Guinness

:See also Guinness Book of Records.

Composition

Guinness stout is made from four natural ingredients - Water, Barley, Hops and Yeast. The barley is roasted to give Guinness its dark colour and characteristic taste.http://www.diageo.com/en-row/OurBrands/OurGlobalBrands/Guinness/ Despite the "meal in a glass" reputation the beverage has among some non-Guinness drinkers, Guinness only contains 198 calories (838 kilojoules) per imperial pint (1460 kJ/l), less than an equal-sized serving of skimmed milk or orange juice.

Related Topics:
Stout - Water - Barley - Hops - Yeast - Calories - Kilojoules - Pint - L - Skimmed milk - Orange juice

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Draught Guinness and its canned namesake contain nitrogen (N2) as well as carbon dioxide (CO2). Unlike CO2, N2 does not dissolve in water, which allows the beer to be put under high pressure without making it fizzy. The high pressure is required to force the draught beer through fine holes in a plate in the tap, which causes the characteristic "surge" (the widget in cans and bottles achieves the same effect). The perceived smoothness of draught Guinness is due to the low acidity and the creaminess of the head caused by the surging. "Original Extra Stout" tastes quite different—it contains only CO2, making a more acidic taste.

Related Topics:
Nitrogen - Carbon dioxide - Widget

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Pouring and serving

Draught Guinness is considered at its best flavour when served cool, although not necessarily cold; many consider the ideal serving temperature of Guinness to be as high as 55° F (13 °C), although this is disputed. Others consider the desired temperature for serving Guinness is between 6°C and 8°C, which is much warmer than many other beers (usually between 3°C and 5°C). It should be poured slowly at a 45° angle; about three quarters are poured, and left to settle, before the rest is added. The tap handle should be pushed forward, rather than pulled, when the beer is topped off. This creates the characteristic creamy head that lasts until the last sip. Recent advertising campaigns state that "it takes 119.5 seconds to pour the perfect pint" of Guinness. The perfect pint should have a head just proud of the rim of the glass, and no overspill. While this method of pouring (slow) is done in Ireland & the UK, many American bars seem to ignore the requisite 'slow pour'.

Related Topics:
Second - Ireland & the UK

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In addition to the slow pour, many people believe that it is a tradition in Ireland for the bar person to etch a drawing in the head by moving the glass as the last few seconds of beer are poured, leaving a visible line-drawing in the beer. This is not a common occurrence in Ireland under normal circumstances, although most good bartenders will draw a design if requested. Frequent attempts are made by many bartenders to draw the shamrock or the harp logo of the Guinness company. Any line-drawing can be made this way.

Related Topics:
Ireland - Head - Shamrock - Harp

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Another myth is that Guinness is brewed using water from the River Liffey, which flows through Dublin close to St James's Gate; it actually comes from the Wicklow Mountains, specifically, Lady's Well.

Related Topics:
River Liffey - Wicklow Mountains - Lady's Well

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Sinking bubbles

A long time subject of bar conversations has been the observation that gas bubbles travel downwards in a pint glass of Guinness. http://www.chem.ed.ac.uk/guinness/ http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/19/1079199418340.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3516100.stm

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The effect is attributed to drag; bubbles which touch the walls of a glass are slowed in their upwards travel. Bubbles in the centre of the glass are, however, free to rise to the surface, and form a rising column of bubbles. This creates a vortex, which causes the bubbles near the edge of the glass to be sucked downwards by the base of the column, and pushed downwards by the column's head. http://www.chem.ed.ac.uk/guinness/why.html Although the effect occurs in any liquid, it is particularly noticeable in Guinness, as the drink combines dark-coloured liquid and light-coloured bubbles.

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