Guinness!

Hi,

This is my blog on my affinity for and to extoll the virtues of my favorite beer of all-time, Guinness Stout.



I spent six-months in London, England from 7/95 to 1/96 with Virtual World Entertainment. I was a franchise liaison there to help set up a cockpit-based virtual reality center in the world-famous Trocadero in the West end of London at Piccadilly Circus. It was 1/2 a block from the ultra-famous neon sign. I will blog about my many adventures in London at a later date but this is the starting point of my love for Guinness.

As I and the managing contact for Rank Amusements, Peter Finneran, hired and trained the staff for the new center, there was lots of downtime after 5pm. As we were building the insides of the lavish Edwardian lounge and bay areas, right around the corner from the Trocadero, an Irish pub was being built almost simultaneously called Waxy O'Connors. Officially, Waxy's, as we called it, is between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square with two separate entrance areas.



I met my friend, Clare, working for VWE and Rank Amusements. Clare is from Ireland, more specifically, Ennis in County Clare. She was hired on as a "tech" at Virtual World. We used to venture over to Waxy's after work. I had enjoyed Guinness in the states but it tasted nothing like what I encountered at Waxy's! From the very first pint, it always tasted so much better than what I had encountered in the US. Some say it is because of the nitrogen lines that they use to dispense it in the UK and some say that the export draught version is a different formula. In the US, most places don't spend the extra money for the nitrogen lines. They will just use the standard CO2 instead to save money. I am really unsure why it tastes better there in England, Ireland, and Scotland but it really does!

This is what I can tell you about Guinness that you may or may not have known:

1. It is NOT served warm as people often believe. It is pumped up from the cellar, a very cool cellar, through lines. The beer is cold, just not as cold as the crappy Bud that Americans seem to love so much right out of the fridge. In fact, Guinness can be served about 5-8 degrees celcius cooler than most other ales, according to Guinness

2. Guinness is not as heavy as people believe it to be. The head is very creamy and being a stout, is not clear like a lager to be sure. Alot of people have told me that they don't like Guinness because it makes them feel bloated. I don't have these same issues.

A comparative study that I saw on www.briansbelly.com showed:

12 oz. of Guinness is 125 calories and 9.8 grams of carbs
12 oz. of Budweiser is 150 calories and 11 grams of carbs
12 oz. of Heineken is 150 calories and 12.2 grams of carbs
12 oz. of Corona Extra is 148 calories and 14.4 grams of carbs
12 oz. of Sam Adams LIGHT is 126 calories and 10.9 grams of carbs (surprise!)

You can draw your own conclusions.

3. I have never encountered a beer that makes you happy like Guinness! The more pints I would drink, the happier I would get...strange but true! I call it to this day, my "happy beer"

4. The classic Black & Tan is Guinness and Bass Pale Ale. Many pubs will call a Guinness and Harp (Guinness' ale) a Half & Half instead of a Black & Tan. I prefer the classic with Bass Ale

5. One of the best parts of a Guinness is watching the cascade effect when you get your pint. It is a thing of beauty! Alot of true Irish pubs at the end of the pour, that takes a few minutes if done properly, will emblazen a small shamrock on the top of the head for effect

When my friend, Paul, and I visited Ireland a few years back, we visited St. James Gate when we were in Dublin. I call it the "Mecca of Beer". The tour was amazing and the free pint at the end was just the icing on the cake of a very memorable day. The building has a circular 360-degree glass observation view from the 7th floor where The Gravity Bar is located. It is cool to be able to see a huge part of Dublin while enjoying your pint! I will post a few pics from here as soon as I can track down my photos.

That's my perspective of Guinness. If you ever make it over to the UK for business or pleasure, hopefully you can enjoy a pint (or 12) as I have often done.

Take care,
K