It's not just me having a go at Guinness...

BeerNut

The inappropriately-named Oz and James Drink To Britain is covering Ireland in tonight's show (8pm, BBC2). There's an outside chance a couple of regulars from this Board may be making a brief appearance.

For Guinness fans they'll be having a look round St James's Gate. For non-Guinness fans they'll be having a go at how Diageo have steadfastly eroded the quality of their product in the interests of mass-market appeal and bigger profits. Win-win, really.

Mr Magnolia

Must set a reminder to watch this, cheers for the heads-up.

BeerNut wrote: »

There's an outside chance a couple of regulars from this Board may be making a brief appearance.

Let us know if they do get a glimpse.

MattKane

I think Guinness has lost its character for the sake of appealing to all those who wouldn't normally drink scout. That's why I stick to Beamish. From what I've been told, it's the way Guinness used to taste.

JJ

Scout? Is that some new time of beer?

I was watching that show a week or two ago. It was quite good and made me kinda thirsty. I think I'll record it on the 'ol DVR.

oblivious

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Let us know if they do get a glimpse.

Identities must remain secret

Mr Magnolia

LOL, I could probably take a guess at which of ye regulars it'll be.

BeerNut

MattKane wrote: »

That's why I stick to Beamish. From what I've been told, it's the way Guinness used to taste.

Guinness Foreign Extra is probably the closest thing to how Guinness tasted a century ago.

I've never really understood the whole "How Guinness used to taste" thing. Like any commercial beer made for long enough, Guinness stout has varied a lot over the last century or so. It was 6.9% ABV in 1896, down at 5.5% in 1928, went as low as 3.86% in 1946, peaked again at 5.2% in 1951 and seems to have settled around 4.2% some time in the 1970s, probably after they stopped making porter, which was always the weaker version of their stout.

As Ron says here, in 1950 the attenuation of Guinness suddenly changed from 74% to 84% which would have altered the taste far more than any gravity variant. And of course no stout on nitro is going to taste anything like a non-nitro contemporary or variant.

"How it used to taste" is a very strange and subjective notion, and definitely shouldn't be used to imply it was better. Beer during the World Wars looks to have been particularly awful, in general.

JJ

If Guinness Foreign Extra is what Guiness used to taste like, I'm glad it tastes like what it tastes like now.

Hande hoche!

Thanks for the heads up that show is usually entertaining.

Mr Magnolia

Big congrats to the winner at the end of the show!

ceebee1981

Does anyone know where I can get the coffee beer they tasted?

JIZZLORD

it'd more than likely be unavailable as it was prob brewed in the garage

pzurdo

MattKane wrote: »

I think Guinness has lost its character for the sake of appealing to all those who wouldn't normally drink scout.

I agree with this. I'm drinking Guinness for over twenty years and recently have concluded two things, one obvious, and the other somewhat subjective:
-Guinness is served way too cold;
-Guinness increasingly tastes like the draft cans.

Another recent even more subjective thing is the "phantom" good pint - the pint that starts off tasting like a good pint, then a third of the way down rapidly declines to being almost undrinkable.

Personally I'd prefer widely available ales, but the Irish beer drinker's conservatism frustrates this and unfortunately the reliable pint of stout is in rapid decline to the point that I rarely venture to the pub, and enjoy, courtesy of Sainsburys, a vast array of interestingly good beer.

BeerNut

ceebee1981 wrote: »

Does anyone know where I can get the coffee beer they tasted?

From a (fairly) regular contributor to this board. Only under the table, of course, for excise compliance reasons.

If you want to make it yourself the recipe is here.

Ham'nd'egger

I watched the show last night and I had to giggle at how the danced around the big stout brand yet they didn't give the "next best" brews any mention:D They gave the merits of other small brewers and beers enough mention to do all the micros some good without having to endorsing any one brew over another; Carlow excepted. I doubt if the Porterhouse/Messers et all will have supply issues from the show anytime soon but no harm to them it either

Mr Magnolia

ceebee1981 wrote: »

Does anyone know where I can get the coffee beer they tasted?

I'm very interested in that particular brew myself. Going to have a read of the recipe, cheers BeerNut.

oblivious

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

I'm very interested in that particular brew myself. Going to have a read of the recipe, cheers BeerNut.

Have a go, you be surprised on how fast you can pick it up

If you are interested here is a podcast on Brewing with coffeeBrewing with coffee also a Video blog

Mr Magnolia

Great stuff, thanks for the links oblivious.

BeerNut

Hamndegger wrote: »

I watched the show last night and I had to giggle at how the danced around the big stout brand yet they didn't give the "next best" brews any mention:D

They really toned down the slagging Oz was giving Guinness, and they cut out the rant from the Bull & Castle manager which I was really looking forward to seeing.

Hamndegger wrote: »

They gave the merits of other small brewers and beers enough mention to do all the micros some good without having to endorsing any one brew over another; Carlow excepted.

It's a real shame they didn't concentrate more on the other commercial microbreweries instead of presenting a bunch of home-brewers (and pretend home-brewers ) as "the future of Irish beer".

kenmc

JIZZLORD wrote: »

it'd more than likely be unavailable as it was prob brewed in the garage

Naw - don't have a garage Back yard and kitchen

Mr Magnolia

kenmc wrote: »

Naw - don't have a garage Back yard and kitchen

Well congrats on an a very interesting brew. Got me thinking tbh, I've been looking around this morning and interest is growing rapidly. I certainly wouldn't start off with a coffee beer but it's something for a coffee fan like myself would want to try.

Also, if you're ever looking for very fresh coffee and ideas about the best form of extraction for another brew just give me a shout (same goes for anyone)

kenmc

Good stuff, likewise any questions feel free to holler at any of us. It's a great hobby to have - keeps you out of the pub !

r3nu4l

Saw the show and couldn't believe it when I saw Liam Hanlon as the brewer for O'Haras. I know him from NUIM. When I was doing my PhD at NUIM, I used to help run undergrad laboratories, so no doubt the knowledge I passed onto him makes O'Haras what it is today :pac:

/takes all the credit

Great show but I did feel that there should have been more emphasis on how a 'different' taste can be a 'better' taste.

BeerNut

Yeah, there should have been a lot of emphasis on a lot of things, but that's telly for you: laughing at a satnav is more entertaining.

Ham'nd'egger

BeerNut wrote: »

They really toned down the slagging Oz was giving Guinness, and they cut out the rant from the Bull & Castle manager which I was really looking forward to seeing.

And I am sure that he would not have been the only one to have ranted given the air time Maybe it will "find" it's way onto Youtube at some stage in the future.

BeerNut wrote: »

It's a real shame they didn't concentrate more on the other commercial microbreweries instead of presenting a bunch of home-brewers (and pretend home-brewers ) as "the future of Irish beer".

That is true but God knows how long they would have needed to visit all the sites and then to try and give each brewhouse decent air time It certainly has done the micro brewers more good than harm so something positive should come out of it provided people know there is other stouts they can ask for. It's up to us to look harder now as punters which sadly is the hard part.

BeerNut

Hamndegger wrote: »

That is true but God knows how long they would have needed to visit all the sites and then to try and give each brewhouse decent air time

True. But even a run through some of the beers themselves might have been cool. But I hate armchair television producers and I'm not going to be one...

Hamndegger wrote: »

It certainly has done the micro brewers more good than harm so something positive should come out of it provided people know there is other stouts they can ask for.

Particularly foreigners, for whom this country may as well be called "Diageo Presents: The Republic of Ireland".

Hamndegger wrote: »

It's up to us to look harder now as punters which sadly is the hard part.

One good place to start
And another

CL32

I'm just glad it was James May who was spewing out the stereotypes of Irishmen and their beer, and how Irish or un-Irish Oz actually is. If it was Jeremy Clarkson I would have switched off straight away. There was nothing of any interest or value in this programme, apart from how to hold your elbow when drinking Guinness. Craft brewers were given 45 seconds to talk about / promote their beers in a style that mocked pop idol.

We created whiskey (still open to debate of course) and excelled in every innovation of beers/ales etc and this was the best they could do. I'm hoping for NatGeo or Discovery to wheel out a crusty old dean and make something worth watching.

BeerNut

CL32 wrote: »

Craft brewers were given 45 seconds to talk about / promote their beers

15 seconds. Though it's not like any of us was promoting a commercial product. And 2/3 of the prizewinners were faking having ever brewed anything

CL32 wrote: »

excelled in every innovation of beers/ales etc

I can't think of a single positive Irish innovation in beer making. Can you give me an example of what you mean?