Danny Boy Beer Works St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza Only Gets Better

At its core, Danny Boy was founded by the same folks that own Brockway Public house, which is an Irish Pub. Danny Boy brews an amazing Milk Stout, which is frequently on Nitro tap. They also have a full bar, stocked with plenty of Jameson and Baileys. Clearly, they have all the necessities to celebrate St. Patrick’s day, but the execution is what turns a celebration into the “wicked awesome” extravaganza they hosted on March 17, 2016. 

I went to the inaugural Danny Boy St. Patrick’s day party in 2015, and it was amazing to see how they kept the things that worked, abandoned what didn’t, and grew so much in just a year. 

The evening began with a 1 mile, chip timed run, which began at 6:30pm – party to follow. Your race entry, a mere $10, included a large pour of any beer of your choice after the race. 

Before the race even started, the place was completely packed full. Several patrons decided to have their free beer before the run and catch the beginning of some NCAA games. 

After the race is when I really started to take note of the improvements compared to 2015 (which was still an awesome time, don’t get me wrong). 

The list of improvements from last year is so long, that it demands a bulleted list:

– Improved running experience thanks to a different management company this year.
– A live bagpiper at the finish line of the race.
– Rest rooms – they only have 2, so they brought in portable ones for the event.
– Food – since last year, they started making their own food. They have actually changed the menu since my precious visit, and it is even better than before. Although the place must have been at capacity, it didn’t take long to get food when ordered.
– Service – they had plenty of staff, so it was easy to get a beer or an Irish Car Bomb.
– NCAA games – they have so many TVs that they were able to show every game.
– Beer – a lot of breweries host 1 mile races, but they only offer a single beer,  pre-poured while you run, at the end of the race. Danny Boy had so many options on tap (of their beer and others) that I didn’t bother to count. 
– Live music – two different bands played as the night progressed.

When I finally left at 10:30, the party had thinned but it was definitely still going strong. Danny Boy usually closes at 1am, but they planned to stay open as long as allowed for this special occasion to keep the party going. 

Danny Boy is truly a wicked awesome establishment all around. It is far north in Carmel, but it is well worth the drive. I’m already counting down the days until St Patrick’s day 2017, and I’ll definitely be back before then.