guinness Is the Guinness really better in Ireland? I have heard this a number of times and have always questioned if it is true or not. The biggest reason why I thought it was false was because I couldn’t understand why a brewing company would export a nasty version of their best tasting beer it made no sense.

I did a little research by asking a few people at pubs, and here’s what I came up with:

  • The popularity of the drink in Ireland means that kegs aren’t sitting around long. Therefore, the Guinness is almost always fresh — and certainly more fresh than overseas since it doesn’t have to travel as far.
  • The lines are cleaner — pub owners in Ireland are visited every three weeks by a Guinness representative who flushes the lines to Guinness kegs.
  • Guinness should be served at room temperature — an oddity to us who associate the pleasures of beer drinking with its coolness on a hot day. I’ve noticed that most bars in the States tend to chill their Guinness along with the rest of their beers, which definitely changes the flavor of it.