kilkenny cream ale

July 10, 2006 5:30 PM

How can I get Kilkenny Cream Ale (mentioned on this page)in the US?

My dad and I had this beer in an Irish bar in Nantes, France. We both loved it, and I'd like to find some for his birthday, which is coming up. I live in a little town in North Idaho, so I'll probably have to order it. Google hasn't helped me much, and I don't really know where to look. Any ideas?

Alternatively, can anyone recommend something similar? I don't really have the technical vocabulary, but I'd say it has the thick, creamy, low-carbonation quality of Guinness, in a less-heavy beer.

posted by Phatty Lumpkin to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

You could drive up to Canada and buy it, if it's within your range/willpower. We have lots of it at our beer stores.
posted by patr1ck at 5:35 PM on July 10, 2006

Response by poster: That's good to know, but Canada's out of my range: it'd be a 4-5 hour drive in each direction.
posted by Phatty Lumpkin at 5:40 PM on July 10, 2006

According to the Diago Brands (which owns Kilkenny Cream Ale) website the product is not distributed in the States. However, it appears to be available in Canada. How far are you from the B.C. border?

How about trying to get a Canadian MeFite to help you out by buying some and shipping it to you, assuming there are no legal or customs issues? Check out the revent examples of KarmaFilter mentioned in this thread today.
posted by ericb at 5:40 PM on July 10, 2006

On preview -- what patr1ck said.
posted by ericb at 5:40 PM on July 10, 2006

Go to beeradvocate.com or ratebeer.com forums and find out what's similar, or arrange a trade for something beer geeks are interested in that's available in your area.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:40 PM on July 10, 2006

I'd say it has the thick, creamy, low-carbonation quality of Guinness, in a less-heavy beer

suggestion #1: boddington's: what I got is more accurately described as 'Vanilla Guiness.' Boddington is rich and creamy and slightly sweet (you can sense a touch of honey as it goes down)

suggestion #2: caffrey's ale

though quite honestly the boddingtons blows the caffrey's away. i almost never drink guinness anymore when i can get boddington's instead!
posted by sergeant sandwich at 6:46 PM on July 10, 2006

I second sergeant sandwhich's Boddington's suggestion.
posted by freakystyley at 7:25 PM on July 10, 2006

Response by poster: ericb - That's a great idea, but sounds like it would take more time than I can spare on this. Anyway, the Kilkenny would be icing on the cake (or head on the beer?) of this present, so I think that, given the circumstances, a substitution will work.

Boddington's sounds close to what I want - I'll look around a bit more on beeradvocate.com and ratebeer.com, then probably order it. Thanks for the help, all!
posted by Phatty Lumpkin at 7:51 PM on July 10, 2006

boddington's boddington's boddington's. get it in the pub can with the uber-cool nitrogen widget. also shouldn't be hard to find it on tap somewhere.

I had Kilkenny's in New Zealand years ago at a pub. I kept meticulous notes on all the beers I drank on that trip (and I drank a lot), and Kilkenny's was the hands-down favorite. I've never seen it once in the U.S.

another one to look for in the states is Tetley's. I used to get it all the time at the Press Room in Santa Barbara, but then they quit selling it. So I moved.
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:11 PM on July 10, 2006

Boddington's is nice, but it's not quite the same as Kilkenny. Tetley's is closer, I think.
posted by robcorr at 12:03 AM on July 11, 2006

Can you shop at a BevMo? You might try Wexford's Irish Cream Ale - delicious and worth every pretty penny.
posted by Skychief at 9:18 PM on July 11, 2006