Lovely Day for a Guinness

Unlike Joe, I have not always been much of a beer drinker. However, the first beer I could actually stand drinking oddly enough was Guinness, but my love for this stout beer really came when we traveled to Ireland for our honeymoon. There truly is nothing like a Guinness on draft in an Irish Pub in Dublin.

Touring the Guinness Storehouse is an adventure all in itself. It is a massive building consisting of multiple floors and bars, as well as pictures and old machinery showing the incredible history of this tasty beer.

One of our favorite bars was the Connoisseur Bar. This bar is “hidden” inside of the storehouse and the only way you can get in is by taking the connoisseur tour. During the tour you taste all of the different types of Guinness that are made for different parts of the world.

Did you know that the only place you can buy the American Lager is in fact in America? You can’t even drink it anywhere in Ireland (except in the Connoisseur Bar). The bartenders teach you the proper way to drink a Guinness. You have to drink under the foam, meaning every time you drink it for the first couple of gulps you end up with a foamy Guinness mustache! So for those of you who think Guinness has a bite, try it that way, trust me you will be able to taste the difference.

In the Storehouse we also learned the proper way to pour a pint of Guinness and were able to pour ourselves our own “perfect pint.” Did you know that to properly pour a Guinness it should take at least two minutes before it is ready to be served? It should be poured at an angle, rather than straight into the glass and then you have to wait for all of the nitrogen bubbles to rise to the top to create a perfect creamy white head.

Another interesting bar inside of the Guinness Storehouse is the Gravity Bar. It is located on the very top floor of the building and is surrounded by huge glass windows which allow you to look out over the city of Dublin. It is a very cool view to say the least.

Since returning from Ireland we have tried our hand at cooking with Guinness as well as drinking it. We have tried everything from stew to bread (which had to have had 5000 calories per slice) to brownies. I have decided that any way you have it, Guinness is delicious.

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up soon have yourself an authentic Irish Beer, you can’t beat Guinness. But remember to get that perfect Guinness taste, don’t drink it out of a bottle or a can pour it into a glass, let the nitrogen rise to the top, drink it under the foam and get your perfect little ‘stache! Sláinte!