Guinness in Dublin City Centre

faffingaround

Which pubs are a must in the city for a Guinness?!

BeerNut

Nice pubs are the likes of The Stag's Head, The Palace and The Long Hall. Guinness tastes identical everywhere.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058368426/guinness-in-dublin-city-centre

They're all good.

If you're a tourist though I'd recommend the pubs listed above and other similar "old man pubs" like Mulligans, Grogans, Keoghs etc..

There's a good few old style pubs in Dublin.

mobby

Little bit out of town but Ryan's Parkgate st is one of my Favourite spots. As mentioned above Grogans, Mulligans, Keoghs plus ODonoghues Merrion row , and the Long Hall georges street also.

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122602034#Comment_122602034

Can't agree with it tasting identical everywhere as there's definitely bad pints to be had where the lines are not as clean and pint not as creamy.

irish_goat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122620710#Comment_122620710

Every Diageo line in Ireland is cleaned on a regular basis by the brewery. Every pub also gets the exact same kegs so one cannot serve it more "creamy" than another.

The Nal

Toners

O'Donoghue's

Bowes

Stags Head

Anseo

Mulligans

Cobblestone

Walshes

Slatterys (Rathmines & Capel St)

Palace

It does not taste the same everywhere. The Long Hall has dipped in recent times to bang average.

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122620710#Comment_122620710

"creamy". You're saying Guinness ought to taste lactic, like cream? I can't agree with that.

People who experience "bad" pints of Guinness are never able to say what's wrong with them in actual beer terms. Oxidation? Chlorophenols? Acetobacter? Off beer has a whole biochemical vocabulary, but Guinness experts seem to think that "not as creamy" and "watery" are somehow valid descriptors for bad beer. They're not.

"I'm a Guinness man. I just know a bad bang average pint when I get one."
Get up the yard.

awec

Guinness is absolutely not the same everywhere.

It is never bad, in the sense that it's never undrinkable or anything, but there are differences. It is perfectly valid for some drinkers to have an opinion on where they get their preferred pint of Guinness, just because they aren't throwing out words like acetobacter doesn't mean they haven't a notion about what they drink.

For whatever reason it has become fashionable among certain beer types to become critical of Guinness or Guinness drinkers.

BeerNut

It's not fashion, it's just pointing out something that makes no sense and isn't grounded in reality. They never say that one pub's pint is their preference over another; they say one is objectively better than another, and it's nonsense.

Having strong Guinness opinions is a way of posing as an authority without ever opening a book or taking a class.

Everlong1

Nearys, Chatham Street. Lovely pub and a good pint.

The Nal

McDaids do a great pint

L1011

If you get a list of pubs that people say have "great Guinness" and compare it to a list of traditional pub features; you'll find a massive overlap. These, extensively, are what people are actually looking for:

• Open fires
• Shirt and tie barmen
• No/muted TVs
• No (recorded) music
• Allows dogs

You do get places that don't clean glasses properly; maybe there is something in the "shorter lines make the pints taste better" thing - at least that one potentially makes sense; but some of the psudoscience as to why its "better" in some places is comical.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122620926#Comment_122620926

That's because the product is exactly the same across the city. It's a mass produced beer delivered to the customer to a standard.

The differences in pubs are the ambience, cleanliness, price and perhaps the skill of the barman. Not that pulling Guinness is particularly skillful, any eejit could master it in three or four goes.

So that's not to say a pint cannot be more enjoyable in one establishment over another - of course it can, for those reasons above.

But in a blind taste test you'd not be able to distinguish between Guinness served in any pub in the city.

geographica

dissapointed with mulligans Guinness I must say, think they tend to pull them and leave them settle and then just top up before serving one. Don’t know how long they are sitting there. Weren’t great anyway, love the pub and the staff though

BeerNut

If people really could discern a difference in the product from place to place, we would hear about it with regard to pale lagers way more than a dark nitrogenated beer. But saying such-and-such a bar does a better pint of Coors than the place across the road? That would be silly.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122620964#Comment_122620964

Who are you to tell anyone that they are wrong to prefer a pint in one pub over another though?

Opening a book or taking a class has absolutely nothing to do with it. The only person here trying to portray themselves as being an authority on the topic is you.

I don't buy into most of the fluff around Guinness but anyone suggesting it's the exact same everywhere is talking out of their hoop, there are differences, they are noticeable, and you don't need to be a beer nerd to point it out. Whether it's down to cleaner glasses or the pub being 2 degrees warmer or the alignment of the moon in relation to the tap, it doesn't matter, differences exist.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621013#Comment_122621013

If you can't explain how it is different in different places, you don't really have an argument for it being different though.

Danye

The whole Guiness taste testing thing seems to have become a modern trend by two distinctive types of people.

The first group are the hipsters. Talking about a pint as if it’s a wine, using phrases like “Body” and “Aroma” to describe a pint.

The second group that have come to prominence this last while is the Ol’ lads who came out the womb with a large bottle of stout in hand. They seem to be out to combat the hipsters because, you know, they’re the REAL connoisseurs. They also have a complicated scoring system like a 9.1 or 9.5 out of 10. Overly complicated and I’ve no idea how it works.

By and large I agree that a pint is a pint. Certain pubs appear to serve better pints over other pubs but I’m not sure if a lot of that is down to perception. That being said, I have received several poor tasting pints in my time, ironically in establishment’s that have a reputation for “Good pints”, most recently O’Donohoes in Merrion Row.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621024#Comment_122621024

Why?

I don't give a crap why they are different, I am not someone who is interested in this at all. But I can tell, thanks to having senses, that there are differences that exist. Maybe the beer is exactly the same, maybe it's the tap, maybe it's the lines, maybe it's the glass, I genuinely could not care less. It is definitely not the ambiance of the pub or the presence of an open fire as again, I couldn't care less about this stuff.

This notion that you must be educated in beer to be able to discern the differences in a pint or be qualified to suggest one is better than another is pure scutter.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621045#Comment_122621045

Because the one making the extraordinary claim (that an extremely precisely quality controlled product somehow has massive changes in different places, all of which are dispensing it the same way, with the same equipment, from the same kegs) must come up with the evidence.

Can you even describe the difference?

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621013#Comment_122621013

Like I said, they don't express it as a preference, they express it as an objective qualitative difference. The Nal hasn't found that The Long Hall's Guinness doesn't suit their palate as it used to; The Nal, in post 7, has found the quality of The Long Hall's pint to have "dipped" in recent times.

I will fully and happily accept that I'm hoop-talking the second that a trained beer taster tells me about a qualitative difference between pints of Guinness in actual sensory terms. Trained beer tasters exist, and they do drink pints of Guinness (some of them even sit on the sensory panel at James's Gate), but they never seem to get a bad pint anywhere.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621048#Comment_122621048

Again, why?

The suggestion that two pints in two different pubs with two different lines with two different glasses with two different kegs of beer are not exactly the same is far from extraordinary.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621052#Comment_122621052

Because that is the very basic way the burden of evidence works in debate. You have made an absolutely extraordinary claim, and you are not even attempting to provide proof for it.

The keg content is QCed to the nth degree. Any difference would affect one keg, not every keg supplied to just one pub; so that can be dismissed here.

The glassware is the same everywhere. The lines are cleaned to the same standards.

Why is it only Guinness people make these claims about? What is the actual, apparent, taste difference anyway?

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621051#Comment_122621051

Nobody is talking about bad pints though, as in I don't think anyone is suggesting that you will ever get a genuinely poor pint of Guinness. The product is mass produced, lines are regularly cleaned, there are quality tests, there will always be a high standard everywhere.

I don't think anyone is under any illusions here as to what Guinness is, and I also think most recognise that there's a lot of fluffy marketing around Guinness.

But, this does not mean that the pint is exactly the same everywhere. It is not.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621063#Comment_122621063

What is the actual difference, then?

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621065#Comment_122621065

I don't know what the exact differences are. I also don't care.

But differences exist.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621068#Comment_122621068

So you can't describe them and can't give a scientifically plausible reason for the differences existing. And yet you are vociferous in insisting that the differences exist.

BeerNut

Sure. I am exaggerating with the "good" and "bad" thing, but my central point is the same: there is no qualitative difference in how pints of Guinness taste from bar to bar. If there were, someone would be able to describe it using the beer world's extensive sensory vocabulary. But nobody can. Because it's not real.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621073#Comment_122621073

I think you're confusing me with someone who gives a crap about what the differences are. Scientifically plausible reason, give me a break.

I'm there to drink the pint not study it.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621080#Comment_122621080

I'm confusing you with someone who might be able to back their beliefs up, and understands the basics of evidence standards for debate. Clearly not, to either.

BeerNut

So… if you aren't a student of the pint, how do you know the quality varies? Is it possible that it doesn't?

I think there's some reverse snobbery at work here: Guinness is the drink of the common man, and it's in some way impolite to subject it to proper analysis. Makey-uppy analysis from the lad on the next barstool is absolutely fine, however.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621075#Comment_122621075

I want to ask a genuine question.

How come sometimes with my pint the head remains "creamy" (not the right word I know) for longer, and clings to the glass so that when I'm finished you can see the remnants of the head on the glass.

Other times the head "dies" (again, probably not the right word) much faster, so that by the time you get to the bottom there's hardly any of it left, and the glass is almost spotless.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621102#Comment_122621102

Glass hygiene

Line hygiene

Line frequency

Amount of keg movement

Length of draw

Bar person

Most places let themselves down with the glass. Either dirty, old or still a bit of washing liquid in it

Gary_dunne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621086#Comment_122621086

Carlsberg is my drink of choice (don't judge me). I've often been given a pint in bars take a sip and it tastes off or "a bad pint" as most would put it. Do I know why it's not great, no but I know that it doesn't taste like what I'm used to when ordering a draught pint of Carlsberg.

As has been said previously there could be a myriad of reasons as to why, glass poorly cleaned in a bad dishwasher, older keg etc.. Doesn't mean that because they can't tell you the scientific reason why the person thinks it's a good or bad pint, they just know from their taste and previous experience.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621102#Comment_122621102

Dirty glassware, specifically oils on the glass. Typically only an issue where glasses are not washed in a dedicated glass washer, so it's something that you are more likely to see in a restaurant. Or at home. It's one of the reasons that canned Guinness always looks sadder in a glass at home.

The drinker can also contaminate the glass with oils, which kills the head.

BeerNut

Could be a number of factors, but I would say temperature is the biggest one. In a warmer room the bubbles in the head will dissipate faster. I was asking a Guinness bod about the different gas mixes they use and he said the determining factor is temperature in the pub: they adjust for that to get the right head formation and retention.

It's interesting how quickly the Guinness discourse gets into the visual end of stuff once it's poked a bit. A lot of drinkers' quality requirements is just about how a pint looks when served, and this was the case before Guinness became the Instagram phenomenon it is now. But they never say that a pint that looks good is what's important to them. If you can tell a bad pint by looking at it, you can't actually tell a bad pint.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621123#Comment_122621123

I see we have moved on from "there are absolutely no differences in Guinness from pub to pub" to "ok, there are differences, but you just don't understand what you're talking about and the those differences don't really matter".

My personal preference is for the head to last. It may make no taste difference, but I prefer it, I prefer how it feels to drink it. It is the main reason why I very rarely drink Guinness at home, despite exclusively drinking Guinness when out and about.

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621138#Comment_122621138

Heheh. No, I think you're misreading me there. Pints might look different from each other, though I'm not convinced that's something which is any way consistent within each venue. But when I talk about beer quality, I'm talking about how it tastes. If believers in varied pints are only talking about variations in how they look, then I'm fine with that. But, again, they're not.

awec

And just to be clear on this, I don't think I have ever had a bad pint of Guinness in Dublin, certainly not genuinely bad to the point it was unpleasant in any way to drink.

But I have had pints that I have enjoyed more than others. There are a few pubs that I know I am more likely to get a pint in the manner that I prefer it to others. Whether it's better or worse than anywhere else is entirely subjective and a matter of personal preference, but there are differences however minor they may be.

It's mass produced beer, so if you were to do a scientific analysis of the actual beer then it's likely to be very similar everywhere, but the experience of drinking a pint of beer goes beyond a statistical analysis of the liquid in the glass. And I don't mean how the pint looks so that people can post a photo on Facebook, and I don't mean whether or not there's an open fire in the pub!

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621064#Comment_122621064

Well I'm finding this thread highly entertaining. I love sharing my hobby with people.

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621172#Comment_122621172

Nothing I can disagree with there :( But… do you find this with all beers, or only Guinness?

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621177#Comment_122621177

Honestly I don't drink enough other beers in pubs to have an opinion on it.

I think my expectations with a pint of lager are different too, I'm less bothered about the head for example so I wouldn't really notice. Maybe if Moretti did some marketing on how their beer tastes better the closer you get to their factory!

I drink a fair bit of lager at home from cans / bottles and you can get some variance in the stuff but I've never really been bothered by it. It's probably nonsensical but I think my standards are lower for cans at home so I don't pay as much attention?

BeerNut

Given the mark-up in pubs, it makes perfect sense to be more fussy when paying those prices!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122602034#Comment_122602034

Spot on. This "better Guinness" nonsense is getting worse and worse.

The last wedding I was at I was on Guinness and some randomer stopped me to ask "how is the Guinness pouring here?"

Exact same as any other place I've drank it was my response, to much confusion.

zoobizoo

I've been drinking Guinness for 30 odd years.... I've had it in most of the old pubs mentioned above and in many other places and I've never noticed any difference between any pint in that time... they have all tasted the same.

When I'm in a rush I ask for a straight pour-none of this let it settle nonsense. Couldn't be bothered waiting.

The look on the faces of the bar men and anyone within earshot!

MOR316

Stag's head. Keoghs. Mulligans. Toners. Doheny and Nesbitt. All superb pints. Kennedy's isn't too bad.

On another note, two of the best places I've ever had pints of Guinness were The Harbour Bar in Bray and Jack O Rourkes in Blackrock. Yet to come across anywhere that beats those two.

DelmarODonnell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621080#Comment_122621080

You and a lot of people are arbitrarily ranking every pint of Guinness you have, searching for indistinguishable differences. You might not be scientifically studying it, but studying it you are.

Black Sheep

Well, this got heated…

I'm not taking a side in this, but all I'll say is that when it comes to Guinness, properly clean glasses and a pint served with a bit of care go a long way. I would accept that - in theory at least - that's not that high a bar to meet, and there's no reason it shouldn't something you encounter in almost any bar that's properly run, with staff who take a little bit of pride in how they approach serving drinks.

As far as this question of visual cues goes… I've always understood that vision, as a sense, feeds into our perception of taste (As does our nose). A question of the expectations generated by what we see, if nothing else. If I look at a pint, and it is slopping over and running down the side of the glass, into a sodden bar mat, then that's a very different proposition compared to looking at a pint and seeing a pristine-looking drink that could have come off an advert, with a lovely dome on top, but no spillage.

Even something as simple as beer spilling down the side of a glass makes holding it a less attractive proposition. Of course it's not the end of the world, but I'm just making the point that when people talk about a great pint, yes, it is to do with how it looks and feels, as well as how it tastes.

Can you get a pint like this in a random Travelodge bar, just the same as in The Gravediggers / The Long Hall / Ryan's….? Maybe in theory, and I actually had pints of Guinness like this in a Leonardo hotel bar recently, but generally when I've had a pint practically fired at me sideways, it is in a hotel bar, a nightclub or somewhere other than a place that tells a story about itself, to the effect that it is "a good place to drink Guinness".

Geuze

Can the bar staff control the serving temperature of stout?

irish_goat

In theory they could change the chiller temperature, but the Diageo rep will check the beer temperature when they are cleaning the lines and just readjust it if it was outside their parameters.