Guinness In Ireland...

[peetie44]

Actually I was warned by a bartender in Dublin that the Guinness at the top of the tower tasted more bitter than at any of the pubs. He was right. The pint I had after I toured the brewery was one of the worst I've ever had. Perhaps it is supposed to taste that bitter and so maybe the one I had was "better" but it sure tasted worse to me and it was ironic that the guy who had poured me one the night before told me it would taste better at his bar than up there.

And people can believe what they like, but facts are that Heineken tastes way better where it is made (especially on tap) than it does here. The reason is simple. Green glass only filter out less than half of the light which can and does spoil the beer. Drinking imported beer out of a clear or green bottle is just asking for spoiled beer.

I can attest to this from first-hand experience. Tap and bottled Heineken (as long as the bottle version hasn't been "skunked" by too much light, which I've found to be rare over here) both taste good in Holland -- especially the on-tap variety.

[Resident Asshole]

I can attest to this from first-hand experience. Tap and bottled Heineken (as long as the bottle version hasn't been "skunked" by too much light, which I've found to be rare over here) both taste good in Holland -- especially the on-tap variety.

Yeah, I'm sure it's way more rare over there. Heckuva lot more time for it to skunk travelling overseas. Maybe they should just do what the Europeans did and fortify the beer to keep it from going bad, lol. I love IPAs!

[beerkegbilly]

Guinness is the best wherever I had it in Spain it was awesome and had it in Ireland it was even better it most be
cause of it being in Ireland or junk or it is fresher or some shit like that I don't know but it was better then the state or even Spain

[BBoozer]

Guiness and Heineken are the best when already drunk. Fuck it , everything is good when I'm drunk.

[peetie44]

I drink a lot of my Guinness from the pub-draft cans. The trick is to not drink it ice-cold, right out of the fridge as you would an American beer. My best results with the pub-draft cans comes from taking the usually too-cold can out of the refrigerator beforehand and letting it approach (but not reach) room temperature. Then, I pop the top, pour it and let it sit for another 5mins or so.

It obviously not a proper Irish/English-pub-pulled pint but it tastes pretty good nonetheless -- especially chasing a nice single malt.

[Jiggers McCoy]

Reminds me of when I went to a wine tasting, the sommelier contended people drink their reds too warm and their whites too cold. His solution was the "10 minute theory."

Store reds at room temp, but put into the fridge for 10 minutes before drinking.
Store whites in the fridge, but let them sit at room temp for 10 minutes before drinking.

In the interim I guess we're supposed to drink whiskey (I assume).

[Mr Boozificator]

Reminds me of when I went to a wine tasting, the sommelier contended people drink their reds too warm and their whites too cold. His solution was the "10 minute theory."
Store reds at room temp, but put into the fridge for 10 minutes before drinking.
Store whites in the fridge, but let them sit at room temp for 10 minutes before drinking.

In the interim I guess we're supposed to drink whiskey (I assume).

That man deserves the whip and will never be allowed around MY wine.

[Jiggers McCoy]

What do you recommend, Boozy?

[Mr Boozificator]

Well, if you can, just keep your wine in a room (preferably cellar=no light) where the temperature remains constantly between 16 and 19 degrees celsius. If it's a hot day you're going to drink it on, uncork them in advance in the cellar and bring them to the room where you are going to drink them only half an hour or so in advance.
The main flaw in what this sommelier recommended is that the older a red is and the more probably will it break (separation of alcohol from flavors) if going through thermal shock: a twelve years old wine will be lucky to resist any going to the fridge and then back to room temp in the span of an hour. Who wants to ruin his 1998 Margaux, seriously?
For the whites, it clearly depends on the kind of white you are having: some will develop the best of their aroma spectrum just a few degrees under room temp, like Chablis and Graves for example, and some will effectively be more enjoyable served around 10 or 12 degrees, like Alsace's pinot noir for example or Entre Deux Mers.
Now, all this is my opinion and the taste in wine is mainly subjective.
I'd still give that guy the whip just for fun (and for wanting to break my Margaux).

[peetie44]

Well, if you can, just keep your wine in a room (preferably cellar=no light) where the temperature remains constantly between 16 and 19 degrees celsius. If it's a hot day you're going to drink it on, uncork them in advance in the cellar and bring them to the room where you are going to drink them only half an hour or so in advance.
The main flaw in what this sommelier recommended is that the older a red is and the more probably will it break (separation of alcohol from flavors) if going through thermal shock: a twelve years old wine will be lucky to resist any going to the fridge and then back to room temp in the span of an hour. Who wants to ruin his 1998 Margaux, seriously?
For the whites, it clearly depends on the kind of white you are having: some will develop the best of their aroma spectrum just a few degrees under room temp, like Chablis and Graves for example, and some will effectively be more enjoyable served around 10 or 12 degrees, like Alsace's pinot noir for example or Entre Deux Mers.
Now, all this is my opinion and the taste in wine is mainly subjective.
I'd still give that guy the whip just for fun (and for wanting to break my Margaux).

El B...

You should start a wine thread (like ivan's bourbon thread) when you get home to France. Sharing your knowledge of wine would be greatly appreciated by all.

[John Barleycorn]

Coincidence?

It is also worth noting that on this day, there is always one trump card that never fails to gain respect and acclaim. When you are sitting at an Irish bar and someone orders a round of Guinness, you must take a single sip and while the other white people are savoring their drink, you say: “mmmm, I know it sounds cliche, but it really is true. Guinness just tastes better in Ireland.”

This comment will elicit an immediate and powerful response of people agreeing with your valuable insight. This statement also has the additional benefit of humiliating the members of your party who have not been to Ireland (and thus cannot confirm this proclamation). Having not traveled to Ireland and consumed a beer that is widely available in their hometown and throughout the world, they will immediately be perceived as provincial, uncultured, and inferior to you.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/03 ... ricks-day/

[Mr. Viking]

Beer in general tastes better in Ireland (I will exclude a lot of Northern Ireland from this sweeping statement*). I find any beer I choose when I cross the border is that bit crisper and sweeter. This is supposedly because bars sell a lot more beer than in most other countries which makes sense as the beer therefore spends less time sitting in a half empty keg going stale. Also, Irish people, can tend to be quite pernickety, almost to the point of superstition, so if the beer tastes different to yesterday, will do a lot of complaining. Therefore most pubs are very careful about keeping clean taps and lines, free of stale beer, the result being a fresh pint most places, most of the time. There are obviously exceptions.

* Northern Ireland is excluded because for historic reasons, a lot of pubs simply don't have the same volume of day to day trade. There is a large population who do not feel comfortable going to pubs, and another, very large population who will do almost all of their drinking in bars at sports grounds. This means that they drink in that bar only at the weekend, when it is open. Sports grounds generally use bar takings to fund the sports, so are loathe to throw out beer, and kegs will only be changed when they are empty. This means that there is irregular cleaning, and beer often is often served quite stale. There is also a notable tendency in Northern Ireland to drink bottled beer.

[Judge]

...You should start a wine thread (like ivan's bourbon thread) when you get home to France. Sharing your knowledge of wine would be greatly appreciated by all.

And include a conversion chart for metric/imperial ... I live in the USA for christ's sake, we have never had a reason to learn worldly things like metrics. I was supposed to be done in 1975 ( I was told as a kid in school) but for some reason it never happened.

[Palinka (RIP)]

And include a conversion chart for metric/imperial...

Here you go, Judge.

[Mr. Viking]

And include a conversion chart for metric/imperial ... I live in the USA for christ's sake, we have never had a reason to learn worldly things like metrics. I was supposed to be done in 1975 ( I was told as a kid in school) but for some reason it never happened.

In the US the imperial units are defined in terms of the metric system, which amuses me.