Guinness releases breakfast tea beer for St. Patrick’s Day

Guinness’ Open Gate Brewery and Barrel House in Maryland, USA, have produced something which taps into early morning memories of the old country. We spill the tea on what the Irish brewing giant have done now.

The Breakfast Tea Amber was first devised in 2020, but was only available from Guinness’ Maryland tap room. Now it is being canned and sold to those who are yet to make the pilgrimage to the company’s first American taproom.

The idea came about from a nostalgic interaction head brewer Sean Brennan had with an Irish visitor. The customer, who grew up across from St. James’ Gate, reminisced about the aromas of brewing beer and his mother’s tea mingling in the air. “The combination of sweet wort with bold tea flavours sparked our idea to brew a beer just like that”, according to Brennan.

Whilst Guinness are best known for their stouts, the caramel notes of an amber ale were deemed to pair best with the bitterness and malty flavours of the Irish breakfast tea used. With “breakfast” in the name, the temptation may be there to kick off St. Paddy’s Day with a can, but, at 4.8% ABV, it is slightly stronger than Guinness’ flagship beer. However, Brennan insists that it is an “every day, any time beer” that would pair well with most traditional Irish dishes.

Although this may seem to go against the traditions of Guinness, the brand does have a tendency to experiment with flavours and new technologies. Brennan also cites the American craft beer scene as an influence – how the beer would go down in Ireland is another matter entirely.

And if you don’t feel like saying sláinte on March 17th with a Guinness, here are our ten alternative Irish beers.