Happy St. Patrick’s Day…lovely day for a Guinness, isn’t it?

Is a Guinness “real food?” People do claim that it is a full meal in a glass. It’s fermented, although I’ve yet to hear of raw Guinness (could be interesting though, right?). It’s made with real ingredients. However, today’s Guinness is put through a bit more than earlier versions, and it’s pasteurized. But for occasional celebrations, whether or not the dark brew really is “good” for you, it’s a nice treat. Here are a few facts about this popular beer:

• Guinness was first made in 1759.
• Guinness stout (the most common one people drink) is made from water, barley, hops, brewer’s yeast, and is treated with isinglass finings, made from the air bladders of fish.
• It is pasteurized and filtered.
• The dark color and strong taste come from roasting the barley.
• Draught Guinness, and the cans with the widgets, contain nitrogen as well as carbon dioxide; this gives it its smoothness and the creamy head.
• Guinness is not meant to be consumed “cold;” it does come out fairly cool from the tap in Ireland, where temperatures tend to be cooler, but traditional Guinness is not meant to be “chilled” or refrigerated. The colder it is, the less flavor you can taste, and if you aren’t drinking it for flavor, why bother?
• Guinness is an acquired taste; it is very bitter, and Americans are not used to bitter tastes (is it any wonder, when sugars are put into just about everything the majority of Americans eat?). Once you acquaint your taste buds to it, though, the true taste of Guinness is very, very enjoyable.
  • A note on bitters: Tasting something bitter in your mouth stimulates your body to secrete more digestive juices, which results in better digestion all the way through. The use of bitters goes back centuries as a digestive tonic and aid. Perhaps this effect is one reason why people reported feeling good after drinking Guinness over other beers back in 1920s, which led to the infamous claims that “Guinness is good for you.”
• Have you heard about how a Guinness in Dublin tastes better than anywhere else? It’s true! The ones I had in Ireland were better…and one secret is that the water used to make the brew there comes from a spring in County Kildare.
• Most people consider Guinness to be strong (alcohol-wise)…but consider that today’s Guinness is not as strong as it was in the 19th century.

For a couple of laughs…

About to go on the official tour of Guinness at the St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin, 1997. I’m on the far right. Way back when I had brown hair.

Doing what one does at a pub in Ireland. This was taken in Killarney, 1997. It’s been so darn long, and I am dying to go back!

While a pint of stout is not exactly on the usual menu of “real food”…today is a perfect example of when to make exceptions. If you indulge in a pint, enjoy!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays for March 17, 2010.