13. A pint in the Guinness tap room – Dublin, Ireland
I’ve visited the Guinness brewery in Dublin many times, but had the honor one time of taking an individual tour with head brewer Fergal Murray.
The best part? Murray poured a pint of Guinness for me from the tap the brewers use for their final quality-control check, right inside the kegging room. Doesn’t get any fresher than that. And, no, it doesn’t taste much different than it does in the States.
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We’ve already blogged about The Beer Traveler’s extensive trip to Ireland here, so if you want to get some more details about the ins and outs of how the Guinness Brewery was established and read a little more about Arthur Guiness, you should definitely check it out!
Funny side note: When Ursula’s aunts & uncles came to Massachusetts from Ireland for a visit a couple of years ago, everyone was waiting for them at the pub ready to get the Guinness flowing. Except, when they arrived, the three uncles marched up to the bar and requested Bud…in a bottle… huh? You can get laughed out of J.P. O’Hanlon’s for that! But they explained that that’s their beer of choice when they get a “take out” at home, and of course they needed to have it while visiting America. Understandably, that doesn’t mean there was no Guinness poured eventually, we’re talking about a crowd of Irish people here. In fact, one of them claims the best Guinness he’s ever tasted was at The Roisin Dubh (Black Rose) in Boston, and he knows his Guinness. However, unlike The Beer Traveler, he hasn’t had the opportunity to have a pint from the final quality-control check keg, and you can’t deny it can’t get any better than that.
Has anyone else been to Ireland to experience an “authentic Guinness”? Or do you find the local pub gets it right every time? (Because we all know it’s all in the perfect pour.) Let us know your most memorable Guinness pint & keep checking back for the rest of our All-Time Beer Tour Count down!
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