Strangford Lough Brewing Company- St. Patrick’s Best Ale: Almost makes me forget about how much I hate U2…
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 6:20PM | by Wes 
St. Patrick’s Best Ale is an authentic Irish beer, that is brewed by a subsidiary brewery in New York using imported Irish ingredients. We don’t get to review “small beers” very often here so I was intrigued. Small beers are any beer with an ABV below 5.0%. These are great session beers that you can enjoy before a workout or during a summer softball game; basically anytime you’re looking for a good beer without waking up in field three states over. These lighter beers are great for hot summer days filled with fishing or cookouts.
St. Patrick’s Best Ale pours the color of a red ale. It is a copper colored ale with a khaki colored head. The scent of St. Patrick’s Best is a pure and sweet malt. There is no hint of hops present. I was also able to detect hints of caramel and a slight wet and earthy, sweet aroma, like fresh cut grass. This beers profile definitely invokes visions of the rolling emerald hills of pastoral Ireland.
OK I am going to say this clearly and plainly, this beer is freaking delicious. I would describe it as Fat Tire junior. St. Patrick’s Best is sweet and earthy with a creamy maltiness note. It seems to be a hybrid of an Amber Ale, a Farmhouse Ale and a French Ale. It is very lightly carbonated which makes it silky and velvety all the way down. I was also unable to shake visions of cherries from my head. This beer finishes with a slight, fruity flair, that reminded me of raspberry jam. Damn… tasty.
Look sometimes you have to commit to a whole day of drinking; look no further then this brew. Stangford Lough Brewing Company has a keeper here. If you’re looking to have a few beers without waking up naked under the Blarney Stone, you can’t go wrong with St. Patrick’s Best Ale. This almost makes up for Ireland importing Colin Farrell…
ABV: 4.2%
Consumed: Pint Glass
Verdict: Buy a Case!
