Image by Flickr user Brendan Lynch

On St. Patrick's Day this year, your beer options go beyond the regular green swill and hastily-poured pints of Guinness.

Laura Albert's on Daniel Island starts things off early, offering black & tans made with Guinness and Kells Irish-Style Lager from Rogue Ales starting at 11:30am.  Free Guinness pint glasses will be given out with Guinness pint purchases, until they run out.  They'll also be serving corned beef and cabbage.  If you're starting at 11:30, please be sure to eat something, authentic or not.

Even Laura Albert's Wednesday "growler hour" will be keeping it green with Moylan's Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale, and Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA.  Twisted Thistle is an old favorite of mine, and is a great example of an English IPA (like what they actually used to put on boats that went to India).  The hop varieties used in the style impart an earthy tone to the beer, unlike their more pine & citrus-centric northwestern U.S counterparts.  

The Charleston Beer Exchange will be putting Foothills Irish Red Ale on the growler station at 5pm as well.  This one recently made its debut in Charleston during Brewvival week.  It has all the caramel goodness of a quality red ale, with the twist of a dry finish that keeps you going back for more.

My non-Irish self had to turn to the internet for a good toast to end this, but I think I found one.  May you die in bed at 95, shot by a jealous spouse!

Laura Albert's is located at 891 Island Park Drive on Daniel Island.  Charleston Beer Exchange can be found at 14 Exchange Street downtown.