Ahh Declan

Until about 2-4 years ago Guinness in Ireland was brewed as a "real" ale & was cask-conditioned & dispensed via the gravity method (rather than the trad. English handpump). Irish Guinness is now brewed as a keg beer and kep under a blanket of nitrogen to keep it "fresh" & is pasteurised to kill any "live" products left following the brewing process. The only difference between Irish Guinness & the Guinness brewed in London & Warrington is the water used.

When Guinness was real the two, or even three, stage pouring process helped settle the beer (it's never been strictly necessary but with gravity dispense it is harder to control the flow that with a hand-pump). Now it is dispensed via Nitrokeg there is nothing to settle. By dispensing into the side of a glass the build up of froth is minimised & there is no need for a two-stage pouring process (a head still develops as a consequnce of the nitrogen). I had an argument with a seasoned Guiness drinker over this so I poured one pint "traditionally" & one in one go & he couldn't tell the difference.

I used to drink a lot of Guinness but I decided to limit myself to 3 meals a day!

Incidently, the best pint of Guinness I ever had was in Paris!! I wasn't fortunate enough to visit Ireland when they still brewed it "real".

Slainte!