If I was feeling lazy I would just suggest that you stock your fridge with Guinness and your home bar with Irish Whiskey to be properly prepared for St. Patrick's Day. But instead, I've put together a three-beer rotation for your weekend or next Wednesday.
Pick up a six-pack of McSorley's Irish Pale Ale. The name is slightly misleading: This beer has a beautiful color when poured. In appearance and taste, it leans closer to an Irish Red than Pale Ale -- it's a bit sweet with undertones of earthy malt.
McSorley's Old Ale House is considered the oldest pub in Manhattan, having been founded in 1854. The beer is contract brewed in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, by Lion Brewery. The result is a bit like a movie based on a book -- not as full of character as the original, but still enjoyable for different reasons. The Irish Pale Ale would go well with a white cheddar and Granny Smith apple sandwich or any meat to come off your grill. It made this list because, at 5.5 percent ABV, it's very drinkable. It arrived on Wednesday at Hy-Vee Liquors (7711 State Line Road).
The next beer should be on your dessert table. The Dark Truth Stout -- a recent Smokestack Series release from Boulevard -- is an Imperial Stout that clocks in at 9.7 percent ABV.
The stout pours a deep brown with a huge mocha-colored head. I'm not sure whether I'm being influenced by the color, but I get small whiffs of espresso and figs. The body is lighter than I expected, but the flavor is rich with chocolate and a slightly bitter finish.
It didn't shine for me until I put it with actual chocolate (Boulevard unveiled the beer with a two-piece box of Christopher Elbow chocolates). I improvised and threw together a homemade chipwich: French Vanilla frozen yogurt and homemade chocolate chip cookies. This worked so well I came close to just dunking it straight in the glass. (KC Wort Hog used the Dark Truth Stout to bake in a chocolate banana bread that sounds heavenly.) A 750 ml bottle will run you between $8.49 and $9.99.
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