Guinness 5

Earlier this year, well ok way back in January I relayed "I’m really looking forward to getting over to Ireland sometime soon and tasting some hand pumped Guinness in an authentic Dublin Boozer" and The Beer Nut left a rather sarcastic comment about cask conditioned coors..l. Basically I was a little out of touch! Well anyway I finally got my Guinness in Ireland (well I actually had a fair bit at the Gresham in Dublin, but the location was not worthy of a post) and the pint that I thought most worthy of getting this title was in a little Irish music bar called Dolans. Whilst the pint tasted similar to the uber cold swill you get in the UK, the atmosphere more than made up for the shortcomings in the beer!

Beamish Stout

After a leaving the Blarney area we decided to head into Cork to have a look around. Putting it bluntly, Cork is a little bit dull, very grey and not worth getting out of the car for! we headed down for the coast then and pulled into a little town with nothing but a caravan park and a pub called The Speckled Door. A quick glance over the taps at the bar showed all the usual suspects and one I had yet to come across - Beamish Stout. The initial taste is a dry, but hop laden stout - more in tune with a London porter than other Irish dry stouts and the beer is also more 'real' and not so 'creamy' even though the beer was dispensed through a nitrokeg system. Overall it is probably one of my favourite Irish stouts as it has a fresh, roasty, but still hoppy taste.

Beamish has been brewed in County Cork since 1792 and has produced their stout ever since. The brewery was acquired by Scottish and Newcastle earlier this year, and now produces Beamish Red, Fosters, Miller and Kronenbourg in addition to its flagship stout. Website: http://www.beamish.ie

Murphy's Stout

Whilst in Ireland visiting the relatives, I made a short trip south to County Cork to visit Blarney Castle and kiss the stone. It was hoped that some of the eloquence would rub off in the entries in this blog but so far that has yet to be seen! Anyhow, no trip to Blarney would be complete without sampling some of the traditional Irish fare at the Maskerry Arms. Since we were in Co. Cork, I decided to go for the local Corkonian option which is Murphy's Irish Stout (4% abv). Murphy's stout departs Guinness from the first sip. The beer is slightly sweet, similar in taste and texture to a milk stout rather than a dry stout. The beer is darker too. Guinness tends to pour a deep ruby colour which you can see when you hold the pint glass up to the light. Murphy's on the other hand is black, and I mean pitch black. The pour as with all Stouts in Ireland is now from a nitro keg system, so the usual creamy head is present. Also worthy to note is that the beer seems to have absolutely no carbonation at all. Guinness itself may appear flat, but there is some carbonation present which can be demostrated when you gently rock the glass. Murphy's however, does not display any observable carbonation. Overall, I think this beer is roughly on par with Guinness and one thing it has going for it is its price. In my local Tesco it is always a fair bit cheaper than Guinness which may influence some drinkers whilst shopping.
Anyhow, Murphy's stout is one to keep an eye out for and is a good example of the subtle differences between different Irish stouts. Website: www.murphys.com

Budweiser

A few of you may know that I am of Irish decent, and fewer of you may even know that I am a passport carrying Irish citizen. Recently I went off to visit some relatives of mine in deep County Limerick. I hadnt seen my great uncle in a while, and sure had missed his hospitality! It seems that everytime I go and visit, a can of Guinness is served up pretty much on arrival. This time however things were different, something had changed - I was served up a can of Budweiser (5% abv).
Now not that I am complaining! Far from it, however if I was going to choose from any beer then Bud would most likely be the last one I choose! Upon inspecting the can, I learn that this particular 'item' was made at the St James Gate Brewery in Dublin, the same place they make Guinness - maybe this will be passable. I crack open the can and pour the offending liquid into a pint glass. Its insanely gassy and has no aroma to speak of. The taste? Well there really was none, apart from a sharp carbonic tang and a filthy chemical laden aftertaste. But then again, I didn't pay for the beer and I was the appreciative guest!
Budweiser is owned by the brewing mega conglomerate Anheuser-Busch who were recently aquired by Belgian brewing giant InBev. This super corporate brewing empire is now known as Anheuser-Busch InBev (what a surprise!!). Pretty much any beer you drink is now a brand owned by this mob. I'm not really concerned with the expansion of this brewing monopoly as really it is just the way things crumble. It seems that the rest of the brewing blogosphere has a different opinion though!
Whichever way you look at it though, this beer may not be one of my favourites but it still sells a lot and makes a lot of money so the brand is strong and people do tend to voice their opinion with their wallets. You can find more at their website: http://www.budweiser.co.uk/