IrishCentral's top ten Irish beers are revealed - PHOTOS

SEE PHOTOS: Top ten Irish beers

If asked to name Irish beers one would immediately come up with the ever popular dark and rich Guinness Stout. Other beers might come to mind including Murphy’s and Harp.

Unbeknownst to many Ireland is home to many delicious brews that run the gamut from lagers to stouts, dark beers to light beers.

Time to crack some Irish kegs open.

Here we have compiled a list of the ten best beers brewed in Ireland:

1. Guinness Draught

The grandfather of all Irish brews. One of the most successful beer brands worldwide has a roasted malt taste and touch of chocolate flavor that has been an Irish favorite for centuries. The black ale is brewed in Dublin using black malt. A pint of the rich and creamy brew should take 119.53 seconds to pour and be served precisely at 6°C (43°F).

2. Beamish Stout

This stout has a spicier bite and lighter body than its Guinness competitor. This beer is specially brewed for two weeks using the original Beamish yeast dating back to 1792. A sweet concoction of chocolate and coffee flavors balances the stout’s common bitter stout taste.

3. Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

This Guinness brand, originally known as West India Porter, has been in the country since 1819. It is brewed with more hops than its Guinness draught to preserve the beer over lengthy sea journeys. The strongest Guinness brew with 7.5% alcohol has a rich choclately taste and goes down smoother than Guinness draught.
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4. Murphy’s Irish Stout

Lighter and sweeter than other stouts Murphy’s was acquired by Heineken in1983. It has been described as chocolate milk topped with a double shot of espresso and finished with a one-inch thick head of creamy caramel.

5. O’Haras Irish Stout

O’Hara’s is brewed in Carlow. The town, located in the Barrow Valley Region, has a very proud tradition of home-brewiing craft beers dating back to the 18th century. A mixture of hops and roasted Barley, the beer is sweet with a roasty bite. You can’t go wrong with the tried and true stout recipe of hops, barley, yeast, and water.

6. Harp

This special Irish lager is a part of Diageo and has been brewed by Guinness since 1960 in its Dundalk brewery. It has a distinct clean and refreshing taste.

7. Kinsale Irish Lager

Lander’s Malt house in Kinsale has been serving beer since the 17th century. Today it’s known as the Kinsale Brewery. The water in the brew is from actual wells in southern Ireland. The light hued beer has a bitter taste at first that fades with light floral undertones.

8. Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale

Dating back to the 14th century this ale, brewed by Guinness, is part of Diageo, the world’s largest producer of alcohol. For a long while the Dubliner Pub in Washington, D.C. was the only pub that carried the Irish Cream Ale. The beer tastes like Smithwicks with less hops and a Guinness-like creamy head. It has the aroma and flavor of toasted malt.

9. Murphy’s Irish Red

This true red ale derives its hue from roasted Barley. No artificial coloring to be found in this libation. This beer was originally known as Lady’s Well ale. Heineken International has owned the brewery since 1983. This beer is dry, crisp, hoppy, and carbonated with hints of fruit and caramel.

10. Smithwicks Irish Ale

Smithwicks is ye old Irish brew originally made by monks that dates back to the 14th century. This top ale producer, the oldest operating brewery in Ireland, is owned by Diageo and. In this beer one detects caramel maltiness and a touch of hops.

SEE PHOTOS: Top ten Irish beers
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