Hooray, Beer!

No, I haven't drank any Red Stripe here. But I will give you a breakdown of the most common beers on tap in any given pub, with my expertise tasting notes... ha. In no particular order, there's:

A thing of beauty.

Beamish. One word to describe this local Cork beer is DELICIOUS. The actual beer I am referring to is the Beamish stout, the flagship product of Beamish and Crawford Brewing Co., which is now owned by Heineken... It's definitely a very dark beer, has little carbonation, a very creamy and long-lasting head of foam (when poured correctly, but of course it's always poured correctly here. I waited 3 minutes for my pint last night while the bartender was waiting for it to settle properly!). It has a creamy feel and a little smokey taste, and I always get a hint of chocolate... Maybe that's why I like it so!  Definitely my favorite beer that I've had here- yes, even better than...

Guinness. Don't get me wrong, I love a good pint of Guinness- I even picked it to be my first drink in Ireland. Maybe it's psychological, but it tastes different (and better) here than what I've had back home. It has that roasted flavor similar to Beamish, and is creamy as well, bitter and tangy, and of course a gorgeous head of foam.

Murphy's. Much like Beamish, Murphy's is another wonderful stout made here in Cork. It's a bit less tangy than the previous two, and is lighter in flavor as well, with a very thick head and zero carbonation. A very good pint indeed.

Carlsberg. It's more of what the average American would expect when they order a beer- it's clear yellow, more bubbly, not a very intense flavor, sort of medium all around- overall, a very easy-drinking beer. And it's Danish, so I feel connected to my best friend who's studying abroad there!

Bulmer's. Not actually a beer, Bulmer's is hard cider. To those who've had a Wood Chuck, it tastes much like that. It's sweet and bubbly and tasty, a nice alternative to a heavier stout. I've seen in Tesco (the main supermarkets here) that there is actually flavored Bulmer's, which I want to try- both berry and pear.

Budweiser. I'm only including this because it's one of the most common beers on tap in a pub, and that's what I said I was going to do. But I'm not giving tasting notes...

Well, all this talk has made me quite thirsty... it's off to a pub with me! Sláinte!!!