Be Afraid of the Clover Tapper :: Cork and Kerry, Beverly, Chicago

Kate, Erin, Rachelle :: Cork and Kerry, Beverly, Chicago

Cork and Kerry, Beverly, Chicago

Dancing to Michael Jackson :: Cork and Kerry, Beverly, Chicago

Countdown to St. Patrick’s Day :: Cork and Kerry, Beverly, Chicago

I’ve never really celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a non-holiday to me. Oh, wait. I remember one time I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in Coronado, San Diego. We drank beer and ate corned beef at Mc P’s, but it was more like Saturday night out and not going out to celebrate a holiday. And if you’ve ever been to Coronado, you know it doesn’t exactly scream “Irish Neighborhood!”

Anyway, St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago this year is a week-long celebration. The parades are this weekend and the actual holiday is next. Erin and Chuck had plans to go to Cork & Kerry way down in Beverly to drink some Irish beer but to beat all the amateurs who go out just for the holiday. They invited us to tag along. I’ve never been that far south in Chicago and they were telling me that this bar was the bar most like an Irish pub in Chicago, so I decided to go. Fun times. It took us forever to get there an back, though! Still, worth it for a good time out and to see Beverly. Big thanks to Justin for picking me up and driving and staying sober enough to drive home!

One other thing – Chuck is a huge liquor snob. Well, not snob, because I saw him drink PBR with breakfast today, but he knows more about booze than anyone I know. I asked him what kind of beer I should try out and there was one on tap called Smithwicks Irish Ale that he recommended. It’s black, almost like Guinness, so I was kind of leary because I would normally never get a dark beer, but I decided to try it anyway. It’s really light and tasty. Chuck explained all how the beer is made, but what I remember him saying is that corn syrup is involved in the making of the beer and it gives it a sweet flavor.