There is a lot of lore about Guinness being better if you drink it in Ireland. Let me tell you an old story: A number of years ago I was on a business trip with some co-workers in Sydney, Australia and we ended up visiting an Irish Pub for a few beers. My friend John is a lover of Guinness and so he ordered a pint. A bunch of Irish blokes were in the bar and they teased him about drinking Guinness. They ‘educated’ him with the refrain: “Guinness doesn’t travel well”. And it was obvious that they were believers since none of these Irish fellows were drinking Guinness. Now, back to today. Yesterday Nate Lanier (Tree House Brewing) conducted a blind side-by-side tasting of a can of Guinness that was ‘smuggled’ from Ireland with a can of Guinness that was purchased in Charlton, MA (Ted’s Package Store). Before you watch the below video, do you have a guess on which can he prefers? Within the video, Nate provides a number of caveats as regards freshness, how the beer(s) was stored, etc. When it comes to distributed beer these are considerations. I also think an important aspect of this particular tasting is that it is valuable to permit beers to open/warm up before making a final judgement. The first sips can provide an impression that is different from when drinking a beer later in the drinking experience. Also, do you have personal experience with drinking Guinness in Ireland? If so, what are your thoughts on this matter? Sláinte!
Never had it in Ireland, but he mentions a lactic acid "twang" in the US one. I feel like I get that sometimes, but not every time. Maybe about 1/2 the time. I don't really like that and to me it tastes like a blend of soured beer and gas station wine. Luckily it's only a background note, but it's unmistakable. It isn't enough to ruin the Guinness for me, but it takes the beer from being wonderful to so-so. I'd be curious to know if that flavor note is exclusive to certain versions or if it's a crapshoot worldwide.
I have only consumed a handful of Guinness Stout beers over my many years of beer drinking. The Irish Dry Stout style is not ‘my thing’. As regards the so called Guinness “twang” aspect, below is an extract of an article written by Jamil Zainasheff (a very knowledgeable and accomplished brewer): “Much has been made of Guinness sourness or Guinness “twang.” It is said that Guinness adds a portion of soured beer back to achieve that balance. To my palate, Beamish has as much “twang” as Guinness and reportedly they don’t add soured beer. I prefer to skip any sort of sour beer, sour wort, or acid malt addition. If you feel the beer you’re making needs something sour, you can experiment with those methods.” https://byo.com/article/style-profile/ So, maybe depending on how a given batch turns out the brewers decide to add some soured beer (or not)? Cheers!
Haven't been back in a while, but of course this was a conversation topic anytime I was over there. The consensus opinion among our group was that the Irish Guinness was better (softer mouthfeel, creamier, no "twang."), but who knows. You're over there soaking up the ambiance and culture, enjoying the pub vibe and atmosphere, and you're on vacation. So those could also easily be factors that played into everyone's conscious when deciding that the Irish Guinness was better. Many pubs would have two or three Guinness taphandles, and I was told it was not unusual to blow through several kegs a day (at more popular pubs). So invariably the Guinness we were all drinking was very fresh. So maybe that was a factor as well?
I will find out for myself next month! I’ve had Guinness in three different countries (Brazil, Canada, United States), and none of the opportunities have been equal to each other. My first Guinness was in Montréal before I turned 21, and tasted very strong to me at the time. Since then, Guinness tastes fine but not as intense as my first encounter.
Feels like a misleading video. They can check the country the beer was brewed in by reading the damn label. They can also determine the packaging date for age - at least for the US beer via the code... I don't know how (or if) the Irish cans are marked in that regard. And it's safe to assume that the officially imported beer will have suffered from the importation process more than the smuggled beer - but this is the case for every beer. I realize they mention this stuff, but then don't end the video (spoiler alert) by acting shocked and stating "the legend is real" to feed into the public's ideas about Guinness specifically. When someone claims that Guinness is better over there, they usually aren't saying this because they are thinking of handling issues. I was surprised to see them even do this test with two cans. Whenever I hear someone talk about Guinness being better over there, they are talking about draught Guinness not canned Guinness "Draught." (Although I assume the argument extends to that as well.) Except for "Guinness Extra Cold," draught Guinness is typically (?) served warmer than in the US. A draft pint will taste different for that alone - even with removing the variables of batch variation and handling/age issues.
RE: 'Draught Guinness' - The main reason is due to the ratios [CO2/N2], and equipment, which is shown at the - "The reason the Guinness is creamier than any other Guinness you’ve ever swallowed is partly because, while typically in England the ratio of carbon dioxide to nitrogen in the cylinder is 30 per cent to 70 per cent, and in Ireland it’s 20 per cent to 80 per cent — which is why your Dublin stout tends to taste better than your London stout — at The Devonshire, it’s 18 per cent to 82 per cent. That, it turns out, is an excellent ratio" --- [co2/n] Ratios: England: 30/70 Ireland: 20/80 The Devonshire: 18/82
I’ve never noticed a twang, so I can’t comment otherwise- perhaps I need to sample some to see if I can. I’m surprised that more comments don’t focus on the freshness aspect (like is done when discussing beers from Germany). I haven’t been back to Ireland since ‘93, but Guinness was fantastic in all the pubs my recent graduate self visited in Dublin. I always chalked that up to how close the brewery was and the sheer volume they went through.
Couldn't have been because you were 22, 3,700 miles from home in a strange and wonderfully different culture, surrounded by pubs just waiting for you to sample their wares, could it? (PS -- a sidecar of Redbreast really makes Guinness taste wonderful, too. )
Over 30 years ago, maybe due for a revisit? It has been discussed in this thread but there are potentially a number of 'confounding' things which can influence perceptions. Yes, fresh is better in this instance. But being on an enjoyable vacation and drinking a fresh beer in a charming Irish pub has its influences as well. Perhaps 'better' to not ask why when visiting Ireland? Cheers!
I’ve also always heard people referencing draught Guinness in a pub as being better in Ireland, but I’ve never heard that about cans. Also, up until 25 years ago, you could get bottle conditioned Guinness in Ireland and maybe the UK, but it was not available in the US. Many experts like Michael Jackson and Ron Pattinson say that bottle conditioned Guinness was a really wonderful beverage, but I never had the opportunity to try it.
