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Is the Guinness really better in Ireland?
Yesterday I wrote about the 5-minute process for pouring a perfect pint of Guinness. That fanaticism alone should be a clue to the quality of Guinness in Ireland -- any country willing to wait five minutes for its drink is a true aficionado. When I lived there, I found many Irish to be passionate and very specific about how Guinness should be drunk. Once a stranger stopped me in a pub because I was drinking a pint that hadn't fully settled -- he was that concerned about it.
I frequented a two-story pub in Galway, and another regular, an older Irish man with watery blue eyes and a red nose, would only get his pints from downstairs. "The Guinness has to travel too far up the pipes to get upstairs," he informed me. He believed that the Guinness was purest and freshest the less it has to travel.
So why is that? I did a little research, and here's what I came up with:
- The popularity of the drink in Ireland means that kegs aren't sitting around long. Therefore, the Guinness is almost always fresh -- and certainly more fresh than overseas since it doesn't have to travel as far.
- The lines are cleaner -- pub owners in Ireland are visited every three weeks by a Guinness representative who flushes the lines to Guinness kegs.
- Guinness should be served at room temperature -- an oddity to us who associate the pleasures of beer drinking with its coolness on a hot day. I've noticed that most bars in the States tend to chill their Guinness along with the rest of their beers, which definitely changes the flavor of it.
Some other theories that I had a hard time verifying: - The water at the Dublin brewery is better than the water where most Guinness brewed for export is made (in England).
- Guinness taps in Ireland are pressurized with nitrogen, while taps in the US (and elsewhere, I assume?) are pressurized with carbon dioxide.
Thanks to John Udell for some Guinness facts.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Food and Drink, Europe, Ireland
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Patricia Mar 17th 2008 11:24AM
Well, I must say that I never really liked Guinness before I went to Dublin a few years ago. While there I figured, when in Rome....
I loved it and drank it the whole time I was there. I have not liked the Guinness I have drank since then nearly as much even though I have had it in pubs where I know there is a high turnover with the kegs.
Could it be an atmosphere things? Well, we have some fairly authentic Irish pubs here in Montreal but they sure don't beat the pubs in Ireland.
So I'll stick with the notion that Guinness tastes better in Ireland!
Chris M. Mar 17th 2008 11:53AM
I have yet to visit Ireland, and therefore haven't tried their Guiness. I am a devout consumer of it here in Canada though, the one thing that bugs me is that on the can it's clearly printed "Serve ICE cold". What's up with that?
Fred Schechter Mar 17th 2008 12:40PM
Guinness in kegs in the US is still Nitrogen gassed (otherwise you get those big horrible CO2 bubbles). Also lines are required to be flushed. Aside from that, the rest is true. Don't forget, Guinness is a low calorie food! (like 128 calories a pint or something).
Dan Conley Mar 17th 2008 12:44PM
This is partially true, but you have a few things off:
- In the US we do have this idea that all beer needs to be cold, and it's true that the darker it is, in general the warmer it should be.
- Freshness probably doesn't have anything to do with it; it's another myth that beer needs to be consumed as quickly as possible. A good bottle (or keg) conditioned beer will last much longer than it's going to sit around in a bar or home. Of course Guinness isn't conditioned this way, and neither is any mainstream beer for the most part (chances are if you can buy it outside of a specialty shop it's not), but if stored properly it should still last long enough. The man who said it tasted better downstairs may be right, but that would be because the longer travel time would increase the oxidation.
- Guinness is pressurized with nitrogen everywhere: it's what makes the 'bubbles go down.' Stouts taste best when carbed with nitrogen, as it adds a creamier aspect. I've had stouts with CO2 and believe me, you know the difference. This is also why bottles have the 'widget' in them: to dispense the nitrogen as you drink.
- While there are differences between local and exported Guinness, (the reason I think the 'it tastes better' argument works), it's more than the water profile. They use slightly different recipes for domestic and exported, which isn't uncommon: I think most major beverage distributers have different recipes for different areas, and also between tap and bottle (Coke, Pepsi, etc).
I also wouldn't discount the mental aspects: I'm sure the aesthetic effect of sitting in a Dublin pub adds a certain je ne sai quois to a pint that sitting in a local sports bar just can't match.
WLewan Mar 18th 2008 6:43PM
It appears that you have never been to the brewery. The Guiness there is much smoother and creamier in Dublin. They are also making a new brew called North Star that is even more creamier than Guiness. After leaving Dublin in May 2007 I went to Scotland, a meer 90 miles away. The Guiness did not taste as good there as it did in Ireland. In the states I order it in a HOT pint glass and wait about 5 or 10 minutes before I drink it. Try ordering 2 pints for the first one. by the time your finished with number one, number two is ready.
Amanda Mar 17th 2008 4:13PM
You know what Guinness is doingfor St. Paddy's Day, right? They're trying to get enough signatures for a bill to make it an official holiday. MobLogic has a really funny show up today about it: http://www.moblogic.tv/video/2008/03/17/the-green-beer-lobby/
Check it!
ryan88 Mar 18th 2008 8:58AM
Guinness, is by far the best Pint you could have in my opinion, and the black colour with the white head, is truly a work of art. http://peoplecorporation.org/profile/ryan
Chris M Mar 18th 2008 12:40PM
Great information - 1 problem - Guinness is no longer brewed in the UK and all Guinness for the UK market is now brewed at St James' Gate in Dublin.
One possible difference in the taste is that Guinness is not a traditional porter beer, and therefore does not travel fantasically over the atlantic.
As it happens, we drink the same pint in London, Bradford and Dublin, but it does taste different in the town of its birth... keep enjoying!
Brian McCrossan Mar 18th 2008 4:10PM
Just a couple of small facts that are missing, Guinness is the only bear that does not clearly state how strong it is from the pump and the reason as i was told was `that Guinness is brewed stronger in the winter then in the summer`!!!! another is that it doesn`t matter how BIG or how small the head is... there is always the same amount of ALCOHOL in the glass.... (this one is true) In any case keep enjoying
mungley Mar 19th 2008 10:33AM
It has been suggested to me that there is more alcohol in the stuff we import than the stuff served in Ireland.
Licensing laws and preservative affects have been the reasons given.
windybaer Nov 13th 2009 9:21AM
I've had some of the best, yes and some of the worst, in all the places that I've had the pleasure to drink Guiness. That includes Dublin, Galway, London, Doolin, Westport, Dingle, Shannon Airport, Ennis, Feakle, Toronto, Hamilton, Boston, Pittsburgh, and in my own home in West Virginia where I had my very own private Guiness tap, complete with a 50 lb regulated tank 60/40 mix of Nitrogen/Carbon Dioxide, delivering 35 psi pressure to the keg within a restaurant size frig. where the temperature was regulated to 42 degrees F, as recommended by the Guiness guidelines. Alcohol content is 4% and I doubt very much if it varies wherever it is sold under the same name. Too much to risk altering the flavor.
As to the bubbles, it is little known that the Guiness tap( the part that releases the beer into the glass), has a thin metal disc in the faucet with very tiny holes in it which all the beer must pass through (hence the high delivery pressure) 35 psi would never be used on American lagers since it would never come out as a liquid but a continuous stream of foam. Not very economical, wouldn't sell.
As to the other differences that I have observed:
1. 3-4 days of undisturbed chilling improves the flavor. after that, emptying the line between the faucet and the keg helps keep the lines clean.
2. a proper two step pouring procedure is definitely required.
3. a squeaky clean, DRY glass, unfrosted gives a creamier head.
Of course, sitting in Dublin helps all of the above to be even better. But the demanding native customer is the the best insurance of a carefully treated pint,
wherever fine beers like Guiness are served
geohannah Oct 2nd 2008 10:10AM
it's great to see that a fellow West Virginian enjoys their Guinness as much as I
Michael Mar 21st 2008 5:02AM
After living in Ireland for several years (orginally from Oregon) I was shocked to the core when I ordered a pint of Guiness in England--the barmaid drew it full and handed it to me, no waiting. I was later told that this was common practice.
More important to the taste, however, is the sense of place--the environment of the imbibing. I wrote a short article about this in terms of enjoying Greek island wine at a beach front taverna:
http://www.ParosParadise.com/islandwine.htm
Cheers,
Jennifer Mar 21st 2008 9:10PM
Having never been a beer drinker, I decided I must remedy that situation before making my first trip to Ireland. I began my Guinness-drinker-training 6 months prior to my trip.
My first taste of Guinness in Ireland was at the Brewery at Saint James Gate in Dublin.
Please let me assure you, there absolutely is a difference. Guinness tastes best in Ireland!
blair Apr 20th 2008 10:06PM
If you go to Dublin and visit the Guinness "factory", you will learn that ALL kegs of Guinness are brewed in Dublin. Canada bottles / cans Guinness draught, but the kegs only come from Dublin. Look on the keg if you don't believe it. If you talk to the bartenders on the top floor at the Guinness Factory, where you get your test pint, they will tell you that it is charged with a 75% nitrogen / 25% CO2 mix of gas and the "perfect pour" is done at 40 degrees. So all this talk about better in Dublin is just that, talk. What you do find in the US is bars that try to serve Guinness just using CO2 because they don't want to pay for the mixing system; bars that do not know how to properly pour Guinness (go to the home page of Guinness and read about how to do the perfect pour) and bars in the US that don't have their lines cleaned out enough. Ireland goes through more Guiness per head than any other country and have their lines cleaned by Guiness representatives. I can tell you that Guiness that is not poured properly tastes different because the tap / restrictor valves on the Guiness taps are there for a reason and pulling the tap forward on the first 3/4 fill at 45 degrees and pushing the tap back for the last 1/4 fill straight in makes a difference in the amount of gas that goes into the beer.
Recruitment Process Outsourcing Jun 24th 2008 5:20PM
I refuse to believe the guinness is better in Ireland.
Saucy Jun 24th 2008 11:55PM
I agree about it being better over there, but I studied in Connemara for 4 months, and I must say I can not recall ever being served a room temperature Guinness.
GregFitz Jun 25th 2008 9:41AM
As a native Dubliner I've grown up on the black-stuff.
It must be said that while Ireland is the best for Guinness, there are some places that still don't serve a decent pint.
Other than those exceptions, I wouldn't drink it anywhere else.
Last summer I lived in Newport RI and the Guinness was abyssmal. Even in Irish bars where the staff know how to properly 2-part-pour, it just aint the same consistency or flavour. In fact, on one occasion the group of us comandered (is that how to spell that?) the tap in a local bar to see if we could do a better pint-pouring job...and while our pride may have had a placebo effect and made us believe it tasted better, we couldn't escape the fact that its a completely different drink when you leave the Emerald Isle.
My conclusion? If you want the best tasting pint of your life, you gotta be as close to the brewery as possible. Heineken? Gotta be in Amsterdam. Guinness? You'd better leave it alone unless you're in Dublin...
Jack Jul 17th 2008 2:45PM
Almost everywhere that I have tried Guinness in the US has not tasted as good as the Guinness in Ireland, but there was one place in Atlantic City that was pouring Dublin tasting pints, so I know that it isn't impossible to get a good pint in the US. I think that most the US bars dont set up the Guinness taps right, it tastes like there is something wrong with the temperature and gas in the US.
Johnson Jul 18th 2008 8:49PM
As a Corkman I'd say try a Murph's in Dan Lowrey's or a Beamish in the Spailpin Fanac. Guiness in Dublin is class but the black stuff isn't all about uncle Arthur. Both pubs are spitting distance from the respective breweries.