AuburnAlehouse

I have a newfound respect for Guinness.

While we were in Killkenny I noticed a tap shield that said Kilkenny Irish Red from Guinness. Since we were having a pint of the town’s flagship Smithwick’s IRA, I figured we’d see it again and try it next. The occasion never arose and I had been kicking myself ever since. Fast forward 5 days to the beautiful harbor city of Galway. I spotted a wall-hung sign (which is the norm for all pubs to display on the exterior of the building to signify which major player they represent on draught), which read “Kilkenny Irish Red Ale” from Guinness! After we got checked in to our Hotel and the motor coach parked we set out on an hour walkabout to find that dammed pub! I was trying that beer I had let slip away days earlier or else!  We eventually found the pub and went inside with big smiles.  Not on draught, but they did have Coors light, extra cold!  We must have seemed like the beer snobs we are when we turned and walked out!

Thirsty and mad (not “pissed” as that refers to being drunk!) we walked into a pub called the Kings Head, a nice Irish pub crafted of stone with a nice warm fireplace burning and two empty seats next to it. Brilliant! I scanned the first set of draught towers and set in for a Beamish, another excellent Irish Stout I find a bit drier than the Guinness. As I walked over to the second set of towers I noticed a tap marker that was a bit different, yep, the Kilkenny IRA! I quickly changed our order to two pints of Kilkenny and sat down next to the open bog brick- burning fireplace, we were happy. Was I living the Irish dream? It was well worth the hunt, delicious indeed!  I’ll have this beer in mind when I get back home and brew the McFord’s IRA, which will be served via nitrogen this year.

Kilkenny Irish Ale....drink it if you can find it!

Back to my new found respect for Guinness; they had the stones to put out an Irish Red Ale that bears the name of the city that Smithwick’s had been brewing their IRA in since the 1700’s!  Sort of an early “in your face” marketing campaign!  Brilliant! I should note that Smithwick’s Ale was only served to us on nitrogen in Killkenny, and fully carbonated everywhere else, while the Guinness Kilkenny is fully nitrogenated on the opposite side of the country! Nitrogenation wins every time!

What I find very interesting is that the tap marker infers that the beer had been brewed at Saint Francis Abbey Brewery since 1710, which I saw in Killkenny itself.  Did they compete in the same town just blocks apart?  You’ll have to do that research yourself because I am on “holiday”!!

Cheers!