Food & Beer Culture

What do you eat with Irish Red Ale? Irish stew is best: the hearty dish of lamb, potatoes, onions, and carrots. The beer's caramel notes echo the sweetness of the onions, and its roast responds to the seared meat. It pairs just as well with bacon and cabbage, boiled ham with cabbage, an old Sunday dinner.

The region also gives us the Waterford Blaa, a soft, white-floured bread roll traditionally filled with ham or cheese in Waterford. A Red alongside tastes like breakfast served in the afternoon. Along the coast of Wexford and Waterford, fish makes it to the table, fried or battered; a light ale cuts through the fat without overpowering the fish.

Kilkenny's old town is full of pubs. Kyteler's Inn carries the name of Alice Kyteler, accused of witchcraft in 1324. The pub Brewery Corner on Parliament Street, run by the Carlow Brewing Company, pours only Irish craft beer.

Sunday belongs to hurling, an Irish team sport played with a stick and a leather ball. Kilkenny's team is called the Cats, playing in black and amber. After the match, fans head to the pub, where the rule holds that everyone buys a round. People drink pints, often slowly, and there's at least as much talk as drinking. Stay long enough and you'll hear music: many pubs in the southeast have live music in the evenings, and the beer makes its way from table to table in time with the tunes.