Irish Whiskey Fun Fact

There are only three distilleries in Ireland, producing all the different brands of Irish whiskey made. The Scotch Blog explains that many of the brands have business relationships with other brands, so it's really one big mushy family over there.

That's the (Irish) spirit!

In today's Chronicle I list some bars with good Irish whiskey selections:

Green parties

Ireland is the birthplace of more beverages than Guinness. Whiskey was likely invented there, and they still make it a little bit differently than the Scots. Most brands triple-distill the spirit and almost none use peated malt, so the end products are often smoother and less smoky than the average scotch. Though there are only a handful of Irish whiskeys on the market, the following bars have good-size selections from which to start your investigation into the Emerald Isle firewater.

Beckett's Irish Pub & Restaurant. This playwright-named Berkeley fave features 12 Irish whiskies (including classy Midleton at $20 a shot) along with food from the Emerald Isle. 2271 Shattuck Ave. (between Bancroft and Kittridge), Berkeley, (510) 647-1790 or www.beckettsirishpub.com.

The Gold Dust Lounge. For a non-Irish bar, the historic Gold Dust Lounge sure has a good selection (10-plus) of Irish whiskies. Also, a lot of really good scotch. 247 Powell St. (between O'Farrell and Geary), San Francisco; (415) 397-1695.

O'Neill's Irish Pub. The ballpark-adjacent bar opens at 6 a.m. on Friday, allowing you ample time to sample the 12 Irish whiskies offered. (You may want to start with one of the three Irish coffee drinks.) 747 Third St., (near King), San Francisco; (415) 777-1177 or tisoneills.com.

O'Reilly's. These bar/restaurants serve up 21 Irish whiskies at the Polk Street location and just a few less over in North Beach (including bartender-recommended Knappogue Castle), plus hearty food to help you sober up between samples. 622 Green St. (at Columbus), San Francisco; (415) 989-6222 or oreillysirish.com. Also at 1233 Polk St. (near Bush), San Francisco; (415) 928-1233 or oreillysholygrail.com.

-- Camper English

Irish Bars in San Francisco

I was doing some research on Irish bars in San Francisco for a short bit in the SF Chronicle, and contacted Steve Gardner from the Irish band Culann's Hounds. They're playing at several venues this St. Patrick's Day. Though I was focusing my piece on where to sample Irish whiskey, Steve gave me a rundown on his view of the Irish bar scene in the city.

Ive been a musician playing Irish music in SF for 7 years. Here is my breakdown of the Irish Pub Scene.

1. The Plough and Stars - the best venue for Irish music on the west coast.
Totally authentic. The best Guinness I can think of. Rock solid.

2. O'Neills - Get used to the name, you'll be seeing it all over SF soon, and there is a reason. Great food, great drinks, great management, and live music.

3. The Dogs Bollix - Gaelic speaking football fans having a pint o' the brown before the game starts on the tele. No plastic Paddys here. Great music.

4. O'Reilly's - a legendary North Beach drinking hall. Some music, good food, real Irishmen, excellent decor.

4. Irelands 32 - as old school an SF Irish bar as you can ask for. Decent music. Excellent place.

5. The Blackthorn Tavern - like an old pair of slippers. This place just feels good. And there is awesome public transportation in case you drink too much. (you will)

6. The Irish Bank - no music to speak of, but what an awesome space, and you can get drunk in a confessional. Pure drop.

Johnny Foley's Irish House, The Chieftain, the Goal Post, The Four Deuces, The Dubliner all get honorable mention.