Guinness is 250 Years Old … Brilliant!!
Guinness, the Irish beer is celebrating its 250th anniversary this week. The great Arthur Guinness stared brewing the Guinness ale in Leixlip in the year 1759. Guinness is a “Stout” beer (Stout and Porter are dark beers and are made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast). Although the beer looks heavy and it is also known as “meal in a glass” a pint of Guinness contains only about 198 calories (fewer calories than skimmed milk, orange juice and light beers).
I love beers (notice I used the word great to describe Arthur Guinness). I started drinking very young and had my share of beers as an engineering student. My favorite beers at that time used to be Kingfisher, Haywards 5000 and Kalyani. Drinking beer was an expensive habit and my monthly spending allowance would not last for more than a few weeks (in the 80’s a bottle of beer would coast about Rs.15). As a student I did hear a lot about Guinness but never got the opportunity to actually taste the beer (it was a very rare and expensive beer in India those days).
It all changed once I moved to the United States for my Master’s degree. Beer was and still continues to be cheaper than water in this country (you can buy a 24 pack of Budweiser bottles for about $18.00). Beers in cans are much cheaper. In most American cities there are a lot of Irish bars (Irish immigrants are one of the largest group of immigrants in the country). Some of these bars serve a lot of exotic Irish beers and Whisky (some of my favorite Irish whiskey’s are Jameson, Connemara, Bushmills and Tullamore Dew).
Anyone who drinks beer or has tried drinking beer knows that it is an acquired taste. Guinness is an acquired taste even for regular beer drinkers. But once you get hooked to it there is no going back. The other beers will taste just plain ordinary. Guinness is a slightly expensive beer. A pint would cost anywhere from $5 to $7. I also like to try Guinness together with other beers or Whiskey. Most Irish pubs have different names for these combinations. The local bar that I go to offers the Black & Tan (half Guinness and half Bass Ale … a must have!!) and the Car Bomb (half Guinness with a shot of Jamesons Whiskey and Baileys Irish Cream).
If you want to try Guinness, you should always try the draft version first (try the bottle or can later). You should also go to a bar that sells a lot of Guinness as freshness is very important. Observe the bartender pour your Guinness on the glass. All experienced bartenders will follow the same ritual when pouring the Guinness (two thirds of the beer should be poured at an angle. Then wait for a few minutes for the beer to settle and pour the remaining straight into the glass. The glass should be a 20 ounce tulip pint glass). All this talk about beer is making me thirsty … Guinness anyone …..
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Category: Cuisine & Travel