Photo courtesy Legend Brewing Co.
If, like me, you love your beer, then forget going green this month — seriously, is there a more off-putting way to celebrate St. Patty’s Day?
Instead, go brown.
I recently returned from a trip to Ireland, where, as many of you know, the beer of record, the beer of legend, is Guinness — low in alcohol (4.2 percent ABV), smoothly drinkable, and as tried-and-true as that perfect scarf on a bitter, cold day.
Nothing compares to a proper pint of Guinness, nothing. But guess what? Here in Richmond we have our own estimable brown ale, our own tried-and-true.
Legend Brewing Co. has been producing it since the day Tom Martin opened it, in 1994, in a tiny tasting room off Sixth Street. Take note, hopheads: This is the longest continually operating brewery in the state.
Its flagship beer is slightly higher in alcohol by volume than the legendary Guinness, clocking in at 5.8 percent, but get your nose down into the glass.
Smell those rich malts? See that dark copper color?
Now take a sip.
What’d I tell you? Goes down easily, right? Very easily.
Brown ales aren’t typically thrilling, but when they’re built well, as this one is, you get a clean, balanced brew without (as some beers are guilty of) a drop in taste at the finish.
And yeah, I know I’ve singled it out as an alternative to St. Patty’s Day cliché, but seriously — I urge you to make a place for it in your regular rotation.
