Friday, March 17, 2017

"Vancouver pub 'annoyed an entire country' with a poorly poured pint of Guinness"

Via Reddit: Dan Olson, owner of the Railtown Cafe in Vancouver, woke up on Tuesday morning to find his phone inundated with angry messages from the good people of Ireland.

The target of their rage? A photo of a very badly poured pint of Guinness posted to the pub's Facebook page to promote its upcoming St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

"There was some irate people up there and, believe me, there were some colourful comments," Olson told As It Happens host Carol Off.

"Let's just say that Jesus Christ was brought into it on more than one occasion. One comment actually said that Jesus wept when he saw our pint of Guinness."


Olson admits, it really was a terrible pour.

"It was coming out of a can. It was frothing over the tip like you'd find a Budweiser in a tailgate commercial," he said. "So, instead of cascading up to have a nice proper head like Guinness is supposed to, it was a mess." (Link to the whole story)

12 comments:

edutcher said...

I many a Western saloon, such a miscue would be met with the rejoinder, "Do you want a towel?".

Leland said...

"It was coming out of a can."

JC, expect another round of angry emails!

"It was frothing over the tip like you'd find a Budweiser in a tailgate commercial"

Is this moron trying to start a war?

"So, instead of cascading up to have a nice proper head like Guinness"

That's what the Irish lass was saying...

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I hate gimmicky shit like that. It's not that Guinness drinkers are fucking snobs. It's that Guinness has lots of money to pay for marketing and advertising, PR flacks, and they need to supply the media with something to talk about. Conflict is the standard go-to, usually.

Guinness actually pays people to go around to pubs and give lessons on how to "pour the proper pint." I think there might even be some sort of certification involved. Holy crap. Get a grip. It's beer.

Anyway, that said, despite the bogus hype, I'm a big fan of the draft, Extra Stout, and the Foreign Extra Stout. Just introduced is something they call "Irish Wheat." Its gimmick is that it is made from all Irish ingredients. Funny thing for what is a traditionally Bavarian style. Guinness is jumping on the "craft beer" bandwagon that thinks that warm weather and weissbier were made for one another.

I'll buy a six out of curiosity. But it'll be good, no matter what.

After all . . . it's beer.

The Dude said...

I bought a beer last month - haven't drunk it yet. How's that for snobby?

But let's discuss the important portion of that picture - the slice of the branch that all that other crap was posed on. It was cut at an angle, resulting in an approximation of an ellipse, it was dried with the bark on, and it appears to have been dried without any radial cracks forming. Very nice.

However, I cannot identify the species of wood, and that is a problem. Perhaps I should send a strongly worded letter to the Railton Cafe. Maybe include something about spotted owls or some such, because they have yet to receive sufficient grief for their obliviousness.

chickelit said...

ndspinelli said...Guinness drinkers are fucking snobs.

There's no better Guinness pint than one poured fresh from a barrel. Then you must let it "rest" as the nitrogen gas equilibrates with with air. They way to tell its readiness is to gently rap the side of the glass with a pound coin. It changes tone as it prepares itself for consumption. It's nice to have a pint with a pizza cooked in a proper oven, cooked at the regulation distance from the woodpile for the regulation time.

/snark

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

and arugula.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I've never had Guinness from a can. I did drink it back in the day in SF when I was a regular at several Irish Bars. (Abbey Tavern, Little Shamrock)

The foamy part of the brew tastes rather good, yeasty but actually, to me the stuff tastes like burned used gym socks. Yes. There is a skill to pouring a glass of Guinness so you don't end up with a glass full of foam and no beer.

I did enjoy what is called a half and half. Half Guinness and half ale or stout. It has some of the flavor of the full measure of Guinness but not the burnt taste.

Do NOT call it a Black and Tan if you are actually in Ireland. Plus that floating the dark Guinness on top of the ale to give it the two layered look is just pretentious. Drink the stuff already!!!

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Plus...in honor of St Paddy's day I present

Irish Handcuffs

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

I have nothing against Guinness, but truth is, there are better porters available from craft brewers throughout North America than paying for imported Guinness (Canada is a bit behind on craft beers due to its draconian liquor laws, but fortunately that is changing). Guinness out of a can is not worth bothering with at all.

Personally, I prefer Irish whiskey.

Methadras said...

So you admit it was a bad pour and you used it anyway in your social media posting. Either you are a genius or a moron. Maybe the two are synonymous.

rcocean said...

C'mon. Guinness is all just Horse Piss anyway. We can all love the Irish for whatever, but their cuisine sucks. Its all just warm beer, cold potatoes, and boiled beef.

But Happy St. Pat's Day.

Known Unknown said...

Like they didn't have another Guinness on hand to shoot?

Pour another one. Reset the shot. Shoot again.

Or spend a little money and hire a food stylist if it is that important to get right.

Ridiculous.