It's been served far too cold for over 30 years now, but, seriously, in Ireland they'll drink almost anything. Do they still serve that horrible Smithwick's that was passed off as bitter back then? Or the "Bass" that tasted like soap and vinegar?

I used to reckon Murphy's to be kinder on the palate, and Beamish as rather thin and acidic.

I think a century of clever advertising has made Guinness and Irish culture almost synonymous, even in their own eyes, but I haven't drunk the stuff myself for years, at least when an alternative is available.