The best pint of Guinness in Dublin/Ireland

BeerNut · 23-03-2011 1:36pm

MCMLXXV wrote: »

From my own drinking experience Guinness varies greatly from pub to pub.

But do you know how much of this is psychological? The atmosphere in a pub has been shown to affect how the customers perceive the beer. But that's not to say the beer itself is different. Without actually testing the theory I don't think simple "drinking experience" is enough for any of us to base an assertion on.

MCMLXXV wrote: »

If not then why would people discuss the quality of a pint from one pub to the next?

Because everyone else is doing it. It's a thing people do. I doubt they're making it up, but I think they're psychologically inventing differences that don't really exist. I'm basing that belief on what I know about how beer is made. Until it's been tested, it's just my belief, however.

MCMLXXV wrote: »

They maintain there own lines and encourage proper cold room practice and even give rebates for same. Therefore the only other factor that they do not have control of that can affect quality is the glassware.

I think you're overestimating the ability of the quality control vans to cover the country, as well as licensee's compliance with recommended cellar management practices.

It seem to me, for instance, that big venues: superpubs, multifloor clubs and hotels would be the most compliant, invest most in the recommended technologies (taking the rebate, obvs), have the strictest routines around cellaring and, as big customers, would get a lot of support from the quality control folk. And yet in all the pages of this thread, no-one has mentioned a giant hotel or pub as the best place to drink Guinness. People favour small pubs and reckon their Guinness is better. Why? Shiny new glasswashers less effective than rickety electrocutions-in-waiting installed in 1986? I think it's more to do with ambiance than beer.

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Why you guys can't accpet that is beyond me.

Lack of solid evidence, I'd say.

Big Nasty · 23-03-2011 1:57pm

BeerNut wrote: »

But do you know how much of this is psychological? The atmosphere in a pub has been shown to affect how the customers perceive the beer. But that's not to say the beer itself is different. Without actually testing the theory I don't think simple "drinking experience" is enough for any of us to base an assertion on.

Because everyone else is doing it. It's a thing people do. I doubt they're making it up, but I think they're psychologically inventing differences that don't really exist. I'm basing that belief on what I know about how beer is made. Until it's been tested, it's just my belief, however.

I've been drinking pints for 20 years, I know a good one from a bad one, and I know a medicore on from a good one. I could name some very ambient establishments with poor pints and some quiet and unexciting establishments with quality pints. I do not however have anything scientific to back this up - just 20 years of drinking.;)

BeerNut wrote: »

I think you're overestimating the ability of the quality control vans to cover the country, as well as licensee's compliance with recommended cellar management practices.

It seem to me, for instance, that big venues: superpubs, multifloor clubs and hotels would be the most compliant, invest most in the recommended technologies (taking the rebate, obvs), have the strictest routines around cellaring and, as big customers, would get a lot of support from the quality control folk.

Yes but clubs and hotel function rooms are not open from one end of the week to the next leaving beer lying in the lines all week. Hotels serve a lot of food leaving grease residue on glassware, etc.

BeerNut wrote: »

And yet in all the pages of this thread, no-one has mentioned a giant hotel or pub as the best place to drink Guinness. People favour small pubs and reckon their Guinness is better. Why? Shiny new glasswashers less effective than rickety electrocutions-in-waiting installed in 1986? I think it's more to do with ambiance than beer.

Your 'fireside' type pub serves little or no food, probably does have an old glasswasher, probably doesn't even use detergent in it though. No grease or detergent residue = good pints. Atmosphere helps top off the experience.

BeerNut wrote: »

Lack of solid evidence, I'd say.

I don't agree with all the points in all of these links as some of them contradict but you will get the jist:

http://www.kegworks.com/blog/2007/12/03/beer-clean-glass/
http://www.ehow.com/how_5631781_clean-beer-glass.html
http://www.draughtquality.org/w/page/18182231/Testing%20for%20%E2%80%9CBeer-Clean%E2%80%9D%20Glass
http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20001012.php
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_n36_v22/ai_6639038/

BeerNut · 23-03-2011 2:24pm

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Yes but clubs and hotel function rooms are not open from one end of the week to the next leaving beer lying in the lines all week. Hotels serve a lot of food leaving grease residue on glassware, etc.

I think "straws, clutching at" was your earlier phrase

Nobody mentioned function rooms. Plenty of nightclubs and hotel bars, and let's throw in restaurants too, are open all week round.

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Your 'fireside' type pub serves little or no food,

Plenty of food-serving pubs mentioned in this thread. Also, a place in Terenue which does "an exceptional pint of Heineken" :eek:

MCMLXXV wrote: »

http://www.kegworks.com/blog/2007/12/03/beer-clean-glass/

A dirty glass can cause a beer to taste off. No denying that, but no indication that it's the only factor.

MCMLXXV wrote: »

http://www.ehow.com/how_5631781_clean-beer-glass.html

A dirty glass can affect the head which ultimately diminishes the taste. Nothing about a sole cause though. And I doubt anything beats nitrogenation for the taste-diminishing effect

MCMLXXV wrote: »

http://www.draughtquality.org/w/page/18182231/Testing%20for%20%E2%80%9CBeer-Clean%E2%80%9D%20Glass

A clean glass helps with head and lacing. Nothing about taste or how it's affected here.

MCMLXXV wrote: »

http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20001012.php

Aha! Cleanliness is the biggest factor! Oh, in presentation, though. Nowt about taste. Moving on...

MCMLXXV wrote: »

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_n36_v22/ai_6639038/

All head, no taste. If I remember from the Storehouse, you're advised to drink through the head, not actually taste it.

So, clean glasses are important, though are more of a presentation issue than a taste one. Gotcha.

Nothing at all about "the only other factor that they do not have control of that can affect quality is the glassware" in that lot, however.

Big Nasty · 23-03-2011 5:18pm

Lets take it from the top again:

the beer revolu suggested that the thread was pointless as beer does not vary greatly from one pub to the next as the recipe is consistent, hence no point in discussing where has 'the best pint'.

MCMLXXV disagreed, giving various reasons why there would be inconsistency, the strongest of which (in his opinion) would be glass hygiene as it is something outside breweries control.

BeerNut & BaZmO* stick up for their buddy the beer revolu and do their best to demean MCMLXXV's points. It was also suggested that a pub may well be perceived to have a better pint solely due to atmosphere! That would also suggest to me that the beer revolu, BeerNut & BaZmO* have no respect for other users on this forum's opinions as the concept of 'the best pint' is purely a myth and therefore others suggestions are null and void - nice one guys!

Tell you what lads, if you so strongly believe that there is practically no difference is beer quality from one pub to the next why don't you do a poll and let the users decide?

How about a poll?

BaZmO* · 23-03-2011 5:27pm

MCMLXXV wrote: »

MCMLXXV disagreed, giving various reasons why there would be inconsistency, the strongest of which (in his opinion) would be glass hygiene as it is something outside breweries control.

That’s the most important point of your argument.

MCMLXXV wrote: »

BeerNut & BaZmO* stick up for their buddy the beer revolu and do their best to demean MCMLXXV's points.

So 3 people have a different opinion to yours and that makes them all buddies?

And there’s a big difference between “disagreeing” and “demeaning”

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Tell you what lads, if you so strongly believe that there is practically no difference is beer quality from one pub to the next why don't you do a poll and let the users decide?

How about a poll?

Fire away. But I betcha I know the results will be. It’ll be an overwhelming agreement that there is such thing as the “best pint” in certain pubs.

Dont be at yourself · 23-03-2011 5:33pm

I've only briefly worked behind a bar, but I have extenstive experience in front of one, both here in Ireland, in Germany, and further afield. I've also brewed my own beers.

I have to say, I agree with MCMLXXV. The biggest cause of a bad pint - of any beer - is detergent left on the glass. You can notice it in three ways: the taste, the head, and the residue on the empty glass - if you can finish it. It does affect other beers too, but I imagine the carbon dioxide masks the taste more than nitrogen. Or perhaps its because people pay more attention to the taste of Guinness pub-to-pub (expectations are a hugely important factor in taste).

Big Nasty · 23-03-2011 5:35pm

BaZmO* wrote: »

It’ll be an overwhelming agreement that there is such thing as the “best pint” in certain pubs.

At last! Are we now all in agreement then that quality can indeed vary greatly from one pub to the next? So we weren't loosing our minds thinking that a pint tastes nicer in one pub than another regardless of atmosphere?

Tally-ho! My work here is done!;)

BeerNut · 23-03-2011 5:42pm

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

I imagine the carbon dioxide masks the taste more than nitrogen.

Physics says otherwise. CO2 leaps out of the beer (carrying flavour compounds with it) because air contains very little CO2. Air is mostly nitrogen so there's little incentive for the nitrogen in the beer to go anywhere: it stays in the beer, hence the long-lasting foam on top. Because the nitrogen tends to stay in the beer, the flavour compounds tend to as well.

Dont be at yourself · 23-03-2011 5:48pm

BeerNut wrote: »

Physics says otherwise. CO2 leaps out of the beer (carrying flavour compounds with it) because air contains very little CO2. Air is mostly nitrogen so there's little incentive for the nitrogen in the beer to go anywhere: it stays in the beer, hence the long-lasting foam on top. Because the nitrogen tends to stay in the beer, the flavour compounds tend to as well.

I'm not sure it's as simple as that. Movement of the gases aside, CO2 tastes stronger and more acidic than nitrogen. I wonder does its acidity also help to neutralise the detergent?. I'm not a chemist, so I'll plead ignorance on that one.

-Corkie- · 26-03-2011 11:14pm

Back to business the best pint I have drank/drunk

is in The Outback pub in Rathcoole in Cork. It was mentioned on today fm this week for the famous dog (Sydney) in the bar that can open a bag of taytos and eat them..:D

Focalbhach · 27-03-2011 10:41pm

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Tell you what lads, if you so strongly believe that there is practically no difference is beer quality from one pub to the next why don't you do a poll and let the users decide?

How about a poll?

Umm...

Kingdom Bhoy · 06-04-2011 7:10am

Best Guinness in Dublin Mulligans Maddigans the Bank the Goat Eamonn Reas Gin Palace and the Oval

BaZmO* · 06-04-2011 8:36am

Kingdom Bhoy wrote: »

Best Guinness in Dublin Mulligans Maddigans the Bank the Goat Eamonn Reas Gin Palace and the Oval

Jaysis, that's a long name for a pub!

Kingdom Bhoy · 06-04-2011 8:53am

BaZmO* wrote: »

Jaysis, that's a long name for a pub!

Boom boom. Its the way you tell them.

:)

Bigcheeze · 08-04-2011 10:43am

Kingdom Bhoy wrote: »

Best Guinness in Dublin Mulligans Maddigans the Bank the Goat Eamonn Reas Gin Palace and the Oval

Aren't all those pubs owned by Charlie Chawke....who used to own Sunderland FC......which is where you're located ?

Hmmmmmmm

Kingdom Bhoy · 08-04-2011 10:52am

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Aren't all those pubs owned by Charlie Chawke....who used to own Sunderland FC......which is where you're located ?

Hmmmmmmm

Three of them are to my knowledge but certainly not all of them.

WilcoOut · 09-04-2011 6:31pm

the finest pints of 'Holy Water' I ever had were in Linannes SeaFood restaurant in NewQuay, Co Clare. they offer a 'Slow Pint' and a 'Fast Pint', i recommend you opt for the slow

J Currens in Dingle is a close second, what a town! thats why Kerry is the Kingdom

My best pint of Guinness in my hometown of Dublin was prob Graingers on Talbot St. delish

BeardySi · 09-04-2011 8:01pm

Dublin: Foggy Dew, Doyles, Stag's head, Mac Neil's (Capel Street)
Galway: The Crane, O'Connors (Salthill), O'Connell's (Eyre Square), Freeney's

Home Improver · 14-06-2011 4:14pm

Dowling's in Athenry, best Guinness in the west, well known for the black stuff:pac:

irish_goat · 14-06-2011 4:17pm

Same stuff in the keg, same gas used, same Guinness quality team procedure cleaning every line...

MikeyNT · 14-06-2011 4:18pm

Yet so many pubs still manage to screw it up....go figure

irish_goat · 14-06-2011 4:23pm

MikeyNT wrote: »

Yet so many pubs still manage to screw it up....go figure

The only effect the pub has is what glass they use and how clean it is.

MikeyNT · 14-06-2011 4:36pm

I wish I could share your faith in the QA and delivery of Guinness. Alas, such theoretical high standards and claims are not always achieved in practice.....the proof of the pudding is in the eating after all.....hence the usefulness of this thread.

BeerNut · 14-06-2011 4:41pm

MikeyNT wrote: »

hence the usefulness of this thread.

Last I counted it named about 7% of all licensed premises in the country over 15 pages. Give it a few more months and everywhere will have been cited as the best.

MikeyNT · 14-06-2011 4:47pm

Of course there is a huge element of subjectivity to taste and yes the vast majority are well up to standard. Of course for many, given a good quality pint, it can be as much about the atmosphere / location as anything else. However there is no denying that poor/bad pints do get served up in many establishments despite clean glasses being used.

Big Nasty · 14-06-2011 5:02pm

irish_goat wrote: »

Same stuff in the keg, same gas used, same Guinness quality team procedure cleaning every line...

I would largely agree with this to a certain point. They put a lot of effort in to quality control but then again they're only human and mistakes can be made sometimes. For the most part I would agree that the product is 'fairly' close to identical in every pub in the country until it reaches the tap.

MikeyNT wrote: »

Yet so many pubs still manage to screw it up....go figure

As above I'm sure there is a margin of error between one pub and the next but the only things publicans really have control of is stock rotation and more importantly glassware.

irish_goat wrote: »

The only effect the pub has is what glass they use and how clean it is.

See above.

BeerNut wrote: »

Last I counted it named about 7% of all licensed premises in the country over 15 pages. Give it a few more months and everywhere will have been cited as the best.

This thread was started in 2006, I don't know when you last counted but if it was anytime recently it's taken 5 years to reach your 7%. At that rate it will be 2030 by the time all pubs are mentioned not 'a few more months'.;)

MikeyNT wrote: »

Of course there is a huge element of subjectivity to taste and yes the vast majority are well up to standard. Of course for many, given a good quality pint, it can be as much about the atmosphere / location as anything else. However there is no denying that poor/bad pints do get served up in many establishments despite clean glasses being used.

You probably do enjoy a pint better in surroundings you are comfortable in but at the end of the day if the pint is sh1te, it's sh1te! When you say 'despite clean glasses being used' a visibly clean looking glass does not equate a beer clean glass. Residues from detergent or grease from food can have a large impact on the beer quality.

irish_goat · 14-06-2011 7:41pm

Mistakes can be made but surely no where near enough to make one pub's Guinness better than another.

Literally the only things that are consistently different in pubs is the length of pipe from keg to tap, the frequency of use and the cleanliness of the glass.

Given that most pubs probably don't have keg stores very far away the first is not a problem. Most pubs too can expect to pour quite a few Guinness on any given night so frequency of use shouldn't matter so it comes down to clean glasses and I'd say that only has a small effect anyway. Note too that the Guinness/Heineken quality teams often check the glasses themselves, our rep is only after giving us a load of dishwasher cleaning powder.

I used to think that certain pubs had better Guinness but the more and more I thought about it the less convinced I was. Problem is thought that it'd be hard to blind taste a load of different pubs Guinness at the same time.

On a similar note, Guinness got some journalists to blind taste St.James Gate brewed Guinness with foreign brewed Guinness and none of them could tell the difference yet I still get people telling me it "wasn't the same" when they switched to brewing in London.

It's all in the mind me thinks...

Big Nasty · 14-06-2011 8:03pm

In my experience the glassware is the biggest factor influencing pint quality. Strong detergents are no good for pints (ever put your glasses through a domestic dishwasher?) and similarly grease on the glasses affects quality too (busy pubs serving a lot of food).

For example there are three pubs near me:

Pub 1 has poor decor and serves no food at all. TBH I would be surprised if they used any detergent at all in their glasswasher! Pint quality: very good.

Pub 2 has ok decor, serves a fair bit of food and I know they regularly hand-wash the glasses. Pint quality: above average.

Pub 3 is an exceptionally busy food and drink operation with traditional decor, live music, etc. Pint quality: desperately poor.

Pub 3 while very atmospheric, etc the glasses are most likely tainted by grease due to the high amount of food being served - in fact I've seen pints served there with a lot of carbonation stuck to the sides of glasses, a sure sign of residue.

Pub 2 is a nice enough pub but they maintain their glassware pretty well, however as they do serve food there's bound to be some 'contamination'.

Pub 1 has little or no influences to negatively affect pint quality and serves the best pint around. It's not a mystical or magical atmospheric joint, nor do I have a special fondness for it (in fact Pub 2 is handier / more regular for me), so I'm hardly influenced by its atmosphere.

Antrim_Man · 17-06-2011 9:25pm

Best pints o Guinness

Mulligans
Morans in Mornington circa 1995
Slatterys of Rathmines also 1990's
The Harbour Bar Bray 2000+
The last one

:cool:

Colonel Sanders · 19-06-2011 10:51pm

Michael Kelly's in Wexford town is one of my favourites for Guinness

The best pint of Guinness in Dublin/Ireland

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