I think there was a difference between the Dublin brew and the English brew. It always seemed creamier, although the joy of being in Ireland might have helped...

I do like Guiness but I've given up with it, It's pushing towards £3 per pint here and I can get a really good bitter for maybe £2.20. If I do drink a stout these days, it is usualy in the Shed (the pub I mentioned earlier) and not one of the Irish types.

Of all the Irish stouts, my favourite was Beamish but, at least as far as I understand it, they changed the recipe when they started calling it "Beamish Black". It's seemed to become more Guinness like in taste.