50 Best St. Patrick’s Day Beers to Drink in 2026
Guinness deserves its place, but Ireland’s beer scene is far bigger than one stout—and St. Patrick’s Day is a fine excuse to prove it.
This ranked 50 moves from famous pub standards into Irish reds, porters, lagers, modern IPAs, farmhouse-minded ales, and independent craft releases. Every card includes a practical holiday move, serving advice, and food pairing.
The short answer: what beer should you buy?
For the safest mixed crowd, buy one dry stout, one Irish red, one crisp lager, and one modern Irish pale ale. Guinness Draught, Smithwick’s, Harp, and a hop-forward beer from Galway Bay, Kinnegar, Whiplash, or Rye River make a simple four-beer flight with real contrast.
If you want to go deeper, compare this holiday list with our full guide to the best Irish beers, the focused ranking of Irish stouts, and our broader guide to red ales.
Green beer without wrecking the pint
Green beer is an American party tradition, not a classic Irish style. Use a pale lager or blonde ale, add one or two drops of liquid green food coloring to the empty glass, then pour the beer over it. The flow mixes the color evenly without beating the carbonation out of the pint.
Skip stout, porter, red ale, and hazy beer for this trick—the color turns muddy rather than bright. Better yet, serve the Irish beer as brewed and put the green energy into napkins, glass markers, or food instead.
The 50 best St. Patrick’s Day beers
Guinness Draught
Brewed by Guinness
Light-bodied beneath the black color, with roasted barley, cocoa, gentle bitterness, and the famous cascading head.
BAR NOTES
Guinness Draught brings roast, dark malt, and pub-ready depth to a holiday that too often stops at one famous black pint. Light-bodied beneath the black color, with roasted barley, cocoa, gentle bitterness, and the famous cascading head. Its 4.2% strength keeps it substantial without turning the first round into the last round.
Serve it cool rather than ice-cold and let the glass warm for a few minutes. The roast cuts through corned beef, lamb stew, and aged cheddar; sweeter or stronger versions also work with chocolate cake after dinner.
O'Hara's Irish Stout Nitro
Brewed by Carlow Brewing Company
A fuller, hoppier modern dry stout with coffee, dark chocolate, and enough bitterness to reward a slow pint.
BAR NOTES
O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro brings roast, dark malt, and pub-ready depth to a holiday that too often stops at one famous black pint. A fuller, hoppier modern dry stout with coffee, dark chocolate, and enough bitterness to reward a slow pint. Its 4.3% strength keeps it substantial without turning the first round into the last round.
Serve it cool rather than ice-cold and let the glass warm for a few minutes. The roast cuts through corned beef, lamb stew, and aged cheddar; sweeter or stronger versions also work with chocolate cake after dinner.
Murphy's Irish Stout
Brewed by Murphy's Brewery
Creamy, mild, and lightly sweet, with caramel malt, soft roast, and very little palate fatigue.
BAR NOTES
Murphy’s Irish Stout brings roast, dark malt, and pub-ready depth to a holiday that too often stops at one famous black pint. Creamy, mild, and lightly sweet, with caramel malt, soft roast, and very little palate fatigue. Its 4.0% strength keeps it substantial without turning the first round into the last round.
Serve it cool rather than ice-cold and let the glass warm for a few minutes. The roast cuts through corned beef, lamb stew, and aged cheddar; sweeter or stronger versions also work with chocolate cake after dinner.
Beamish Irish Stout
Brewed by Beamish & Crawford
A compact, roasty pint with cocoa, coffee, grain, and a distinctly dry finish beneath the nitro cream.
BAR NOTES
Beamish Irish Stout brings roast, dark malt, and pub-ready depth to a holiday that too often stops at one famous black pint. A compact, roasty pint with cocoa, coffee, grain, and a distinctly dry finish beneath the nitro cream. Its 4.1% strength keeps it substantial without turning the first round into the last round.
Serve it cool rather than ice-cold and let the glass warm for a few minutes. The roast cuts through corned beef, lamb stew, and aged cheddar; sweeter or stronger versions also work with chocolate cake after dinner.
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
Brewed by Guinness
Dark chocolate, caramel, dried fruit, and assertive roast make this far more muscular than Draught.
BAR NOTES
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout brings roast, dark malt, and pub-ready depth to a holiday that too often stops at one famous black pint. Dark chocolate, caramel, dried fruit, and assertive roast make this far more muscular than Draught. Its 7.5% strength keeps it substantial without turning the first round into the last round.
Serve it cool rather than ice-cold and let the glass warm for a few minutes. The roast cuts through corned beef, lamb stew, and aged cheddar; sweeter or stronger versions also work with chocolate cake after dinner.
O'Hara's Leann Folláin
Brewed by Carlow Brewing Company
Mocha, vanilla, biscuit, and spicy bitterness give O'Hara's dry-stout logic more muscle.
BAR NOTES
O’Hara’s Leann Folláin brings roast, dark malt, and pub-ready depth to a holiday that too often stops at one famous black pint. Mocha, vanilla, biscuit, and spicy bitterness give O’Hara’s dry-stout logic more muscle. Its 6.0% strength keeps it substantial without turning the first round into the last round.
Serve it cool rather than ice-cold and let the glass warm for a few minutes. The roast cuts through corned beef, lamb stew, and aged cheddar; sweeter or stronger versions also work with chocolate cake after dinner.
Smithwick's Red Ale
Brewed by Smithwick's
Ruby color, caramel, biscuit, and a dry roasted edge make this Ireland's essential red-ale baseline.
BAR NOTES
Smithwick’s Red Ale is the easy bridge between stout drinkers and guests who want something brighter. Ruby color, caramel, biscuit, and a dry roasted edge make this Ireland’s essential red-ale baseline. The toasted, caramel-leaning profile feels unmistakably pub-friendly while staying lively enough for a long St. Patrick’s Day meal.
Use a clean pint glass and pair it with sausages, Irish cheddar, shepherd’s pie, or soda bread with salted butter. This is also a smart middle beer in a tasting flight: richer than lager, gentler than stout, and easy to explain.
Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale
Brewed by Guinness
Copper malt, light fruit, gentle coffee, and a creamy head make an unusually soft red pint.
BAR NOTES
Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale is the easy bridge between stout drinkers and guests who want something brighter. Copper malt, light fruit, gentle coffee, and a creamy head make an unusually soft red pint. The toasted, caramel-leaning profile feels unmistakably pub-friendly while staying lively enough for a long St. Patrick’s Day meal.
Use a clean pint glass and pair it with sausages, Irish cheddar, shepherd’s pie, or soda bread with salted butter. This is also a smart middle beer in a tasting flight: richer than lager, gentler than stout, and easy to explain.
Harp Lager
Brewed by Harp Brewery
Grainy malt, light floral hops, and a dry finish make the familiar Irish lager an easy reset.
BAR NOTES
Harp Lager supplies the clean, refreshing lane in this lineup. Grainy malt, light floral hops, and a dry finish make the familiar Irish lager an easy reset. Its pale color and restrained flavor make it especially useful for guests who do not want roast, heavy malt, or a hop-forward craft beer.
If you insist on green beer, tint the glass first with one or two drops of food coloring and pour this beer over it; do not stir aggressively. Serve cold with fish and chips, potato snacks, mild cheese, or a salty pub spread.
Sullivan's Maltings Irish Ale
Brewed by Sullivan's Brewing Company
Caramelized malt, biscuit, light fruit, and a cleaner modern finish give heritage branding real substance.
BAR NOTES
Sullivan’s Maltings Irish Ale is the easy bridge between stout drinkers and guests who want something brighter. Caramelized malt, biscuit, light fruit, and a cleaner modern finish give heritage branding real substance. The toasted, caramel-leaning profile feels unmistakably pub-friendly while staying lively enough for a long St. Patrick’s Day meal.
Use a clean pint glass and pair it with sausages, Irish cheddar, shepherd’s pie, or soda bread with salted butter. This is also a smart middle beer in a tasting flight: richer than lager, gentler than stout, and easy to explain.
Guinness Extra Stout
Brewed by Guinness
Roasted barley, coffee, dark fruit, and lively carbonation make a firmer, more traditional Guinness expression.
BAR NOTES
Guinness Extra Stout brings roast, dark malt, and pub-ready depth to a holiday that too often stops at one famous black pint. Roasted barley, coffee, dark fruit, and lively carbonation make a firmer, more traditional Guinness expression. Its 5.6% strength keeps it substantial without turning the first round into the last round.
Serve it cool rather than ice-cold and let the glass warm for a few minutes. The roast cuts through corned beef, lamb stew, and aged cheddar; sweeter or stronger versions also work with chocolate cake after dinner.
Guinness West Indies Porter
Brewed by Guinness
Mellow chocolate and toffee meet a firmer hop presence in Guinness's historical-recipe revival.
BAR NOTES
Guinness West Indies Porter brings roast, dark malt, and pub-ready depth to a holiday that too often stops at one famous black pint. Mellow chocolate and toffee meet a firmer hop presence in Guinness’s historical-recipe revival. Its 6.0% strength keeps it substantial without turning the first round into the last round.
Serve it cool rather than ice-cold and let the glass warm for a few minutes. The roast cuts through corned beef, lamb stew, and aged cheddar; sweeter or stronger versions also work with chocolate cake after dinner.
Porterhouse Plain Porter
Brewed by The Porterhouse Brew Co.
Dry roast, cocoa, and creamy nitrogen prove the stout–porter border is more conversation than wall.
BAR NOTES
Porterhouse Plain Porter brings roast, dark malt, and pub-ready depth to a holiday that too often stops at one famous black pint. Dry roast, cocoa, and creamy nitrogen prove the stout–porter border is more conversation than wall. Its 4.2% strength keeps it substantial without turning the first round into the last round.
Serve it cool rather than ice-cold and let the glass warm for a few minutes. The roast cuts through corned beef, lamb stew, and aged cheddar; sweeter or stronger versions also work with chocolate cake after dinner.
Sullivan's Black Marble Stout
Brewed by Sullivan's Brewing Company
Roast coffee, dark fruit, and balancing bitterness give the silky body more structure than expected.
BAR NOTES
Sullivan’s Black Marble Stout brings roast, dark malt, and pub-ready depth to a holiday that too often stops at one famous black pint. Roast coffee, dark fruit, and balancing bitterness give the silky body more structure than expected. Its 5.1% strength keeps it substantial without turning the first round into the last round.
Serve it cool rather than ice-cold and let the glass warm for a few minutes. The roast cuts through corned beef, lamb stew, and aged cheddar; sweeter or stronger versions also work with chocolate cake after dinner.
