The Bowsing Ken

Guinness & Company :
      Guinness Draught

  Without a doubt, Guinness Stout is the most recognizable Irish beer served in North American pubs. It is the benchmark by which all others are compared. To me, it is one of my standard, go-to, beers. I am never without it in the garage pub. I remember some 35 years ago, when I had to search dozens of package stores just to find a dusty four-pac of Guinness. It is what I had to do. Now, I can find it almost anywhere, and I celebrated the advent of the pub can. Plus, tons of North American pubs have Guinness on tap. Lovely! 

  Now, of course, Guinness is made, and shipped, all over the world, and as such there are certain variations from the original. Even the folks at Guinness note there are very small deviations from the home beer.  But, the variances are small, and barely worth noting. I have had the freshest Guinness right from the home brewery - St James's Gate - in Dublin, to a bar as far away as Tokyo, all the way to a steamy, sweaty bar in Lagos, Nigeria, and have found that the taste is consistent. Also, from a tap or from a pub can, the taste is quite in line with the original. (Note: According to the folks at Guinness, Nigeria is actually the third largest market for Guinness Stout (been there - drank that) - the US is fourth.) 

  Quick story: A buddy and I were drinking in a country pub in the small town of Brick End, in the UK. The place was empty so when a younger couple came in we took a casual notice. As we covertly observed, both ordered pints of Guinness. Both carefully examined the pints served by the landlord, taking small sips, raising the glasses to the light, and even sticking a thermometer into the beer, noting everything down on paper. There followed a conversation with the landlord, after which the couple left the pub. They had barely drank an ounce or two of their Guinness. Intrigued, we asked the landlord what was up. He replied that it was just a normal visit from the quality control folks from the local Guinness distributor. They simply wanted to make sure the pub was serving Guinness properly. Good to know if you are a Guinness fan. Also, if anybody has a line on how I can get that job, please let me know.

There is an old joke that says Guinness gets its water from the River Liffey, which runs through the middle of Dublin, since the St James's Gate brewery is located on the banks of the river. Not so. The water used to make Guinness at St James's Gate is actually from the Wicklow Mountains, several miles to the south of Dublin. This is a photo of the Powerscourt Waterfall, on the Dargle River, in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. Looks pretty pure to me.