# I pit bartenders who do not know how to properly pour a pint of Guinness. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 26, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451 "2013-01-26T18:11:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/101 "2013-01-30T06:07:02Z")
> [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](#): > > Also, Guinness isn’t the be all and end all of beers. It is an intro drink for “Good Beer 101” and not the final exam. Unfortunately, people often think that saying they like it means they like good beer. This is not the case. It _is_ good beer. Jebusfukingcreeristonacrutch I had to put up with decades of wine snobs, now\* beer\* snobs.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/102 "2013-01-30T06:09:48Z")
St Patrick’s Day 1992 in Sydney I marched in the parade as part of an all Aussie Gaelic Football Team. We were sponsored by the Sydney Gaelic Club and as we returned to the club after the match we were roped into doing some light duties. I was told this would clearing tables etc in return for free Guinness all night, deal! But alas I was then asked to work behind the bar because well to be honest everyone was pissed, so my first order is for 6 pints of Guinness. No worries I say and proceed to pour said pints with what i thought was the correct method but alas a drunken old Irishman politely informed me they were fookin’ shite and then lectured me about how to pour it correctly. This of course pissed off the other drunken Irishmen and pretend Irishmen who were now dying of thirst, there was nearly a riot until everyone realized who this gentleman was. A highly “respected” local businessman. I will never pour a beer at a bar again, I even refuse to get a tap installed in my home bar. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/103 "2013-01-30T13:08:31Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Is Coors Light best served in a plastic glass or a paper cup? Only Solo 16 oz. plastic cups, never paper, and always red. In a pinch, one can substitute with a Dixie 16 oz plastic cup, but then it must be transparent (not red or any other color) to more easily distinguish the compromise for the drinker. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/104 "2013-01-30T13:23:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It _is_ good beer. Jebusfukingcreeristonacrutch I had to put up with decades of wine snobs, now\* beer\* snobs.:rolleyes: At least wine snobs actually have to do a good bit of research. Self-proclaimed beer snobs are infinitely worse, because its easier for every shlub off the street to prattle on about this awesome new milk stout they got on Tuesday at the growler shop. They’re only outdone by liquor bores, who will wax poetic about how many years old their shit is, without possessing the slightest ability to identify any of it in a blind tasting. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/105 "2013-01-30T13:30:21Z")
Now I’m craving some Newcastle at 8:30 in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/106 "2013-01-30T13:37:54Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > At least wine snobs actually have to do a good bit of research. Self-proclaimed beer snobs are infinitely worse, because its easier for every shlub off the street to prattle on about this awesome new milk stout they got on Tuesday at the growler shop. They’re only outdone by liquor bores, who will wax poetic about how many years old their shit is, without possessing the slightest ability to identify any of it in a blind tasting. It’s all really three shades of the same thing, to me. The nice thing about beer is that it’s easy to get into and you can learn about a lot of different types and styles without breaking the bank too much. I’d love to know and try more wines and whiskeys, but that’s just too expensive a habit to really get into if you want a deep breadth of understanding and experience. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/107 "2013-01-30T13:49:36Z")
> [@YourAdHere](#): > > I pit bars that don’ t use the proper nitrogen mixture with their guinness. Last time , the ratio was off by a few percentage points and I immediately vomited with rage! > > Naturally, I left no tip. That guy’s kids dont deserve heat and his seed should be wiped from the earth. > > I may not be the customer they want, but I’m the one they NEED. The manager even assured me so when I complained to him again. In general, if you want to get tipped, you have to not show such utter contempt for your patrons. The whole reason why people want a bartender instead of a stocked fridge is that they can get their drink customized to their tastes. If you don’t want to do that, then you’re in the wrong business. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/108 "2013-01-30T14:27:25Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Now I’m craving some Newcastle at 8:30 in the morning. You can’t drink all day without getting an early start. Nothing is easy in life. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/109 "2013-01-30T15:09:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s all really three shades of the same thing, to me. The nice thing about beer is that it’s easy to get into and you can learn about a lot of different types and styles without breaking the bank too much. I’d love to know and try more wines and whiskeys, but that’s just too expensive a habit to really get into if you want a deep breadth of understanding and experience. I don’t actually hold wine collectors in higher esteem, though I find myself pleasantly surprised more often when I dine with them. I was mostly kidding. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/110 "2013-01-30T15:22:54Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > You can’t drink all day without getting an early start. Nothing is easy in life. _sigh_ When you’re right, you’re right. Better get crackin’… ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/111 "2013-01-30T15:50:35Z")
> [@Condescending\_Robot](#): > > It’s fucking beer that you can buy at Wal-Mart. Get over it. My local Wal-[del]Fart[/del] er Mart actually has a quite decent selection of beer. Not spectacular, but good. I never buy beer there, or anything else if I can help it, but I did once notice, while wandering in a Wal-Mart with no purpose “… hey … look, wow … good beer section!” ETA: the presence of Guinness is not evidence of a good selection. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/112 "2013-01-30T17:10:48Z")
As a long time bartender I know every single one of the twenty or so ways to ‘properly’ pour a Guinness. As do most of the bartenders you’re encountering. They just don’t know which of the acceptable ways you deem ‘proper’! And while they are listening to your lengthy explanation and nodding along, thanking you for imparting this learning to them, they are all thinking, to themselves, 'Some Guinness drinkers ARE indeed more pompous than the worst wine snobs!" Is it full? Is it drinkable? Then knock it off already, no one wants to hear it truly. The reason, at the end of the day, is that Guinness drinkers can’t seem to agree on one proper way! There, I said it! ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/113 "2013-01-30T17:25:09Z")
> [@Condescending\_Robot](#): > > It’s marketing nonsense, part of the usual mythologizing of alcohol to hide the fact that you’re drinking to get drunk. Yeah, I’m sure the exact height of the glass and pouring in 119.53 seconds (never 199.02! you idiot!) is something that would totally affect the taste in a double-blind experiment :rolleyes: The 119.53 seconds spec is proof that Guinness brewery is in on the joke. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/114 "2013-01-30T19:38:44Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > The 119.53 seconds spec is proof that Guinness brewery is in on the joke. Point well taken. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/115 "2013-01-30T21:24:02Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > The proper way is to order a bottle of Old Rasputin, pour it yourself, and marvel at 50x the stout flavor in a single bottle. > > Guinness is alright. It’s craft beer 101, which is invaluable in converting newbie beer drinkers away from yellow fizzy lite beer and opening up their eyes a bit. Well, Old Rasputin is a Imperial Stout and about three times alcohol content so they aren’t really comparable. (It is my favorite beer though…have you tried the barrel aged?) Folks shouldn’t think of Guinness as a exotic or specialty beer. It is a low alcohol beer to be enjoyed at all times, multiple pints after work. As for the ritual, well it certainly adds some to it, but it doesn’t nneed to be followed verbatim. However, if you fancy yourself an Irish Pub you really should do it the “right” way. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/116 "2013-01-30T21:40:02Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > The 119.53 seconds spec is proof that Guinness brewery is in on the joke. No way. On the Guinness Storehouse tour, you got timed in a tap room. If you took 0.1s more than 119.53s, you were beaten within an inch of your life and thrown out a 3rd story window. …or they didn’t seem to care how much time you took and you got to enjoy a nice, quiet pint you poured yourself. The “perfect pint pourer” certificate was a bit cheesy, but you expect that sort of thing on holiday. Whatever you think of the beer itself, the Storehouse tour is well worth admission if you’re ever in Dublin. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/117 "2013-01-31T00:13:36Z")
Pliny the Elder with grilled chicken breasts tonight. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/118 "2013-01-31T23:15:57Z")
I pit OP. Dammif I’m going to wait any two minutes for someone to pour my beer, any beer, and if OP thinks he could tell the difference then he needs to invest in a new bong screen, because the old one so clogged that he is destroying several 100% more brain cells by having to draw so hard. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/119 "2013-02-01T00:32:36Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Pliny the Elder with grilled chicken breasts tonight. 😉 Worst game of Clue ever. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451/120 "2013-02-01T00:53:28Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Pliny the Elder with grilled chicken breasts tonight. 😉 Respect. Celebration Ale with BBQ’d pulled pork. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bartenders-who-do-not-know-how-to-properly-pour-a-pint-of-guinness/648451.md?page=7)