You've Probably Been Pouring Guinness Beer The Wrong Way Your Whole Life
Guinness is consumed all over the world. But it wasn't until Business Insider took a tour of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Ireland, that we realized we'd been drinking and pouring the "milkshake of beers" all wrong.
Mark McGovern, head of media relations for Guinness Storehouse and its parent company Diageo, gave us a tour of the place where millions of pints of Guinness are brewed each year.
According to McGovern, Guinness is lighter than other beers. One pint of Guinness has fewer than 200 calories. There's also a proper form you need to take when sipping the Irish beer, as well as a six-step process you need to follow to pour the drink correctly.
Here's how to drink and pour a Guinness like the Irish.
To drink a Guinness perfectly, there are two things you need to remember, says McGovern.
1. Hold your arm with your elbow out so your forearm is horizontal with the glass.
2. Take a gulp big enough to break through the foam and get a taste of the beer below. This will ensure your first taste of Guinness isn't too bitter. Also, Guinness in Dublin tastes a little bit sweeter than it does in other parts of the world.
To pour a Guinness perfectly, do the following six things:
1. Grab a Guinness-branded glass. Unlike other pint glasses, the Guinness glass is curved to properly display the half-inch of white foam that gathers at the top of the drink. If you're pouring a Guinness Foreign Extra, which has a higher concentration of alcohol, then you need a different, smaller Guinness glass.
Here's the glass for the Guinness:
Here's the glass to use if you're pouring a Guinness Foreign Export:
2. Hold the glass under the tap at a 45 degree angle. Point the beer spout at the harp on the glass. Do NOT put the spout directly on the glass, otherwise it will create unnecessary foam.
3. Pull the beer tap handle all the way down and fill the glass three-quarters of the way. Straighten the glass slightly as you pour.
4. Set the glass down. Let the beer settle for a minute or two.
5. Pick up the glass and pour the remaining bit of beer by tilting the beer tap away from you. Do not let the head of the beer overflow at all, and never skim the top of it off.
6. Hand the beer to the customer, or drink and enjoy. If you happen to be at the Guinness Storehouse, there's a bar on the 7th floor called Gravity which has 360 degree views of Dublin.
Disclosure: Enterprise Ireland kindly sponsored Business Insider's trip to Dublin to cover Web Summit and F.ounders.