Guinness Master Brewer Fergal Murray enjoys a perfect pint with partiers.
Guinness Master Brewer Fergal Murray enjoys a perfect pint with partiers. (Photos: Guinness)
Did you know there is an art and a science behind pouring the perfect pint that actually allows you to enjoy the flavor more fully? According to Fergal Murray, Master Brewer at Guinness, there is.
Murray is a man who takes his pint drinking very seriously. And since, according to Guinness, an estimated 13 million pints—more than 150 pints every second—will be consumed on St. Patrick’s Day, he came up with this “ritual” to guarantee not only a great tasting Guinness, but a great looking one as well. “Each pint must be crafted perfectly and looking beautiful,” he told me, “because we taste with our eyes first.”
(Help Guinness set a World Record.)
The Perfect Pour also ensures the proper release of nitrogen, which creates those cascading bubbles during the pour that build into the creamy head and help to “energize the beer, and bring it alive” according to Murray.
Want your pint of Guinness to be alive this St. Patrick’s Day? Whether you pour your own, or go to the pub and tell the barkeep “Pionta Guinness led thoil’” (a pint of Guinness please), make sure these 6 steps are followed:
6 Steps to Pouring the Perfect Pint
1. The Glass.
Start with a clean, dry glass. Murray recommends using a 20 oz pint glass with the Guinness logo.
2. The Hold. Hold the glass at a 45 degree angle, point the faucet at the harp logo, and, this is important, never allow the spout to touch beer or glass.
3. The Pour. Pull the faucet down for a “nice easy pour” and allow beer to fill the glass 3/4 of the way. You will see what Murray calls the “Settle and Surge.” This is when the nitrogen is released, and you should see cascading bubbles form.
4. The Settle. “Allow the nitrogen bubbles create the theater and wonderful surge event, creating the beautiful creamy head,” according to Murray. This builds strength in the head, which is critical to the taste.
5 The Top Up. Now that the beer has settled and there’s a distinct gap between dark liquid and the head, top up the glass slowly to create a domed effect, with the head “proud” of the glass.
6. The Presentation. Give the creation of the perfect pint to the adoring customer… or enjoy yourself.
How to Drink a Pint Properly
Now it’s time to drink that pint, and Murray has some tips for that too. First he recommends a temp of 38-44 degrees F. “Chilled, but not over chilled,” he says, adding, “No one drinks warm beer anymore.”
Next he strongly advises standing like a man when enjoying a pint. “Own your space, hold your ground and be a confident man,” Murray says. “Then breathe in and don’t look down. That’s bad manners. You should look at the horizon.”
Then Murray says to keep your elbow up as you tilt the glass, never elbow down. That would cause you to drink the head, which is no-no according to Murray. “In order to fully enjoy the roasted barley and extra hops, you want to pull the liquid through the head,” he advises. “You should have the same size head in the bottom of the glass as when you started. Cream to the end,” he says. At that point the glass should be “fully laced” with rings showing the number of sips you took when enjoying your pint.
Finally, I asked Murray about his thoughts on those who insist on drinking green beer on St. Patty’s Day. His reply? “God help us…”
I’ll drink to that.
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