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when did guinness stop being guinness

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  • 27-11-2012 11:34pm
    #1
    tony300+
    Registered Users Posts: 87 ✭✭


    i have been a guinness drinker for 25 years. latley it just tastes like cold-black-water to me. i remember when it used to be creamy,bodied and you could nearly take a bite out of it. now i find it just tastes like cold ???????????????? everywhere. can some body please tell me what happened.:(


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    #2
    Black Swan
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,223 CMod ✭✭✭✭Black Swan


    Across the pond we get Guinness from different brewery sites. Personally, I like the taste of St James Gate better than that brewed at New Brunswick, Canada. Then again, maybe I'm just missing Dub?


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    #3
    mobby
    Registered Users Posts: 1,138 ✭✭✭mobby


    tony300+ wrote: »
    i have been a guinness drinker for 25 years. latley it just tastes like cold-black-water to me. i remember when it used to be creamy,bodied and you could nearly take a bite out of it. now i find it just tastes like cold ???????????????? everywhere. can some body please tell me what happened.:(

    Your not drinking it in the right places :D


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    #4
    tony300+
    Registered Users Posts: 87 ✭✭tony300+


    mobby wrote: »
    Your not drinking it in the right places :D
    yes i am. its not the pub that changed but the stout


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    #5
    marozz
    Registered Users Posts: 222 ✭✭marozz


    I agree. It's vary hard to get a decent pint. At some stage they started selling
    Guinness extra cold - I reckon to try and attract a younger market. There used to be a choice - two different taps- but now most pubs just seem to sell the cold Guinness.


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    #6
    actuallylike
    Registered Users Posts: 1,450 ✭✭✭actuallylike


    Cold beers (ice cold) are generally a sign of a poor beer. Rocky Mountain cold just means you don't taste the muck that it is. I think Guinness started to lose it's quality when they introduced all the Extra Cold Promotions.


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    #7
    tony300+
    Registered Users Posts: 87 ✭✭tony300+


    marozz wrote: »
    I agree. It's vary hard to get a decent pint. At some stage they started selling
    Guinness extra cold - I reckon to try and attract a younger market. There used to be a choice - two different taps- but now most pubs just seem to sell the cold Guinness.
    agreed. ithink when they said they withdrew the extra cold crap-they didn't.
    i think they replaced the original product with it.
    THANKS DIAGIO:mad:


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    #8
    Technocentral
    Registered Users Posts: 6,101 ✭✭✭Technocentral


    The more popular and aimed at a mass market it is the more bland a beer becomes, on the other hand their Extra Stout and especially Foreign Extra Stout are the ones you should be drinking, they still have retained their flavours as they're aimed at the minority of drinkers who go for flavour over marketing. or if you find your place in a decent pub that has a proper selection go for O' Haras, Dungarvan or Trouble Brewing, much more flavoursome alternatives to the 'oul bland draught Guinness.


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    #9
    Pat Mustard
    Registered Users Posts: 9,554 ✭✭✭Pat Mustard


    marozz wrote: »
    At some stage they started selling
    Guinness extra cold.

    This.

    They took our Guinness away and left a cold changeling in its stead. And we smiled and slapped each other's backs and pretended that the cruel trick was not true.

    We were played for fools, gentlemen.


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    #10
    rcaz
    Registered Users Posts: 4,034 ✭✭✭rcaz


    Technocentral wrote: »
    O' Haras, Dungarvan or Trouble Brewing

    Or Galway Bay! Their Stormy Port is fantastic.

    Though O'Hara's Leann Folláin is my favourite beer going at the moment. Is it available on tap? I tried the whiskey cask version at the festival in the RDS but I'd like to try the normal stuff from a keg.

    Had a few bottles of Leann Folláin while watching Venetian Snares downstairs in Twisted Pepper. That was a night to remember.


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    #11
    Cavehill Red
    Registered Users Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭Cavehill Red


    Guinness is freezing cold, fish-slops containing muck masquerading as beer.
    Go drink a proper stout and quit torturing yourself. 25 years is far too long to drink crap beer.


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    #12
    Seaneh
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    marozz wrote: »
    I agree. It's vary hard to get a decent pint. At some stage they started selling
    Guinness extra cold - I reckon to try and attract a younger market. There used to be a choice - two different taps- but now most pubs just seem to sell the cold Guinness.

    Guinness Extra Cold is the exact same beer as normal Guinness, it's just, eh, colder. They didn't jig the recipe at all, they just installed a more powerful cooler.


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    #13
    Lovely Bloke
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,748 ✭✭✭✭Lovely Bloke


    Guinness hasn't changed.

    Get a pint bottle, off the shelf, or a Foreign Extra from a drink shop.

    Guinness is still a decent tipple, just not freezing cold with nitrogen pumped into it.


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    #14
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,373 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    TheNinthGate wrote: »
    Guinness hasn't changed.
    Is this just a guess or have you read statement from them to that effect?

    When I started drinking ~20 years ago you always heard about it being a "acquired taste" and many would baulk at it. I do believe it has got blander or something. I found it very surprising on arthurs day to see so many people drinking it. They had many other taps blocked off in the venues but there were alternatives I expected people to go for, esp. women. And none appeared not to like it when tasting it, a common sight when I was young.

    http://www.britishfoodinamerica.com/Our-First-Irish-Number/the-lyrical/A-note-on-Guinness-Foreign-Extra/#.ULYKX1L_LwE
    in 1981, Guinness changed its recipe for stout to make it lighter, weaker, ‘more drinkable’ and therefore less interesting in response to competition from unworthy lagers.

    http://beeradvocate.com/articles/662
    So when we heard that Fergal Murray, one of the company’s head brewmasters...

    Brewing Process
    Guinness Draft. Mysterious, ain't it?Murray explained that the recipe for Guinness has undergone only minor adjustments over the years.

    http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/beverages/beer/guinness_beer_brewing_industry.html
    There are many times when the original recipe of the Guinness beer has changed its composition. This change can occur for many reasons.


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    #15
    the beer revolu
    Registered Users Posts: 16,764 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    OP, maybe your tastes have changed?
    I used to love Guinness but now might enjoy one pint, after that it tastes very thin and nasty to me.

    Likewise when I was younger, I could sit down and drink a bottle of cheap red wine watching a video, without food. Now I rarely enjoy wine without food.

    Just a few years ago, I was adamant that any beer over 10% just didn't work; now I have no such prejudices - some I like, some not.

    I've also acquired a taste for cask ales - something I considered bland, flat and warm in the past.

    Our tastes change with experience but also as we age - maybe you've just outgrown Guinness and need to explore a little. It is a good time to explore beer.


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    #16
    Cavehill Red
    Registered Users Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭Cavehill Red


    rubadub wrote: »
    Is this just a guess or have you read statement from them to that effect?

    When I started drinking ~20 years ago you always heard about it being a "acquired taste" and many would baulk at it. I do believe it has got blander or something.

    I'm not allowed to go into too much detail about this, due to a non-disclosure agreement. But I can confirm that the taste profile of Guinness changed significantly in the past two decades in ways that some people would likely describe as 'blander.'


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    #17
    Herb Powell
    Registered Users Posts: 3,097 ✭✭✭Herb Powell


    I am far too young to say if Guinness has changed, but I enjoy bottled Guinness off the shelf a lot more than the draught nitro-tap Guinness


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    #18
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,834 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    Cavehill Red wrote: »
    I'm not allowed to go into too much detail about this, due to a non-disclosure agreement. But I can confirm that the taste profile of Guinness changed significantly in the past two decades in ways that some people would likely describe as 'blander.'
    in a parallel world, Erdinger did the same with weissbier in Germany which allowed it to crack the larger marker in the rest of Germany outside of Bavaria (80million population compared to 12million at home).
    Sure Erdinger now have an "Urtyp" original recipe Weissbier that is good for a compare and contrast as to HOW watery a beer can become over time!

    And Germanys favourite beer type pils actually is no longer the eyewateringly bitter earwax like delight torture that it originally was but especially in the last decade the breweries are falling over themselves to screw back the bitterness levels so much that it's now questionable as to whether what they are selling is Pils at all.

    Anyhow, all this tweaking of the flavours is simply to sell more beer and its far from just Guinness that is at it.


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    #19
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,295 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Seaneh wrote: »
    Guinness Extra Cold is the exact same beer as normal Guinness, it's just, eh, colder. They didn't jig the recipe at all, they just installed a more powerful cooler.
    The colder it is, the less you can taste it :pac:


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    #20
    pitythefool
    Registered Users Posts: 716 ✭✭✭pitythefool


    marozz wrote: »
    I agree. It's vary hard to get a decent pint. At some stage they started selling
    Guinness extra cold - I reckon to try and attract a younger market. There used to be a choice - two different taps- but now most pubs just seem to sell the cold Guinness.

    Extra cold in noe more, its just cold and if pubs want they can have a warme tap but that is up to themselves


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    #21
    pitythefool
    Registered Users Posts: 716 ✭✭✭pitythefool


    Seaneh wrote: »
    Guinness Extra Cold is the exact same beer as normal Guinness, it's just, eh, colder. They didn't jig the recipe at all, they just installed a more powerful cooler.

    More antifreeze?


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    #22
    Seaneh
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    the_syco wrote: »
    The colder it is, the less you can taste it :pac:

    it's nitro'd so it's already near impossible to taste it anyway, making it colder makes bugger all difference at that stage.


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    #23
    schemingbohemia
    Registered Users Posts: 5,606 ✭✭✭schemingbohemia


    Black Swan wrote: »
    Across the pond we get Guinness from different brewery sites. Personally, I like the taste of St James Gate better than that brewed at New Brunswick, Canada. Then again, maybe I'm just missing Dub?

    I was fairly sure that all Guinness is now brewed in St James Gate, they stopped brewing abroad a couple of years ago, no?


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    #24
    Seaneh
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    schemingbohemia wrote: »
    I was fairly sure that all Guinness is now brewed in St James Gate, they stopped brewing abroad a couple of years ago, no?

    no.
    Not at all.

    The biggest guinness brewery in the world is in nigeria, they also brew in Indonesia, Canada, and a handful of other countries.

    I think it might even be brewed in England.


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    #25
    pitythefool
    Registered Users Posts: 716 ✭✭✭pitythefool


    schemingbohemia wrote: »
    I was fairly sure that all Guinness is now brewed in St James Gate, they stopped brewing abroad a couple of years ago, no?

    The Guinness we drink is brewd here, abroad they get it from their nearest depot


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    #26
    sham69
    Registered Users Posts: 2,321 ✭✭✭sham69


    I have drank guinness constantly for the past 15 years.
    Before that I drank Heineken.
    I havent touched guinness in about 6 months, due to my stomach (have developed IBS and Guinness seems to set it off.)
    I did notice though in the last few months that I was drinking it that it was quite flat and very cold.
    This was in different pubs, I just wasn't enjoying it as much as I used to.
    Even my Dad who has been drinking it for over 50 years has changed to lager recently.
    Something has definitely happened in the past year or so...

    Like someone else said, as I get older I find myself trying different things.
    I am addicted to ale for the past couple of years.
    I try different ones from the tesco 5 for 10 euro range.
    I am not crazy about the Irish ones to be honest, some of them are ok.
    Galway Hooker is nice, don't like the o'hara's stuff at all.
    I like the anything from the wychwood brewery, hobgoblin, scarecrow and Marstons's pedigree to name but a few.
    I would never have been brave enough to try these in my teenage drinking years.

    I used to love a nice creamy pint of Guinness but that does seem to be hard to come by lately.
    I do remember when I worked as a barman that the pint was always a bit thinner in the winter due to the cold.
    You always got a better pint in the summer IMHO.


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    #27
    youcancallmeal
    Registered Users Posts: 7,985 ✭✭✭youcancallmeal


    Seaneh wrote: »
    it's nitro'd so it's already near impossible to taste it anyway, making it colder makes bugger all difference at that stage.

    This! The introduction of extra cold Guinness was when it jumped the shark. They had a different nitrogen/CO2 mix and when they got rid of extra cold the normal Guinness seemed to retain this style, all I can taste when I drink Guinness now is the Nitrogen. There is a nasty chemical/metallic bang off it.

    I was in East Africa a few years ago and everyone was drinking Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, beautiful stuff. Seems very hard to get over here :(


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    #28
    BeerNut
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,783 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    Seaneh wrote: »
    I think it might even be brewed in England.
    No, Park Royal closed in 2008. Draught Guinness is brewed in high gravity form and while the stuff for the Irish market is diluted to drinking strength in the brewery, the Draught Guinness for the UK and US is shipped out to be diluted and kegged abroad.

    I'm not sure about Draught Guinness for other countries. The Canadian brewery/breweries (I've heard there's two) make Guinness Extra Stout -- the 6%ish ABV version as distinct from Irish Guinness ES. Guinness Nigeria, and I'd say most of the foreign breweries, doesn't brew the 4.2% ABV Draught Guinness.

    I would guess that if you're drinking a pint of Draught Guinness anywhere in the world, the chances are it has come from Dublin, albeit in high-gravity form.

    My beer blog | The Twitter | My other beer blog



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    #29
    BeerNut
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,783 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    youcancallmeal wrote: »
    I was in East Africa a few years ago and everyone was drinking Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, beautiful stuff. Seems very hard to get over here :(
    The Nigerian version can be got in some of the African shops, I'm told. Irish-brewed FES can be found in most any supermarket or off licence.

    My beer blog | The Twitter | My other beer blog



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    #30
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,834 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    youcancallmeal wrote: »
    This! The introduction of extra cold Guinness was when it jumped the shark. They had a different nitrogen/CO2 mix and when they got rid of extra cold the normal Guinness seemed to retain this style, all I can taste when I drink Guinness now is the Nitrogen. There is a nasty chemical/metallic bang off it.
    <snip>(
    slight tangent, do Irish pubs have different gasses for guinness and lager or do they just use the mixed gas for both rather than a separate line of pure CO2 for the lagers?

    Only asking as Irish draught lager to me always has a hateful metallic taste off it that I put down to the brewing methods.
    Is it the shaggin gas the whole time so that is wrong?..... EVERYWHERE!


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    #31
    pitythefool
    Registered Users Posts: 716 ✭✭✭pitythefool


    munchkin_utd wrote: »
    slight tangent, do Irish pubs have different gasses for guinness and lager or do they just use the mixed gas for both rather than a separate line of pure CO2 for the lagers?

    Only asking as Irish draught lager to me always has a hateful metallic taste off it that I put down to the brewing methods.
    Is it the shaggin gas the whole time so that is wrong?..... EVERYWHERE!

    Some pubs have a fifty for guinness and a 100 for lager

    Others have a one mid level gas with a nitrogen boost for certain gases


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