caroline_edinburgh

Thanks for that in-depth explanation, flanner !

SiobhanP

Thanks Flanner I knew I was not going mad!

P.S. I was a guinness drinker many years (pints and I am female) ago but it got too heavy so I save it for my trips to the countryside. It always tastes nicer n the country even though I can smell the Guinness from the factory some mornings.

david_west

Is there a tradition of cider making in Ireland – as until Magners I had never heard of cider from Ireland (or anywhere other than the West Country and Brittany)? When I think of Ireland I think – stout (esp Guiness), whiskey, poteen and horrible Harp lager.

I know they have a drink called cider in the USA – but it’s just an apple drink. Young women can drink it and hang on to their maidenheads.

SiobhanP

I don't know if there is really a history of it here. I saw an old irish documentart from the 70's that showed a young couple kinda hippyish doing sustainable/organic farming and they made their own cider from their apple trees but they were french people who moved here. It was interesting as they were totally self sufficient. I would love to see them re-visited in a documentart to see if they are still here and how they changed. I never had alcoholic cider in the U.S. only "apple cider" that was the cloudy juice pressed from the apples. I would love to try to make it myself as we have a big tree in my partner's mothers house. To me its like drinking beer and not stronger but some people feel it hits them more. I find beer to fizzy and shorts too much sometimes.

jkrigney

Women can drink what they please and don't have to hide in a "snug" to do it.

And please don't ask for a half-pint. It's a "glass".

carolsc

I loved having a Smithwicks in Ireland. Can't find it here though. Anyone know where you can have a pint in Northern New England??

jsmith

celticdreams, have you tried Austin Liquors, Worcester and Shrewsbury, or Yankee Spirits in Sturbridge? Both have websites for their specials but you'd have to call or visit the stores to find what they carry. Visiting is best - a Toys R Us for adults.

wojazz3

carole

I've found Smithwick's in liquor stores in Colorado, but Colorado is a big beer state. Lots of microbreweries and the home of the Great American Beer Festival. There are restaurants that carry well over 100 beers and at least two that have that many on tap.

If you have a place that is called an "Irish Pub", it's likely that they will carry Smithwick's. It wasn't available in the States until a couple of years ago but since Guinness owns it, they have the marketing power to make it happen. To find it in a liquor store, make sure you go to a place that specializes in imported beers.

Bill

uhoh_busted

Ah, times do change. More than 30 years ago my ex MIL (who was Irish) told me before my X and I took off for Ireland one Christmas, that in the pub I should order a lager and lime, as that is what ladies drank.

I did and loved it. Was happy to see the popularity of popping a lime slice into a bottle of Corona these many years later. So refreshing.

Nowadays I'd happily order a pint.

Tango

My mom (83 years old) is horrified to see a woman drink a beer, especially from the bottle. She is from Tennessee...although she is 100% Irish descent! Maybe it is just the older generation - whether American, Irish or other that doesn't like beer-drinking for women!

ceezee

Carolsc

I just found the Smithwick's in a local beer distributor here in the Philly suburbs. I don't know how your beer sellers are organized where you live – everywhere is so different. Here in Pennsylvania we have to go to a store that sells only beer (no wine or liquor!) and you have to buy by the case!! But they did have it (and of course I had to buy a case)

You can buy six-packs, but only in places like a deli – I know, it makes no sense. And they don't usually have a great assortment.

They were out of the cider (but they do get it in sometimes) and they did have Murphy's, as well.

BTW, the guy at the store did call it "Smiddick's".

So now I can taste compare both the Guiness and the Smithwick's ... not too bad a deal. And I'll be ordering a pint!

mexicobeachbum

One more vote for Smithwick's, although I heard it called "Smitticks" everywhere I went in Ireland. I enjoyed the Guinness there very much, as well.
We did see, on more than one occasion, women ordering a glass of light beer topped off with an inch of 7-Up. Sounds pretty gross, but we were in a pub in Donegal where there was a "hen party" for a bride-to-be, and they were all drinking this concoction.
It must have been effective. We saw the young ladies send the bride downstairs to talk to a gentleman at the bar, and, after a few minutes conversation, he left. Then he returned a while later and presented the bride-to-be with his boxer shorts, to the great delight of her friends up in the balcony.

ceezee

I just found out that one of our local restaurants here in the Philly suburbs – called "Yeats" – carries Smithwick's on tap! Had one last night with my dinner and loved it. I think it must be getting more popular here in the States. It did taste different on tap versus the one in the bottle that I had tried earlier in the day. Now that I know it's around, I'm going to keep an eye out for it.

Kate

Sure you'll find 'some' Irish who may pronounce it Smitticks or Smiddicks, but as that is a result of their particular Irish accents rather than an official alternative pronounciation, I figure you'd sound pretty daft to try copying them. Bit like going around trying to put on an Irish accent.

celticdreams

jsmith - you MUST be a local. I haven't been to Yankee Spirits in years - my mother used to go twice a year and stock up on everything. I was actually at Austin yesterday, but just popped in for a bottle of Absolut and didn't think to check for anything else.

wojazz3

I agree with Kate.

mexicobeachbum

I can see your point, Kate, although it kind of seems like a local pronunciation is OK. It's like if I went to Worcester, Massachusetts, and pronounced it Wer-sester, rather than Wooster, which is the way they say it. Anyway, however I say it, the right beer always shows up, and that's the number one goal.

celticdreams

Actually, mexicobeachbum, if you were really from Wormtown, you'd pronounce it Wistah, or, if you were being really posh - wuhstuh....

mexicobeachbum

Good point, celticdreams, good point. But, if I were from there, I'd be thinking about the Red Sox chances to repeat, rather than thinking about next year for my SF Giants.

wojazz3

I think Kate's point is that it is a question of accent, NOT pronunciation. It's fine if peoplewith a Texas drawl prounouce it Wustuh, but they wouldn't try to imitate your accent in the process. Similarly, you wouldn't say you are looking for the road to Yougall, you would be looking for the road to Yawl. If you step into a pub and order turdy-tree pints of Smiddick's, they may have an altered opinion of what you are trying to do. Of course, thirty-three pints of Smithwicks would help the local economy immensely, so perhaps they wouldn't care.

OK, I'll let it go.

Bill