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If ever there were a drinker's holiday, St. Patrick's day would be it. We wanted to do something special this year. While there's nothing wrong with a traditional pint of Guinness, a Black & Tan or a pint of Harp, we thought we could come up with some more interesting variations for your St. Patricks day. We've come up with some interesting drinks along with a special recipe to start your St. Patrick's day off right.  Samuel Adams Irish Red Ale
Every St. Patrick's day needs a good session beer. Lets face it, St. Patrick's day is about drinking endurance and this new offering from Sam Adams fits the bill. Appearance: Red... duh. Tan head, about an inch.
Smell: Little sweet malt... not much, pretty mellow.
Taste: Mellow. A little malt sweetness... Just enough hops that you can taste some flowery taste, but that's it. You gotta look for it.
Why we like it:
1. Super drinkable... which is great for St. Patrick's Day
2. Nice malt flavor.
3. Easily available, and lets face it, it's St. Patrick's day so you need plenty for you and your friends!  Hop King - Black & Tan
You didn't think we were just going to give our normal list of beers did you? When we sat down to figure out what we wanted for this article we knew we had to do a twist on a black and tan. We came up with what we've come to call "Hop King", a 50/50 blend of Victory Hop Devil & Victory Storm King. Sure it doesn't layer all nice like a Guinness and Harp, but we guarantee you'll like it.
Appearance: Dark dark dark brown... almost black. This won't stay separate, though. It did for a second... but then no. But who cares, let's try it!
Smell: Roasty hops... not roasted hops, because that'd be gross... or would it? (Yes, it would) We smell roasted barley and lots of hops. Mmmmm.
Taste: Bitter chocolate and piney hops. The roast comes through in the finish, but if you burp, you'll burp hops.
Why we like it:
1. A Craft Beer take on a classic St. Patrick's Day favorite.
2. Goes down way easier than you'd expect this combo to. The Stout and IPA round each other out making them easier to drink together than separate.
3. Hops are green. St. Patrick's Day is green. Coincidence... or fate?  Butternuts Moo Thunder Stout
Looking for a Guinness alternative? This stout by Butternuts brewery in upstate New York is the perfect session stout. Just the right amount of malt bitterness with a nice easy mouthfeel that lets you have a few. Appearance: Almost black, turn to dark ruby around the edges.
Smell: Chocolate milk.
Taste: Chocolatey, smooth and kind of sweet. Why we like it:
1. Can drink it all day.
2. Awesome artwork... It's a cow being struck by lightning on a can?! Plus you get to say Butternuts all day.
3. Great alternative to Guinness Stout   Around the World in 60 Minutes - A Craft Beer Irish Car Bomb
Another beverage we knew we needed to tap was the car bomb. Traditionally a pint of Guinness with a shot of 1/2 Jameson and 1/2 Bailey's Irish Cream dropped into the pint. At the outset we knew we weren't going to make a beer drink that you chugged, but the idea of a shot glass dropped in gave us some ideas. What we've come up with is a new take on some classic Dogfish Head flavors. For this drink pour most of a Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA intoa glass then pour a shot of Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (18% alcohol) and drop into the pink. Drink at a pace of your choosing, but know that it tastes REALLY good, so you may find yourself sipping to savor. Appearance: Golden, with black swirling. Head swells after dropping shot glass in.
Smell: A little sweet, and definitely hoppy!
Taste: Just a touch boozy, a little roast and some hops. We wouldn't drink it all day, but we'd drink one or two for sure! A great blend of St. Patrick's Day and Craft Beer. Why we like it:
1. It doesn't curdle... you can actually enjoy it instead of chugging like you were a freshman pledge.
2. Adds a nice malt backbone to the much loved Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
3. Blending beers is fun! (By the way, yeah, that's dust you see on the World Wide Stout bottle... It's been aged a year and a half.) Ok so we promised a recipes as well. This is a DrinkCraftBeer exclusive developed by Devon. We don't leave Guinness out of our day, we just eat it! Guinness Waffles with Bailey's Whipped Cream 2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup room temperature Guinness (fresh, though, open the can right before you add, do not use Guinness from the bottle)
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
Use in your favorite waffle iron and enjoy!
For whipped cream just use your favorite whipped cream recipe and whip in Bailey's Irish Cream to taste. Don't try using whipped cream from the can, it won't work. Cheers! Devon and Jeff
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