Guinness is one of Ireland’s greatest exports and a beer that is loved the world over.
It dates back to the 18th century and was brought to the world courtesy of Arthur Guinness, who gave the drink its name. He had learned something about brewing from his father Richard, who among other things had the task of overseeing the brewing of beer for workers on the estate of the Archbishop of Cashel.
Rather fortuitously Arthur was left £100 in the will of the Bishop and used the money to get his career as a brewer underway. Arthur bought a small brewery in Lexlip not far from Dublin but had bigger plans and in 1759 signed a lease on a site at St James’ Gate in the heart of Ireland’s capital city.
He enjoyed success brewing ale but made a decision that would change the fortunes of the company to start making a new kind of English beer called porter. So successful was Arthur’s porter that in 1799 the decision was taken to concentrate on that alone and the rest, as they say, is history.
A brewing dynasty was well and truly born and by the 1880s the Guinness brewery was the largest in the world. It’s generally accepted that the best place to sample Guinness is in Ireland, so it would perhaps be a logical conclusion to head for pubs in Birmingham’s Irish Quarter to sample the best pints of the black stuff that the city has to offer.
Most Guinness aficionados will tell you that there are a number of factors that contribute to a good pint of Guinness. First and foremost there’s the fact that any hostelry needs to look after its pipes and clean them regularly.
And the beer needs to be looked after too. Specifically, as far as Guinness is concerned there’s the pour - or to put it specifically the two-part pour. So, if someone pours you a pint of Guinness as if they were pouring you a pint of lager it’s a bad start. The pint needs to be part-pulled, allowed to settle and then topped-up - thus creating the perfect pint of Guinness.
Guinness is part of the Diageo drinks empire and the Diageo Bar Academy explains why it is important. It says it is important because it guarantees the perfect taste due to the perfect head size.
It adds: “The creamy, nitrogenated head of Guinness has a bitter note to it, this is crucial to the beer’s overall flavour profile.“ If the head is too small, it means not enough bitterness to balance the sweetness from the malt profile. “If the head is too big, it means too much bitterness which overwhelms the sweetness. A two-part pour provides the perfect head height and therefore the perfect balanced flavour profile.”
As to how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness Diageo says it takes 119.5 seconds and gives the following guidance. “Pull the tap fully down and dispense at a 45 degrees into a Guinness branded glass. Fill till ¾ up the glass. Allow to settle. Top up by pushing the tap handle back just proud of the rim, thus creating the fabulous Guinness dome.”
Here's our pick of ten pubs in Birmingham’s Irish Quarter where you can get a great pint of Guinness:
1. The Spotted Dog, Warwick Street, Digbeth
The Spotted Dog is a great ‘proper’ Irish pub that in character mixes an old style British boozer in an industrial area like Digbeth with the sort of traditional pub you might wander into in any town or village in Ireland. If you fancy something similar to the look of Guinness but a little bit lighter then mild is always available, and there’s always a decent selection of real ales. The Guinness is consistently good and you will always get the correct pour.
2. Nortons. Meriden Street, Digbeth
Nortons is a busy bar and music venue and has a number of great humorous slogans - among them ‘Not another Irish bar’, ‘slainte bab’ and ‘creamy pints’. The last one obviously refers to its Guinness. It prides itself on the quality of its Guinness and you are guaranteed a good pint at any time of the day or night. As a Saturday treat why not try one of its full Irish breakfasts (served all day) with a pint of the black stuff.
3. Hennessey’s Bar, Allison Street, Digbeth
Hennessey’s landlord Gary McDonnell has been in the pub business a long time in a number of locations and knows his stuff when it comes to cellaring and serving good beer. The Guinness is no exception and given the large number of Irish people who frequent this premises and the huge amount of Guinness it serves it needs to be good - and it is. The food is excellent too and you can get it for half-price from Monday to Thursday.
4. The Old Crown, High Street, Deritend
As a pub which is Birmingham’s oldest but also prides itself on its Irish character, the Old Crown needs to serve top quality Guinness and it does. It also enjoys a good reputation for its Sunday roasts. The pub can date its history back to 1386, which is around 400 years before Guinness was even invented.