Drink Green This St. Patrick's Day

Get sudsy with these Irish-inspired brews

Legend has it that Austrian monk Saint Arnold is the Patron Saint of Brewers. Why? He preached to the masses the virtue of beer at a time (620 AD) when water was unsafe. Beer was the healthy alternative, and Saint Arnold was the perfect pitchman.

When he died, the folks in the village of Metz, France (where he served in the monastery), requested that he be buried in their village, where he frequently preached the virtues of beer. As the story goes, moving his body was a long (and thirsty) journey. The procession stopped for a rest along the way and went into a local tavern for a drink of—what else?—beer. However, the tavern was running low and had only enough for one full mug. According to legend, Saint Arnold’s miracle was that as the mug was passed, it was miraculously refilled, never ran dry, and all shared in a cool, refreshing drink of beer.

To keep you refreshed, here are a few brews in honor of St. Patrick’s Day—just make sure to raise a glass to beer’s patron saint.

River Falls Red Ale
Thomas Creek Brewery, Greenville, SC
$9 per six-pack
The flagship beer of Greenville’s local brewery is a medium-bodied, Irish-style red ale with a smooth taste.

St. Patrick’s Best Ale
Strangford Lough Brewing Company, Ltd, Killyleagh, County Down, Ireland
$10 per six-pack
Based on a traditional Irish recipe, St. Patrick’s Best Ale claims to give you “enjoyment in appearance, bouquet and taste” while introducing you to County Down, a largely undiscovered part of Ireland.

Rogue Irish-Style Lager
Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
$8 per 22-oz bottle
Rogue brewmaster John Maier’s goal was to create an Irish-style lager that would float Guinness. Rogue uses acidulated malts imported from Europe that give the beer a crisp, apple flavor.

Oyster Stout
Porterhouse Brewing Company, Dublin, Ireland
$5 per 11-oz bottle
Porterhouse Brewing crafted a balanced beer that is smooth and sweeter as a result of fresh oysters shucked into the conditioning tank. But beware—you may find oyster remnants in the bottle.

All beers at Greenville Beer Exchange, 7 S Laurens St, Greenville. (864) 232-3533, greenvillebeerexchange.com