewery, which has existed since 1792 and best known for the Beamish Stout, which tastes much stronger than many other Irish ones Beers. Beamish and Crawford has been part of the Heineken Group since 2008.

• The third large brewery in Ireland is Smithwicks, from which Kilkenny's, which is also known here, comes from. It is tart than the other Irish beers, but has a head that is strongly reminiscent of Guinness. Kilkenny's was originally only made for export, but is now also very popular on the Emerald Isle.

• In addition to the large manufacturers, there have been increasingly smaller breweries in Ireland for some years now, which are reflecting on the origins of the craft and consciously producing smaller quantities. These craftspeople with exceptional products include Hilden Brewery in Lisburn, Porterhouse in Dublin and Franciscan Well Brewpub in Cork. The Biddy Early Brewery, the Dublin Brewing Company and Dwan’s are a little younger.