Guinness and Blackcurrant, YEUCH!
A.M. Campbell
friends in Edinburgh. They claim that Guinness and blackcurrant is a
common drink over there. I tried it once as Guinness is my pint of
choice. It was utterly revolting! Please tell me it was a joke!
These Irish, what do they ken about Guinness! :o)
Murray
--
%*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*%
% "At Carlops the Allan Ramsay Hotel is a long standing Belhaven outlet %
% and new licencee, Louise Walker, is maintaining the tradition with %
% fine pints of Belhaven 80/- plus a guest beer." %
% -Pints of View April-June '93 %
%#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#%
` (amc...@cus.cam.ac.uk)
P.S. Alba gu brath!
Steve McKinty - SunConnect ICNC
> I've never been to Ireland (this summer I hope) but I have several Irish
> friends in Edinburgh. They claim that Guinness and blackcurrant is a
> common drink over there. I tried it once as Guinness is my pint of
> choice. It was utterly revolting! Please tell me it was a joke!
>
> These Irish, what do they ken about Guinness! :o)
Its not common, but it does exist. Has a revolting-looking pink head, I
didn't try it...
Guinness and Champagne (Black Velvet) turns up occasionally as well. We tried
it on some French people, the reaction was interesting (they couldn't work
out which was more sacreligious, adulterating the Champagne or the Guinness).
Steve
--
Steve McKinty
Sun Microsystems ICNC
38240 Meylan, France
email: smck...@france.sun.com BIX: smckinty
Mark Riordan
>In article <1993May15....@infodev.cam.ac.uk>, amc...@cus.cam.ac.uk (A.M. Campbell) writes:
>> I've never been to Ireland (this summer I hope) but I have several Irish
>> friends in Edinburgh. They claim that Guinness and blackcurrant is a
>> common drink over there. I tried it once as Guinness is my pint of
>> choice. It was utterly revolting! Please tell me it was a joke!
>>
>> These Irish, what do they ken about Guinness! :o)
>
>Its not common, but it does exist. Has a revolting-looking pink head, I
>didn't try it...
It is not common but occasionally you see people add maybe a few
teaspoons of blackcurrant to a half of Guinness. Funny enough
you rarely see it added to pints. The practitioners of this base
ritual are not usually seasoned Guinness drinkers :-).
MARK
--
| rior...@cs.tcd.ie Mark Riordan, MIPS Project |
| Computer Science Dept. Trinity College |
| +353-(0)1-702 1335 Dublin 2, Ireland |
David Morning
How vile!!! Why on earth would anyone want to adulterate such a silky smooth,
creamy drink with sickly sweet blackcurrant???
It's like putting sugar on your porridge!!
Dave
--
Patrick Kearney
: Guinness and Champagne (Black Velvet) turns up occasionally as well. We tried
: it on some French people, the reaction was interesting (they couldn't work
: out which was more sacreligious, adulterating the Champagne or the Guinness).
I used to drink Guinness and rough cider in the 60's, usually at a boozer
in Goodge Street, London, called The One Tun, but also at The Golden Fleece,
Ilford, and The Swiss Cottage. At the Goodge Street pub, this concoction was
popularly called Black Smash, and could be ordered as such -- i.e. "Pint of
Smash please, squire." Not a bad drink, and one that possessed the dual
qualities of rendering one happily drunk rather quickly and keeping one
healthily regular.
Guinness and Blackcurrent, however, sounds a but unpleasant.
--
************************************** " 'Tis very warm weather when
Patrick "I'll drink to That" Kearney * one's in bed.' "
c/o Hewlett-Packard * Jonathan Swift
1400 Fountaingrove Parkway * Journal to Stella
Santa Rosa, CA 95403. * Oct. 26 1710
*
INTERNET: pa...@sr.hp.com *
TELNET: (707) 577-3460 *
**************************************
Alan McBride
Yeah, guinness and blackcurrent was fasionable and popular
for a while in the late 80's among younger, usually female
people. A guinness drinker would usually balk at the idea,
but it seems to appeal to those who find guinness too
bitter or flat. It became a bit of a "scanger's" drink
over time. ie: ordered by underage types who ordinarilly
wear shell-suits but get tarted up at weekends for a
few hours of spastic gyrating around handbags, punctuated
by group trips to the bog, etc.
Actually, I reckon guinness missed a hot marketing opportunity
with that one. Forget guinness lite. Promote guinness and
blackcurrent with appropriate yuppie sophisto imagery,
perhaps with a name such as "purple velvet" or the like.
That could have opened up a whole new market for the drink.
But it might compromise the traditional market.
----------------------------------------------
e-mail: amcb...@axion.bt.co.uk (Alan McBride)
Phone: +44 473 646077 Fax: +44 473 640279
Mail: mlb 5 51, bt labs, ip5 7re, uk
------------------------------------
Karin Roisin Bryan
|> --
|> Actually, I reckon guinness missed a hot marketing opportunity
|> with that one. Forget guinness lite. Promote guinness and
|> blackcurrent with appropriate yuppie sophisto imagery,
|> perhaps with a name such as "purple velvet" or the like.
|> That could have opened up a whole new market for the drink.
|> But it might compromise the traditional market
|>
blu...@vax1.tcd.ie
How about being burned at the stake as a heretic ? Anybody who could even
suggest uch an abortion must be sick in the head !!!!! Begone, foul demon
Stephanie J Maclean
But you have to try Bloody Guinness !! Guinness and tomato juice
At least once in your life anyway!!!! :-)
Dan Kennedy
>--
>
>Yeah, guinness and blackcurrent was fasionable and popular
>for a while in the late 80's among younger, usually female
>people. A guinness drinker would usually balk at the idea,
>but it seems to appeal to those who find guinness too
>bitter or flat. It became a bit of a "scanger's" drink
>over time. ie: ordered by underage types who ordinarilly
>wear shell-suits but get tarted up at weekends for a
>few hours of spastic gyrating around handbags, punctuated
>by group trips to the bog, etc.
I had a mix of lager and blackcurrant in England when I was there, and
it tasted quite good. Sweet, but still a bit o' punch to it. (Actually,
it may been an Ale, dunno, drank alot while I was there - had to taste
the local stuff and all).
But I have to agree with "a guinness drinker". I've found that Guiness
is best alone (and spelled correctly, but I can't be bothered!)
I also had Guinness from a bottle here in Canada, and IT SUCKED (BIG
LARGE DRAG ON THE GROUND PURPLE CAMEL PHALLUSES), if you get my drift?
The draft version in some pubs here is quite good, but I think the best
one I had was in Edinburgh when I was up there.
Which makes me wonder....where do people think the best Guinness can be
found. (Apparently, the best Guinness "experience" is at the Brewery in
Dublin (?), but is it also the best, thickest pull?)
Dan
--
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
la-la la-la la-la la-la...of course this world is dangerous
all of the animals are capably murderous....JA
Peter Cassidy
|>
|> In article <1993May20...@vax1.tcd.ie>, blu...@vax1.tcd.ie writes:
|> |> In article <C7AEu...@cs.dal.ca>, kbr...@cs.dal.ca (Karin Roisin Bryan) writes:
|> |> > In article <1tdjam$j...@zaphod.axion.bt.co.uk>, amcb...@axion.bt.co.uk (Alan McBride) writes:
|> |>
|> |>
|>
|> But you have to try Bloody Guinness !! Guinness and tomato juice
|>
|> At least once in your life anyway!!!! :-)
This one's really gross - Guinness and Milk !!
Pete
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| Peter Cassidy - Motorola BV Ireland - Test Systems Engineering |
| - pet...@dub-tse.comm.mot.com cassidy...@email.mot.com |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
| The views expressed here are mine and not necessarily | 'nuff said! |
| those of Motorola BV. So there !! | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Cassidy
|> In article <1tdjam$j...@zaphod.axion.bt.co.uk> AMcB...@axion.bt.co.uk writes:
|> >--
|> >
|>
|> found. (Apparently, the best Guinness "experience" is at the Brewery in
|> Dublin (?), but is it also the best, thickest pull?)
|>
|> Dan
|> --
I dunno. For some wierd, unknown reason, Carlow Town guinness seems
to be stronger than any other county in Ireland, IMHO. Has anybody
else noticed similar effects ?
blu...@vax1.tcd.ie
>
No I bloody dont. Sicko Perv.
blu...@vax1.tcd.ie
> it tasted quite good. Sweet, but still a bit o' punch to it. (Actually,
> it may been an Ale, dunno, drank alot while I was there - had to taste
> the local stuff and all).
>
> But I have to agree with "a guinness drinker". I've found that Guiness
> is best alone (and spelled correctly, but I can't be bothered!)
>
> I also had Guinness from a bottle here in Canada, and IT SUCKED (BIG
> LARGE DRAG ON THE GROUND PURPLE CAMEL PHALLUSES), if you get my drift?
> The draft version in some pubs here is quite good, but I think the best
> one I had was in Edinburgh when I was up there.
>
> Which makes me wonder....where do people think the best Guinness can be
> found. (Apparently, the best Guinness "experience" is at the Brewery in
> Dublin (?), but is it also the best, thickest pull?)
IMHO
a) Harry Byrnes on the Malahide Road, Dublin
b) Mulligans of poolbeg Street
c) The Galloping Green in Stillorgan
d) The Fishermans Bar in Waterville Co Kerry
e) Anywhere that they slay and stuff people who ask for Guinness and cordials,
Guinness and camel piss or anything else except Tayto Pub Crisps
f) Johnny Foxes in Glencullen
Pat Murphy
DK> I also had Guinness from a bottle here in Canada, and IT SUCKED (BIG
DK> LARGE DRAG ON THE GROUND PURPLE CAMEL PHALLUSES), if you get my drift?
DK> The draft version in some pubs here is quite good, but I think the best
DK> one I had was in Edinburgh when I was up there.
If you can't get to a place where there is draft (draught? :-) Guinness,
the most reasonable alternative, IMHO, is to get the canned variety
where they have the special insert. Tastes worlds better than the stuff
in bottles (which I never liked, here or back in Ireland). There was a
flurry of postings about the stuff here many months ago.
- Pat
--
==========================================================================
| Patrick P. Murphy, Ph.D. Scientific Programming Analyst |
| National Radio Astronomy Observatory Net: pmu...@nrao.edu |
| 520 Edgemont Road Phone: (804) 296-0372 |
| Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475 VoiceMail: (804) 980-5889 |
| "I don't believe in the no-win scenario" --- James T. Kirk |
==========================================================================
Peter Cassidy
|> In article <C7CoC...@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca>, djke...@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (Dan Kennedy) writes:
|> > In article <1tdjam$j...@zaphod.axion.bt.co.uk> AMcB...@axion.bt.co.uk writes:
|> > Which makes me wonder....where do people think the best Guinness can be
|> > found. (Apparently, the best Guinness "experience" is at the Brewery in
|> > Dublin (?), but is it also the best, thickest pull?)
|>
|>
|> IMHO
|> a) Harry Byrnes on the Malahide Road, Dublin
|> b) Mulligans of poolbeg Street
|> c) The Galloping Green in Stillorgan
|> d) The Fishermans Bar in Waterville Co Kerry
|> e) Anywhere that they slay and stuff people who ask for Guinness and cordials,
|> Guinness and camel piss or anything else except Tayto Pub Crisps
|> f) Johnny Foxes in Glencullen
|> >
|> > Dan
IMHO :
Lawlor's (of the Plough)
Tullow Street,
Carlow.
- a real no-compromise pint-and-whiskey-only pub, with the best pint
of Guinness I've ever had !
Gilsenan's (The Slither !),
Drumree,
Co. Meath.
- spit-on-the-sawdust type pub. 1970's prices ! Don't go looking for
the jacks though, it's not a pretty sight !! Let's the Guinness stand
for more than ten seconds before handing it over.
Pete (the only thing that goes with a pint of Guinness is another !)
Dowling
A friend of mine years ago chased every Pint of Guinness with.....wait for it...."Pernod and blackcurrant". Oooooooo..
Stomach churning stuff.
David Dowling.
Dowling
|> > found. (Apparently, the best Guinness "experience" is at the Brewery in
|> > Dublin (?), but is it also the best, thickest pull?)
|>
|>
|> IMHO
|> a) Harry Byrnes on the Malahide Road, Dublin
|> b) Mulligans of poolbeg Street
|> c) The Galloping Green in Stillorgan
|> d) The Fishermans Bar in Waterville Co Kerry
|> e) Anywhere that they slay and stuff people who ask for Guinness and cordials,
|> Guinness and camel piss or anything else except Tayto Pub Crisps
|> f) Johnny Foxes in Glencullen
|> >
|> > Dan
|> > --
|> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|> > la-la la-la la-la la-la...of course this world is dangerous
|> > all of the animals are capably murderous....JA
IMHO... "The Square Bar", Portlaoise. OK I'm a little biased, my aunt owns it, but its a small real drinkers kind of pub, and the Guinness is great.
Dublin Pubs tend to serve a better standard Guinness and quite a lot of 'em could be mentioned, but nearly every town will have a least one Pub, if not more, that serves really good Guinness. Same trend with Smithwicks Ale which I was weaned on, the Kilkenny region (where the Brewery is) tends to have really good pints in nearly all pubs, (avoid nightclubs and theme bars), where Dublin and other regions tend to lack consistency IMHO.
Cheers!!!
David Dowling.
A.M. Campbell
aspect to this drink that I have to mention.
The night this concept was introduced to me by my Irish friend was my
twenty-second birthday. I expressed incredulity but, in deference to his
Irishness conceeded to have one bought for me. It was disgusting. I
expressed this feeling most strongly to him. Unfortunately he had shifted
into 'humour' mode and each time his round came along, there it was: A
pint of Guinness and blackcurrant just for me! [*]
The next morning I had one of the worst hangovers of my life to date. I'm
convinced it was punishment for having debased such a divine institution.
Either that or it was just the booze! :-)
Murray
[*] "Just say no!" I hear you cry! All I can say in my defence is that I
was a young fool and now know better.
Peter Cassidy
AAAArrgh... Bloooaaargh !!!!!!!
This has to be the worst yet !!
Peter Cassidy
|> In article <1993May22....@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com>, dow...@dub-tse.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Dowling) writes:
|> |>
|> |> A friend of mine years ago chased every Pint of Guinness with.....wait for it...."Pernod and blackcurrant". Oooooooo..
|> |>
|> |> Stomach churning stuff.
|> |>
|> |> David Dowling.
|>
|> AAAArrgh... Bloooaaargh !!!!!!!
|>
|> This has to be the worst yet !!
|>
|> Pete
|> --
I was in Dublin Airport over the week-end. In the restaurant, they
were offering ... wait for it !.... Guinness and Oyster soup.
AAAarrrrrrgh !!
rlwil...@gallua.gallaudet.edu
All these questions about where the best Guinness is served makes me wonder
why it's not the same in every pub... Or are we talking about ambience
here? also, can anyone tell me how it's made and how it differs from a
lager?
(Don't know much about Guinness but I know what I like.)
skip
Pat Murphy
rlwil...@gallua.gallaudet.edu writes:
RLW> All these questions about where the best Guinness is served makes
RLW> me wonder why it's not the same in every pub... Or are we talking
RLW> about ambience here?
Ambience *might* have something to do with one's enjoyment, but the
primary factor is the technique of drawing the pint from the tap. It's
definitely an art... :-) There can be a *huge* variation in the type of
pint you get. I've had superb pints --- Mulligan's comes to mind ---
and totally rotten ones that aren't fit for a rat. No doubt the
pressure of the gas has something to do with it too.
RLW> also, can anyone tell me how it's made and how it differs from a
RLW> lager?
I'll defer on this to the real experts...
Steve McKinty - SunConnect ICNC
> In article <1993May24...@gallua.gallaudet.edu>,
> and totally rotten ones that aren't fit for a rat. No doubt the
> pressure of the gas has something to do with it too.
>
The gas type is also important. I believe Guinness should be delivered
with nitrogen, but some pubs, through laziness and/or ignorance, use the
same CO2 that they do for the other beers, and so loose the creaminess.
Steve
Steve McKinty - SunConnect ICNC
> lager?
>
> (Don't know much about Guinness)
Can I nominate this for s.c.c understatement of the month...
Steve
PS At least he can spell it
Alan McBride
Peter Cassidy writes:
|> dow...@dub-tse.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Dowling) writes:
|> |> A friend of mine years ago chased every Pint of Guinness with
|> .....wait for it...."Pernod and blackcurrant". Oooooooo..
|> |> Stomach churning stuff.
|>
|> AAAArrgh... Bloooaaargh !!!!!!!
|> This has to be the worst yet !!
...nah, my worst foolish excess was to follow guinness with
creme de menthe (very green and very minty). Tasted just
as good on the way back up.
Alan McBride
smck...@sunicnc.France.Sun.COM (Steve McKinty - SunConnect ICNC) writes:
|> pmu...@nrao.edu (Pat Murphy) writes:
|> >
|> > and totally rotten ones that aren't fit for a rat. No doubt the
|> > pressure of the gas has something to do with it too.
|>
|> The gas type is also important. I believe Guinness should be delivered
|> with nitrogen, but some pubs, through laziness and/or ignorance, use the
|> same CO2 that they do for the other beers, and so loose the creaminess.
I've always suspected that the variance in flavour
across pints served in different pubs has something
to do with how long beer has been sitting in the pipes
between barrel and tap. A true guinness pub would
have enough turnover to ensure that you always got
a pint of fresh, whereas if you're the first to
order a guinness in say, an hour, then you'll get
a dash of stale in your pint. Cleanliness of
tap and tubes probably counts too.
Is this crap, or could that be part of the story?
Michael Helm
#>I've always suspected that the variance in flavour
#>across pints served in different pubs has something
#>to do with .... Cleanliness of tap and tubes probably counts too.
#>Is this crap, or could that be part of the story?
I sincerely hope that their standards of cleanliness & plumbing
are such that we don't have to worry about what else mite
be in those tubes.
--
Peter Cassidy
|> ...nah, my worst foolish excess was to follow guinness with
|> creme de menthe (very green and very minty). Tasted just
|> as good on the way back up.
|> ----------------------------------------------
|> e-mail: amcb...@axion.bt.co.uk (Alan McBride)
Sounds just like one of those awful Patrick's Day pints they were
serving up in Dublin this year! Green lager (or was it ale ???)
Ulick Stafford
>mi...@inti.lbl.gov (Michael Helm) writes:
>
>I would wager that the varied taste is mainly a function of which
>brewery the Guinness was made and how many kegs the bar turns turns over
>per unit time. Also, the skill of the barmen to pour a proper pint also
>plays a role.
Aren't myths marvellous. I hear so many, usually emanated as fact by Irish
people. Believe it or not, it is impossible to affect the taste or head of
a pint of Guinness by pulling since Guinness developed the present small
nozzle tap. People who say that the skill of pulling effects the taste
are referring to the old taps that have not been seen (in Ireland anyway) for
over 10 years (I guess). It also makes absolutely no difference if the pint
is pulled straight or allowed to rest before being topped up. However, the
former practice may lead to a bishop, which is something up with which people
who prefer to drink beer to froth will not put, if there is no opportunity
to scrape off the excess. But, of course, taste is a very dull sense and
many of the contributors to flaovour are other senses, such as the smell,
feel, and appearence, and if one if convinced that the way a pint is pulled
affects the taste, to that person it will.
However, since taste is largely subjective, conmmsiderations are largely
individual opinions. Like all perishable products storgage affects beer
and the usual explanation of a genuinly bad pint is poor storage. Unfortuately,
this is a vicious circle, i.e. if Guinness isn't selling because it's bad, it
wil sit in the lines ot open keg getting worse.
The biggest myth is that Guinness is strong. Draught Guinness in Ireland is
a session beer that is 3.8% a/v. Even the bottled Extra Stout, that many Irish
consider too strong in taste, is only 4.3% vs 4.6-4.8% for regular American
beers. The Draught Guinness is really a light beer. The only
strong Guinness is Foreign Style, that is produced in the West Indies and
Africa.
_____________________________________________________________________________
'There was a master come unto the earth, | Ulick Stafford, PP-ASEL
born in the holy land of Indiana, | Dept of Chemical Engineering,
in the mystical hills east of Fort Wayne'.| Notre Dame, IN 46556
B'fhearr liom bheith ag eitilt. | ul...@darwin.cc.nd.edu
Shawn Kenny
>--
I would wager that the varied taste is mainly a function of which
brewery the Guinness was made and how many kegs the bar turns turns over
per unit time. Also, the skill of the barmen to pour a proper pint also
plays a role.
--
"Life is full of surprises, but never when you need one."
- Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson.
ske...@pico.engr.mun.ca St. John's, NF Canada
Kyle Wohlmut
How about anybody following this thread, crosspost to alt.beer as
well? I think a lot of the alt.beerheads would probably be interested
in some of this (also why I quoted Ulick's whole article-- sorry,
soc.culture.celticers).
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
/
/''' Kyle Wohlmut - 'Heute back ich, morgen brau ich, und
c-OO / uebermorgen hol ich mir der Koenigin ihr
\ (Actual size) - Kind. Ach, wie gut dass niemand weiss,
- <=- / dass ich ky...@csli.stanford.EDU heiss.'
-
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Paul Birrell
California and went to a "British" pub for St. Patrick's Day. I was
served a pint of (I think it was supposed to be Guinness) Guinness with no
head in a plastic cup. BLOODY BLASPHEMY!! Do you think I drank it?...Nae
Chance.
Paul--
______________________________________________________________________________
Ignorance is curable...it takes but an open mind and libraries, and maybe
a few pints of Guinnes, the nectar of the gods.
______________________________________________________________________________
Eamonn Gormley
ul...@davinci.helios.nd.edu writes:
>In article <skenny.7...@femto.engr.mun.ca> ske...@pico.engr.mun.ca
(Shawn
>Kenny) writes:
>>mi...@inti.lbl.gov (Michael Helm) writes:
>>
>>I would wager that the varied taste is mainly a function of which
>>brewery the Guinness was made and how many kegs the bar turns turns over
>>per unit time. Also, the skill of the barmen to pour a proper pint also
>>plays a role.
Ulick Stafford, ul...@davinci.helios.nd.edu writes:
>Aren't myths marvellous. I hear so many, usually emanated as fact by
Irish
>people. Believe it or not, it is impossible to affect the taste or head
of
>a pint of Guinness by pulling since Guinness developed the present small
>nozzle tap. People who say that the skill of pulling effects the taste
>are referring to the old taps that have not been seen (in Ireland
anyway) for
>over 10 years (I guess).
I think Michael may have a point regarding which brewery produces the
Guinness. The blessed Arthur in NZ is now brewed in Christchurch, and
even though they use the new taps, and pour lots of pints under
supposedly correct conditions (??), I can assure you that it tastes
different from in Ireland. It has long been said that the unique taste of
Guinness in Ireland is due to the Liffey water. Whether this is a myth
or not, I don't know, although there is enough truth in it to explain
why they don't use the water from beyond Butt bridge :-) Can you imagine
what it would taste like ????
I agree with you, that any barperson (is this PC?) nowadays who claims
that they have skills in pulling perfect pints, is only pulling your leg.
Elsewhere, you mention about the strength of Guiness. In France, the
draught Guiness is much stronger than at home, and as far as I know it is
brewed in Ireland. Somebody told me it was something to with laws which
required beers to be of the same strength. I have no idea if this is
true or not
>Aren't myths marvellous.
Wouldn't life be boring if they werent
*******************************************
*Eamonn Gormley, E-mail, E.P.G...@massey.ac.nz *
*******************************************
Peter Cassidy
It has long been said that the unique taste of
|> Guinness in Ireland is due to the Liffey water. Whether this is a myth
|> or not, I don't know, although there is enough truth in it to explain
|> why they don't use the water from beyond Butt bridge :-) Can you imagine
|> what it would taste like ????
I've heard people say this again and again, that Guinness is made from
Liffey water. Like you said, one look at the Liffey will refute this !!
(complete with shopping trolleys, traffic cones and dead fish !!)
It is true, however, that for many years, Guinness had a separate water
supply from the rest of Dublin City. This came from the river Poddle.
|> >Aren't myths marvellous.
|> Wouldn't life be boring if they werent
You bet !
|> *******************************************
|> *Eamonn Gormley, E-mail, E.P.G...@massey.ac.nz *
|> *******************************************
Pete
Kees Huyser
#[...]
#Elsewhere, you mention about the strength of Guiness. In France, the
#draught Guiness is much stronger than at home, and as far as I know it is
#brewed in Ireland.
The last time I checked the Guinness here in Amsterdam, Holland, (last night:-)
the strength of the Draught Guinness was 5.5 % per volume. This is Guinness
brewed in Dublin, brought by tanker to France and put in kegs there.
It is served with a 40/60 mix of CO2 and Nitrogen.
The barstaff in my local (Mulligans on Amstel 100) always do a double pour:
first fill the glass 3/4 with a forward pull (adds gas) and then top up
after the brown has gone black with a backward pull (adds more gas).
This gives a nice frothy head, and tastes wonderful.
Independent sources (i.e. my friends and I) have verified this to be the
best pint in Amsterdam. :-)
On another note; while visiting Scotland last year with a professional (Irish)
Guinness drinker, we found the Guinness there to be exeptionally bad.
The locals (and we) changed over to Murphy's Stout (from Cork).
According to the locals, they used to get their Guinness from Dublin, until
the London Guinness brewery started to supply the Scottish pubs. This is
when the quality started to drop.
--kees
--
* Kees Huyser *
* internet: kee...@paramount.nikhefk.nikhef.nl AppleLink: HOL0397 *
* The National Institute for Nuclear Physics and High-Energy Physics, CSG/K *
* P.O.Box 4395, 1009 AJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands, phone:+31205922132 *
A.M. Campbell
While the standard of Guinness in Edinburgh pubs is usually okay a
friend of mine was recently incapacitated for three days after drinking
four pints of the stuff from The Vaults. If anywhere was to have dirty
pipes I would guess at there. He was violently ill and semi-paralysed!
Lucky bugger, I usually pay the best part of twenty quid to get into that
state. :-)
Another friend who was with him suffered similar symptoms. The only
common item they had consumed was Guinness.
Then again, you hardly need the excuse of dodgy Guinness to stay away
from that place anyway!
Murray
Niall O' Byrne
Just to clarify a few issues about Guiness and its particular taste at home
and abroad.
The water supply is indeed Liffey water but the supply is bled
off into a separate supply high up in the Mountains and very close to the
source. Guinesses have never taken the water supply from the Dublin Area
for reasons which are very obvious to anyone who as walked the quays up to
the brewery on a hot summers day.
Irish made Draught Guiness is available in French bars and it is
stronger than the home brew. The strength of all export Guiness is increased
to provide an element of preservation while the Blessed Brew is being
transported by sea. There are similar differences in Belgium where it is
possible to get Draught from Dublin and from Antwerp. Believe me, the
differences are very noticable.
A further factor in the different taste at home and abroad is the
presence of rats in the raw materials stores. Although the rats are no longer
there, at least that's what Guinesses claim for obvious reasons, there was
a time when they were treated like the Sacred Cows of India. The reason
being that something in their urine, which fell like golden rain onto the
hops barley and malt before the process began, altered the normal fermentation
process and produced a distinctive taste. This taste is not present in
overseas brewerys which are lacking in rats.
Guinesses say that the rats are no longer required because their
biochemists have managed at long last to duplicate the particular ingredient
in rats urine that produces this peculiar phenomonen.
Yours, in good faith,
Niall
--
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
#include<std.disclaimer>
Niall O'Byrne - Motorola B.V., IRELAND.
nia...@comm.mot.com
"The sun never sets on the British Empire because God
doesn't trust the Brits in the dark!"
me, paraphrasing J.Wilson and D.Spaeth.
Pat Murphy
ul...@davinci.helios.nd.edu (Ulick Stafford) writes:
(intermediate cite omitted for brevity)
SK> mi...@inti.lbl.gov (Michael Helm) writes:
MH> Also, the skill of the barmen to pour a proper pint also plays a
MH> role.
US> Believe it or not, it is impossible to affect the taste or head of a
US> pint of Guinness by pulling since Guinness developed the present
US> small nozzle tap. People who say that the skill of pulling effects
US> the taste are referring to the old taps that have not been seen (in
US> Ireland anyway) for over 10 years (I guess).
I don't know about Michael Helm, but the last time I had Guinness on tap
in Ireland was probably 1982 so yes, my previous post was based on the
era before these new taps.
US> The biggest myth is that Guinness is strong. Draught Guinness in
US> Ireland is a session beer that is 3.8% a/v. Even the bottled Extra
US> Stout, that many Irish consider too strong in taste, is only 4.3% vs
US> 4.6-4.8% for regular American beers. The Draught Guinness is really
US> a light beer.
Maybe light by alcohol content, but I doubt it by calories or
equivalent! I'm willing to be proven wrong, however...
M.Cassin
(Ulick Stafford) writes:
>In article <skenny.7...@femto.engr.mun.ca> ske...@pico.engr.mun.ca
(Shawn Kenny) writes:
>>mi...@inti.lbl.gov (Michael Helm) writes:
>>
>>I would wager that the varied taste is mainly a function of which
>>brewery the Guinness was made and how many kegs the bar turns turns
over
>>per unit time. Also, the skill of the barmen to pour a proper pint
also
>>plays a role.
>
My first bartending job was in Northern Ireland. I had never poured a
pint of Bud, let alone Guinness. The skill of the bartender IMHO has no
effect on taste. Presentation is another matter. A lousy bartender sure
can make a pint look bad.
Some publicans say that the length of the pipe (tube, whatever) from the
keg to the tap effects the taste. I haven't done any volume calculations,
but I suppose that in some pubs, a couple of pints are contained in the
pipe.
I imagine the pipes are air tight, etc, but I even my dulled palate
noticed a difference in taste between one pub and the next. It seemed to
me that the smaller the pub, the better the Guinness (could be
psychological, I guess).
One sure thing to beware of: Always make sure you can see the bartender
pouring. Some pubs catch spillage from pouring and try to use it up, a
little in each pint they sell.
Alastair Young
>
> In article <skenny.7...@femto.engr.mun.ca> ske...@pico.engr.mun.ca (Shawn Kenny) writes:
> >mi...@inti.lbl.gov (Michael Helm) writes:
> >
> >I would wager that the varied taste is mainly a function of which
> >brewery the Guinness was made and how many kegs the bar turns turns over
> >per unit time. Also, the skill of the barmen to pour a proper pint also
> >plays a role.
>
> Aren't myths marvellous. I hear so many, usually emanated as fact by Irish
> people. Believe it or not, it is impossible to affect the taste or head of
> a pint of Guinness by pulling since Guinness developed the present small
> nozzle tap. People who say that the skill of pulling effects the taste
Not true. Some places put the pint right under the tap, some on the
driptray underneath. The height of drop effects the aeriation. Likewise
pouring to the side of the glass rather than the middle. Then there is the
temperature of the cask, the effect of the cooler and whether the place has
modified the tap in some way to get quicker pouring. Then there is the
question of how clean the pipes are.
> The biggest myth is that Guinness is strong. Draught Guinness in Ireland is
> a session beer that is 3.8% a/v. Even the bottled Extra Stout, that many Irish
> consider too strong in taste, is only 4.3% vs 4.6-4.8% for regular American
^^^^^^^^
well you'd never know it by the effect you get.
Alastair Young _ Email: alas...@cadence.com
Cadence Design Systems )/___ _
555 River Oaks Parkway __/(___)####/c Wanted: 7.5:1 >= +030"
San Jose, CA 95134 / /\\|| \ / \ piston for NH
Phone: (408) 428-5278 \__/ ----'\__/ or any adaptable
Fax: (408) 894-3487 1956 Ariel NH lumpy 73mm piston
Ulick Stafford
>Guinness in Ireland is due to the Liffey water. Whether this is a myth
>or not, I don't know, although there is enough truth in it to explain
>why they don't use the water from beyond Butt bridge :-) Can you imagine
>what it would taste like ????
An excellent one! Guinness is produced with water from the Grand Canal.
They used to pipe it from locks 5 and 8 (I think), but now only take it
from the further out one.
Dowling
|> ul...@davinci.helios.nd.edu (Ulick Stafford) writes:
|>
|>
|> Maybe light by alcohol content, but I doubt it by calories or
|> equivalent! I'm willing to be proven wrong, however...
|>
Doesn't seem to be doing much for my figure tho'!
Also on the point of Guinness tasting different in other countries...I have been told that the reason for this is due to Pasteurising it. I have no idea if its true and its probably as much a myth as Niall O Byrnes Rats piss (really Niall)..the one thing I am sure of is that it does taste differently!..a little sweeter (in England anyway).
David Dowling.
Dowling
|> In article <1993May25....@news.nd.edu> ul...@davinci.helios.nd.edu
|> (Ulick Stafford) writes:
|> >In article <skenny.7...@femto.engr.mun.ca> ske...@pico.engr.mun.ca
|> (Shawn Kenny) writes:
|> >>mi...@inti.lbl.gov (Michael Helm) writes:
|> Some publicans say that the length of the pipe (tube, whatever) from the
|> keg to the tap effects the taste. I haven't done any volume calculations,
|> but I suppose that in some pubs, a couple of pints are contained in the
|> pipe.
This isn't a problem with a frequently used tap. The only requirement is to draw off the appropriate quantity at opening time next morning to get rid of the liquid stored in the tubes over night!
|> I imagine the pipes are air tight, etc, but I even my dulled palate
|> noticed a difference in taste between one pub and the next. It seemed to
|> me that the smaller the pub, the better the Guinness (could be
|> psychological, I guess).
|>
|> One sure thing to beware of: Always make sure you can see the bartender
|> pouring. Some pubs catch spillage from pouring and try to use it up, a
|> little in each pint they sell.
This practise is usually to store the slops (spillages) and return it to a barrel to then be returned to the Brewery as bad stock to get refunded. Any pub that dares top up Pints with slops is asking for an empty pub.
I'm not saying it doesn't happen...but mainly the slops gathering is to diddle the Brewery.
David Dowling.
Kyle Wohlmut
>Also on the point of Guinness tasting different in other countries...I have been told that the reason for this is due to Pasteurising it. I have no idea if its true and its probably as much a myth as Niall O Byrnes Rats piss (really Niall)..the one thing I am sure of is that it does taste differently!..a little sweeter (in England anyway).
>
The word from Arthur these days is that it's ALL pasteurized, even in
Dublin now, because 'the public can't tell/doesn't care about the
difference.' So that's not really a factor in the different taste.
Sinead
in article <1993May25....@news.nd.edu> ul...@davinci.helios.nd.edu (Ulick Stafford) writes :
> The biggest myth is that Guinness is strong. Draught Guinness in Ireland is
> a session beer that is 3.8% a/v. Even the bottled Extra Stout, that many Irish
> consider too strong in taste, is only 4.3% vs 4.6-4.8% for regular American
> beers. The Draught Guinness is really a light beer. The only
> strong Guinness is Foreign Style, that is produced in the West Indies and
> Africa.
.. the strongest Guinness i've tasted was in malaysia. they have their
own brewery and the stuff they produce is 8%. it's mostly the chinese
population that drink it and they claim (as most do) that it has medicinal
qualities.................. oh, and it tastes mankey !!!
_
sinead.