Get to know Guinness this St. Patrick’s Day
COMMENTARY when I was 21, which was 20 years ago.”
The beer began in Dublin in 1759, created by Arthur Guinness. While there have been modifications to the recipe over the years, Guinness still uses many of the same ingredients Arthur used more than 250 years ago, including the exact same water from the Wicklow mountains.
Much is made of Guiness’ two-part pour. Originally, this was because fresh Guinness came out too frothy to drink. So most of the glass would get beer from a fresh cask and then get topped with beer from another cask that had been allowed to settle.
In 1959, Guinness started using nitrogen to give the beer a smooth texture. “We do a blend with it to get to the right creaminess and the perfect amount of head on each beer,” said Baal. Most Guinness gets a roughly 70-30 blend of nitrogen to carbon dioxide.
Today, the two-part pour is all about getting the aesthetic right. Start by pouring in the glass at a 45-degree angle with the nozzle of the tap “inside the glass but not touching the glass for sanitation reasons,” said Baal.
Fill about three quarters of the glass. If you have an official Guinness pint glass, pour until you’re right inside the harp on the logo. Then let the beer stand for a minute to 90 seconds. During this period, the bubbles turn the beer light brown as they cascade downward inside the glass. This is caused by the thick drag coefficient against the glass.
The bubbles in the middle go up and push the bubbles on the side down.
The second pour goes straight in the top, though Baal has a little trick. “A lot of people go right in the middle but I go off to the side and I give it a little twist,” he said. This avoids leaving a dimple in the middle of the head and instead creates a slight ridge around the top.
“A good pint never is concave,” said Baal. “It’s always proud of the rim so you look like you’re getting a little extra.”
If none of these factoids help ease your apprehension about drinking something that seems like it has its own gravity, Baal has a suggestion. “Try one of the layered drinks,” he said. “There are other beers that can wade you in to the shallow end of a Guinness.”
Guinness can be made to rest atop a lighter drink. To sound like you know what you’re talking about, here’s a handy guide:
■ and cider
■ Guinness and Harp Lager
■ Guinness and Bass Ale
■ Guinness and Smithwick’s Ale
■ Guinness and Newcastle Brown Ale
■ Guinness and champagne
Whichever way you decide to raise a glass this holiday or any day, know there is more than a little history in each pint. “It’s been written about, sung about and talked about for over 250 years,” said Baal.
Sláinte!
Guinness