Where to get nitro beer, aka ‘beer milkshakes,’ for Saint Patrick’s Day

For folks who’ve been to the U.K., there’s nothing quite like quaffing a near-room-temp pint of mild, pumped straight from the cask. Here in America, because we must have everything as cold as the Rockies, we replicate cask ales using beer mixed with nitrogen when poured, giving it a creamy consistency and thick head much like a delectable “beer milkshake.”

Saint Patrick’s Day is an opportune time to enjoy nitro beers. Here are a few places around the Bay Area offering them right now:

O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub, San Jose

There are four nitro taps going at the moment inside San Jose’s quintessential Irish pub. Among the offerings are Guinness, Drake’s Irish Stout and Old Rasputin. Details: 25 N. San Pedro St., San Jose; oflahertyspub.com

The Growler, Danville

This pub and restaurant has a double-barreled blast of stouts on nitro: one an oatmeal from Faction Brewing, the other an Irish dry from Barebottle Brewing. Details: 515 San Ramon Valley Blvd., Danville; growlerpubdanville.com

The Rake at Admiral Maltings, Alameda

This Alameda Island pub and malt vendor is pouring a nitro Horchata Cream Ale from Standard Deviant Brewing. It also has the rare distinction of owning a beer engine, a traditional English way of serving beer with a hand pump, which is now stocked with cellar-temperature English mild from Armistice Brewing. Details: 651A W. Tower Ave., Alameda; therake.admiralmaltings.com

Barebottle Brewing, Santa Clara

In the mood for something a little exotic? Stop by Barebottle for two interesting nitro options, the Mad Chai-entist (a chai milk stout) and a Saint Coconut (Irish stout). Details: 2520 Augustine Drive, Santa Clara; barebottle.com/santa-clara

Three Sheets Craft Beer Bar, Dublin

This beer nerd’s haven in Dublin has 30 taps and one nitro on the current menu, a Dark Star imperial oatmeal stout from Seattle’s Fremont Brewing that’s guaranteed to pack a hit with 8 percent ABV. Details: 7046 Village Parkway, Dublin; threesheetscraftbeer.com

Kensington Circus Pub, Kensington

A locals bar appropriately located on a roundabout – that traffic-calming wonder that Americans refuse to embrace – has several British and Irish beers on nitro taps. On the menu right now is Guinness, Boddingtons cream ale and Old Speckled Hen. The bartender will also happily make a classic mix like a Snake Bite or a Black and Tan.  Details: 389 Colusa Ave., Kensington; kensingtoncircuspub.com

BottleTaps, Pleasanton

The sprawling beverage menu at BottleTaps (including Viking-approved mead) has one nitro beer right now, a Rubaeus Raspberry Ale from Founders Brewing, which deems it a “stunning berry-red masterpiece (that) is the perfect blend of sweet, tart and refreshing.” Details: 3020 Bernal Ave., Suite 160, Pleasanton; bottletaps.com

Drake’s Brewing, San Leandro

Everyone knows Drake’s, but not everybody might realize it has its own version of Guinness. The simply named Nitro Dry Stout is flowing freely right now at the brewery’s Barrel House. Details: 1933 Davis St., San Leandro; drinkdrakes.com/places/barrel-house

Schmidt’s Pub (aka Schmidt’s Tobacco and Trading Co.), Albany

There are two nitro taps on at the moment at this charming institution that’s more grandpa’s living room than bar, complete with board games and old newspapers to read while sitting on rumpled furniture. One of those taps has Guinness and the other Cinch cream ale from Shadow Puppet Brewing. Details: 1492 Solano Ave, Albany; schmidtspub.com