Guinness -1 stout to rule them all

I remember as child looking at my fathers pint of Guinness and thinking the cream on top must taste nice. How could it not? My dad finally gave in to my incessant pleas over a period of weeks and as a 9 year old I had my first taste in the Coat and Badge pub in Putney......disgusting! I never asked again for a long time.

Headfort Arms, Kells Co. Meath

They say its better tasting in Ireland. I cant taste the difference than London to be honest.

Of course the bitter taste with a tang has to be acquired over a period of time. Often I see adults who have never tasted it before make the same face I did many years ago to which the usual next sentence is "do you want some blackcurrant in it?", the so called 'Guinness and black'.

However, in my twenties I was fully adapted and appreciative of the flavour and would often switch over to Guinness in the winter months from my preferred lager for the warming illusion during the dark nights. The other times I would immediately choose the stout over lager would be weddings or funerals. Bound to be all day drinking affairs for some reason I always seem to be able to be able to not get as drunk on it compared with the same amount of lager. Perhaps its a mental thing or that Guinness is seen as a richer drink so its like you are eating at the same time but the other great benefit is draught Guinness has very little CO2 and is mostly nitrogen. The bubbly CO2 that makes you burp won't stop you from downing pints when you have to at the numerous toasts and times you need to catch up in the round with everybody else before the next is bought.

Guinness is not the only stout available, Murphys' for example is nicer in my opinion, but the exceptional businessmen the Guinness family were (Arthur Guinness managed to make a deal for a 9000 year lease at only £45 a year for the brewery in Dublin) and the outstanding marketing strategies employed by the company have made the brand synonymous with Ireland.

As a student I started working in pubs and when Paddys day came around I was always amazed with the free merchandise sent out for punters to collect, the most iconic probably being the tall foam Guinness hat that was a must get by the end of the night. I was especially impressed one year by miniature violins which played Irish tunes when you pluck the strings. I took a massive inflatable pint of Guinness to New York for Paddys and was mobbed by everybody like it was a celebrity.
In fact owning St. Patricks' day wasn't enough as the company started promoting Arthur Guinness day which is basically a second Paddys' day 6 months after (or before) and it is gaining more and more momentum year after year.

Grab as much Guinness memorabilia as you can. 

See also:

How to pour the perfect pint of Guinness

Baby Guinness shot

Steak and Guinness pie recipe

Black and tan drink