St. Patrick's Day food and beer pairings

While Irish stouts like Guinness and Murphy's are dark, richly flavored brews, they are surprisingly light-bodied and not nearly as high in calories as people tend to think. The predominant coffee notes make them a great match for chocolate desserts, so consider pairing stout beers with a Guinness chocolate cake. Irish stout also pairs beautifully with oysters.

Irish reds like Smithwick's are medium-bodied beers with distinct caramel flavors that are colored by the roasted barley added at the end of the brewing process. They have a wonderful balance of sweetness and bitterness that prove to be a perfect counterpoint to classic salty corned beef and cabbage.