Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish Beer!

Learn why beer is associated with St. Patrick’s Day and get inspiration for delicious ways to celebrate Irish brewing traditions!

Wear something green, prep your stomach for corned beef and cabbage, and perhaps plan on getting a late start the next day. The day in question? St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick’s Day, also known as Paddy’s Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a religious and cultural holiday on March 17th that celebrates the patron saint of Ireland. The short story is that Saint Patrick was a missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland. The long version is surprisingly cinematic and involves kidnapping and pirates (supposedly). ¹

Today, the original intent of the holiday is still observed, but it has also become a celebration of Irish culture. There’s also a LOT of beer drinking, and not just the green-dyed novelty beer.

Read on and discover why beer is so strongly associated with St. Patrick’s Day, and get inspiration for tasty ways to honor and celebrate Irish brewing traditions. So, pour yourself an Irish stout, blast some U2, and let’s pour one out for ol' St. Paddy!

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Why is Beer Associated With St. Patrick’s Day?

If you’re having trouble reconciling the religious significance of St. Patrick’s Day with its heavy associations with alcohol, we get it. While not all cultures consider religion and alcohol mutually exclusive, there is a cheeky and somewhat subversive element to St. Patrick’s Day that can’t be ignored.

Lent, an observance practiced by several Christian denominations, involves forty days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It’s a time when observers abstain from various things as a form of penance and spiritual self-discipline. Today, this could include candy, scrolling social media, or even hot showers. In the past, however, observers of Lent might abstain from meat, various other food items, and alcohol.

St. Patrick’s Day happens to fall right in the middle of Lent, so it became a kind of abstinence loophole. So, while it was initially a time to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, it also gave observers a day to disregard the restrictions of Lent for a day of feasting and general merry-making. With this in mind, it’s not hard to understand why it became a day associated with letting loose.

Thus, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a festive event celebrating Irish culture with parades, specialty foods, music, and a LOT of beer. Even outside of Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated. Sure, Irish heritage is celebrated by dyeing the Chicago River green, but even areas without significant ties to the Emerald Isle don’t need much incentive to join in on the festivities. 

For those who really want to honor this beer-soaked holiday, we’ve got a few ideas.

Honor St. Patrick’s Day By Learning Irish Beer History

For brewers or beer lovers wanting to honor Irish beer traditions, that means learning about Irish beer history. Ireland has been a cornerstone of brewing culture for centuries, so there’s a LOT to cover. Since we’re all pretty anxious to start prepping for the big day, let’s cover a few historical basics.

• It’s believed that the earliest form of beer in Ireland was brewed in the Bronze Age. This was likely a gruit (a beer flavored with plants and herbs, but not hops.).

• The English Parliament tried to promote beer consumption in the 1730s to reduce the consumption of spirits. However, this wasn’t entirely successful in Ireland, where it’s challenging to grow hops. Beers were flavored with imported hops, and import bans would have forced Irish brewers to purchase more expensive hops from England. This led to some beers being brewed solely with indigenous herbs and no hops whatsoever.

• In the 1770s, Arthur Guinness (yes, THAT Guinness) began brewing a beer from roasted barley. It had a dark, rich color and aroma, and this creamy beer was the start of the iconic Guinness beer we know and love today.

• Craft Beer & Brewing explains that “The Irish stout beer style remains one of Ireland’s great imports, recognized, admired, and copied worldwide. Even the Belgian–American giant Anheuser-Busch InBev produces an Irish stout, a good indication of the style’s cultural reach.” ²

Honestly, there’s so much more we could cover! We highly recommend further research to understand the complex history of beer and brewing in Ireland. If you really want to immerse yourself, it may be worthwhile to tour some of Ireland’s pubs and breweries. Can’t swing a trip? Then enjoy a traditional Irish brew!

Drink or Brew Traditional Irish Beers for St. Patrick’s Day

Whether you want to visit your nearest pub, track down a six-pack, or try brewing your own Irish Stout, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a traditional Irish brew is classic. Technically, any beer brewed in Ireland is an Irish beer, but two styles in particular have a special place in the Irish brewing tradition.

With their dark color and robust flavors, it’s no wonder people are so thirsty for Irish Stouts. They’re subtly bitter with various roasted flavors (think coffee, dark chocolate, etc.), and their low ABV makes them easy to drink all day. There’s a lot of variation in this style, so there’s something for everyone. 

If you want to take all of these typical features to the next level, you might try an “Irish-Style Extra Stout.” ³ Think stronger and deeper coffee and chocolate flavors, slightly higher ABV, and… is anyone else thirsty all of a sudden?

The Irish Red Ale is another easy-drinking brew that’s malt-oriented with low-bittering, low-alcohol, and noticeable notes of caramel. Josh Weikert explains that this style is all about balance. However, two components that shouldn’t be tinkered with are perceived sweetness and yeast. Thinking of brewing your own Irish Red? Check out his full recipe and process at Craft Beer & Brewing! ⁴

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Experiment with Irish Beer Styles and Flavors

There is something to be said for strictly adhering to the brewing traditions of the past. If you want to understand Irish beer culture, then experiencing those authentic styles through tasting and brewing is non-negotiable. However, there’s also no denying that the brewing industry has a knack for innovation. Early Irish brewers adapted to available ingredients and changing technologies, and brewers today do the same thing. 

Globalization and advancements in brewing technology give modern brewers access to flavors and aromas that would otherwise never have been possible. So, why not experiment with the styles and flavors traditionally found in Irish beers?! 

While some changes will move them away from being “traditional” Irish beers, it’s also a way to introduce new audiences to these important styles. Plus, it can be plain ol’ fun. So, consider putting a unique spin on an Irish Stout or completely rethink what makes an Irish Red. Try a dank twist on those roasted stout characteristics, or add contrasting flavors that have never been tried!

Need some inspiration? Try playing around with hop varieties. Fuggle hops from England are often used in Irish Reds, so challenge yourself to use the Fuggle descendent Cascade! Conversely, something like Willamette could add a spicy depth to Red Ales that’s out of this world. Sure, adding American hops somewhat steers these styles into American Stout or American Amber territory. However, finding that elusive middle ground could lead to a delicious, novel beer style.

Play into the creaminess of Irish Stouts with the unique aromatics of smooth canna cultivars like Gelato or Blackberry Kush. Want to get wild with an Irish-inspired oatmeal or milk stout? Put a fruity twist on it! Strawberries and cream, anyone? Ooh, maybe Peaches and cream! Can someone brew this already? We’re thirsty!

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1. A&E Television Networks. (2025, February 5). St. Patrick’s Day: Origins, Meaning & Background. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day

2. Payne, G. A. (n.d.). The Oxford Companion to Beer Definition of Ireland. Craft Beer & Brewing. https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/PSe4BHhcIs/

3. Weikert, J. (2025, January 23). Make Your Best Irish-Style Extra Stout. Craft Beer & Brewing. https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-irish-extra-stout/

4. Weikert, J. (2016, July 17). Make Your Best Irish Red. Craft Beer & Brewing. https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-irish-red