“Give them my love”, says he, “and tell them to keep brewing the Smithwick’s for me and for you”.

I think he might just have had a tear in his eye as he wished me well, being quite overcome at the thought that I was on my way to visit the Smithwick’s brewery. Having discovered my intended destination, Anthony’s eyes had lit up and his expression become more animated. At the mention of the Irish ale that is Smithwick’s, he had announced proudly “that’s my drink, so it is”.

We had swapped beer stories and talked about that certain solidarity that exists among Smithwick’s drinkers, perhaps the result of always being the odd one out in a sea of Guinness and lager stalwarts.

Smithwick's through the years

I will admit that, having been a Smithwick’s drinker for years, I was just as excited as Anthony was about my visiting the brewery. Forget that I was leaving a half-unpacked house behind me, a visit to Smithwick’s trumped all.

The new Smithwick's draught tap

Located in the heart of Kilkenny city and, with an impressive 300 year history, Smithwick’s is the oldest operating brewery in Ireland. Only recently opened for tours, with an itinerary that brings you through some of the operational parts of the brewery, and also to the medieval ruins of the 13th century St. Francis Abbey within the grounds of the brewery, this is one for the list if you’re in the Kilkenny area.

St. Francis Abbey

By the time I had glimpsed this Irish beer at various stages of its development and inhaled the warm brewery deliciousness, I might just have had a tear in my eye too. Talking afterward to head brewer Ian Hamilton, I remembered why I had spent such a long time drinking Smithwick’s in the past, even if I had never consciously considered the components of its desirability: a delicate, fruity aroma, natural tawny port colour and balance of bitterness and malt in the taste. Even after almost 30 years as a brewer with Smithwick’s, Ian retains an enthusiasm for the ale that, like the beer itself, is refreshing and leaves you wanting to imbibe forthwith. Which I did.

To the left - 100,000 pints of Smithwick's.
To the right - my first post-tour pint. Only 99,999 more to go.

Indeed, I enjoyed the visit (and the pint) so much that I might just have to visit again when next passing that way – which, with any luck, will be soon. October’s Savour Kilkenny festival, featuring the full breadth of food and drink on offer in the Marble City, is writ large in my diary. If the festival should involve savouring Smithwick’s, so much the better.

Guinness, the best birthday present a Dad could get

Now that Guinness is turning 250, the question is, what will Guinness be giving us for its birthday? Slightly more than a few large bottles of the black stuff, as it turns out, though I can tell you now that my Dad would be happiest celebrating Arthur’s big birthday by downing a pint of porter in the local pub. I guess Guinness are hoping that he, along with millions of others, will do exactly that. They have nominated September 24th as the day and 17:59 as the hour at which to raise a global toast to Arthur and his legacy. But that is just the beginning.

The rest of September 24th will be filled with lots of musical happenings around Dublin, much of it in pubs which will play host, in some cases, to some big name acts (Darragh has a full rundown over on culch.ie). The main thing that you need to know is that the tickets go on sale via ticketmaster on July 23rd, and, at €9 for pub venues and €17.59 for the larger studio venues, they are, by Dublin standards, as cheap as chips. Plus all proceeds go to a newly established and, by all accounts, very charitable Arthur Guinness fund.

Nice one, Arthur, but what of the Spud?

Though it’s a while since my student days – of which Guinness drinking and the acquisition of Guinness paraphernalia while under the influence of Guinness were a feature – I will, no doubt, mark the occasion, though not in an eyeing-up-the-Guinness-glasses-and-thinking-how-good-they-would-look-in-my-house kind of way. We are at that stage in our relationship, Guinness and I, where they will ply me with oysters while simultaneously filling my ears with the low-down on Arthur’s Day. In fact, I think they would have given me a few pint glasses if I’d asked.

So, for my own I’m-not-a-student-anymore Arthur’s Day, I reckon that some of my Guinness Gratin will be in order, perhaps followed by some of Murphy’s brown bread & Guinness ice cream, topped off with a generous slather of Jenni’s stout toffee sauce. There might even be room for some of Nigella’s chocolate Guinness cake later and then maybe, just maybe, I will have to do the right thing and honour, in equal measure, both Arthur and my father with a pint of plain, yer only man.