Dublin Pub Crawl

From time to time, BeerUnion will post submissions from traveling correspondent Katie Thombs. Here's one from Dublin:

The first half of my three week holiday was spent in Dublin. This location begs to be pub crawled - something my fried Jess and I were more than happy to do. We began with MJ O'Neills, and all I have to say is that it is the best place for anyone to begin. The atmosphere is definitely old Irish: full of nooks and crannies to lose yourself in while enjoying several pints. They had a rather wonderful selection on tap for us to choose from. We contented ourselves with a Blarney's Blonde and a Rebel Red. The Blonde was a crisp, refreshingly hoppy beer with a pleasing finish, while the Red was a delightful burst of delicious flavors that lingers on the tongue while not leaving a very bitter taste.

Another memorable pub was the Porterhouse. This was one of few pubs that was an actual brewery. We got a sampling of six: three lagers and three stouts. Among the stouts there was the Plain Porter (my favorite and very nice in both coloring and flavor), the Oyster Stout (not too heavy with an almost sweetness to it), and the Wrassler's XXXX (had a slight smoky flavor with a bitter finish). As for the lagers, there was the Temple Brew (Jess's favorite with a nice clean taste that had a delicious hoppy finish), the Chiller (which was very light but also had a bitter finish that made me unsure about whether I actually enjoyed it or not), and the Hersbrucker Pilsner (this was a nicely balanced beer where the flavors left your mouth wanting more).

Naturally being in Dublin, we took ourselves over to St. James Gate for a tour of the Guiness Storehouse and a pint. The Tour itself is fascinating, as it allows even those not familiar with the brewing process to fully appreciate Guiness. At the end of our tour we were taught the proper way to pour a pint of Guiness and I can proudly way that I am now qualified to do just that. Guiness in Ireland is most assuredly the best! The richness of it as the flavors explode in your mouth make having your first pint here an unforgettable experience and consequently ruins you for Guiness anywhere else. Stay tuned for the Galway pub crawl...

-Katie.