It’s as comforting as an evening in an Irish pub, says Samuel Adams about its Irish Red Ale, which brings together a roasted malt sweetness with a light but earthy hoppiness.

So head out and pick up some Irish Red to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Irish Red Ale is a refreshing, lighter beer style closely related to English Bitters. As with all recipes, there are numerous variations; but all tend to have the characteristic deep red color and mild flavor.

In Ireland, the brew is called Irish Red Ale, Red Ale, or Irish Ale. Imports from Ireland include Beamish Red Ale, Caffrey’s Irish Ale, Murphy’s Irish Red and Smithwick’s.

Among American-brewed Irish Reds, look for Goose Island’s Kilgubbin Red Ale, Great Lakes Brewing’s Conway’s Irish Ale and Saranac Brewery’s Irish Red Ale.

Adding to confusion, some American craft brewers have taken American Amber Ales, added coloring or a bit of roasted malt and called them Irish Red as well.

What’s the difference between an Amber Ale and an Irish Red?

The recipes are very similar. The main difference is the measure of bitterness in the beer. Amber Ales use more hops to achieve more bitterness. The secondary difference is the origin of the hops and the type of malts: Irish Red use more English malts (often toasted malts) and hops, American Amber Ales use more American malts and hops.

For beer drinkers who prefer less hop influence, Irish Reds offer virtually no hop aroma low to moderate hop flavor, as well as low to moderate malty aroma and flavor. They have a very clean finish with a low buttery or toffee flavor. The use of roasted barley for coloring often results in a slight roasted finish and also creates a dry finish for the beer. Unlike English Ales, Irish Red has no ester (fruity) flavors.

As you lift a glass, remember to says “cheers” in Gaelic: sláinte (pronounced SLAWN-cheh)
 
LEARN YOUR BEERS

Check out the different types of beers and beer terminology in our Beer Glossary.

Check out Blue Bandana chocolate bars from Lake Champlain Chocolates, one of our favorite producers of fine chocolate candies.

Third-generation chocolatier Eric Lampman developed the bean-to-bar chocolate, using single origin cacao beans from Guatemala and Madagascar.

In what may be a first in artisan chocolate bars, one of the Madagascar bars is flavored with voatsiperifery, a wild peppercorn called known to grow only in Madagascar.

he 3.5-ounce bars are $7.00 apiece. How to they taste? Read the full review.

Lake Champlain chocolates are certified kosher by Star-K.

Bean to bar. Gourmet chocolate. Single origin chocolate. What do these terms mean?

Discover the language of chocolate—all the chocolate terms you need to know—in our Chocolate Glossary.

You can serve it with anything from a sandwich at lunch, to dinner—whether your dinner is hot corned beef and cabbage, grilled fish, a burger or anything that goes well with potato salad.

For year-round feasting, leave out the corned beef and enjoy the recipe as a cabbage potato salad.

Prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 15 minutes. The recipe serves 6.
 
 
CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE POTATO SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients

A yummy twist on potato salad for St. Patrick’s Day (photo © Potato Goodness).

 
Dressing Ingredients

Preparation

1. CUT potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a large pot fitted with a steamer basket. Add 1-inch of water to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender; let cool slightly. While potatoes are cooking…

2. COMBINE remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl.

3. PLACE all dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.

4. ADD warm potatoes to bowl and drizzle with dressing; lightly stir to coat salad with dressing. Serve immediately.

Calories: 220 Fat: 12g Cholesterol: 20mg Sodium: 370mg Vitamin C: 50mg Carbohydrates: 22g Fiber: 2g Protein: 7g Potassium: 87mg