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The decision to hold the line on quality was made way back by Arthur Guinness II, and the recipe has remained the same for more than 200 years.
While Guinness is exacting about the water sources and ingredients used to brew the beer around the world, Americans are privileged to drink the stout right from the original source. The beer is made from four ingredients: barley, water, hops, and yeast. The ingredients are prepared in five steps.
The barley provides the starch and sugar for the brewing process, and roasting it gives GUINNESS® its color. County Kildare is the source of the GUINNESS® water supply, and is also where Arthur Guinness learned to make beer in his mid-twenties before moving to Dublin. Hops add flavor and aroma to the brew; they also act as a powerful natural preservative. Finally, the yeast that Guinness uses is as close to a secret ingredient as they’ve got. Yeast has a vital role in the brewing process, pitched into the 600-barrel kettle filled with malted (cooked) barley, water, and hops. The single-celled organism feeds on this sugary liquor known as “wort” and reproduces rapidly; this is fermentation, and it creates alcohol and carbon dioxide.
What’s so special about this yeast? Because some yeast from each brew is transferred to the next, the yeast being used to make GUINNESS® today descends from the original yeast used by Arthur Guinness. This strain of yeast is so important to the company that some of it is locked in the director’s safe. If anything were to happen to the main supply of yeast, this small reserve culture could replace the entire stock in a matter of hours.
After fermentation, the beer is aged and then clarified. Professional tasters sample the various batches of stout, and they are blended for consistency.
When served, GUINNESS® draught is instantly recognizable for its rich, creamy head as well as its malt and caramel flavor. The head is created by a unique mix of nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide. When served from the tap it is poured in a “two-part” process, tilting the glass at a 45-degree angle and filling it three quarters full. Once the surge has settled, it is topped off.
In addition to GUINNESS® draught, consumers can enjoy GUINNESS® draught in bottles, GUINNESS® draught in cans, and GUINNESS® Extra Stout — which is stronger in taste and alcohol content.
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