Mussels with Guinness

Tonight's dinner was super simple and fantastic, thanks to the combination of some great mussels and Guinness. I found this recipe from a site talking about the wonderful food at The Brazen Head in Dublin. They weren't kidding on this one. And did I mention it was incredibly easy?
Heat a saute' pan on medium heat. Once it's plenty warm add a minced shallot, a couple of pounds of mussels, 1/2 c. half and half, 1/2 c. Guinness, 1/2 t. garlic powder, 1t. thyme, 1T. minced flat-leaf parsley, and 2T. Irish butter. Let this simmer for about 8 minutes, keeping an eye on the broth/sauce not allowing it to evaporate completely. When this is done, spoon the mussels and sauce out into a bowl. Serve with some warm French bread--you'll need it to sop up the great sauce. Fantastic.
* from The Irish Pub Cookbook by Margaret M. Johnson