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Picture this: you’ve just arrived in Dublin, Ireland, where dozens of historic pubs await you. Ireland has long called to you-for its green fields and friendly people, to be sure-but mostly for one thing and one thing only: Guinness.
You sidle up to the bar in one of said pubs and promptly order a “pint of plain,” for which the barman gives you a very strange look before taking out one of the many tulip glasses below the counter emblazoned with the drink’s name and begins to pour the dark stout.
Perhaps you are already savvy enough to know that Guinness needs to be poured in two stages (and if not, I’ll get to that in a minute), so you wait patiently and, once the full pint is set up on the counter, you give the barman his €4.70 and immediately take the brimming glass to your thirsty lips. Suddenly, groans emit from all the locals— maybe one tells you “Sure, that’s not done cooking yet!”—while the barman just turns his head in shame.
There’s an art to pouring the perfect Guinness. Unlike most beers, which are carbonated with CO2, Guinness gets its perfect white foamy head from thousands of highly pressurized nitrogen bubbles.
So, the pouring process is intricate with Guinness— many barmen swear that the tilt angle of the glass is key, while other suggest that touching (or not) the tap spout to the glass can make a difference in the taste. And, of course, the “double pour” process is important - a pint of Guinness is usually poured halfway and left to settle, while the bubbles float to the top, creating the head - and then topped up after several minutes, sometimes with pure, gas-less Guinness.
Obviously, it’s important to pour Guinness properly, but once in your hand, you can do no wrong, right? Wrong! There is a strong tradition around how to drink a Guinness.
Guinness neophytes, fear not! Here are a few tips for supping a pint like the locals do.
Give the Guinness its respect.
This is a venerable drink for a gent, not some two-bit lager in a can. When you order your Guinness in Ireland, you can ask for a “pint” (19.2 fl oz) or a “glass” if you want a half-pint (but usually these are only for ladies).
Never, I repeat never drink a Guinness that has not fully “settled.”
When it is freshly poured, the tiny nitrogen bubbles slowly float to the top, creating that iconic white head. Meanwhile, the pint looks murky and brown. Wait until the pint looks completely black and the head is ½- to 1-inch thick before drinking.
Take big sups.
“Sup” is a slightly archaic Irish word for “drink” or “gulp,” and you certainly won’t be given any respect by the old men in the pub for taking a pansy little sip.
Use your lip to push back the foam, allowing Guinness directly into your throat.
This also preserves the head and keeps the pint from going flat halfway down. If you're drinking properly, using your lip barrier to preserve the head, y ou will notice lines of froth residue left along the pint glass for each sup you’ve taken.
Don’t let it just sit there.
Guinness’ head doesn’t just look good - it’s there to preserve the drink’s rather fragile state of carbonation. While other beers, especially lagers, have a high number of bubbles, Guinness is less carbonated and goes flat faster. So it’ important to drink it reasonably quickly. A full pint should take no more than about 30-45 minutes to finish.
Never, ever pour the leftovers of one pint into a fresh pint.
The flat liquid from Pint A will completely kill the delicate nitrogen balance of freshly poured Pint B.
If the Guinness’ head is bigger than 1.5 inches, it has been poured incorrectly and/or there is a problem with the tap.
Sadly, this is quite common at bars outside of Ireland, where the taps are not inspected regularly (which they are, by Guinness representatives no less, in Ireland) and bartenders aren’t trained in the subtle art of pouring Guinness.
Never refer to Guinness as anything other than “Guinness.”
Calling it “the Black Stuff,” “a pint of plain,” “Black Magic” or any other nicknames you might’ve heard will only label you as a tourist and Guinness newbie.
Never, under any circumstances, mix anything with Guinness.
You might’ve heard of a “Black and Tan” (a mix of Guinness and harp), or maybe a “Black Velvet” (Guinness and sparkling wine), or— god forbid— an “Irish Car Bomb” (I’m not even going there). Most of these drinks were invented in England or the U.S. for drunken college students and not to mention their highly offensive names.
Even if you aren’t planning a trip to Ireland anytime soon, follow these tips at your local Irish bar and you’ll soon be the resident expert on all things Guinness! Not to mention, you will find your Guinness looks and tastes much better.
Photos courtesy of Megan Eaves.
Have you ever noticed how Guiness outside of Europe tastes bitter whereas it's lovely, almost like a beer milkshake (and I mean that in a good way) in Ireland? Why oh why is that?!
Colleen - yes, I've definitely noticed it and that's why I rarely drink Guinness outside of Ireland. The bitter taste can be attributed to several things: improper pouring technique on the part of the bartender, sometimes Guinness is mixed with the local water and sometimes it's just the transport process that messes with the stout's taste. Too bad, though!