St. Patrick liked a Pint!!

The ancient book of Irish Law, Senchus Mor (also known as ‘Cain Patrick' or Patrick's Law) tells us that St. Patrick, who started his mission in Ireland in 432 A.D., employed the priest Mescan as his brewer. Mescan was part of St. Patrick's entourage and would have accompanied him on his travels.

So what kind of beer would Ireland's Patron Saint have drunk?

The Senchus Mor indicates that brewing was common and well understood across the whole of Ireland and that Ale, red in colour, was the most common alcohol.

Malted barley was the principle ingredient although other malted grains were also used, such as wheat and oats. In the brewing process both whole and milled malts were used in the mash, although hops were not introduced as a flavoring for another thousand years'. It is possible that aromatic bittering herbs and possibly berries would have been used for flavoring.

So there we have it. Ale has been produced in Ireland for over 2000 years. Originally St. Patrick's Ale was produced by Mescan. Today it is produced by the Strangford Lough Brewing Company.