Guinness (no harp)

[tom ball <havaball@xxxxxxx>]

>         Tom i'm amazed that a conniseur of fine music and beer such as you
>  would
>         advise people to keep their Guiness cold.
>          Sacrilege!
>         Rick
>         in NZ
>
I was appalled to read this as well! Was this some of that-oh so hard to
identify in writing- irony?
____________

(laughing!)  No, not a'tall.  In fact, in Eire, where the stuff is made
(and where -- as I'm sure everyone agrees -- it is far better tasting
than anywhere else,) it's always served chilled...

A quick visit to Guinness' websight confirms it is supposed to be that way.
They state "it is always better served cold" and "best served at 42.8 F."
Check it out:  http://www.guinness.com

 From my travels I've noticed that it's only in the UK that Guinness is
served on the tepid side, not in Ireland.  Hence my advice to "keep the
Guinness cold."

Actually the last time I was gigging in the UK (last year,) I noticed
that some pubs there now serve two varieties of The Black: "Guinness" and
"Guinness Cold."  From what I was told by publicans there, the brew
itself is identical in both taps -- only the serving temperature
varies by a few degrees.  The "Cold" brew was closer to how it's
poured in it's Irish birthplace. <shrug>

As an aside, personally I've found that Guinness doesn't travel
particularly well... by law it has to be pasteurized before exportation
- -- a process that seems to rob it of some of it's creaminess.  Seems
to me the further one gets from Dublin, the worse the Guinness gets
(I've tasted it right at the St James Gate Brewery in Dublin, and it's
a meal! Wonderful!)  But then I once had a pint in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
that tasted like clam juice with soy sauce, and the Guinness in 
Quito, Ecuador smells like rancid motor-oil from a WWII Jeep.

So.... sorry to those who may disagree, but Guinness was never meant to be
served at room temp. So I still say, "Keep the Guinness cold." <g>

Sorry for the lack of harp content here, but this is a subject almost
as near and dear to my heart as Sonny Terry.  :)

cheers to all,
Tom Ball