Published on March 12, 2008.

Light or dark, heavy or light, become a beer expert in time to celebrate St. Patricks. Day

True aficionados of St. Patrick's Day know if you're going to drink to celebrate the holiday, you'd best have a nice mug of beer in hand. The Irish are known for their beers, and St. Patrick's Day is the perfect excuse to become more familiar with them.

To assist those who would like to get into the spirit of the holiday - but may be lost when it comes to navigating the immense world of beers - here's a guide to four fairly common Irish beers. Just remember: To truly get in the spirit of the day, apply a little green food coloring. What is St. Patrick's Day without green beer?

Harp Lager

Harp is made by the same company that produces Guinness, although one look at the color of the beer makes it clear the two beers couldn't be more different.

It's classified as a lager, the most common type of beer in the world. This helps explain why Harp has such a seemingly generic - but good - flavor to it.

It has an uncomplicated taste and isn't extremely filling, which makes it an appropriate selection no matter what your mood. For those whose experience with beer is limited to whatever is on tap at the local bar, Harp may be a great choice. It has a similar flavor and feel to many of the more common domestic beers.

The downside is that it doesn't have a very complex taste. Unless you have a refined palette, you may be staring in envy at your bar mate who ordered a heavier beer.

George Killian's Irish Red

As the classic, widely available Irish red option, Killian's is a perfect choice for drinkers who want more out of beer than what Harp offers, but aren't ready to be overwhelmed by the texture and taste of a stout.

Killian's, like Harp, is a lager. However, unlike Harp, it doesn't have the same generic flavor that one would expect with most common domestic lagers.

A sip of Irish red sends your mouth into a strange trip of flavor as it seems to come and go several times while drinking it. The taste is never overpowering, making Killian's a fairly smooth drinking experience. It's a heavier beer than Harp, so expect to fill up a little bit faster. The tradeoff, however, is the increased flavor.

For those who want something different from their everyday beers but aren't stout fans, Killian's is the perfect middle group of tastiness and heaviness.

Guinness

When people think of St. Patrick's Day and drinking, odds are they're thinking about Guinness. The classic stout has been around since the early 18th century, and has lasted this long for a reason. A mug of beer so dark it's nearly black has become synonymous with this Irish stout because of excellent quality and solid flavor.

Those who haven't tried stouts should be aware they tend to be extremely strong and heavy beers. The first time people drink Guinness, they often find the flavor is too much. And the nearly creamy texture doesn't help.

People who have learned to appreciate Guinness, however, find the flavor is complex. A sip of Guinness brings with it hints of chocolate and a little bit of coffee amidst the strong and classic flavor.

Guinness is well-known for its large head of foam, a result of nitrogen being added to the beer when it's served. If you drink Guinness draught out of a bottle, you can hear the rattle of the nitrogen capsule that sat under the cap when the bottle was opened.

O'Hara's Irish Stout

A bit more obscure than the previous three, O'Hara's is a nice choice of a stout if Guinness is a little too much. O'Hara's has a similar rush of flavor at first, but it only lingers for a moment before dissipating into nearly nothing, leaving the drinker with a faint coffee aftertaste.

But that rush isn't as full as the taste of Guinness, so the O'Hara's drinker shouldn't expect the same complexity and combination of flavors.

In appearance it's not quite as dark as Guinness and lacks the nitrogen of the more well-known stout. You shouldn't expect the same foamy head, though it does retain a similar - if not as deep - dark color.

One advantage of O'Hara's may be that it's not as filling, something O'Hara's drinkers may be grateful for as they look across to a Guinness drinker who looks like they had just eaten Thanksgiving dinner. O'Hara's isn't a bad choice for both jaded Guinness drinkers as well as those wishing to experience something new in the world of beers.