Smithwick's

beerbox_image|
caption=Smithwick beerbox_brew|name=St. Francis Abbey Brewery, Kilkenny, Ireland beerbox_style|style=Irish red ale beerbox_year|year=1710 beerbox_abv|abv=3.8% (Ireland), 4.5% (North America) [Kitsock, G. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/13/AR2007031300395.html|"Wearing Green, Drinking Red"] , "Washington Post", March 14, 2007.]

Smithwick's (pronounced IPA|, 'smith-icks') is an Irish red ale style beer from Kilkenny in Ireland. Smithwick’s was originally brewed in St. Francis Abbey Brewery in Kilkenny, known as 'Smithwicks Brewery' until c.2000. The brewery is situated on the site of a Franciscan abbey where monks had brewed ale since the 14th century, and has ruins of the original abbey on its grounds. It is Ireland’s oldest operating brewery, founded by John Smithwick in 1710 on land owned by the Duke of Ormonde. [ [http://www.diageo.ie/brands/smithwicks Diageo - Smithwicks] ] It is the major ale producer in Ireland. It was purchased from Irish Ale Breweries in 1965 by Guinness and is now, along with Guinness, part of Diageo. Smithwick’s for the domestic market is brewed in Kilkenny and the higher strength export variety is brewed in Dundalk. Smithwick's is listed in the top five best tasting beers by the McHale beer rating club of Ireland.

Pronouncing the Name

When pronouncing the name, the 'W' is silent. In Ireland, it is generally pronounced as 'Smithicks', 'Smitticks', 'Smidicks' or 'Smeth-icks'. The variation of pronunciations is mostly due to differing accent and dialects of the Irish. When ordering in the US, 'Smithicks' or 'Smiddicks' is the preferred method, while 'Smiddicks' is the most prevalent pronunciation in Canada.

Variations

*"Smithwick's Draught" has a ruby red tone with a stable, but slightly thin head. It is produced using hops and special roasted, malted barley. Its texture is smooth and refined, with a bitter and complex finish. Although of lesser fame than Guinness, Smithwicks is often regarded as the 'local favourite' amongst Irish pubgoers. In 2004, Diageo PLC began distribution in the USA. Smithwick's had previously been marketed in Canada with great success.
*"Kilkenny Cream Ale" is a similar beer to Smithwick's Draught, however it has a cream head similar to Guinness and has a stronger taste (more bitter than Smithwicks). The 'Kilkenny' name was originally used during the '80's and '90's to market a stronger version of Smithwick's for the European and Canadian market due to difficulty in pronunciation of the word Smithwicks; but it now refers to a similar yet distinctly different beer.
*Smithwick’s ale has been awarded over five gold medals in the [http://www.monde-selection.com/en/home.html Monde Selection] Beer Tasting Competition [http://www.diageo.ie/Company/Brewing/KilKenny/CompanyBrewingKilkenny Diageo - Prizes] ]

References

ee also

* Irish beer

External links

* [http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer/smithwicks-ale/6867/ Ratebeer - Smithwicks]
* [http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/209/29602] Smithwick's entry on BeerAdvocate.com