Today, as we all well know, judging from the steep spike in green attire and beer buzzes, is St. Patrick’s day. March 17th has been celebrated since the 1600s, at first a strict Catholic holiday honoring Saint Patrick himself. Originally, St. Patrick’s was a day of no drinking—all the bars and pubs in Ireland were closed. Since then, things certainly have changed. In fact, some bars open around the time I get up for work to service the most dedicated of St. Patty’s celebrators. Ireland is well known for its beer and the people who love to drink it. Celebrating their culture must include a tall mug of traditional Irish beer—a stout or porter. These dark, smooth and coffee-like beers have been brewed in Ireland for hundreds of years. In that time, brewing hasn’t changed much. Mostly, the same equipment is used for malting, milling, mashing, fermenting and filtering ingredients that, through these processes, become beer.
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