Still drink Guinness?

Well, it is, in both countries (guess what, it is the same). As we know on this site, and if you follow music, movies, restaurants or anything, that what is overwhelmingly popular is usually garbage. Yes, I know, that is a sweeping generalization, but to say everyone in Ireland likes Guinness is too.

 

You had to reach back 78 years to find wording in an American publication that "kind of" reflects the British terminolgy and distinctions. We went through this over a year ago in an exhaustive thread, and I'm not going to do it again. The general consensus at that time did not favor accepting and using British distinctions. I thought I could make a tongue-in-cheek joke about it that would be appreciated as such, without triggering a new attempt to prove the British usage correct. Let's keep it light.

 

I've been to Scotland many times and would never remotely consider drinking Guinness there. There are many pubs that serve excellent cask-conditioned ales and Scotland has plenty of breweries that make them. Ordering Guinness there makes no more sense than ordering it in Belgium or Germany. It's a complete waste of opportunity.

 

Definitely one of my go-to beers.

 

The slightly 'sour' taste is one if the defining characteristics of Guinness, practically the essence of it's flavor. They actually go to some effort to create that flavor in their stout.
If the sample you had in Scotland had an overpowering lactic sourness, it was probably a result of bad cellaring more than anything else.

 

The essence of Guinness' "flavor" is it's characteristic watery blandness. Bad cellering can be responsible for off flavors in a cask-conditioned real ale, but using that term in reference to Guinness is inappropriate. Guinness isn't remotely like cask ale. It comes in a sealed, pressurized, keg and the only way cellering would have any effect on it is if the temperature was at 90 - 100° for a lengthy period.

 

I never said it was like a cask ale. It's not. I guess the use of the term cellaring bothered you. My bad. In any case, it's obvious you're not a Guinness fan anyway so it's all moot.
I'll agree that the draught version of Guinness is thinner/lighter/blander than real Guinness, ie., Extra or Foreign Extra (by design, actually, since as is well known it is a totally different brew that only came along in the 1960s))...but a slight lactic tartness of Guinness has always been the main character that identifies all versions of Guinness. And they do go through some trouble to intentionally introduce that character to their stout.

What OneBeertoRTA referred to in his post (to which I was responding) was obviously a result of bad handling on some level (maybe dirty lines).

 

Dirty lines have nothing to do with cellering. The draught version of Guinness, not the bottled Extra or FES, IS the "real" version of Guinness to the vast majority of its drinkers worldwide. It's all they're aware of. My lack of respect for Guinness doesn't diminish the value of my opinion of it any more than you being a fan adds to the value of yours.

 

It holds a special place in my heart because it is the brew that got me into beer (it was just so different from all the Bud, Miller, Corona etc. I had tried). Nowadays though it's just a fallback if there is nothing else appealing on the menu. Plus when you're Irish you automatically have to drink it from time to time. Also I use extra stout in my chili.

 

Yes. And I enjoy it.

 

They don't actually go to any trouble any more to get the lactic sournes - they just use food grade lactic acid now.

 

Whenever I'd drink Guinness, I'd always get a watered down "salted pork" flavor profile that didn't sit right with me.
Haven't had it in probably 8 months or so now, and I'd honestly rather have a Budweiser.

 

Somehow that doesn't surprise me, but it does confirm that the sour twang is and has always been an elemental component of the flavor profile as @LuskusDelph was pointing out.

 

Guinness "promotional" brewmaster, Fergal Murray, denied there was any "lactic" flavor in the Guinness stouts in a very curious and strange AAB interview, The World's Most Secretive Brewery, done by beer writer Jeff Alworth:

 

There's definitely something going on there, even if they aren't adding lactic acid; and it's beyond that low pH twang as well (having homebrewed myself, I know all about achieving that quality, even when it's unintentional ). I have compared Guinness draught to Beamish and Murphy's in the past, and the 'sourness' really makes Guinness stick out like a sore thumb.

 

I was there to play golf and visit whiskey distilleries... and did try some good local brews along the way.

I've always preferred Guiness over BMC when im tired, over served and want to rehydrate so to speak. It was definitely more sour than in the states. I shared a pint with my Irish caddy after our round and he said Guiness in Scotland was no different than Ireland.

 

no terrible

 

Never drank it and still don't.

 

^^^ THIS ^^^ After reading a few replies, I was about to post the same thing. Foreign Extra is quite possibly the most under the radar beer on this site and freaking solid.

 

I still like Guiness, even though it has the consistency of water.