Guinness going into the Red?

ODS · 23-11-2007 09:55PM #1

Sales may have dropped 1/3 in Ireland since 2000, but Diageo is hopeful that their new Guinness Red will address this; and they have also reportedly got a valuation of 3 billion on the James Gate brewery site.

The only hitch is they estimatate it'll take 2 billion to produce and promote Red, and given the history of other Guinness variants, ie Breó, Lite etc, it's not exactly a sure thing. In fact if anything imo it could be a disaster, with Guinness creating another brand that doesn't last - and in the process having lost a key selling point, that it's inherently Irish and brewed in James' Gate... So fancy a pint of "Red"?

23-11-2007 09:56PM

Would this be to compete with Beamish Red? In my drunking stupor last night I noticed a tap which said the above.

That's the name of the drink not the actual above line. That'd be messed up.

RoyalMarine · 23-11-2007 09:57PM

green guinness....
would make sense no?

Oriel · 23-11-2007 09:58PM

Nothing will replace Guinness.

RoyalMarine · 23-11-2007 10:03PM

true, but green guinness might have an advertising kick to it

Dave! · 23-11-2007 10:10PM

Can't see anybody buying a Guinness Red... When someone orders a pint of Guinness they know what they want and it's not bright colours and little umbrellas.

monkeyfudge · 23-11-2007 10:15PM

I really don't want to see what Guinness Red will do to my poop...

constitutionus · 23-11-2007 10:33PM

good lord. sounds like another "new coke" job to me

IMO theyre ****ed. sales are down because they alienated their core demographic by pricing them out of the market. a pint is just too fecking expensive now and people are staying at home. seeing as guiness really NEEDS to be poured from the tap that accounts to why that crowd aint buying it for home consumption.

all this flailing about is just a symptom that theyve killed the goose that was the pub trade.

WindSock · 23-11-2007 10:53PM

Does it taste different? Is it just the same, but a different colour? Guinness is already Red, I thought. Just a really really deep red.

ScumLord · 23-11-2007 10:55PM

Guinness is an institution or at least it should be. Trying to popularise it with the young uns by making it bright and shiny just won't work, it's a bit of an old mans drink but I don't mean that in a bad way. They shouldn't even bother trying to make money of it in Ireland.

humbert · 23-11-2007 11:20PM

Sounds like a monumentally stupid idea but greedy, greedy, pub owners/LVA are killing their own trade with 5 euro pints. In a country that drinks as much as we do, is there any need.

dumbyearbook · 23-11-2007 11:28PM

WindSock wrote: »

Does it taste different? Is it just the same, but a different colour? Guinness is already Red, I thought. Just a really really deep red.

Thats right actually i think the offical name is 'ruby red', saw it on some marketing stuff before,

On a different note the rings you get on a glass after a pint of Smithwicks* (in a clean glass) is referred to as 'cuffing' which im sure has a different meaning in some social circles

*again off their marketing stuff it might be used to refer to the rings left by an beverage

eldeabroad · 23-11-2007 11:51PM

.....is a popular enough beer over here (Basque Country and spain) and is fizzy ie: it has gas in it.

I would hope the Guinness version would be more an ale type - no/little gas smooth taste, creamy head etc... - I wud be happy to test a few (dozens) crates for them - free to meeee of course in me bar boi (in the Basque Country btw) hell they could even have the Iberian peninsula launch here

if anyone from guinness is reading this - Im serious

if anyone reading this is looking for free beer - I´m not...

Hail 2 Da Chimp · 23-11-2007 11:54PM

Sounds like it's going to go the way of Breó...

Dord · 24-11-2007 12:10AM

I heard that Guinness Red was only going to be available in the UK.

Sleepy · 24-11-2007 12:32AM

Is it just going to be a repackaged Kilkenny?

monkeyfudge · 24-11-2007 12:34AM

WindSock wrote: »

Does it taste different? Is it just the same, but a different colour? Guinness is already Red, I thought. Just a really really deep red.

That's layman's Guinness you were drinking... you think it's black.. but it's really just very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, dark red.

Nevyn · 24-11-2007 12:39AM

IT is too unpredictible, there are too many places that just dont' do a decent pint.

OPENROAD · 24-11-2007 12:53AM

Supposed to taste like bitter, so they would get a new customer in me:D

delta_bravo · 24-11-2007 12:57AM

People need to move onto Beamish. Far cheaper and has a nice powerful aftertaste

Proxy · 24-11-2007 12:58AM

Oh please stop talking about pints, i'd murder a pint of the dark cream now... actually contemplating getting a taxi into town to get one... only the oul Heineken at home here.

By the way, i'm from (outside) Galway and a pint of black is average 3.70, 3.80 in a dear pub. Fiver - F!ck off. No wonder sales dropped. I wonder how much that is to do with the publicans though. Keg of Guinness (2 years ago) was about 90e at cost, which has 80-odd pints inside it, which shows where the cost is... barmen correct me please, i'm going on hearsay from friends who are ex-barmen...

Laslo · 24-11-2007 01:05AM

I'll start drinking Guinness again when it drops down to 3 quid a pint. In the meantime, I'll be keeping my sh1ts a nice normal shade of brown.

delta_bravo · 24-11-2007 01:05AM

Proxy wrote: »

Oh please stop talking about pints, i'd murder a pint of the dark cream now... actually contemplating getting a taxi into town to get one... only the oul Heineken at home here.

By the way, i'm from (outside) Galway and a pint of black is average 3.70, 3.80 in a dear pub. Fiver - F!ck off. No wonder sales dropped. I wonder how much that is to do with the publicans though. Keg of Guinness (2 years ago) was about 90e at cost, which has 80-odd pints inside it, which shows where the cost is... barmen correct me please, i'm going on hearsay from friends who are ex-barmen...

Anyone who pays a fiver for guinness is an idiot. My limit is 4.20€ and usually get it in Templeogue for €3.60

ian_m · 24-11-2007 03:52AM

It is the price that discourages people from drinking Guinness. And, people go out later in the evening now because they they drink at home beforehand. Who is going to have a couple of bottles of Miller at home and then head to a club to drink Guinness? Nobody will wait at a bar in a club for a Guinness.

I love Guinness but I am not so sure red Guinness will take off. Ill definitely try it if I get a chance...:cool:
Cheers

leninbenjamin · 24-11-2007 04:04AM

there is so many reasons why Guinness consumption is falling... inconsistent standards in the lines and taps, incompetent ****ing bar staff who can't pour for their lives, price increases, social connotations and changing drinking habits (drinking at home as well as people drinking to get drunk and thus wanting something "lighter" they can drink more of) and the increasing availability of foreign beers...

Diageo need to sort out the current mess with the Guinness instead of resorting to marketing and creation of new lines (which they seem to attempt ever couple of years despite it obviously having little to no impact)

ScumLord · 24-11-2007 04:26AM

Last time I had a Guinness it was €3.10 in my town.

DEmeant0r · 24-11-2007 04:29AM

There is no way i'm paying over 4 quid for a pint of guiness, if i have to pay over 4 quid for a pint, it'd be for a pint of Millers, ah Millers, your pints are great

Statso · 24-11-2007 05:38AM

humbert wrote: »

Sounds like a monumentally stupid idea but greedy, greedy, pub owners/LVA are killing their own trade with 5 euro pints. In a country that drinks as much as we do, is there any need.

Excuse me but as a pub owner how can you say that without any knowledge of where your money is going? Do NOT blame the normal pubs, those who do not try to rip you off unlike some other yuppie pubs i can think of. The majority of the price of a pint goes to the brewery or the government. Us pub owners have no choice but to pass the cost of this on to the customers unless you would no longer care to have pubs in this country?

It is not the pubs fault that drink prices are going up. If you feel you are being overcharged try going to other pubs that aren't so overly modern and catering only to a younger crowd so they charge what they like as they know that you will pay it.

Sawa · 24-11-2007 06:25AM

Beamish red automatically springs to mind, and that is a nice pint.
It's an ale i think but with a nice creamy head... mmm
beamish red is amazing and i don't even drink beer and i like it!!

Just never top a Beamish Red's head off with a regular beamish...not nice!

Pete4779 · 24-11-2007 12:42PM

constitutionus wrote: »

good lord. sounds like another "new coke" job to me

IMO theyre ****ed. sales are down because they alienated their core demographic by pricing them out of the market. a pint is just too fecking expensive now and people are staying at home. seeing as guiness really NEEDS to be poured from the tap that accounts to why that crowd aint buying it for home consumption.

all this flailing about is just a symptom that theyve killed the goose that was the pub trade.

+1 to all of that post. Over recent years I think people found it was easier and you have more choice to get loads of varieties if imported beer or wine now. Is pub business down overall?

I think this new Guinness thing is just like every other new product line they have introduced, like the Brewhouse series, Extra Cold, etc., etc., . They obviously have some freshly qualified marketing people every few years who tell them to diversify they product line and expand the market, etc., . I suppose if you have one product and one place it can be sold then you are pretty limited looking at it like that.

Dakeyras · 24-11-2007 12:55PM

peasants!

if it's too expensive for you then don't drink it. it isn't rocket science. go cry to someone who actually cares.

hmm, nothing like hungover anger

oh btw, guinness red shall go the same way as every other inovation that they have tried. don't fuk what ain't broken. alas they can't understand but it's amusing

Guinness going into the Red?

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