[oscarvan]

Limerick, Ireland to be exact. And maybe a Murphies. Looked for Brew pubs, don't think there are any in Limerick. And, I will be on foot, so won't be able to get far. But there are a few good places, hopefully with a fire and some music and, of course a good ale, porter or stout. Will report back.

[jeffy]

I did a quick search on the CAMRA site and found this:
http://forum.camra.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=36
It doesn't look too good for real ale there.  Best to find a comfortable pub and have a stout.

[oscarvan]

Sure looks like it.....

[tschmidlin]

We didn't spend much time in County Limerick, but I had trouble finding Murphy's or Beamish outside of County Cork.  Guinness was ubiquitous though.  Just make sure to get yourself some "Juice of the Barley" and you'll be fine

In the sweet county Limerick one cold winter's night
All the turf fires were burning when I first saw the light
And a drunken old midwife went tipsy with joy
As she danced round the floor with her slip of a boy

Singing banya na mo if an ganna
And the juice of the barley for me

[euge]

Juice of the barley obviously being whiskey. Have one for me.

[jeffy]

We didn't spend much time in County Limerick, but I had trouble finding Murphy's or Beamish outside of County Cork.  Guinness was ubiquitous though.  Just make sure to get yourself some "Juice of the Barley" and you'll be fine

In the sweet county Limerick one cold winter's night
All the turf fires were burning when I first saw the light
And a drunken old midwife went tipsy with joy
As she danced round the floor with her slip of a boy

Singing banya na mo if an ganna
And the juice of the barley for me

Nice, Tom. 
Reminds me of John Barleycorn Must Die, which is a nice tune to get stuck in your head.

[oscarvan]

Nothing but Guiness so far.... But it's perfectly poured including the Shamrock in the head.....

[oscarvan]

Well, did find a fine establishment, including a Beamish on tap....... Carrigower.... a fine stout, a coal fire and a bowl of mussels in white wine sauce....'nuf said. Hit the tax free on the way out in the morning and start working on Christmas day brunch..... APA quiche..... hmmmmm.

[tubercle]

Say hi to the family while you're there.

[toddhert]

Reminds me of the Czech Republic. If you don't like pilsner or schwarzbier, then there isn't much. A few exceptions for sure, but unless you knew were to look, it was rather disappointing. At least they had different variations of the two I suppose! Enjoy yer Guinness!

[tumarkin]

Reminds me of the Czech Republic. If you don't like pilsner or schwarzbier, then there isn't much. A few exceptions for sure, but unless you knew were to look, it was rather disappointing. At least they had different variations of the two I suppose! Enjoy yer Guinness!

kinda makes ya think about how beer styles developed. very regional.

in today's smaller world, it's unusual to be in a place where just the local kine is available. at least unusual by comparison to what we're used to here in the US. in many places, it's just the local variant of lager (usually from a brewery started by german brewers in the past). kinda nice to be drinking a true local style (like stout in ireland, or pilsner in its home) in the place it belongs.

[nicneufeld]

a bowl of mussels in white wine sauce....

No criticism at all of such fine cuisine, but it reminds me of something I noticed leafing through a British pub guide recently, with reviews and descriptions of offerings.  The British (and probably to an extent the Irish) must have taken the stereotypical criticism of their very traditional cuisine very personally, because it seems a vast majority of pubs nowadays are serving fancier continental fare or something known as "Modern British" which is much the same...fusiony stuff, all very fancy sounding names and exotic ingredients.  I'm a little afraid that by the time I get over there I shan't be able to get a good steak and kidney pie or cornish pasty any more!

[oscarvan]

Plenty of fish and chips, bangers and mash, shepherds pie and haggis, tatties and neeps to go around mate. In Limerick, like so many waterfront places, the mussels come out of the bay, and the pubs slap 'em on the table.....no threat of nouveau chique here. 

[nicneufeld]

Phew, then maybe there is hope then.

Maybe the problem was that my pub guide is a Les Routiers, so the Frenchies may be biased towards slightly poncier cuisine, and thus excerpting the specifically snootier and more unique items from the menus, rather than documenting the traditional British pub fare.

It almost reminds me of when so many British brewers started switching over to brewing lagers...before the CAMRA revolution really took hold, European style lagers were the new big product, and so plenty of ales were mothballed in favor of lager beer.  Such was my fear as regards the UK, that they'd be so interested in other cultures that they let their own slip away.  I've heard it mentioned a number of times that chicken tikka masala is considered Britain's national dish.  I guess that could be considered similar to American pizza, in that tikka masala is Anglo-Indian in origin, but it'd be kind of like hearing that the Italians had foregone pasta as their traditional cuisine and were really into tacos and enchiladas now. 

Sorry for the threadjack.  If I ever get over to Ireland I'm making a beeline for the distilleries!

[oscarvan]

The beer situation in the UK and Ireland is dire. Most bars are now a plethora of BMC equivalents, with one or two Guinness pumps. There is a growing craft beer movement keeping the traditional beers alive, but it's definitely a small minority.