The best pint of Guinness in Dublin/Ireland

thebullkf · 03-03-2011 10:38pm

BeerNut wrote: »

Macardles?

Apologies,i always get them mixed up.

you are of course, correct;)

SBWife · 04-03-2011 2:56pm

Guerin's in Castleconnell, Co. Limerick has a perfect pint.

04-03-2011 4:30pm

Best pint of Guinness i've had in Dublin without a shadow of a doubt is Mulligans in Poolbeg street. It was always my favourite Guinness spot quality wise, and after a long time off the black stuff i recently went back on and it was just as good as it had ever been. Toners in Baggot street or Ben Brogans next door to the Olympia theatre in Dame street are also top quality pints of stout. All are small traditional establishments, and all pride themselves on their pint.

In my experience, generally the smaller the bar the better the pint. Ideally you want to be drinking from a keg that's as close to the actual tap as possible. Under the bar itself is best, or as close as possible to it in a cellar below if not. The longer the hose is, the longer your pint will be sitting in it waiting to be pulled. That's why the Guinness in super pubs always tastes like muck. Because of the sheer size of the places, the kegs are often miles away from the taps.

mikep · 05-03-2011 1:42pm

Best pints I've had:
Monks Thurles
Skehans Thurles
Mulligans Dublin
JJ Bowles Limerick
The place beside the beach in Derrynane, kerry (name escpaes me)

Of those the last one stands out....perhaps it was the sail from west cork that had enhanced the enjoyment of the pints...

Oh yeah one more the pub in Rerrin on Bere Island!

obried26 · 06-03-2011 12:40pm

Mc Gruders bar, right next door to St.James' Gate. The kegs literally roll out the gate and into the bar! The kegs are kept right below the taps as well, so the line from keg to tap is only about 1m long.

I used to work in the brewery and all the workers would go there for a pint after work. Great place.

Technocentral · 06-03-2011 8:41pm

I think its a myth this "best draft pint" malarky with Guinness, I had it in James Gate, Doyles on D'olier Street and The Mercantile, Dame St. in the space of a week once and it tasted the same in all three to me, people try and attach a mythical quality to what is after all only a mass produced, fairly decent beer with a hugely expensive ad campaign behind it encouraging the belief that it is somehow special, a beer is either good or not the rest is clap trap imo. Personally I like Galway Hooker, I've had it in Against The Grain, Whelans and a pizza place in Rathmines and it had the same great taste in all three, I think people are factoring company and pub atmosphere into the mix if anything.

pappyodaniel · 06-03-2011 8:48pm

Shoot the Crows in Sligo.

g5fd6ow0hseima · 06-03-2011 9:04pm

Technocentral wrote: »

people try and attach a mythical quality to what is after all only a mass produced, fairly decent beer with a hugely expensive ad campaign behind it encouraging the belief that it is somehow special, a beer is either good or not the rest is clap trap imo.

So true! Most people who go on about guinness wouldnt touch any other type of stout or ale etc.. The nicest stout ive ever had was a pint of Beamish - yet the Guinness crew readily dismiss it as cheap ****.

+1 on the Galway hooker. It's brewed in Roscommon Town and not one pub has it on tap, nor does anyone in the town even know it exists. Sad!

mayto · 06-03-2011 9:48pm

Misael Unimportant Raider wrote: »

+1 on the Galway hooker. It's brewed in Roscommon Town and not one pub has it on tap, nor does anyone in the town even know it exists. Sad!

You can get Galway Hooker in JJ Harlows pub in Roscommon, can also get it in Gleeson's Townhouse and Jackson's restaurant in the town.

Bigcheeze · 06-03-2011 9:49pm

obried26 wrote: »

Mc Gruders bar, right next door to St.James' Gate. The kegs literally roll out the gate and into the bar! The kegs are kept right below the taps as well, so the line from keg to tap is only about 1m long.

I used to work in the brewery and all the workers would go there for a pint after work. Great place.

It closed two years ago.

Pretty sure the kegs didn't literally roll out the gate either

yabadabado · 06-03-2011 10:02pm

Misael Unimportant Raider wrote: »

+1 on the Galway hooker. It's brewed in Roscommon Town and not one pub has it on tap, nor does anyone in the town even know it exists. Sad!

lol.well researched.

Technocentral · 06-03-2011 11:45pm

See below

Technocentral · 06-03-2011 11:49pm

Misael Unimportant Raider wrote: »

So true! Most people who go on about guinness wouldnt touch any other type of stout or ale etc.. The nicest stout ive ever had was a pint of Beamish - yet the Guinness crew readily dismiss it as cheap ****.

+1 on the Galway hooker. It's brewed in Roscommon Town and not one pub has it on tap, nor does anyone in the town even know it exists. Sad!

You should try O' Haras Leann Follain too, its the nicest Irish stout I ever tasted, have only tried it in bottles so far as I haven't come across it on draft, its also Irish owned unlike Beamish (Heineken owned)

g5fd6ow0hseima · 07-03-2011 1:54am

mayto wrote: »

You can get Galway Hooker in JJ Harlows pub in Roscommon, can also get it in Gleeson's Townhouse and Jackson's restaurant in the town.

I forgot about Harlows. But you cant really count Gleesons or Jacksons they're not pubs.

the beer revolu · 07-03-2011 9:35am

Misael Unimportant Raider wrote: »

I forgot about Harlows. But you cant really count Gleesons or Jacksons they're not pubs.

Well, one of them is a hotel bar.

EASYNEWS · 07-03-2011 11:11pm

Played golf in Wexford Golf Club recently & found the nicest pint of Guinness I ever had.

Bigcheeze · 07-03-2011 11:39pm

EASYNEWS wrote: »

Played golf in Wexford Golf Club recently & found the nicest pint of Guinness I ever had.

Probably more to do with the fact you'd just carried a bag of sticks for 5 miles than the the quality of the product.

frankiemccann · 09-03-2011 6:09pm

Best Guinness I've ever tasted has been O'Connell's in Galway.

Could anyone give me their TOP 5???

Could be a good one coming up to Patrick's day!

frankiemccann · 09-03-2011 6:21pm

Matt Molloys - Westport
Johnny McHales - Castlebar
O'Connells - Galway
Kehoe's - Grafton Street, Dublin
Tigh Ui Saorsaigh - Ballyferriter, Kerry
Taffes - Galway
Mulligans - Poolbeg Street
Fisherman's Inn - Ballybrittas, Laois
Mullaney's - Robertstown, Kildare
Brady's - Dunboyne, Meath
Connolly's - Sligo Town
O'Connors - Salthill, Galway
Mick Byrne's - Castlebar

the beer revolu · 09-03-2011 10:23pm

I can't help feeling that this thread is a bit like asking 'where in Ireland is the best Big Mac?' !

Both Guinness and Big Macs are mass produced and mass marketed.
Both are carefully engineered to be consistent in ever outlet.
Both cater for a wide demographic.
And both probably vary slightly from outlet to outlet depending on factors such as freshness, storage and serving.
And possibly the ambience is far better in some Mc D's than others!;)

One difference, though.....anyone can find out the ingredients in a Big Mac pretty easily.

So, where is the best Big Mac in Ireland??

Fuzzy Clam · 12-03-2011 2:22am

I've been in many of the pubs mentioned here as having great Guinness and the storage is different in many of them.
Some have simple cellars. Some, not many, are under counter, and most these days have proper cold rooms. So the belief that under counter is best is simply not true. Guinness have strict Q control to ensure the pint is the same.

I think theres a mindset that a "sawdust on the floor" type of pub serves a better pint. Many of these older pubs have exactly the same setup as the bigger pubs. New cold rooms with snakes going 40 or 50 feet to the taps.

A pint "always" tastes better in front of a roaring fire in a small pub than in a "superpub":)

dublincelt · 12-03-2011 11:20pm

Havent read any post above, mainly because there is no need. The BEST Pint of Guinness to be had anywhere is from here; (close thread!)

BaZmO* · 13-03-2011 9:56pm

the beer revolu wrote: »

I can't help feeling that this thread is a bit like asking 'where in Ireland is the best Big Mac?' !

Amen!

I'd love to know how many of the people that believe in the Guinness marketing department's myth of the the best pint actually drink anything other than Guinness or the other big 4 or 5 that are found in every pub in Ireland.

When Guinness used to be my sole tipple of choice I always found that the perceived quality/enjoyment of the pint was always directly proportional to my fondess for the pub I was in.

BeerNut · 13-03-2011 11:10pm

BaZmO* wrote: »

the Guinness marketing department's myth of the the best pint

It's not their myth. Diageo really don't like the idea of customers thinking that Guinness might be better some places than others, hence the very visible quality control vans.

BaZmO* · 13-03-2011 11:11pm

Yeah good point. (pun intended!)

the beer revolu · 14-03-2011 12:44pm

dublincelt wrote: »

Havent read any post above, mainly because there is no need. The BEST Pint of Guinness to be had anywhere is from here; (close thread!)

Wow, I am impressed!
Over 9000 pubs in Ireland and you've sampled Guinness in all of them!

For some reason the mod's haven't closed the thread, though.

BenShermin · 14-03-2011 6:32pm

the beer revolu wrote: »

So, where is the best Big Mac in Ireland??

Hmm a few factors in play when deciding this, and you've touched on them yourself;). It's all down to freshness and serving

The best Big Mac in Ireland would be found in the busiest McDonald's in the country, this is becuase your BigMac will spend less time getting from the grill to your tray. At quieter times the BigMac will more than likely be left sitting in the warmer after it is cooked waiting for somebody to buy it. Thus it gets colder and more soggy.

It also comes down to the freshness of the bread and lettuce. On delivery days this will be at it's freshest and this makes for a crispier burger.

Finnally it depends on whether or not a spotty teenager has spat in it or not:D. Only messing, but I did get a matchstick in a pint of Guinness before, that was definitely my worst pint!!

Having worked in McDonald's a few years ago, the conditions dictate that the best BigMac is to be found in Kylemore Road on a Saturday afternoon, since it's delivery day and the busiest afternoon of the week for that store. But don't take my word for it....:p

Sure McDonald's have quality standards, but no matter how good they are the quality of each meal can differ. Same goes for the fries, a freshly cooked roasting hot bag is much better than a soggy one that has been left sitting for even just two minutes. I can only assume it's simular for Guinness Draught.

The Guinness drinkers on here may be surprised at me, but I think the best pint is to be found in Blooms Pub on Irish Ferries Ulysses ferry. The barmen on board seem to know how to pour a pint properly with a proper head on it even in the roughest of seas when no other ferry dare make the voyage from Dublin to Holyhead.

On land I don't drink Guinness draught any more since I've gotten into craft beers over the past few years. In my dying days as a Guinness draught drinker though I noticed that barmen even in noble Guinness establishments mentioned in this thread just poured sloppy pints with head over the side for ever inflating prices.

For me presentation is part of the drinking experience and it has gone to ****e in Dublin imo. Compare it with most barman in Belgium who would not dream of serving a sloppy glass of beer, even if the beer is only a bog standard Stella or Jupiler. It says a lot when more often then not that Belgian barman will be having a few beers him or herself over most of the night.

Simon Adebisi · 18-03-2011 2:27pm

Best pint of Guinness in Limerick is in Fennessy's near punches cross. Mouthwatering and on a par with Mulligans in Dublin.

-Corkie- · 20-03-2011 7:14pm

If you travel from Mallow to Killarney you will come to a sharp left hand bend about half ways on the journey. Its called Clonbannin cross, their is a car sales there also but the small pub beside the garage has savage Guinness..

Big Nasty · 22-03-2011 9:21pm

the beer revolu wrote: »

I can't help feeling that this thread is a bit like asking 'where in Ireland is the best Big Mac?' !

Both Guinness and Big Macs are mass produced and mass marketed.
Both are carefully engineered to be consistent in ever outlet.
Both cater for a wide demographic.
And both probably vary slightly from outlet to outlet depending on factors such as freshness, storage and serving.
And possibly the ambience is far better in some Mc D's than others!;)

One difference, though.....anyone can find out the ingredients in a Big Mac pretty easily.

So, where is the best Big Mac in Ireland??

Sorry,

But you're completely wrong here. There are many different factors involved.

Up until about 25 years ago GUINNESS used to maintain there own beer lines, then they stopped and made it the responsibility of each outlet. Like any large brand they need consistency so re-introduced the policy of maintaining their own beer lines about 10 years back.

Around this time they also brought in some other rebate incentives to try and ensure consistency in every outlet and this also contributed to a better pint in general to include stock rotation, storage temps, etc.

These days the product reaches the tap in pretty much identical condition nationwide however you left one thing out - the vessel that it is served in. You take a fresh pint glass out of a box and pull a pint in any pub and it should be almost identical. However glassware deteriorates after a while due to harsh detergent products and this effects pint quality.

Next, and this is the biggie, is food. The vast majority of pubs these days have to serve food to survive and there are many pubs with food / drink turnover ratio in the region of 70:30. Food = Grease. You go into a pub, order a big greasy burger and chips, steak and mash, fish and chips, bangers and mash, whatever - you're hands are going to get greasy. Even if you're only drinking water or a soft drink, not a pint - you're still gonna leave grease on the glass. Then you have (kills me to see it) pubs serving milk in a pint glass! Dairy products or grease of any discription should never, ever see the inside or outside of a pint glass, or in fact any glass! Grease is the enemy of beer, especially GUINNESS!

So take a busy lunch or dinner time, all those greasy glasses hit the glasswasher together and the hot water removes some, not all, of the grease. The washer continues spitting the now greasy water on the non infected glasses leaving the whole lot of them with greasy residue. Ever get a pint with residue all over the glass (i.e. bubles sticking to side of glass)? You know it's gonna be muck before you even taste it!

And that, my friend, is why a 'spit and sawdust' pub that doesn't serve food tends to have a better pint then most other pubs!

The best pint of Guinness in Dublin/Ireland

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