What makes an ideal pint of Guinness?
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Guinness is now the UK's most popular pint.
00:06 They say that one in eight pints poured in the UK
00:09 is a pint of plain.
00:10 So we've come down to one of the best bars for Guinness
00:12 in London, which is Gibney's, to see what really matters,
00:15 what you should look out for,
00:17 and are there any myths that you should just ignore?
00:19 - First thing you gotta be looking for is
00:22 if everyone around you is actually drinking Guinness,
00:24 you know, 'cause I know there'll be flow on the line,
00:27 'cause if you're getting the first pint out,
00:29 now usually what the bartender should do
00:31 is maybe pour a little bit out
00:32 just to get rid of the stale beer
00:33 that's so close to the nozzle,
00:35 but which also be warmer.
00:38 But next thing, if they're using a Guinness glass
00:41 or a traditional tulip glass,
00:43 it's basically like if you're using,
00:44 take this glass here, nothing wrong with a Worcestershire
00:47 cider, but it has a widget in it,
00:49 so when the nitrous hits that,
00:51 it activates the gas a different way,
00:52 it may offer a certain kind of fizz to the beer
00:55 that shouldn't be there,
00:56 as well as traditional Guinness glass,
00:58 there's no widget at the bottom,
00:59 so you're just literally getting it
01:01 as it hits the bottom of the glass
01:02 and activating itself.
01:04 I find also if you're getting that first pint
01:07 out of the line, if the first bit of beer is too warm,
01:11 you will get a much bigger head.
01:12 - Okay, so no big heads?
01:14 - Well, a certain big head of Guinness is right,
01:16 but some beers you'll see,
01:17 it might go all the way down to the harp,
01:19 like we call that a bishop's collar in the business,
01:21 and you know, it's too much head
01:25 for it to be in the pint, in my opinion.
01:27 I find for actual taste, it's not a whole lot,
01:31 it's more for texture.
01:33 So basically with the two-part pour,
01:35 as it dates back to the original Guinness time
01:38 where you had two different barrels
01:39 of high pressure and low pressure,
01:40 but when you pour the first part,
01:43 it allows the nitrous to settle,
01:44 which allows the beer to thicken.
01:46 If you pour it straight up in one go,
01:48 you'll find that it is more watery,
01:50 it doesn't have the same body,
01:52 and you can see it as you pour,
01:53 you'll put it, 'cause you put it down,
01:55 the head will be wobbling,
01:57 but if you pour it and let it settle,
01:58 it lets the body settle,
02:00 and then as you top up with the next bit,
02:02 it is a lot more structured,
02:04 and you get that creamy taste of Guinness
02:06 that we all like.
02:07 I think that one's a bit of a myth in my opinion,
02:09 I think there does have to be a certain level of time
02:11 for that to settle,
02:12 but I think that all depends down to
02:15 the length of your line to your cooler,
02:19 how much gas the pressure is.
02:20 If you're pouring two pints,
02:21 'cause I would say, I mean, you're splitting the gas,
02:23 so it'll settle a lot quicker.
02:25 But I don't think it needs to fall in 190 and a half seconds,
02:28 'cause nobody has that much time to wait
02:30 in London these days, you know?
02:32 Usually if you see bubbles on the side of the glass,
02:35 up around the head,
02:36 they're kind of honeycomb head,
02:38 that just shows that the glass
02:38 might not have been cleaned properly,
02:40 or else cleaned without,
02:41 with it in the same kind of tray
02:43 that maybe dirty plates or greasy glasses
02:46 might have been cleaned in.
02:47 Especially if you're in a pub with food and stuff,
02:48 it is very, very important to pre-rinse your glasses
02:51 to make sure you get any excess grease off
02:53 that might have been cross-contaminated with food.
02:56 And that shows up as well on the kind of,
02:58 the white streaks on the side of the glass.
02:59 Look, it's a presentation thing, you know?
03:01 It's become a big thing,
03:03 like with Guinness becoming a popularity,
03:04 the domage and the structure,
03:06 and it is very pretty to look at.
03:07 And as Guinness, when you finish pouring,
03:10 the head does slightly expand,
03:12 so that's what creates that domed finish.
03:14 And I think it's just a presentation
03:17 of a good-looking pint, you know?
03:19 As you see, look, this one's still holding its dome,
03:21 it's been sitting there for a minute,
03:22 so it looks more fresh.
03:25 If the kind of pint is enclavened,
03:28 then it's not as appetizing-looking, you know?
03:30 That's just a bit of pageantry and showmanship.
03:32 If you go into bars that do it,
03:35 I think it's more of a thing you see in kind of tourist bars.
03:38 I never learned how to do the clover,
03:41 and I'm not losing any business
03:43 because I'm very happy that I don't have to do it.
03:45 But it's also, when you do it,
03:47 you do need a slower pour on your line,
03:51 which means that's taking less gas out
03:53 because the slower pour lets you draw the design.
03:56 I think it's just, it's become a great talking point
03:58 amongst friends and stuff, you know?
03:59 It's like, I think, personally,
04:02 I think it's the most photographed beer in the world.
04:04 When you get a beautiful pint,
04:05 you're like, "Oh, I'm guilty of it," as well.
04:06 You send photos to your friends and stuff.
04:09 And it's like, it's more than just, you know?
04:13 And people, it gets groups together
04:17 to go enjoy these different pubs
04:18 and explore these different pubs,
04:19 and it gives it a different reason
04:21 to go and explore different pubs all around the UK, Ireland.
04:25 You know, these pubs, they've got a great name for Guinness.
04:27 I just think it's something that people can bond over,
04:29 I guess, which is, you know,
04:31 it's nice to do with certain beers.
04:32 You never see groups going around
04:34 trying different kinds of lagers
04:35 or trying different, you know?
04:36 Which is very funny, but they've done well
04:39 to grow its popularity.
04:40 I don't think it's slowing down any time soon.
04:42 Yeah, well, they've got a couple around,
04:43 like London Depends, you know?
04:45 I think, you know, ushering over to Devonshire,
04:47 doing a great job.
04:49 I, there's a great pub up in Dollars Hill called Maloney's.
04:53 It's a very local-run pub,
04:56 and then, but usually I'm working,
04:59 but they'd be the two I try to get to
05:00 when I have a bit of time off.
05:01 Cheers.
05:02 - Cheers.
05:03 (upbeat music)