I’m going to Ireland for 9 days with some friends on 3/28. Which pubs have the best Guinness, in your opinion? This should be great training for Wildflower for me.
Thanks,
Bryan
You’ll find it universally better than any Guinness you’ve had here in the states. Guinness needs to settle in your glass not in the line between the keg and the tap. A bar that doesn;t pour a lot is not a good place to drink Guinness because you’ll be getting the line settled stuff.
Go to the bar at St. James’ Gate which is on top of a bif tower with a 360 degree view of Dublin. Good fresh Guinness there.
Stay away from O’Connell street.
I’m going to Ireland for 9 days with some friends on 3/28. Which pubs have the best Guinness, in your opinion? This should be great training for Wildflower for me.
Thanks,
Bryan
Just about any pub will have hand drawn Guinness. Be prepared, they serve it much warmer than they do here in the states. It’s chilled to about 50 degrees, most bars here chill to between 35-40 degrees. Much fuller flavor when it’s warmer.
If you have the time, I would suggest heading directly west to the opposite coast from Dublin to Westport in Co. Mayo, and dropping into Matt Molloy’s pub. (Matt Molloy is the flutist for the Irish band The Chieftains), and catching a seisun (session). A session is basically a gathering of local musicians that while away a few hours in the bar just playing.
Ask your local hotel type dude what pubs near the hotel have the best “craic” (Pronounced crack, with a tiny bit of a ‘y’ sound tossed in just before the ck sound). Craic is a term for hospitality, atmosphere, fun, etc. all rolled up. Or ask if any local pubs have good sessions.
Here’s a listing of pubs that have sessions in Dublin: http://goireland.about.com/od/nightlife/a/sessions_2.htm (Note, there is a Molloy’s, but the original Molloy’s pub is the one in Co. Mayo)
John
You’ll find it universally better than any Guinness you’ve had here in the states. Guinness needs to settle in your glass not in the line between the keg and the tap. A bar that doesn;t pour a lot is not a good place to drink Guinness because you’ll be getting the line settled stuff.
True. A well pulled pint will take 2-4 minutes to be poured.
John
Thanks, Matt and John. The trip should be an epic adventure.
I’m jealous. I’ve pretty much sworn off Guinness here in the US until I get myself to Ireland to experience what it’s supposed to taste like.
Over the past few years, it’s lost something, no matter where it’s poured.
Here I sit, two loaves of soda bread in the oven, my favorite Chieftains CD playing, and I’ve resorted to polishing off a very fine bottle of Kasteel Brune - Belgian beer - blasphemy!!!
I’m jealous. I’ve pretty much sworn off Guinness here in the US until I get myself to Ireland to experience what it’s supposed to taste like.
Over the past few years, it’s lost something, no matter where it’s poured.
Here I sit, two loaves of soda bread in the oven, my favorite Chieftains CD playing, and I’ve resorted to polishing off a very fine bottle of Kasteel Brune - Belgian beer - blasphemy!!!
Find a good, local Irish pub that has a session. There’s a few websites around that will list them. Any Irish pub that is savvy enough to support a session should be able to pour a proper guinness.
I’m lucky, here in Phx we have 6 or 7 that support bands, sessions AND pour a good pint!
John
I cant really speak for the Guinness, but I went back in the fall and asked this forum what to see, so if you do a search you should be able to find it - I got some good advice.
Of all the cool stuff in Dublin, the Kilmainem Gaol (Jail) (spelling???) was underrated and awesome - check it out.
In Ireland most of the locals drink Smithwicks which is also really good in Ireland. Much better than having it shipped here.
Timely post as I’m enjoying a Guinness right now - can’t get any fresher or better than from the bar at the top of the brewery at St. James Gate. My wife doesn’t like Guinness at all but even she had a pint there and said it tasted much better. It doesn’t store or ship well (especially when sent overseas) so you will notice a marked difference in taste. The brewery tour actually ruined me for drinking Guinness for awhile after I got back since I knew I would never taste a pint as good as the one I had there.
If the west coast of Ireland is part of your trip, definitely try to get to Dingle. Beautiful fishing village with unbelievable views and lots of great pubs. It’s also the last remaining part of the country where Gaelic is still the primary language.
Enjoy your trip!
You SOB. How dare you post something like this on St Paddy’s Day.!! 
Lucky you.
AFAIK, the Irish brewed Guinness is the same across the country.
Do they still have two major breweries - one in England and one in Ireland?
Don’t the Irish only drink the Homebrew?"
Well, I’m a few pints in at this point. We’ve decided to cancel the return flights…
I remember that thread. I can’t find it.
To the OP, wherever you go, just don’t go to the Temple Bar area.
The best pint of Guinness is at the brewery.
While I was the Guinness brewery in 2001 I found that you couldn’t actually buy a pint there. You had to buy a tour which I did, and when you do buy a tour you get this gizmo that you trade in at the bar for a pint. Tried to buy a second and the barman said no dice.
I found that the Guinness in Dublin was comparable to what I was used to from the Pubs around the North Side of Chicago. And they have/had a product called Guinness Extra Cold that was colder then any pint I’ve had here in the States.
The other posters are correct that it takes a few minutes to properly pour a pint of Guinness but we must be spoiled in Chicago because we can find pubs that do it really well all over the place. Although most of them are run by people from Ireland so I’m sure that has a lot to do with it.
The brewery has a separate bar on the lower level where you can buy additional pints; the one at the top with the panoramic view just gives one for free.
You SOB. How dare you post something like this on St Paddy’s Day.!!
Lucky you.
AFAIK, the Irish brewed Guinness is the same across the country.
Do they still have two major breweries - one in England and one in Ireland?
Don’t the Irish only drink the Homebrew?"
The biggest Guinness brewery in the world is in Lagos Nigeria.