Hey there beer enthusiast! Do you like good Irish stouts? Do you like good Irish stouts brewed in Ireland? And do you like to save money? Have I got some good news for you. O’Shea’s Traditional Irish Stout is a simply fantastic beer at a bargain price. O’Shea’s is a store brand for the Aldi supermarket chain, but what you may not know is that this is actually the highly-regarded O’Hara’s Celtic Stout under another name.

Carlow Brewing Company is the maker of O’Hara’s Celtic Stout aka O’Shea’s Irish Stout. They are a relative upstart on the Irish brew scene, having only been around since 1998 (Guinness dates back to 1759). Already, though, Carlow is brewing a beer that tastes to me as good as any Guinness I’ve ever drunk. Certainly, Guinness set the standard for Irish stout and will continue to dominate the market for some time to come. Still, it’s nice to see the emergence of a smaller brewer in Guinness’ back yard.

It's nice, too, to see their beer more widely distributed, even if under a different name. I was a fond drinker of O’Hara’s when it was sold in Georgia, but I have not seen it in years. Happy day then when I saw O’Shea’s and read Carlow Brewing on the 4-pack holder.

So how good is O’Hara’s Celtic Stout aka O’Shea’s Irish Stout? It took a Gold Medal at the 2000 Brewing Industry National Awards in London. These awards have been issued since 1886, so though the brewery is fairly new, the award definitely is not. You should know that O’Hara’s beat out 74 other beers in a blind tasting and was declared “The World’s Number One Stout.”

From the label:

This traditional Irish stout offers a rich, dark malt body with espresso coffee and light licorice aromas that lead to a smooth mouth feel, hoppy bitterness, and a dry finish.

O’Shea’s Traditional Irish Stout has an alcohol content of 4.5% by volume and runs just $5.89 at Aldi. That’s $4 to $5 less than the same 4-pack of O’Hara’s sells for.

O’Shea’s Traditional Irish Stout pours to a jet black, but not opaque color with a thick creamy tan head and a simply, sinfully luscious nose of roasted malts and chocolate. A thick layer of Brussels lace clings to the sides of my glass. The stout is medium in body with a pronounced harsh roastiness, notes of dark chocolate and powdered cocoa, licorice and black coffee. All that rolls into a nicely grassy and very roasty bitter finish.

I have enjoyed O’Hara’s along with deep fried oysters, homemade Cole slaw, and home-cut fries. Stouts are a perfect match to the richness of oysters, cutting through their pungent flavor and cleansing the palate nicely. O’Shea’s would go just as well with them.

What can I say? I love O’Hara’s and rate it 5 stars; O’Shea’s deserves no less, and maybe even (if I did it) 5 ½ given the price. Aldi won’t have this forever, however, so if you see it, buy some. You’ll be glad that you did.



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