So… my malty beer resolution has kind of fallen by the wayside. My beer drinking in general has slowed down this summer due to lack of time. Yes, you read that correctly; I didn’t have enough time to drink the beers I wanted to drink. This is a sad state that I intend to correct this fall.
When I did drink beer, I mostly drank my stand-by IPA. However, a few times -where choice was limited – I did revisit an old friend, Guinness Draught. A beer with some serious history. We are talking 250 years of beer-y goodness. Founded in 1759 for beer’s sake!
If you’ve never had Guinness you may have some preconceived notions of this classic beer. You might think of it as “heavy”, “thick”, “too filling”, “too fattening” or even as “a meal in a glass.” Please let go of these ideas. The facts show that they are incorrect. Guinness Draught is an Irish dry stout; light in alcohol (4.2% abv) although dark in color with fewer calories than most mainstream lagers.
This is a go-to session beer for me; not heavy, not too alcoholic, not sweet and with a dry finish.
There are a couple of pesky Guinness Draught issues. First, for a true Guinness Draught experience you need to go out, preferably to a pub in Ireland but practically, at least to your neighborhood watering hole. No nitrogen keg dispenser at my house and although it will do in a pinch, the widget (as ingenious as it is) does not produce the same experience as a true draft.
Second, when you do make it out to grab a pint of Guinness it is usually WAY too cold and often poorly poured. Guinness reps are falling down in the training department! I don’t necessarily need a perfect shamrock carved into the head of my gorgeous, dark brew but a slow-poured, well-settled Guinness from the get-go would be appreciated.
According to the Guinness website (www.guinness.com) the perfect Guinness Draught pint takes 6 steps in 119.5 seconds. The process is beautifully described by Master Brewer Fergal Murray, St. James Gate brewery in the video linked here: http://youtu.be/1DAIK2I8y8Q
Even with imperfections of service, I hope I’ve shown that Guinness Draught deserves to be appreciated, if not loved.
Now I’m thirsty. Here’s to the perfect pint and good company! Cheers.