Kilkenny is a nitrogenated Irish cream ale from the makers of

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...

, which originated in

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

, Ireland. The brand is managed and produced by

Diageo Diageo plc () is a Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweich ...

. It is available in draught, bottles and cans. It is brewed in Ireland. Kilkenny is similar to Smithwick's Draught; however, it has less hop finish, and it has a nitrogenated cream head similar to

. The 'Kilkenny' name was originally used during the 1980s and 1990s to market a stronger version of Smithwick's for the European and Canadian markets due to difficulty in pronunciation of the word 'Smithwick's'. It now refers to a similar yet distinct beer. Kilkenny was brewed in

St. Francis Abbey St. Francis Abbey, also called Kilkenny Grey Friary, is a medieval Franciscan abbey and National Monument located in Kilkenny City, Ireland. Location St. Francis Abbey is located in the northeast of Kilkenny's historic Hightown district, behin ...

Brewery in Kilkenny, which was the oldest operating brewery in Ireland until its closure in 2013. It is now brewed at St. James's Gate brewery, Dublin. It is served in similar manner to Guinness; fully risen with a head of ¾ to 1" approx. The ingredients are water, malted barley, roasted malted barley,

hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whi ...

, and yeast. While Ireland is the primary market for Kilkenny, Australia and Canada are the two largest importers of Kilkenny.

Availability in Australia and New Zealand

Kilkenny is available on tap in many Australian and New Zealand bars and pubs, where it is served, as with locally brewed draught Guinness, on a mixture of 70% nitrogen and 30% carbon dioxide through a special tap to render a creamy head. It is available in 440ml cans from some bottle stores.

Widespread popularity in Canada

Kilkenny has become a favourite of Canadians, especially in Montreal's Irish pubs, and the LCBO has also seen a huge increase in sales since July 2013. Kilkenny grew in popularity after high-profile Canadian stars were seen drinking it around the city - Mike Myers, Drake and Robert Gates have all been photographed with a Kilkenny in hand, likely contributing to its recent spike in popularity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilkenny (Beer) 1710 establishments in Ireland Beer in Ireland Diageo beer brands Irish brands