The Emerald Isle is a glorious feast for the senses. From its famous authors, playwrights and musicians, to the lore of the leprechaun to the lure of the land, Ireland is a sensual treat in every way. Enhancing the romance, of course, is thick, creamy, tasty stout.
The Irish love their stout — basically a dark, rich and bitter beer — and have for centuries. This love affair, though, began as the result of a happy accident across the Irish Sea in London's East End.
While roasting barley malt in preparation to make ale, a local brewer mistakenly burned the batch. Not wanting to lose his shirt or the product, he decided to complete the beer-making process. The resulting brew was near-black, syrupy and quite bitter. But the hard-living porters hauling heavy loads around London’s dockside took an immediate and immense liking to it — indeed, such a liking that this early stout become known as "porter".
Then a chap named Arthur Guinness came along and took the recipe back to Dublin. Well, boyos, the rest is history. Stout soon stood tall as the favored beverage in pubs across the country. Like beautiful County Cork down in the nation's lush southwest corner. Here, Murphy’s Brewery and Beamish & Crawford produced their own versions of this Irish favorite, and the Thirsty Traveler is delighted to report they are still going strong today.
Irish cuisine has enjoyed a real renaissance over the past decade. Culinary hot spots, like the west coast city of Galway, famous for its annual oyster festival, are making the world take notice. Then there's Kinsale, a lovely seaside town an hour south of Cork. This place is a haven for people who love not just good food, but great food. Kinsale even has an annual Festival of Fine Food where local restaurants really strut their stuff.
Here's one thing about stout you should definitely know. Stout is the ideal accompaniment to the food of love— oysters. There is nothing quite so scrumptious as downing a fresh, rich, fatty oyster and chasing it with a sip of full-bodied stout. It seems the dry roast of the stout provides the perfect foil to the oyster's subtle, salty tang. Incredible! For a tasty variation, try oysters soaked in stout. Or if you're a beef eater, try seared tenderloin stuffed with stout-soaked oysters. Yes, it is as decadent as it sounds!
The pint is a way of life in Ireland. While it gives some people the gift of the gab, it also gives the gift of good grub. Here's cheers to stellar stout!
