Greetings from Dublin (Ireland, not the ones in New Hampshire, Ohio. or any of the 18 U.S. cities named after Baile Átha Cliath).
First, let’s settle one question that I’ve been asked plenty of times before: Guinness is definitely better in Ireland.
I’ve even written about this debate before, and when people ask me my opinion I usually say, “Yes, it’s better in Ireland, but everything is better in Ireland when you’re on holiday.” But the truth is that Guinness tastes better in the Auld Sod. Some speculate that it’s a matter of freshness, but the Guinness in the U.S. is usually made there. Maybe it’s not made as well, but that seems unlikely as huge brewing companies like Guinness usually have their processes down to a perfectly exact science that is easily replicated by good brewers.
Maybe it’s because bartenders in Ireland pour it better, but that also seems specious: If people can replicate the beer, they certainly can learn a simple pouring procedure. They certainly do it consistently across Ireland. There is little difference between one poured in the sainted Long Hall (a pub you must visit) and one poured at Searsons, a quaint bar down near where I stay (Waterloo Guest House, a fantastic and affordable accommodation).
In the end, I think it comes down to the cultural atmosphere and maybe, just maybe, a little Celtic magic.
I also met up with my old pal John Stephens for a pint or three of beer at Urban Brewing, a great craft beer spot just over the Liffey on the north side of Dublin. John is a retired professor at UCD who now spends some of his time as treasurer for Beoír, an independent group of consumers that supports Ireland’s native independent microbreweries.
Urban Brewing was a lovely space with great servers and tasty brews. We also grabbed a glass of the barrel-aged version of Carlow Brewing Co.’s Leann Follàin, a delicious and complex stout that was on tap at Urban. If you visit Dublin, check Urban Brewing out.
John and I decided to stroll to another beer bar he liked, but unfortunately it was closed.
So instead we traipsed down the avenue and happened upon a tiny pub named The Confession Box. Well-appointed and intimate, this old bar was formerly named The Maid of Eire, but gained its current name from the fact that Michael Collins and other members of the Irish Revolution had been excommunicated by the Catholic Church but secretly received absolution and communion from sympathetic local priests in the pub.
You have to love these accidental adventures. But that’s what beer can make happen.
More to come next week.
The Link LonkOctober 24, 2021 at 04:17PM
https://www.masslive.com/entertainment/2021/10/beer-nut-hard-to-beat-a-guinness-poured-in-dublin.html
Beer Nut: Hard to beat a Guinness poured in Dublin - MassLive.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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