Guinness, a pint of plain, Irish champagne, the black stuff: its iconic. For a 22 year old girl I usually get a lot of stick and raised eyebrows when I order a pint of stout in a bar, however I would have to admit that I am quite the Guinness Connoisseur “an expert judge in matters of taste.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the emerald isle’s best brew about.
Guinness lingo:
The art of the G: How to pour a pint of Guinness
Bishops Collar: a head that’s just too big
Cream leak: whenever some cream dribbles down the glass of an untouched head; a major leak may suggest a watery pint but a small slow dribble suggests a healthy one.
G-man/ G-woman/ G-punter: Guinness lover
G-tache: The Guinness moustache created from a decent, creamy pint. All good pints will give you one. A watery one will not give you a G-tache
Priests’ collar: The creamy, post-settlement head on a lovely pint of Guinness.
The Birth of Guinness:
Arthur Guinness signed a 9000 year lease in 1759 on a tiny abandoned warehouse in the very heart of Dublin and completely transformed St. James gate into a brewery, and Guinness was born. By the time Arthur died in 1803 he had built his empire and passed his business on to his son Arthur II, a successful brewery with promising export trade.
Guinness is good for you:
The famous slogan and one of the most iconic advertisements of all time first appeared in televised adverts in the late 1920’s claiming the beverage to be more nourishing for you than milk. The quote is not around anymore but still remains true as a pint only contains 125 calories – less than a pint of semi-skimmed milk!
The Guinness book of records:
The modern Guinness World Records has its origins at the Guinness brewery. In the 1950s, after an argument with friends over which was the fastest game bird in Europe (failing to find an answer in any reference book) Sir Hugh Beaver (an industrialist/engineer) decided to create the now iconic book that would settle all common pub disputes.
The Art of Pulling the Pint
There’s good reason for that finger-tapping wait for your pint. Over 119.5 seconds, the Guinness glass is three-quarters filled, rested until the nitrogen bubbles have risen (this creates the dark colour and velvety head), before being filled to the top. In my own experience patience is key in these situations, (good things come to those who wait.)
Guinness Today
Fast-forward a couple of centuries, and Arthur’s beer is now famous worldwide. Now brewed in 49 countries around the world, and served in 150, he has certainly made his mark. Surprisingly though, the largest annual consumption of Guinness is not in Ireland, but in Nigeria (hard to believe I know!).
The perfect pint
Establishing whether or not you have been poured a cracking pint or a mediocre one is a procedure that I have been using for a few years and it all starts with the wobble test. A little shake of a fresh pint being ever so careful not to spill any – that can let on if its a watery one! Obviously the creamier the head is, the less chance of a spill there is. This step is then followed by observing the head, if its been poured correctly you should have a lovely thick and creamy finish, however if your bar man was in a rush you may have been served a pint of black watery muck with suds on top.
Where to get the perfect pint in Belfast
In my experience I have come to know that any bars that seem crowded or particularly busy will not serve a perfect pint of Guinness, however that is a broad statement and some establishments make the cut! It is often the smaller pubs that tend to be filled with old men watching the horses that do the best pints, these are the guys with the knowledge and expertise, these are the real Guinness Connoisseurs!
However, I am only a cub at 22 years of age I don’t especially like to go to the local pub on a Saturday night and would much rather be surrounded by folk my own age that equally enjoy a pint of plain, therefore I have chosen my two favourite venues that can accommodate a girl my age whilst also serving me a cracking pint.
The Duke of York: The best pint you’ll ever taste. The bar men know their stuff in this place, they don’t rush the art of pouring. Better yet (better yet) they freeze their pint glasses which I think is a beautiful touch and the reason I keep going back!
Five Points: The atmosphere in this place is second to none, the pints never fail me and are always so refreshing and consistent – not one watery one served in here!
Celine Russell is a final year BSc in Communication Management & Public Relations student at Ulster University. She can be found at: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/celine-russell-849ba4171/ ; Twitter – https://twitter.com/celine_russ; Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/celine.russell.7