You might not realize it, but it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day. March 17th is the date to wear a comically green bowler cap while you nosh on corned beef, cabbage, and bangers and mash. And while you’re likely to sip a glass of Irish whiskey alongside all of that holiday fare, nothing washes down a heavy St. Patrick’s Day meal like a nice pint of Guinness Stout.
But, if you’re anything like us, you don’t want to get tired of this classic dry Irish Stout by drinking too much of it before, during, and after the March holiday. Lucky for you, if you enjoy this rich, malty, memorable brew, there are plenty of other dry Irish stouts.
What is a dry Irish stout?
I don’t wait until St. Patrick’s Day to imbibe dry Irish Stouts. As a beer writer, I spend an awful lot of time drinking different beer styles. I love a well-made stout. Especially a dry Irish stout. This brings us to one important question: what is a dry Irish stout?
This top-fermented beer is low in alcohol (3.5-5% ABV) and is well-known for its bittersweet flavor profile, featuring notes of roasted barley, caramel, chocolate, and coffee. Like Guinness, it may contain an infusion of nitrogen gas to give it a creamy texture and velvety mouthfeel.
As the name suggests, it’s known for its dry, lightly bitter, memorable finish. It’s a sessionable beer, making it a great choice for St. Patrick’s Day and any afternoon when you plan to drink more than one beer but don’t want to end up taking a midday nap due to an unwanted buzz.
The best Irish dry stouts for Guinness fans
Now that you can see the appeal of this dry Irish stout on an end-of-winter day. It’s time to find some non-Guinness options to add to your refrigerator. As we mentioned earlier, there is a lot to choose from. Some come from the Emerald Isle, like Guinness, and others come from well-known US breweries. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Lawson’s Finest Nitro Stout
Vermont’s Lawson’s Finest is well-known for its IPAs. But you should definitely not sleep on its popular Nitro Stout. This 5.4% ABV dry Irish stout is brewed with “authentic Irish malts” to give it the traditional taste stout fans know and love. It’s well-known for its complex, memorable flavor profile, with notes of roasted barley, coffee beans, and dark chocolate, all with a dry, lightly bitter finish that will leave you craving more. As the name suggests, it’s also nitrogenated to add a creamy mouthfeel you won’t soon forget. The best part? This Irish dry stout is available year-round, so you can enjoy this beer any time of year.
$14.99
Sullivan’s Black Marble Nitro Stout
If you’ve never tried a beer from Kilkenny, Ireland’s Sullivan’s Brewing Company, start with its Black Marble Nitro Stout. This traditional, 5.1% ABV dry Irish stout is brewed with Irish Pale malt, roasted barley, Chocolate malt, and malted wheat. It gets its hop aroma and flavor from the addition of Magnum, Admiral, and East Kent Goldings hops. The result is a multi-layered, bittersweet stout known for its flavors of roasted barley, coffee beans, dark chocolate, dried fruits, and lightly bitter, floral hops.
$12.49
Pure Brewing Milagro
Pure Brewing’s Milagro isn’t your average dry Irish stout. This 5.3% ABV sessionable stout is brewed with 2-row, Chocolate, and Black malts. It gets its hop presence from the use of Warrior and Progress hops. The unique part is the addition of organic coffee hand-roasted at Café Milagro in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. The result is a dry, complex stout loaded with flavors like freshly brewed coffee, toasted vanilla beans, dark chocolate, and gentle, floral, earthy hops.
$6.99
Saint Arnold Irish Hello
We all know about the “Irish goodbye”, but are you aware of the Irish Hello? Well, we might not know what it means in terms of social etiquette, but we know it’s a highly sessionable, 4.3% ABV dry Irish stout from popular brewery Saint Arnold. This seasonal favorite is brewed with 2-row, Pale Chocolate, Black malts, and torrified wheat. It’s also hopped with Perle hops. The result is a complex, noteworthy beer filled with flavors like dark chocolate, raisins, coffee beans, roasted malts, and a dry, lightly floral, bitter finish that leaves you craving another.
$9.49
Murphy’s Irish Stout
Fans of classic Irish stouts should look no further than fellow Irish brand Murphy’s to get their St. Patrick’s Day fix. Brewed in Cork, Ireland, this 4% ABV dry Irish stout is made with simple ingredients like water, malted barley, roasted barley, select hops, hop extract, and yeast. Like Guinness Stout, the cans feature nitrogen, guaranteeing a creamy. Effortlessly smooth stout loaded with flavors like dark chocolate, freshly brewed coffee, toffee, and roasted barley. The finish is dry and pleasantly bitter. This will definitely scratch your Guinness Stout itch.
$6.49
