If you want to go out and have a great time and get a perfectly poured Guinness, visit Hibernia Bar, an Irish sports bar located in Hell’s Kitchen. Hibernia is known for having the perfect pour of the perfect Irish brew. It’s an iconic experience to drink a perfectly poured Guinness at a bar in NYC.
The Best Irish Pubs in NYC Serve Guinness in a 20oz. Glass
Believe it or not, the perfect Guinness pour really is an actual “thing”, and there really is a true history and science to it!
You probably know Guinness is a national heritage in Ireland, but did you know that pouring and serving the perfect pint requires patience – both on the part of the bartender and of the drinker?
It’s true! In fact, a proper pour is so crucial to the taste of a beer that there’s an entire ritual around it. So if you’ve ever sipped Guinness and thought, “Well, this just doesn’t taste like in Ireland,” read on for our step-by-step instructions for pouring the perfect pint at home.
History of the Perfect Pour
For the first two hundred years of its history, Guinness was poured from two different kegs in order to produce the perfect glass of beer with the perfect frothy head. This is the actual origin of the Guinness two-part pour.
The story of how Guinness first started serving beer in draught format is a tale of innovation, inventiveness, and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. It’s also one that begins with a man named Michael Ash.
I don’t think anyone has called me a genius…an achiever is what I like
Michael Ash (1927 – 2016)
In the 1950s, Micheal Ash, a brewer and mathematician was hired by Guinness to create the perfect keg. He created a new style of keg with a nitro stout faucet. This faucet is responsible for creating a cascading effect which, along with the settling out process, is part of the unique visual aura of a pint of Guinness.
What most people don’t know about Ash is that he wasn’t born into the family business—in fact, he never even intended to go into business at all. Growing up in Dublin, he was raised by his father to go into academia. “I was going to be an engineer or a doctor,” he said. “That was all I ever wanted to be.”
Science of the Perfect Pour
Because Guinness uses nitrogen to create the creamy head, it must be poured in two parts.
If the beer were poured all at once, the head would become too big thus ruining its texture, becoming disproportionate and even overflowing.
According to Guinness master brewers, the head on your pint should be around 18 to 20 millimeters (just short of ¾ inch).
First things first:
You can’t just pour a Guinness straight down into your glass. That will cause too much foam (and no one likes too much foam). Instead, start by tilting your glass at 45 degrees.
- Fill it until the glass is three quarters full.
- Then let it settle for two minutes. This gives time for the nitrogen bubbles to settle.
- Now comes the tricky part: Slowly fill the rest of your glass by bringing it back up to 90 degrees and letting it settle again.
Pour Your Best Guinness With A 20oz. Glass
If you’ve ever had a Guinness that tasted bland, it was probably poured incorrectly.
Guinness is all about the bubbles. No pint of Guinness is complete without that creamy head, which can only be achieved if you pour it into a 20oz. tulip-shaped glass. If you’re not using the right glass, you’re missing out on the full Guinness experience.
Follow the steps below to pour your perfect pour…it may seem like a lot of work, but trust us – it’s worth it!
Step 1
Use the correct glass. The right glass to use will be branded with the official Guinness harp logo and will be a 20oz. imperial pint, not the American 16oz pint.
Step 2
You must hold the glass at a 45-degree angle, and aim the spout directly at the harp logo.
Step 3
To begin pouring, pull the spout towards you. Slowly fill the glass to ¾ full, which will be at the top of the harp logo.
Step 4
Allow the beer to cascade, this is an essential element of the correct way to pour the perfect Guinness pint. According to the experts at Guinness, this step officially takes 1 minute, 19 and a half seconds.
Step 5
Push the handle away from you to limit the power of the flow of the beer. During the second pour make sure that the glass is set straight under the spout.
Step 6
Enjoy a quintessential NYC moment with a perfectly poured Guinness at an authentic neighborhood Hell’s Kitchen Irish Bar.
A True Guinness Bar in NYC
A Hell’s Kitchen Irish bar like the Hibernia sports bar is the most authentic place to experience the floral notes reminiscent of fresh grass and gardens and the deep, dark red colors from roasted malted barley, topped with a tall creamy head that is a pint of Guinness.
Swing by and get your 20oz. Draft at Hibernia Guinness Bar
Quite often Guinness will swing by giving anyone a chance to not only pour their own Guinness beer. The most important thing is really the experience. Whether you are enjoying a pint with friends or you are out exploring on your own, you want to create memories from an immersion of all of the senses in an authentic environment.
You won’t find an experience that is anymore in line with the spirit of NYC than having a perfectly poured 20 oz imperial pint of Guinness at a real Hell’s Kitchen Irish bar like Hibernia Bar in NYC.