I have always preferred Guinness at the warmer temperatures I have had it served to me in Britain. And I always assumed that 45-50F was the recommended serving temperature. That is why I was surprised to see this:
I assume that this is US-specific marketing. In the US, beer is always served ice cold and the marketing around this fact can be hysterical. I once remember an advertisement for Miller Genuine Draft which claimed that it was the “coldest.”
Anyway, does anybody know what temperature Guinness is served, say in Ireland? And on these new bottles with the “widget” and the nitrogen, does it also read “Serve Extra Cold” where you live?
(In the background is guacamole made in a molcajete. Grind 1/2 white onion, chopped, one jalapeno diced, and a small handful of cilantro in the bottom of the molcajete, with some kosher salt. 2 ripe avocados and the juice of one lime. Mash the avocado with the onion/cilantro/chile using a plastic fork. top with some more diced white onion and chopped cilantro. no tomatoes! Pair with… well duh.)
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June 20, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Brian Burke
This past St. Patrick’s Day, I heard a radio interview with one of the owners (or executives, I can’t recall) of Guinness. That exact question was put to him and he said they drink it very cold in Ireland. He said it was a myth that it’s intended to be warm.
June 21, 2009 at 7:12 am
RE
I am an American, living in Britain, just spent a week in Ireland, and love beer (and “real ale”). This is my two cents:
1. Guinness “Extra Cold” is very popular in Britain and widely available in pubs. There is also Guinness that is cool but obviously warmer. I don’t know the temperatures at which they are served, but I have never seen or tasted a Guinness that was as warm as a real ale.
2. I bought a few cans of Guinness from the supermarket in Ireland. They also said “serve extra cold” and were on display in the refrigerator. BTW, currently, Ireland is shockingly expensive and I was not in Dublin.
3. U.S. beer is NOT always served cold, although most of the time it is. There are many microbreweries who serve “warm” beer and/or whose beers taste better warm. Real ales in Britain (i.e., England, Scotland, and Wales) are served at a noticeably higher temperature than the typical American beer, including most American microbreweries. However, lagers in Britain are served cold or “extra cold” (e.g., Tennant’s Extra Cold is popular in Scotland).
4. A bar manager friend told me that EU law (somehow) requires all Guinness for sale in the EU be made in Ireland/Dublin AND requires it be pasteurized. Thus, the warm, non-pasteurized Guinness is hard to come by – I’m not sure it is even available in Dublin now (a shame!). This is a relatively new development and may not be totally accurate.
5. All the Guinness I have had in both Ireland and Britain tastes the exact same (i.e., no better or worse in Ireland), though different from what I’ve had in America – may be a function of differences in alcohol content (higher in the U.S., I believe).
Thanks for the guac recipe!
June 21, 2009 at 11:51 am
Anthony Argyriou
The canard of the English (and Irish) drinking warm beer is false. Most English beers are brewed to be served at “room temperature”. Americans instinctively think this means 68 to 75 degrees, not realizing that until recently, “room temperature” in England meant room temperature in a drafy little cottage or drafty old stone castle, and is somewhere around 50 to 55 degrees.
So compared to beer refrigerated to 32 degrees so you don’t notice it doesn’t actually taste like anything, English and Irish beers might be “warm”, but really, they’re to be served *cool*. Not warm, not cold. Cool.
June 22, 2009 at 7:44 am
Seán
In Ireland today Guinness is served chilled, but not as cold as American draught beers. They came out with an ‘extra cold’ edition on draught a number of years ago but as far as I know it didnt catch on.
Fact: up until recently many Irish pubs had two taps for Guinness: one chilled; one not. You could order a ‘warm’ pint, ‘cold’, or even ‘half and half’.
June 22, 2009 at 11:44 am
Mike Cygan
When I toured the Guinness brewery Thanksgiving weekend in 2002 the pints they served at the end of the tour were either regular or extra cold. I preferred the extra cold.
June 22, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Jonathan Weinstein
The Onion had a recent headline something like “Coors scientists manage to cool beer to absolute zero”
June 25, 2009 at 5:15 am
Cormac
Ales and stouts were traditionally served at cellar temperature, not room temperature. Generally that would be below 8-10′ C. I seem to remember that Guinness “should” be served at 6′C. I’ve heard of old men asking for their pint to be microwaved for a few seconds.
As Séan mentions, there was Guinness Extra Cold, which was intended for a younger, club-going market, as well as draught Guinness in a bottle (a different design to the above pic though), which obviously would have been stored in the same fridge as other beers. Neither were particularly successful in Ireland.
The widgets that inject the nitrogen into the beer when you open the can or bottle, need to be cold to operate.
June 29, 2009 at 3:44 pm
The Gin Mill Pub Arklow
a good few people do want their Guinness ‘warmish’ although Guinness should be served cooler than other ales. 5-8 degrees celsius is about ideal, although some places keep their Guinness at cellar temperature along with their other ales. The ICECOLD version is consumed a lot during the summer but has not as much taste
September 30, 2009 at 9:09 am
Rob
Firstly, you cannot get a good pint of Guinness in Britain, I know people who have enjoyed it in their own cities around the world, but then come to Ireland and had it there and cannot believe the difference in quality, it’s like milk in a good pub in Ireland.
Guinness should be drunk at around 8 degrees celcsius and extra cold should be around 3 celsius.
May 8, 2010 at 10:34 am
obrian
Guiness should be served/drank at 9 degrees celsius. No warmer, no colder or it will not taste right.
May 8, 2010 at 10:35 am
obrian
REAL Guinness should be served/drank at 9 degrees celsius. No warmer, no colder or it will not taste right.
October 19, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Bebop X Lateef
There is no ambiguity here. Almost every pub in Ireland (including the rooftop pub at the Guinness brewery have two Guinness taps – cold and extra cold. Cold is about the same temp beers are served in the U.S. Extra cold is tooth chilling. Guinness and the Irish are so insistent that it is had cold, that extra cold is for those who like to nurse a beer and want it to be cold to the last drop.
October 19, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Bebop X Lateef
There is no ambiguity here. Almost every pub in Ireland (including the rooftop pub at the Guinness brewery have two Guinness taps – cold and extra cold. Cold is about the same temp beers are served in the U.S. Extra cold is tooth chilling. Guinness and the Irish are so insistent that it is had cold, that extra cold is for those who like to nurse a beer and want it to be cold to the last drop.
November 12, 2010 at 8:40 am
Paddy
I have never read so much rubbish about a (stout, by the way) in my life!
December 28, 2010 at 9:16 am
Mike
I spend a month in the UK every summer. I agree with the above commenters re “2 Guiness taps” in most pubs. I also found this to be true in western Ireland (Kerry and Cork). (I did notice that in Ireland, the real old geezers drank their Guiness from a normal (no widget) bottle. I think this was the traditional way to drink it, not from the tap). Also, re English ale: it’s CELLAR temp, not ROOM temp (45 – 50 F), although sometimes it’s warmer (e.g., when served “on gravity” from under the bar during summertime).
March 23, 2011 at 3:58 pm
ken dunleavy
guinness ideal temp in ireland is 6.5 degrees , but between 5 and 8 is acceptable . extra cold is served at 3.5 , it just goes through the cooler again to be double chilled
April 29, 2011 at 12:42 am
1/4th Irish
I’ve been drinking Guinness for a number of years now, and find chilled version to be far less flavourful than room temp version. I buy the cans with the widget in them, and yes, the widget works just fine at room temp.
We also have an Irish pub in my town that serves draught at room temp. At my club, the bartender always keeps a few cans tucked away on a shelf for me.
June 11, 2011 at 3:10 pm
Lugh Samildánach
In the mid-90s, I worked in an Irish pub in Germany. One day a Guinness rep came in and asked for a Guinness. He checked the taste, the temperature,, and even the height of the head above the rim of the glass. His verdict was that our Guinness was very good, but we were serving it two degrees too warm. I begged to differ, and said I , and several of the other staff, had been drinking Guinness for years, and that this was the best temperature. He said it “used to be”, but that their marketing focus groups had told them that more people preferred it a bit colder.
Stout is an acquired taste. Serve it at the right temperature and you get the full complexity of its flavour. Chill it a bit more and it loses this richness, but it probably does make it more palatable to those who are drinking it because of its cachet.
Interestingly, the German Braumeister who had come in with the rep sided with me. He pointed out that in his job, which involved a lot of tasting, he always sampled the beers at room temperature, as it was at this temperature that he could get the true flavour and detect any imperfections.
I did refrain from responding to the rep “screw you, marketing boy” – but we didn’t change our temperature. I still hate chilled stout.
Incidentally, I prefer Beamish to Guinness.
August 29, 2011 at 9:49 pm
bree
Does anyone know how many people have been injured when the widget bottle cap explodes off the bottle?
October 18, 2011 at 3:01 pm
andrew O'daye
no how manny
November 26, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Anonymous
Temperature depends on the kind of Guinness beer. Draught should be served chilled to 6-8 Celsius. Extra Stout abt. 10 Celsius. And Guinnes Foreign Extra shows its rich and strong taste at definitely higher temperature – some 16-18 Celsius.
March 16, 2012 at 6:17 pm
Kevin McLaughlin
A decent pub in Ireland would never serve Guinness Extra Cold. It takes the taste from the drink and thins it. I suspect extra cold exists for pubs that don’t sell it very quickly as lines and taps get dirty fairly quickly with Guinness. This doesn’t happen with super chilled drinks. As for the correct temperature. These are the correct ones. Irish Guinness is served at 6C all other Guinness which is sadly now extra cold is served at 3.5C. I won’t even mention the storehouse, it’s a tourist attraction. and that’s all it really is.
Some old boys will let their Guinness sit for a bit to get warmer, but that’s personal preference and it does taste better that way in my opinion.
The best way to achieve a decent pint from cans with widgets is to chill 1 can in a fridge and keep the other at room temperature. Pour half of the cold one in first and then top up with the room temperature one 2 minutes later.
I’ve been drinking Guinness for 22 years and am very particular about the taste and how it’s poured.
May 2, 2012 at 2:04 am
Curmudgeonly Old Fart
Children, children, children. I really do wonder if some of you are of legal drinking age. I am appalled to discover that, apparently, English and Irish pubs have fully succumbed to the US standard of serving beer so cold that the only taste is the bitter hops finish. This US practice of serving beer at near freezing temps serves one purpose, and one purpose only: covering up the fact that most US beers (Bud, Miller, Coors, etc.) taste disgusting. Most Americans–especially those who swill “beer”, usually “lite” beer–loathe beer. It’s just the most expensive means to an end. At least in California, “cheap” beer costs more per serving than good distilled spirits. But, my fellow Americans aren’t bright enough to notice this extreme cost difference.
As for serving temperatures for good beer, light bodied lagers really shouldn’t be colder than 40 degrees Fahrenheit; full bodied lagers, bocks, and dopplebocks should be served at about 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Top fermented beers–ales, stouts, porters, milds, etc., are at their best at temperatures of 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. These are, of course, rough guidelines; but if you are drinking beer because you like the taste, you will get the most taste for your buck. An important but oft overlooked factor: on a hot day, the same beer tastes better colder than on a cold day. On the other hand, if you drink Coors or Bud lite, etc., I suggest about 34 degrees Fahrenheit: you won’t have to taste as much of it.
That having been said, I first tasted Guinness from kegs in pubs in Ireland and Great Britain, in 1985. It was summer, so the pub’s room temperature (I never saw air conditioning in Ireland or Great Britain) was enough warmer than the cellar where the keg was stored that the glass would, given time, get a bit of condensation on its outside. The older people I talked to–Irish, English, Scottish, and Welsh alike–all complained that draught beer temperatures were too cold. Compared to American standards, the beers I had in Ireland and Great Britain seemed warm. And good. Several people I talked to remembered the tradition of warming beer before drinking, especially in cold weather. (If you’ve never heard of such a thing, it was done with top fermented ales, etc.; the traditional method was to heat the end of a metal poker in the fire, then insert the heated end into one’s tankard of ale.) In places that served bottled or canned beer only, I sometimes saw the beer being served sitting on display on shelves behind the counter. I even saw canned Budweiser served at room temperature. And it wasn’t just beer. I saw places that served canned room temperature Coca-Cola; go figure. Britain and Ireland just seemed to be places where cold drinks were scarce. Room temperature for all but hot beverages seemed the norm. It was summer, and, even on the hottest days, tea was always served hot. I’m not even certain if the Irish and British of that time even new what an ice cube is.
As for all the different varieties of Guinness, I haven’t noticed any difference in taste/serving temperature. I have always assumed that “serve extra chilled” was a ploy to boost US sales, and have continued to drink Guinness at room temperature to cellar cool; I have never taste tested extra chilled Guinness on purpose. Occasionally, because it was all that there was, yes; cold Guinness never did much for me. If it is now universal, even in Ireland, either: Guinness is now a bottom-fermented lager, or even the Irish have lost their taste for beer.
If this last is true, I wouldn’t surprise me. The Guinness of today doesn’t taste nearly as good as it did in the mid 1980′s. And it’s never tasted as good outside of Ireland.
June 4, 2012 at 4:59 pm
tom
I started drinking and became fond of Guiness right around 1981-1982 and I don’t think it tastes the same now as then, I thought it was my taste buds changing. Thanks for clarifying that.
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July 3, 2012 at 11:06 am
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I exclusively drink Guinness Draught here in the States when out at bars. I don’t know at what temperature its initially served at but I can tell you it tastes great and if I’m nursing the pint and it gets warmer it also still tastes great. Same scenario with the bottled extra stout and Murphy’s stout. If drinking from a pint isn’t in the cards then the bottled Guinness is fine. Anyone notice the widgets are no longer in the bottles? The real question to ask is to people from the Islands or Africa who have been drinking the Foreign Extra for years and what they think of the other Guiness’s. The Foreign Extra was only recently made available here in the states about a year or two ago. I get a kick out of watching reggae video’s or Guiness commercials on youtube and all the Jamaicans only have the bottles of foreign extra. Strong stuff!!!
And for the record all the people who I’ve been hearing for years say Guinness in Ireland is better or people in Ireland don’t drink Guinness or Guinness isn’t the same as it was or Guinness should always be served warm are all full of shite and are the one’s sittin at the bar drinking Bud Light. They’re the people who have seen Braveheart 500 times too many, go to Ireland and visit all the Times Square equivalent tourist kitsch spots come back and they still suck. Cheers!
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Like many, I first drank Guinness in the 1980′s while in the U.K. It was served at cellar temperature, as were most other beers. Cocktails, by the way, often had but one lonely cube in say, a rum and coke or vodka tonic. But Guinness is now served both cold and less cold in Scotland now. This I am told by the publicans is a nod to the many Yanks who frequent the pubs nowadays. It was better in the old days: no other Yanks but me, properly served Guinness. And if I wanted more ice in a mixed drink, I could always add some on request. It’s harder to make a cold one warm up (unless you carry a poker or hand warmer out on your crawl.
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The Guinness Storehouse 360-degree rooftop serves Guinness on tap at three temperatures: the coldest for U.S. tourists, a bit warmer for the majority of people from everywhere else, and the warmest for the “old timers.” As I recall, the three were somewhere around 38, 42, and 46 degrees. But, someone who lives in Dublin could call and get the precise temperatures of all three. The middle temperature was recommended by the barman as he said the pint would warm up a wee bit in the hand and end up about 2 degrees warmer, and “release” that great Guinness flavor.
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