Name: Guinness Draft
Color: Black
Nose: Malted barley, roasted chocolate, cream
Taste: Malted barley, roasted chocolate, cream with a tang finish
Guinness Draught beer (aka “The Black Stuff”) was created as an Irish Dry Stout in 1759 by Arthur Guinness in Dublin, Ireland. There is a very long and interesting history to this beer which is worth reading if you have the time.
The flavor is specific to the brand and comes from malted barley, roasted un-malted barley, and the mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide which helps created the creamy tangy tasted. The canned version has a “popper” that drops into it when opened it to inject the gas, however, the can and bottle versions do not taste as good as the draught.
There is a specific method on “how to pour a proper pint”. Guinness has set the standard for time and temperature. A pour should be 119.53 seconds and it should be served at 42.8˚F. If you order pint in a proper pub with Irish bartenders, you will wait about 10+ minutes until it arrives as they let the beer settle before finishing the pour. Most American bartenders do not do this and serve it cloudy and brown instead of black with a creamy white head. So, if you are doing proper drinking in proper pub, plan order times accordingly.
The most interesting thing about Guinness to me, other than being my favorite beer, was a marketing campaign for years that stated: “Guinness is Good for You”. This campaign is no longer used for obvious reasons, but there must have been some truth to it. My Mum told me a story that when my Grandfather had stomach surgery in Glasgow, Scotland the hospital gave him soup and two Guinness per day during his recovery. Let that sink in for a minute. A doctor, who went to medical school, had my Grandfather drinking his favorite beer in a hospital bed each day he was there. Below is a photo of my Grandfather, his Guinness, a cigarette and always in a three-piece suit in public.
Flo Armstrong
Priced around $8-10 a pint and is my favorite beer, but it never tastes as good in America bars as it does in UK pubs.
If you like it, drink it! – Christopher
If you like it, drink it!
