# Guinness -- Different Taste in Ireland **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152 "2003-10-07T21:20:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/21 "2003-10-09T10:29:26Z")
Yes Guinness is better in Ireland. Less travel time, not being pasturised, ingredients etc. have a huge impact on the taste. But there is also a lot of places in Ireland were the Guinness in muck. This is because of the way it’s treated in the pub/club. A lot of the new super pubs(huge expensive kips) serve terrible Guinness and the young people either accept it or don’t drink it. Guinness in Ireland have done a huge amount of QC on their product within normal pubs. They offer deals on cold rooms etc and have checks on the quality of the product served in pubs. Also Guinness is the most popular tap drink in Ireland so there’s a good run on the drink and it’s never sitting in the lines too long in most pubs. I’ve tried Guinness in most places I’ve traveled. The best Guinness outside Ireland was London IMO followed by Boston(Littlest Bar in Boston). We did get a good pint in Vermont but that was after going behind the bar changing temp and flow speed, training the staff how to pour a pint properly and buying the Americans in the bar 2 pints each to get a run on it(we drank Sam Adams while this was going on :D) The worst Guinness I had was on the island of Panang in Malaysia. It was terrible, really terrible but I told the barman it was lovely as he was very impressed to be serving it to a man who came from “Guinnesstown” as he called Dublin. I went onto Tiger beer very quickly . ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/22 "2003-10-09T10:34:05Z")
To help understand the amount of Guinness drank > [@](#): > > - high stout consumption - stout accounts for 48% of the beer market and Guinness is a “must-stock” product > > Home consumption of beer in Ireland was the lowest in the EU at just over 10% in 1996. Ireland had the largest percentage of consumption of draught beer in the EU, at 80%. The next highest were the UK at 65.5%, and Luxembourg at 52.3%; in Denmark, only 9.3% of beer is sold in draught form. So we drink a lot of stout of which Guinness is by far the most popular and we drink it in pubs a lot. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/23 "2003-10-09T10:35:54Z")
Crap. [http://www.clubi.ie/competition/compframesite/dec512complete.htm](http://www.clubi.ie/competition/compframesite/dec512complete.htm) ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/24 "2003-10-09T10:44:56Z")
BTW as to the quality of the pint on the Guinness tour. I went there with **Coldfire, Globetrotter** and a few others a couple of years back and I wasn’t impressed at all. While not terrible it was not great which is what I’d expect from Guinness itself. However the tour has changed and now and you now drink in the [Gravity Bar](http://www.seanparnell.com/Bar%20Reviews/Ireland/Guinness/GuinnessGravity.htm) which give a 360 degree view of Dublin. I’ve been told by my father that the pint was very good in the Gravity Bar. Oh and in case you’re wondering the quality of a pint is a major discussion point for Guinness drinkers. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/25 "2003-10-09T11:07:20Z")
mmmmm… Mulligans pint… ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/26 "2003-10-09T11:18:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by np\_complete \* > \*\*/it’s a sad day when an (presumably) Englishman is correcting an Irishman wrt Guinness \*\* Well I hope my comment didn’t sound too snarky. I am English, but my ancestral connections mean I’m eligible to play for Ireland at sports. There seem to be a few places these days that serve “cold” and “ice cold” Guinness side by side, and the “cold” tastes better to me. Has anyone here tasted Nigerian Guinness? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/27 "2003-10-09T11:36:05Z")
There are some pubs that sell Guinness Extra Cold here on tap. If it was socially acceptable I’d burn these kips to the ground 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/28 "2003-10-09T11:55:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*Has anyone here tasted Nigerian Guinness? \*\* Not been tempted, considering it’s 9%… Sounds more like barley wine to me. Ironically, Guinness in Dublin have started brewing “export Guinness” for the immigrant African community here, because they found that the Africans were importing Guinness brewed in Nigeria into Ireland. The billboards are well patronising: they show a black hand clutching a bottle of the stuff (no problem here), in front of a blurred out fruit market. Coz obviously all Africans are around fruit markets all the time :rolleyes: Except if you look closely at the market, you realise that it’s actually Moore Street in Dublin. ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/29 "2003-10-09T11:57:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*Has anyone here tasted Nigerian Guinness? \*\* I’m not a Guinness drinker, so this story is based solely on my observations, the next day of five exceedingly and evilly hungover Irish Guinness drinkers and one bright as a button Nigerian Guinness drinker. One of our engineers is from Nigeria and he had been roundly scoffed at for years by the native Guinnessers in the office for saying that the Nigerian Guinness was a superior beast. Nigerian Guinness is now available in Dublin in - God, I can’t remember, but I’ll find out - and he took the boys down to this particular place wherever it was and the following day they all conceded that it was indeed rocket fuel and that the Nigerians must be an awful shower of hardy bastards\* Praise indeed. Isn’t it more than twice as alcoholic? - I know that there is a Pit thread going on at the moment, about hate speech and racism, but to allay anyone’s fears, in Ireland, a phrase like this is entirely complimentary and represents an envious viewpoint. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/30 "2003-10-09T12:06:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > Ironically, Guinness in Dublin have started brewing “export Guinness” for the immigrant African community here, because they found that the Africans were importing Guinness brewed in Nigeria into Ireland. In fairness “Export” which is 7.5-8% has been brewed since the 19th century but wasn’t on sale in Ireland for quite some time as it didn’t really have a market. Now with the amount of Nigerians in Ireland there is a market so they’re selling it locally again. I got a few bottles last week just to try it and it’s like all strong bottled beer/stout. It’s got a very strong taste and I didn’t enjoy it that much. ---
**Author:** ![Pergau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7c8e57/32.png) [@Pergau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pergau)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/31 "2003-10-09T13:16:15Z")
This is on the front page of today’s Irish times Guinness offers stout defence for recall of thousands of kegs Thousands of kegs of Guinness which could have left customers with a nasty taste in their mouths have been recalled en route to Europe and the US. It seems they found a “potential risk that the pint might not taste as good as usual due to prolonged storage” (quote from Times not Guinness) ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/32 "2003-10-09T13:21:40Z")
It tastes great to me in America; it tasted great to me in Ireland. I noticed no difference personally. But the Beamish was great too, and I can’t seem to find that on tap here in the States. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/33 "2003-10-09T14:13:21Z")
Mmmmm … Beamish … \ I’ve never had it in Ireland, but I’ve had it on tap at an Irish pub in London on several occasions. Beamish is better than Guinness, in my opinion, although they are both fine, fine, brews. (I don’t think that my opinion will cause an argument in THIS thread.) I think a Beamish head is creamier, which I like, although it may be a bit too much for others’ tastes. And I’ve been able to find Beamish on tap here in the States on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/34 "2003-10-09T15:09:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nineiron \* > It tastes great to me in America; it tasted great to me in Ireland. I noticed no difference personally. If treated well by the pub there is no reason why your US pint shouldn’t be good. The several pints I had in Boston and London were easily better than a lot of pints I’ve had in Ireland in places where they just slop it out. Rule of thumb in Ireland. If there is a old man drinking Guinness in the bar it’s a good pint. > [@](#): > > _by Spiff_ > Beamish is better than Guinness, in my opinion, although they are both fine, fine, brews. (I don’t think that my opinion will cause an argument in THIS thread.) Why I outta …😉 ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/35 "2003-10-09T16:03:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*Has anyone here tasted Nigerian Guinness? \*\* I drank a few pints in Botswana which I assume was brewed in Nigeria rather than Dublin. It was suprisingly good, after the staff were shown how to pour it (i.e. NOT like cider). My friends dad owned a hotel in Francistown and thus allowed us to ‘play around’ with his bar to make it better, so we did just that. 🙂 I can honestly say I wouln’t have known the difference between a pint there and at home. I certainly didn’t notice it being any stronger, although it may well have been. (And it was several years ago and many brain cells have since been destroyed) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/36 "2003-10-09T16:05:15Z")
Burn the heretic. ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/37 "2003-10-09T16:11:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*Burn the heretic. \*\* You talking about me, you [kestrel](http://veggierecipes.users.btopenworld.com/drink/totslops/kestrelager.htm) drinker you? Yes you, you know you are. That’s your favourite drink, that is. You love it. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/38 "2003-10-09T16:21:31Z")
He would soooo drink that if it was sold down here 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/39 "2003-10-09T16:24:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aro \* > \*\*You talking about me, you [kestrel](http://veggierecipes.users.btopenworld.com/drink/totslops/kestrelager.htm) drinker you? Yes you, you know you are. That’s your favourite drink, that is. You love it. \*\* Whereas you drink Buckfast by the bucket, I don’t doubt! (Actually, I meant **spiff**.) Though in my soused and impecunious youth I admit I was known to partake in the odd can of Kestrel. And me and my brother really livened up my sister’s birthday party with some Special Brew a few years ago… ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152/40 "2003-10-09T16:29:21Z")
Tsk, tsk, tsk – **nineiron** and **Spiff** both used the B word. In fairness, both Beamish and Murphy’s are often better than Guinness in the UK because they’re less well-known and have to try that bit harder. This is giving me a thirst. Only half an hour to go though :). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guinness-different-taste-in-ireland/206152.md?page=3)