I first had Smithwick’s Ale in the Arena (Ann Arbor) at a charity event to raise money for a needy Detroit school. Awesome that a bar and a group of college students in Ann Arbor would put together such a worthy and attractive benefit like that. Good food in the form of unlimited appetizers, and $3 beer across the board. My roommate Erin suggested Smithwick’s (pronounced smitiks), and it was a good beer for that setting.
I was quite into Yuengling at the time, so Smithwick’s was an interesting departure. Similar to Yuengling in color, body, and weight, Smithwick’s has just a bit more bite, and a little less of what I would say is Yeungling’s “fruity” quality. I have always said Yuengling is a good middle of the road beer, good for hops fans and American Domestic fans alike. Besides, Yuengling is cheap in the parts of the country where you can find it.
Both beers are not so filling, something you can drink repeatedly without feeling too wieghed down. Smithwick’s was $7.99 for a sixer at the 500 Beer Store, not so bad for some good flavor, but a $6.50 pack of ‘Lager’ (the colloqiual name for Yuengling in Pennsylvania) would have sufficed for the budget-conscious drinker.
Smithwick’s is made by Diageo, the same folks as Guinness, an Irish brew, and a fine beer. Fans of Guinness will notice there are no similar qualities to these beers aisde fromt the manufacturer, but a beer connisuer should check it out.