Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Best Pubs for Stout

It’s March, and while we wouldn’t dream of taking on the subject of ‘what’s the best pub in Dublin for Paddy’s Day?’ we are, nonetheless, aware that there are many additional out-of-town guests here over that weekend/bank holiday, and that most of them are looking for Guinness…as well as other stouts, given how synonymous the holiday and the beer style have become in the global public consciousness.

Hang on, you ask…surely, every pub in Dublin serves stout?

Well…yes. But it’s not just Guinness on offer – if you know where to look. And even your Guinness Experience will vary, both in cost and feels, depending on where you go…so let’s get cracking.

We also won’t dive into the ‘best pint of Guinness in Dublin’ discourse because 1) it’s Not Really A Thing* and 2) different pubs have different atmospheres, service, vibes, etc – if you love the Guinness at The Gravediggers it’s because it’s a nice pub in an interesting setting that’s been lovingly cared-for, not because there’s anything unusual about the Guinness itself. And yes, visitors will be told to go to The Gravediggers, The Long Hall, The Lord Edward, Bowe’s, Grogan’s and many others for the ‘best pint of Guinness,’ but at the end of the day, it’s down to personal taste and how crowded those pubs are on the day – they all have very fresh Guinness and expert bar staff.

But wait, there’s more!

Although much – if not most – independently-brewed Irish stout ends up on tap in France or Italy, there are a number of places in Dublin to give some a try. Sister pubs The Porterhouse and Tapped each offer Porterhouse Plain Porter (your only man) and their Oyster Stout most of the time, but it’s also worth keeping an eye out for Lineman Astral Grains Foreign Extra Stout. Harty’s Bar or Porterhouse may get the odd cask stout from the likes of Brehon Brewing, too – their Ulster Black Oatmeal Stout is lovely, and a cask stout is a nice change from the more typical nitro stout.

Galway Bay’s Ostara Stout is usually on at their various pubs including The Black Sheep and The Beer Temple, often alongside 9 White Deer’s stout, which also happens to be gluten-free; Piper’s Corner is another spot that frequently has 9 White Deer in bottles. You can safely assume Guinness 0.0 is available nearly everywhere nowadays, and it’s still very much the standard for a non-alcoholic beer.

Other local stouts to keep an eye out for include Four Provinces Dublin Dubh – definitely available at their own pub in Kimmage, but frequently on tap at pubs such as The Botanic, Two Sisters and The Cobblestone. Whiplash’s Slow Life can be found at Fidelity and The Big Romance; they also make Dying Again, an export stout that’s been available more often than not of late. Wicklow Wolf’s Eclipse might pop up at Daphni or Kodiak, and Bullseye Nitro Stout from Rascals is on at their brewpub, along with their always-excellent pizza and pilot brews.

For the Leann Folláin fan, Urban Brewing (an O’Hara’s outpost in town) will always have it on, often in addition to their standard dry stout and other beers. Leann Folláin can also be frequently found at Brickyard and Dudley’s, too, along with Guinness and Beamish (plus many more beers of all varieties).

And for the stout completist, there are a number of pubs that will allow you to try the big-brewery trinity of Guinness, Beamish and Murphy’s side-by-side; you can even set yourself up for a blind tasting if you’re feeling adventurous, and at some, you can add an independent option for good measure. For this type of experiment, we are fans of The Belfry, The Flowing Tide and The Hairy Lemon. The Long Hall also has Rye River’s Eventide on tap, and it’s a wonderful locally-brewed option (also keep an eye out for at at Gibney’s of Malahide, where it’s badged as Gibney’s Stout). Sheehan’s has recently styled itself something of a stout specialist, and it’s an excellent spot to try the fullest possible line-up of darker beers – if we had to pick just one ‘try all the stouts’ pub in Dublin, they would be the go-to.

For those just looking to try one or two Irish stouts in a very ‘ Dublin pub’ environment, Walsh’s, The Morris Bar and The Bleeding Horse have Beamish and Guinness, plus local non-stout faves from the likes of Rye River, Trouble and Whiplash.

We would be remiss in leaving out some of the exceptional stouts that tend to be can-only nowadays – Lough Gill’s barrel-aged stouts are all excellent, and can be picked up at spots like Craft Central or TheCru.ie, but without a true specialist craft beer pub like Underdog, there isn’t really a spot to expect to see them on tap very often. We are also fans of Hope’s seasonal export stout, as well as O Brother, Heaney, Lineman and Third Barrel’s offerings across the stout spectrum.

Finally, it’s worth noting that a pint of Guinness is only €6.30 at The Guinness Open Gate Brewery and there’s no cover charge or ticket required (though we’d recommend booking in advance on a weekend or holiday) as at the next door Guinness Storehouse – no, not at all the cheapest pint in town (that would be at The Lark Inn or The Auld Triangle, where it’s about a fiver), but given where it is in Dublin, and that it’s a tourist hotspot, it’s not at all a bad price. Plus, it’s practically direct from the source. The tasty pretzel is a bonus, and you may find a one-off stout – recently, we had a sarsparilla version there that divided opinion, but it was fun to try.

So, if you’re in Dublin for St Patrick’s Day, by all means get in your rounds of Guinness, but give some love to other local choices as well – it’s a great way to get off the usual tourist pub trail, so you’ll likely save a bit of cash, and you may find a new favourite beer.

*Yes, there are places with Bad Guinness, but that’s typically a dirty tap lines/skills issue…not really something you ever come across in Ireland, and not on the Guinness Quality’s Team’s watch. And to paraphrase The Princess Bride, anyone saying otherwise is an influencer selling something.