GUINNESS® — St. James’s Gate in Dublin, Ireland
Every beer blogger’s mecca is Dublin, Ireland, home of the most loyal beer drinkers and the birthplace of the Guinness draft. Beer is sacred here. I heard that if you don’t finish your beer at a restaurant in Ireland, it is customary to ask for a to-go cup rather than to leave a half-finished pint on your table. RESPECT THE BREW.
I was graced with the opportunity to go to Ireland, my namesake, for a work trip and I absolutely put the Guinness Storehouse on my itinerary for Wednesday. Unexpectedly, I was hit by an unforgiving bout of food poisoning (damn you, steamed cod) that kept me confined to my hotel room for two and a half days experiencing my unmaking. I missed my reservation at Guinness.
After sharing that news with Natalie, she sent me a text that lifted my spirits and gave me strength to buy another ticket to go. She said: “You HAVE to go to Guinness, dude.”
So after regaining my strength and finally stomaching some Gatorade and cookies, I was off for some beer. After all, when was the next time I was gonna be back in Ireland? Is this what it’s meant to puke and rally? Then consider me the queen.
The Guinness Storehouse is the #1 tourist attraction in Ireland! Tours were offered in a bunch of different languages but I was yolo-ing it solo. The entire museum experience is shaped like a pint of Guinness and you experience it just like how the beer is poured: from the bottom floor to the top. My favorite part was seeing how barrels were made back in the day. The only time the cooper used a measuring instrument was to size the lid.
The advertising major in me really enjoyed the advertising (I did an entire post about Guinness advertising in the past), but it was also extremely relevant to my recovering condition.
The absolute coolest thing about the Storehouse was the hands-on experience of learning how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. It’s a process that cannot be rushed. Here it is, y’all.
- Tip the pint glass at a 45-degree angle. Aim the spigot of the tap to touch the Guinness harp logo.
- Pull the tap handle down ALL THE WAY and fill the tilted glass until the beer reaches the top of the harp logo. There should be a few inches of space from the head to the top of the glass.
- Straighten the glass upright and let the nitrogen settle. Watch in awe as the bubbles cascade downward then upward.
- Once the cascading subsides (it takes about 90 seconds), place the glass under the tap UPRIGHT and PUSH the tap handle (Guinness tap handles are the only ones that pull AND push because the push feature doesn’t release any more nitrogen) until the beer pushes the signature foam just slightly over the top of the glass.
- Serve to customer with the logo facing them.
- SIP AND ENJOY TIL IT’S GONE.
I did a taste profiling of Guinness in my previous blog, however Guinness from the motherland was COMPLETELY different. So let’s unpack the flavors, shall we?
Beer Name: Guinness® Draught
City and Country of Origin: Dublin, Ireland
Year Created: 1759
ABV: 4.2%
Cost: $30 for a self-guided tour that included the beer (in US stores: $1.75 for a tall boy, $6.99 for a 4-pack)
Taste: This beer was definitely fresh from a barrel today. It’s one thing to crack open a tall boy of Guinness with the fun little nitrogen marble that bleches gas into your overseas pint. But then there’s a fresh glass of pure goodness that came out of the udder of the homeland. I can definitely taste the bitter, chocolatey malt from the barley a lot more. Guinness from a can reminds me of chocolate milk. Guinness from Ireland is a hearty-tasting (but light-feeling) real stout. I have to tell you I had a Guinness with every meal I had in Ireland (even the damned steamed cod, DAMN YOU).
How Do I Feel? I feel like I was drinking from a Guinness glacier. THAT’S how pure it tasted to me. Even though I was hobbling through the tour in a weak state, I did feel like Guinness gave me strength. Drinking Guinness made me feel like I accomplished something big on my trip to Dublin. I feel like I summited a small Mount Everest goal of my life.
When To Drink Guinness Draught? Even though Guinness is the tourist staple of Ireland, Irish people actually LIKE to drink it too. This is a culturally immersive experience.I don’t feel like a super-goon when ordering a Guinness at a pub cuz legit everyone is drinking it. It’s the perfect beer to have on a social night out or if you’re having a stew for dinner.
Overall Rating: 10/10 Experience, taste, reflection. It was perfect.
Did you enjoy this super special feature of beer from abroad? Where should we go next? Amsterdam for Heineken? Shibuya for Sapporo? Mexico City for Modelo? Share your beer-scapades with us by commenting below or by sending us a message on Instagram.
We hope you had the most fabulous holiday! 2019 is packed with tall plans for WLTB and we’re stoked to have you along on our journey. Throw back a pint for us on New Years!
Cheers,
Erin
