Irish beer is dominated by Guinness in particular and stout
in general.
Brewing in Ireland has a long history, and by the beginning of
the nineteenth century there were over two hundred breweries in
the country, fifty-five of them in Dublin. During the nineteenth
century the number of breweries fell to about fifty, and to day
only about 12.
Historically Ireland produced ale, without the use of hops as
these are not native to Ireland. Even in the late 18th century
hops were not used, when almost all other countries had adopted
the use of them as an ingredient to preserve and flavor their
beer.
Most beer was imported from England and Scotland in the
eighteenth century. However in 1756 Arthur Guinness set up a small
brewery, moving to Dublin in 1759. Having initially brewed bitter,
he switched to producing porter, which was a style from London.
Unlike the London beers he used some unmalted roasted barley, as
this avoided tax (which was on malted barley only), making it more
bitter and dry. In the early twentieth century Guinness became the
largest brewer in the world, exporting the Irish style to many
countries.
Ireland 
