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Two hundred and fifty years ago, Arthur Guinness started brewing beer at the St. James’s Gate plant in Dublin, giving life to what is undoubtedly the world’s most famous stout. No other beer on earth is as rich with history and blarney as this dark Irish beauty.
To celebrate the beer that Cathal Armstrong says tastes like “angels pissing on your tongue,” the company that owns Guinness (the Vegas-sounding Diageo, which is based in, ahem, London) is hosting an international toast. It takes place at (when else?) 17:59, Dublin time, which is right before 1 p.m. here on the East Coast. (You can learn more about the event on the Guinness’ anniversary Web site, assuming it hasn’t crashed from all the traffic, like it did this morning.)
Okay, the important question now is this: Where can you get a Guinness poured the right way — a long double pour mixed with nitrogen — and served in a tulip shaped glass? The Rí Rá chain does it right, at least on the pour end. I can’t speak to its glassware. (As an aside, I should note that the Bethesda location that I called this morning says it’s conducting a toast at 17:59 Eastern time, or about five hours after the rest of the world.)
Armstrong’s Eamonn’s a Dublin Chipper may be your best bet, but the place is so small that it won’t even begin to accommodate all the well-wishers. I guess you’ll just have a sneak a pint into the office, pop open that baby, pour and drink it right there in your cubicle.
Happy anniversary, Guinness!