Guinness

Sooner or later I would have to dedicate a post to this wonderful black beer, so here it is. Last night I went out bar-hopping trying to get a feel for the night life here. I had my first Guinness in Ireland...I don't think it actually tastes better than in other parts of the world (although Im sure many Irish would argue) but they do serve it at the 'perfect' temperature, with the right amount of head, etc, etc...so i does taste good. Another interesting observation is how beer is priced a pubs. First off, brands don't matter...beers are categorized and priced by the type (ex. Stout or Ale). The price of a beer also goes up later in the night and even more interesting is that the increase in price is not uniform. For instance, a stout would go up by 50c while a lager by 10c. Regardless of the pricing scheme, lots of beer is drunk every night. It's funny to walk around town in the morning as Guinness trucks unload kegs and kegs of the stuff...you get a feel for how much they love it. I also visited St. Patrick's Cathedral today, and guess who had a statue next to the church? Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness...but he did a lot more than just run a beer company (like donating lots of money to restore the church). Another popular beer here is Smithwicks which with an Irish accent is pronounced "Smidicks"...if you wanna fit in with the crowd you just gotta do it their way.



My first guinness in ireland