Madam, – I can fully empathise with Patrick Tierney in his search for a creamy pint (June 19th). I had similar negative experiences for years and as a result stopped drinking Guinness and moved to beer.
However, after weeks of a self-imposed ban I decided no beer comes near to the taste, texture and experience of drinking a creamy pint of Guinness and so I went in search of “the perfect pint”. Happily I discovered the locations of pubs that take pride in the serving of Guinness. I believe it is this pride to serve that is one of the ingredients that makes the difference between the customer experiencing the delights of a perfect pint or the shadow of a contender.
In my experience, pubs that serve the perfect pint possess common traits: 1. There tend to be more Guinness drinkers than beer drinkers. 2. The barman/woman takes pride in the pouring and presentation of your pint. 3. These pubs tend to be smaller, friendlier and are more conducive to conversations taking place. 4. Their TVs are turned on only for the duration of a sporting event.
I have recently returned from a tour of Ireland (taking in Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork, Galway and Belfast), and made it my business to find where the perfect pint lives in each city. The local people were a great source of information, gladly offering recommendations.
I can confirm and recommend the following pubs to Mr Tierney to visit during his next trip to Ireland. He will not be disappointed with the creamy pint he will be served. Dublin city: Doheny and Nesbitt, The Stags Head. South Dublin: O’Loughlins, The Kings Inn, Finnegans. Kilkenny city: The Bank, Dohertys. Cork city: The Rock, An Brog. Galway: O’Connells, Garveys. Belfast: The Kitchen. – Yours, etc,