My Goodness My Guinness! I recently ventured to Dublin, Ireland and the Guinness Storehouse, a perfect precursor to St Patrick’s Day. Let’s cover some important facts about Guinness, a bit of history, and from how to pour it to how to drink it.
St. Patrick’s Day started as a cultural and religious holiday to celebrate St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. There is something in history about driving snakes out, but maybe it was more of a metaphor? Now, it is a global celebration of Irish culture and heritage every year on March 17th. New York City holds the largest celebration with a parade for over 2 million partygoers, but Chicago may be the most iconic with the green river. In Dallas, my parties were pretty epic too. ☘️
In the late 18th century, pubs and taverns in Dublin began serving free Guinness on the holiday. In more modern times, Guinness started marketing for St Patrick’s Day and sponsoring parades around the world. Now, they are forever linked!
Having a proper draft Guinness does take some patience though. It is a bit of an art form for how to properly pour a perfect pint of Guinness. First, you choose the right glass: a pint with a narrow base and wider top. Hold the glass at a 45-degree angle and slowly pour the Guinness onto the side of the glass to 3/4ths full. Set it down and wait for the foam to settle while you go do anything but rush the process. After it’s settled, hold the glass upright and pour the remaining brew onto the center of the foam to create the thick, creamy head slightly above the rim of the glass. A bit more patience and then you can imbibe.
Guinness cans are designed with a spherical widget with pressurized nitrogen and, when poured in the same manner, it will be hard to differentiate your pint from a draft. However, if you drink a bottle of Guinness, do NOT pour it into a glass; the bottle has a nifty “rocket” triggered when opened to recreate the draft experience.
To Sip or Not To Sip? Not Sip! Given the relatively low alcohol content of 4.2% and that it is not as thick as it looks, drink up. So, when you finally get your pint of goodness, gulp down at least a fourth of the beer at first pass. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Then order your next. There should only be four foam lines in the glass if it was drunk properly. 🍺
Now for some fun facts:
- Arthur Guinness signed a nine-thousand-year lease on the St Jame’s Gate Brewery in Dublin on the 31st of December 1759. The brewery is still the main production site for Guinness.
- The harp is a cultural Irish symbol and the mirror image is a logo for Guinness.
- Advertising didn’t start until 1929 and the first slogan was “Guinness is Good for You”. The most recent slogan is “Good Things Come to Those Who Wait” and originated in 1999.
- The color of Guinness is actually not black, but a dark ruby red. The raw barley is roasted in a manner similar to coffee beans and gives it the distinctive color.
- The Guinness Book of World Records was originally created to settle pub arguments.
- The entire population of Ireland at the start of 2023 was just under 5 million. Over 33 million Americans claim Irish ancestry.
Slainte, Arthur!