How to Pour a Proper Guinness

While away in Dublin for the weekend, I was able to tour the Guinness Factory; soaking in some history and guzzling down the best selling Irish dry stout in the world.

Now my Belgian friends will scoff saying that Guinness is the worst; that it tastes like water. It must be the Irish blood in me, but I whole-heartedly disagree with them. And after this weekend especially, I have a strong appreciation for a nicely poured Guinness. You can’t get a glass poured like it anywhere else in the world.

Starting with the facts

The St. James Gate Brewery is one of the most technologically advanced breweries in the world (or so they say.. I’m not about to fact check them).

The Guinness recipe is brewed in 50 different countries all around the world – some recipes vary depending on the area. For example, the West Indies Porter recipe is a lot spicier than the original.

Approximately 3 million pints are brewed each day using the same exact technique since 1759.

There are only four key ingredients: barley, hops, water and something they like to call “Guinness yeast.”

Guinness trusts no other yeast in the world to make their product && extra yeast is locked away somewhere just in case all hell breaks loose, so at least the Irish people will be sane because they can still brew some Guinness beer.

And, I don’t know if you’re aware (because I certainly wasn’t), but Guinness is actually ruby red. You have to hold it up to the light to see, otherwise I think the stout looks black.

Pouring the Guinness

During the tour of the factory, you are able to learn how to pour your own Guinness and, now that I’m a pro, this Guinness snob will pass the knowledge along to you.

Please note: the temperature is arguably the most important part of a delicious glass… The stout must be chilled to 6 degree celsius (no more, no less – even a degree off can effect the taste).

1. Take a cool, clean, dry Guinness glass and position it at a 45 degree angle underneath the tap.
2. Pull the handle forward and fill to the Guinness label. As soon as it hits the label, straighten the glass and fill to about 3/4″ to the top.
3. Now this step is ~very~ important: leave the pour to settle for 119.5 seconds. At first the stout looks like chocolate milk, but it needs to settle into the dark black (but actually ruby) color.
4. Push the tap handle backwards to top off the glass. This part is a little tricky because you have to stop as soon as the pour hits the rim to create the little dome at the top. You never use a spatula to level the head of a Guinness, making it extremely important to get it right the first time.

Voilà! The perfect Guinness! Now to taste it (I got a head start in the picture above…)

Tasting a Guinness

Somehow I was herded into a line for a free tasting of Guinness. This place was trying to get us sloshed or something… Not that we were complaining, of course ;P

Guinness is a complex stout; you use every part of your tongue to experience all of the flavors within it. Definitely not a beer to chug.

The tip of your tongue experiences the sweetness of Guinness. Then, the sides catch the roasted barely.. Which has a coffee, chocolatey flavor. The back of your mouth is where you sense the hoppy taste.

When you take a sip, you must first inhale through your nose. Drink enough so that you can swirl it in your mouth to touch all sides of your tongue. You can feel that Guinness has a smooth, velvety texture. Swallow and then immediately exhale through your mouth to get the signature Guinness aftertaste. So delicious.

Sláinte! Cheers, my friends!