When U.S. President Barack Obama stopped off in his ancestral home of Moneygall, County Offaly, last Monday, the world was watching as he paused before taking a sip out of his perfectly poured pint of Guinness.
After his first mouthful the president remarked that the last time he had ordered a pint of the ‘black stuff’ in Ireland was during a stopover at Shannon en route to Afghanistan.
"What I realized is you guys are keeping all the best stuff here," Obama said as he stood in Ollie Hayes’s Bar.
While Guinness can be found in almost every corner of the world, it takes a lot to find the perfect pint and there is no better place to find it than in Ireland.
Here are the top ten reasons why Guinness tastes so good in Ireland.
1. All Guinness sold in Ireland is made in Ireland, so the travel miles are minimal in comparison. Meaning an Irish pint of Guinness is probably the freshest on offer.
2. Guinness is a popular drink in almost every watering hole in Ireland, which means the draw on the lines is regular, which in turn drastically increases the quality of the stout.
3. In Ireland the Guinness is usually only sold in a proper branded glass, which is the perfect shape and volume for a pint. You wouldn’t expect to be served a glass of Chardonnay in a tumbler while in Napa Valley. Same thing applies for Guinness in Ireland.
4. A publican outside of Ireland is more unlikely to have the correct combination of gases. Guinness has a carbonated level less than half of a normal beer and the perfect pint involves a precise blend of carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
5. Working in any bar anywhere in Ireland, one of the first things you learn to do is pull a pint of Guinness. Tilting the glass as you pour, allowing enough time for it to settle before topping it off with the perfect head is a skill acquired by few but mastered by the Irish.
6. Like most beers and ales, Guinness must be served at the correct temperature. The beverage will fail to release its full flavor if it is too cold.
7. Guinness representatives are on call in Ireland if there are any issues and also make regular visits to ensure that the lines are clean.
8. Nothing compares to the feeling of authenticity when drinking a pint of Guinness in the country where it originated.
9. Scientists have proven that nothing compares to a pint of Guinness stout in Ireland, after an extensive study.
10. Guinness is to Ireland what lobsters are to Maine, what pizza is to Italy. It is one drink that is served with pride in Ireland.
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Read More:
No Irish Guinness for Obama as he opts to bring his own
The Queen turns down a free pint of Guinness
The secret to pouring the perfect pint of Guinness
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10 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.deburca | May 30, 2011, 12:48 PM EDT
Love Ireland, love the Irish, love Guinness! @GeorgeDillon, there was no need for your insulting and uninformed comment - a comment that says more about you than about Ireland.
billyjustin | May 27, 2011, 06:47 PM EDT
To George Dillon, whats a scumbag like you doing in Ireland if you don't have time to visit the countryside, you have so much hatred in you, you must drink yourself to sleep at night,maybe you have English Ancestors and they taught you how to hate the Irish, anyway don't come to our land again, maybe where you come from you are not allowed to enjoy life.. Ha ha. Limerick
aerocat7 | May 27, 2011, 06:11 PM EDT
I think GeorgeDillon is one of Rush Limbaugh's nom de plumes.
abhainn | May 27, 2011, 06:10 PM EDT
GeorgeDillon: The symbols of Ireland are the harp and the shamrock.
Ms.Gail | May 27, 2011, 05:41 PM EDT
I think it has something to do with the water.
katetipp33 | May 27, 2011, 02:54 PM EDT
GeorgeDillon you are a complete eejit. I could waffle on and call every kind of name but why bother I think eejit is just the right word for you
GeorgeDillon | May 27, 2011, 02:45 PM EDT
What contemptible clowns the Irish are. With one of the highest rates of alcoholism in the world, in a country that is violent and riotous with drunks every night, and where you have to pick your way thru vomit on a weekend morning, the Irish turn the visit of the President of the United States into an ad for booze. What disgusting morons the Irish are. If you wanted Brad Pitt to do product placement for Guinness you'd have to pay him a couple of hundred thousand, but the stupid Irish make our President do it for free. One thing I never buy when I go to those cheap gift shops in Ireland is the ugly Guinness garbage they try to flog. What a nadir the Irish have reached, when they seek to identify themselves and their ancient culture by swilling booze and making a beer their national symbol.
imuverin | May 27, 2011, 12:54 PM EDT
The last can of Guinness I had was marked "Brewed in Canada" I guess, since they announced lay offs in the Dublin brewery, Guinness draft will be brewed in canada
donal1951 | May 27, 2011, 09:46 AM EDT
IIRC, there also is a difference in alcohol content between Guinness sold in the USA and that sold in Ireland, and indeed in much of Europe. A friend of mine who serves in the US Air Force was stationed in Germany early in his career and found a faux Irish pub he loved. He said a pint was about 8 percent alcohol in Germany, compared to 4 percent in that exported to the USA. He was a young man at the time and I would not swear he was right, but he certainly was telling what he felt was the truth.
Chiefjustice | May 27, 2011, 09:39 AM EDT
I agree with the President. Guinness dosen't travel well