Is there anything more Irish than Guinness? Is any other country more globally recognised through a single product?
Linking the drink to St Patrick's Day is a marketing coup of the highest order and you must doff a ginger-wig-fringed hat to drinks giant Diageo, the owner of Guinness, for the way that it has made Ireland and Irishness synonymous with its product.
If Welsh brewer Brains has its way, Wales will be synonymous with their its brew, Brains Black , which is coming to Hong Kong this month.
Perhaps if the beer is as successful as its Irish counterpart, it will prompt the creation of its own Welsh, stereotype-laden festival here to rival the St Patrick's Day festivities.
Brains Black is the latest product from the Welsh brewer and, although it was launched on St David's Day [March 1] 2010 in Wales, it is currently only available in a small number of pubs in its home country.
However, Sam Tam, director of Trafalgar, a pub in Wan Chai, may well be the first person to strike a deal to get the beer anywhere outside of Wales. He has been providing British ales for several years in his establishment, and by chance was introduced to representatives from Brains. They were looking for outlets for their new product and he was more than willing to oblige, meaning drinkers in Hong Kong will soon get the chance to compare it to Guinness.