Guinness Week Part I: An Beal Bocht Cafe
Monday, March 11, 2013 at 12:41PM At St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, barley, hops, yeast, and water are brewed together to make Guinness. This Sunday, over 13 million pints will be consumed, and as St. Patrick's Day approaches, we thought we'd devote the entire week to the beautiful elixir. So tag along as we uncover five of our favorite places to get a perfect pour.
The appreciation for Guinness reaches all corners of the globe, but it's important to note the regional differences that exist in the beverage. Irish Guinness is brewed to 6% alcohol by volume and remains unpasteurized. In the states, the two most significant differences are 1) It's lower in alcohol and 2) It's pasteurized. To allow for export, Guinness sold to North America is brewed to 3.5% and then pasteurized to ensure stability on the arduos journey across the Atlantic.
After the malted beverage arrives, it falls into the hands (and glasses) of some of the city's finest bars, pubs, and watering holes. At these locales, glassware, the pour (always in two runs), storage temperature, and the cleanliness of tap lines all play a role in what ends up in your glass. After Friday, we will have only scratched the surface, but if you happen to make it to any of our favorites Sunday or anytime after, your pour will be in good hands.