It's a crime I tell you!

SWMBO just got back from the store and brought home a 4 pack of guiness and what do I see on the side "SERVE EXTRA COLD" yes it was in all caps. wtf? I remeber it used to say serve at 45F-50F. Did I miss something? That ain't America that ain't even Mexico! Did we lose a war or something while I wasn't paying attention?

Only in America!

people drink natty ice and call that beer... so are you suprised??

I think that the Guiness cans say to "serve extra cold" so that the widget inside gets to the right temp so you get that nice creamy head that Guiness is known for. Also, the canned Guiness says to pour into a glass and the bottled Guiness says to drink from the bottle and not pour into a glass.

loop

I saw a bottle of Bud Light (saw not drank!) that read "Serve Piss Warm" on the side of it!

The world is turned upside down!

HA...

The whole born on date things is funny too. Its like te sooner you drink it the better, when in fact in most cases if you wait a few months the beer ages and actually tastes better. IDK if thats a difference between commercial and homebrew. Commercial breweries may not rely on bottle conditioning?

I think that whole drink it sooner concept is just to keep their inventory down to a minimum... keep lower costs. The stuff tastes rancid whenever you drink it so its not like waiting 4 weeks to drink it will matter.

Also... im sure the beer gets GREAT treatment from its distributor!

sirsloop said:

HA...

The whole born on date things is funny too. Its like te sooner you drink it the better, when in fact in most cases if you wait a few months the beer ages and actually tastes better. IDK if thats a difference between commercial and homebrew. Commercial breweries may not rely on bottle conditioning?

I think that whole drink it sooner concept is just to keep their inventory down to a minimum... keep lower costs. The stuff tastes rancid whenever you drink it so its not like waiting 4 weeks to drink it will matter.

Also... im sure the beer gets GREAT treatment from its distributor!

Click to expand...

Mega breweries pasteurize their beer after fermentation killing any left over yeast and force carbonate the beer. So, the beer is essentially "dead" and doesn't mature like our beautiful brews. They can only go downhill after birth.

The largest brewery I can think of that bottle conditions is Sierra Nevada.

I may be wrong, but I believe the FDA requires a "born on date/expiration date" somewhere on the bottle even if it is bottle conditioned. I have a bottle of Fuller's 2004 Vintage Ale in my closet at home and the note says something like "we are required to give a 5-year expiration date, but just ignore that date."


I also noticed how the canned and the bottled guiness say different things. Oh well, I pour them both out into glasses regardless.

Sierra Nevada's PA used to have big yeasties in their bottles (2-3yrs ago.) You could definitely see them floating around. Now it's just little stuff...

In Ireland, you'll see two taps for Guinness. One is normal, and the other is Guinness Extra Cold.



Guinness Draught Extra Cold is served at about one-third cooler than regular Guinness. Guinness Draught Extra Cold actually comes from the same barrel as Guinness Draught but goes through a super cooler on the way to the glass.

I'll be enjoying a regular temp Guinness in Ireland in just over a couple weeks. Maybe even two....perhaps a third......

More like a dozen.............at a time.

I, for one, like a cold Guiness. Call me what you want.

Me too. The regular temp in Ireland is actually cold too. The Extra Cold may be good for a hot summer day, but it takes away from some of the flavor.

I've been to Ireland enough to become a Guinness bigot. The Irish supposedly only drink Guinness in Ireland and I've experienced why. It simply is not the same. Could be that it doesn't travel well or the pubs beer lines are not cleaned properly.

I will however, drink Guinness in cans when there is no other option.

I have read the alcohol in Great Brittian is taxed heavy. The higher the percentage, the higher the tax. This doesn't apply to exports. The pub ale is lower in alcohol so people will drink more and the pub sells more.

This could be a reason why Guiness tastes different.

I don't know if this is true...

Guinness Draught is about 4.2% abv in Ireland as well here in the states.

Extra Stout is 6.0% here in the US and only 4.2% in Ireland.

I've been to the brewery in Dublin and it's quite a tour that finishes in the bar up on the top floor with a view and loads of cold Guinness. I got a paperweight with a drop of real Guinness enclosed in a lucite stone. Very cool. I'd do it again next time in Dublin.

I like my Guinness anyway I can get it. If it is too cold, I simply let it warm up a tad.

I have never seen the recomendation to drink from a bottle on any of the bottles I have had, but have seen the drink extra cold on there.

It's the draught bottles with the nitrogen widget in them that say to drink from the bottle. It has to do with the shape of the widget; it is kind of torpedo shaped and stays upright in the bottle and the nitrogen is released from the bottom of the widget when you tip the bottle up to drink from it. Whereas the cans have a carbon dioxide widget that releases all of the gas at once, which is why they say that you should pour it out into a glass rather than drink it from the can.

Cheers!
-Rick

On Deck: Classic ESB, Flat Tire, Maple Syrup Ale
Primary: empty
Secondary #1: Honey Amber Ale
Secondary #2: empty
Bottled/Aging: Octane IPA, Oatmeal Stout
Bottled/Drinking: American Amber Ale

EdWort said:

Guinness Draught Extra Cold is served at about one-third cooler than regular Guinness.

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1/3 cooler? That doesn't seem right. I think regular Guinness is to be served around 43 degrees. I thought the extra cold was about 5 degrees lower.