Ireland is known for a few things, but two at the top of the list are Guinness Stout and St. Patrick’s Day:
- St. Patrick's Day began as a holy day to honor the patron saint of Ireland
- Today, it’s mostly a tourism-fueled, lighthearted celebration, with Guinness at the center
- Guinness was founded in Dublin in the mid 1700s and still operates in the same place
- Guinness is made from pure Irish water, barley, hops, and yeast
- The Draught Stout is known for its creamy texture, roasted coffee, and chocolate notes
- Guinness 0 Non-Alcoholic Draught captures the same traditional taste without the alcohol
Get ready to celebrate with Guinness!
The Irish Beer for An Irish Holiday
St. Patrick’s Day is a 17th-century feast or holy day established to honor the patron saint of Ireland, who was dedicated to converting the Irish to Christianity.[1] Traditionally, the day was marked with feasts, parades, and city-wide celebrations.
Most of what is common today, like corned beef, shamrocks, and green beer, began as tourist practices. Lighthearted celebrations with people wearing green, spending time with friends, always include drinking classic Irish beers. Specifically, Guinness.
A few facts about Guinness:
- The label started with ales, not the stouts they’re famous for today
- It was founded in the mid 1700s in Dublin, Ireland
- The brewery has been at the same St. James Gate location since 1759
- Guinness beer is actually a dark ruby red, not black
- The beer is made via milling, mashing, roasting, fermentation, and maturation
- In 1838, Guinness became the largest brewery in Ireland
- Today, it’s the largest stout brewery in the world
The world-famous dry Irish stout we love today is the standard by which others are often measured. If you love a dark beer, you’re in the right place!
How They Make Guinness
Guinness today follows the same traditional methods of their roots and is made from a few key ingredients:
- Pure Irish water
- Roasted, raw, and malted barley
- Hops
- Yeast
The traditional brewing process begins with mashing, which combines all the milled barley with hot water to form a mash.
The mash is then boiled with hops (lautering), resulting in a liquid called ‘wort.’ This is cooled and transferred to fermentation vessels, where the yeast is added.
Guinness beer then undergoes maturation to develop the iconic flavors before it’s nitrogenated for that classic creamy profile.
Guinness Draught Stout
They say THIS is always the “pint” everyone is talking about. The Guinness Draught Stout is dark, rich, creamy, and balanced, made from raw, malted, and roasted barley. It has aromas of roasted coffee and chocolate with a smooth, bittersweet taste balanced with deep roasted notes.
Draught Stout Pairings
- Smash burgers
- Shepherd’s pie
- Pulled pork dishes
- BBQ meats
- Chili
- Brownies
- Apple pie
Guinness 0 Non-Alcoholic Draught
The zero-alcohol version of its older draught brother, this one is smooth, balanced, and dark, with the same flavors, but brewed slightly differently. The brewing process uses the same ingredients and adds a cold filtration step that preserves the integrity of the Guinness flavor profile while removing the alcohol.
How To Perfect The Guinness Pour
The recommended total time for the pour is exactly 119.5 seconds, so pull out your stopwatch:
- Prepare a clean, dry glass
- Tilt the glass at a 45-degree angle
- Pour until it's 3/4 full
- Let it settle to form the creamy head
- Pour straight down the middle to fill the glass
Now all that’s left is to “split the G” on a Guinness glass:
- Wait until after the head has settled
- Take one big sip
- Keep going until the foam line hits the middle of the “G” in Guinness
You only get one try, so good luck!
Get ready for St. Patrick’s Day and try the Guinness Draught Stout!
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