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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Grab a Guinness, it's St. Patrick's Day week on Susqueats.com

St. Patrick's Day Central Pennsylvania © Susqueats.com 2009

This Tuesday, the 17th, is St. Patrick's Day and to celebrate we are featuring a different Irish Pub each weekday. Be sure to check back each day, or better yet, subscribe to our RSS feed.

While St. Patrick's Day is only an official holiday in Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the tiny island of Montserrat, it is widely celebrated around the world and steeped in deep tradition. In fact, the first St. Patrick's Day parade in the United States dates back to 1737 and was organized by the Irish Society of Boston. Here in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia sports the 3rd oldest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the United States; it dates back to 1771. Local parades are organized in York and Harrisburg (photos from 2008 Harrisburg St. Patrick's Day Parade).

Guinness Fun Facts:

Do all Irish drink Guinness? - Though it may seem that way and it is by far the number one seller in Ireland, Guinness is not the only beer produced in Ireland (in fact not all Guinness is produced in Ireland anymore). Some of the others include Beamish Irish Stout, Murphy's Irish Stout, O'Hara's Celtic Stout, Harp Lager, Kinsale Irish Lager, Kilkenny Irish, Murphy's Irish Red, and Smithwick's Irish Ale.

Why do the bubbles fall down when you pour a Guinness? - This was debated for years before a study was actually done on the phenomenon. This is caused by a combination of factors. First, one of the properties of nitrogen, which Guinness is drawn with rather than CO2, is smaller bubbles. As with the larger bubbles in other beers, as the bubbles rise the ones on the side of the glass are slowed by friction. As a result the bubbles in the center of the glass rise faster. This causes a column of faster rising bubbles in the center of the glass which in turn create a current. This current disperses to the sides of the glass and actually pulls the bubbles down the side before they move back to the center and up again.

Why does it take so long to pour a Guinness? - This is actually a tradition that compensated for a practice which is now obsolete. Years ago when Guinness was poured from a cask it was common practice to pour the first half of the glass from an older cask. This was allowed to settle before adding the second half from a new cask. The practice is continued today because as the head from the first pour compresses it actually becomes more stable and helps with head retention.

Isn't Guinness heavy, fattening and strong? - The dark color of Guinness simply comes from roasting the grains to a dark color before brewing the beer. Actually, Guinness is on the lower end of the calorie scale. In fact, it is mostly only light beers that have fewer calories. It is also a little lower in alcohol content. Another added benefit is that Guinness is supposed to be extremely rich in antioxidants.

And finally, if you find yourself offering a toast this St. Patrick's Day, here are some traditional Irish ones to try:

There are good ships,
and there are wood ships,
The ships that sail the sea.
But the best ships, are friendships,
And may they always be.

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May the lilt of Irish laughter
lighten every load.
May the mist of Irish magic
shorten every road...
And may all your friends remember
all the favours you are owed!

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May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.

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Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

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May you have all the happiness
and luck that life can hold—
And at the end of all your rainbows
may you find a pot of gold.

Sláinte!

Labels: Central Pennsylvania, Event, Holiday, St. Patrick's Day