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What's so good about Guiness?

DLo

Monkey
Feb 26, 2003
688
0
South Bay Area, CA
Or.. samuel adams? I haven't really acquired a taste for beers, most of them taste really close to me. I will say that I don't like MGD or Budweiser though. But I tried a guinness last night and wasn't quite sure what to expect???

And since I'm on the topic. Do you guys have tips for lightweight drinkers? If I'm on an empty stomach, 3 beers even will get me laughing. If not, it takes 5-6. Kind of cool since it'll be cheaper if I ever wanted to really get wasted but on the other hand, it's never good if you're the first one to pass out. :nopity:
 

quadricolour

Monkey
Jun 14, 2003
448
0
Cambria, CA
If you're drinking to get wasted, stick to the natty ice or whatever. Good beer is definitely an acquired taste.

Actually, screw that. Go try some of this. :D

 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,102
1,153
NC
DLo said:
Do you guys have tips for lightweight drinkers? If I'm on an empty stomach, 3 beers even will get me laughing. If not, it takes 5-6. Kind of cool since it'll be cheaper if I ever wanted to really get wasted but on the other hand, it's never good if you're the first one to pass out. :nopity:
Here's the only good tip you'll ever receive:

Just don't drink enough to pass out.

I don't see what the problem is, being a lightweight drinker. The whole "I can pound XX number of beers" machismo is lame. Drink until you feel good, then stop drinking. If you want to always have a drink in your hand, then drink them slower and it won't be an issue.

Only time this doesn't apply is when you're pounding shots with your best drinking buddy - then, God help you and good luck :D
 

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
at Whistler, i had a mixed drink (i haaaaaate whiskey), and about 6 pints between the hours of 8pm and 2am, on a full stomach. that was enough for me to not remember the ride home, pass out in the back of my truck at the campground, and still be drunk the next morning. god, that was a bad day. anywho, 1 beer and i start feeling it. that's why you have to acquire your taste for beers, so that you don't waste your time on nasty crap.
 

DLo

Monkey
Feb 26, 2003
688
0
South Bay Area, CA
Hm, okay. Maybe that's why the guiness didn't hit me that fast. I don't care about my "macho" image, it's just that when you go drink with friends that can pound beers like soda, it sucks. "Hey, have another one with me!" "Uh, I can't man.. look how red my face is already" :rolleyes:

And I don't like to drink slow either, hate when beer gets warm.
 

I Are Baboon

The Full Dopey
Aug 6, 2001
32,437
9,520
MTB New England
I kind of like the fact that three beers puts me right to sleep. It reminds me that I'm not an alcoholic. :)

As far as Guinness goes, I just don't care for the taste.
 

B_A_MTBIKER

Monkey
May 4, 2004
170
0
Where the wild things are
Guiness is definitely an acquired taste, as for me, I have acquired that taste and love guiness, it is not a beer to drink when you want to get f-ed up, it is more of a "sit down for dinner and sip on it" drink. If you want to go getting wasted, get some Key-light or PBR or something cheap.
 

Heath Sherratt

Turbo Monkey
Jun 17, 2004
1,871
0
In a healthy tension
Did you try the xx stout? drought style? They are very differrent in texture and flavor. Guiness whether you like it or not is on another level of craftsmanship, there is no other beer like it and if there were, that's just it, it would be like Guiness. It's a benchmark in stouts and all hand crafted beers. Personally it's my favorite along with Newcastle nutbrown, Pilsner Urquell and any sammy smiths. Beer takes awhile to be able to differentiate the subtleties but like all things worth the investigation...it's about the journey:)
 

DßR

They saw my bloomers
Feb 17, 2004
980
0
the DC
What's so good about Guinness? Nothing, really IMHO. It's really dark and thick, yet not very strong in the flavor dept. -- which I think contributes to its mass popularity (it's easier to choke down if you're used to piss-beer). There are a lot of other stouts out there with more kick to them alcohol-wise and taste-wise.
 

Brian HCM#1

MMMMMMMMM BEER!!!!!!!!!!
Sep 7, 2001
32,119
378
Bay Area, California
Guinness is more of an aquired taste, if its too much for you try making one into a Black & Tan using Bass ale on the bottom topped by Guinness drought on top:thumb:
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
DßR said:
What's so good about Guinness? Nothing, really IMHO. It's really dark and thick, yet not very strong in the flavor dept. -- which I think contributes to its mass popularity (it's easier to choke down if you're used to piss-beer). There are a lot of other stouts out there with more kick to them alcohol-wise and taste-wise.
dark yes, but thick? and not strong in the flavor dept? remember it's not an oatmeal stout, so you can't really compare to those. there's plenty of flavor from the roasted malt. as for "thickness" well that could be a subjective term (unless we are measuring things like optical density or viscosity) but if you've done the blasphemous act of adulterating a guinness by making a black and tan, you'll know that guinness is less dense than an ale.

btw, the brits used WWI vets to help quell the irish uprising of the early 1900s, and these guys were called Black and Tans due to their mis-matched uniforms. so, not only would an irish never mix a british ale such as bass w/ an irish stout, even the term Black and Tan is highly offensive.
 

laura

DH_Laura
Jul 16, 2002
6,259
15
Glitter Gulch
guiness is an overrated, incredibly generic stout. there is nothing special about it. i had never heard of anyone thinking anything was special about sam adams. a tip for a lightweight....3-6 beers does not make you a lightweight. a six pack of light beer has me on the floor. 2 or 3 real beers and im toasty.
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
regardless of what you think it tastes like, there is no denying its place in the social fabric of irish pub culture. so saying that there "is nothing special about it" isn't true, at least from my experience.
 

laura

DH_Laura
Jul 16, 2002
6,259
15
Glitter Gulch
narlus said:
regardless of what you think it tastes like, there is no denying its place in the social fabric of irish pub culture. so saying that there "is nothing special about it" isn't true, at least from my experience.

i'm sorry, i feel i need to clarify. i wasnt refering to the culture of guiness when i said it was nothing special. i was refering to the taste compared to other stouts. i personally know nothing about irish pub culture so i not qualified to talk about guiness in a social context. however, irish pub culture sounds like something i could get into. im a big fan of drinking and culture. :cool:
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
pubs and culture is always a good mix.

seriously, though, some people/bars do not pour a good pint, and that is part of the taste. i've yet to sample one since returning to the US. i'm afraid i might hate it!
 

DßR

They saw my bloomers
Feb 17, 2004
980
0
the DC
narlus said:
dark yes, but thick? and not strong in the flavor dept? remember it's not an oatmeal stout, so you can't really compare to those. there's plenty of flavor from the roasted malt. as for "thickness" well that could be a subjective term (unless we are measuring things like optical density or viscosity) but if you've done the blasphemous act of adulterating a guinness by making a black and tan, you'll know that guinness is less dense than an ale.

btw, the brits used WWI vets to help quell the irish uprising of the early 1900s, and these guys were called Black and Tans due to their mis-matched uniforms. so, not only would an irish never mix a british ale such as bass w/ an irish stout, even the term Black and Tan is highly offensive.
Yeah, by thick I was actually referring to viscosity, but I s'pose you're quite right about the density compared to ale. Honestly, when I drink Guinness, I frequently feel that it tastes "watery" (despite the consistency) and there's just not enough "beer" there.

I definitely prefer an oatmeal stout, Sam Smith's is a good start. :yummy:
 

ito

Mr. Schwinn Effing Armstrong
Oct 3, 2003
1,709
0
Avoiding the nine to five
narlus said:
seriously, though, some people/bars do not pour a good pint, and that is part of the taste. i've yet to sample one since returning to the US. i'm afraid i might hate it!
I found out how true that is the other week. Went to a bar and they only had Tooey's, a beer that I consider pretty poor. It tasted great though and I'm assuming it is how they poured it, ended up having a few more. At another pub I got some Kilkenny, the bar lady took her time making the pour and it tasted great. I like the beer normally, but it had a different taste to it, quality pout definitely makes the difference.

It depends on if you drink guiness from the tap or from one of the cans or bottles. Personally I can't stand it out of a can and the bottle isn't much better, but I'm a fan of it out of the tap. You can find better dark beers and if you see a new one I suggest going for it rather than something you know, but it's nice to be able to order a beer you are familiar with in any pub you go to.

The Ito
 

CrazyGambit

Chimp
Jul 30, 2004
78
0
Heart of Dixie..
Brian HCM#1 said:
Guinness is more of an aquired taste, if its too much for you try making one into a Black & Tan using Bass ale on the bottom topped by Guinness drought on top:thumb:
Also known as a floater, using hefewisen on the bottom and topped with the stout. I like drinks that seperate. I love B-52's, yet i rarely get them made properly.
 

DLo

Monkey
Feb 26, 2003
688
0
South Bay Area, CA
Hmmm. Maybe I should go for some bud or coors next time, then try some of that Guinness. I usually go for Heineken or Corona. As for the lightweight deal, I guess I'll just pack down a couple burritos before I start drinking. That always seems to aid me a bit! :thumb:
 

norco_nut

Chimp
Mar 26, 2002
10
0
Canada
DLo said:
Hmmm. Maybe I should go for some bud or coors next time, then try some of that Guinness. I usually go for Heineken or Corona. As for the lightweight deal, I guess I'll just pack down a couple burritos before I start drinking. That always seems to aid me a bit! :thumb:
I agree with everyone that it is an aquired taste.

You should try out some of the cheap beers...then you get a taste for whats good and what isn't.

Try out some of your local micro brews too...you might be surprised, I know I was. I'd like to help yah out with some reccomendations but I drink mostly Stouts and dark pints.

If you are more into the lighter beers then just remember one golden word....

-Pilsner-...its pretty hard to go wrong with one.

Oh and one other thing...if you are a bit of a lush..stay away from Belgian beers. 6-7-8-9-10%....triple fermented. Yee haw... ;)
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
Guiness is light beer. It's allright if you can it served at something warmer than ice cold, but nothing to write home about. Much better stouts out there, like others have said.
 

ell bee

Chimp
Jun 1, 2003
25
0
Olean, NY
Guiness...I used to drink it alot while in Grad School and loved it, but I'm off it for good now, as nothing you get (Guiness wise) here in the states is even close to what you get in Ireland. Had one at the Guiness Storehouse Sky Bar and NOTHING compares. SOOOOOOO Smooth!!!! Yum!
 

Tenchiro

Attention K Mart Shoppers
Jul 19, 2002
5,407
0
New England
Guiness is a "safe" way for fizzy beer drinkers to say they drink stout. It could be called a "gateway beer" to beers that have some flavor too them.
 

GumbaFish

Turbo Monkey
Oct 5, 2004
1,747
0
Rochester N.Y.
Guinness draught is pretty good, and this is coming from a beer snob. As far as their foreign extra stout I wouldn't say I enjoy that as much. I would agree it is a gateway to dark beers though, since I started drinking it I've moved on to much better stouts, porters, and scotch ales..but all in all I can't say I'd mind having another pint of Guinness