What’s actually in a glass of Guinness?
It’s been dark times for the New Zealand brewing industry. But one particular beer has managed to buck the downward trend and surge to nearly a quarter growth over the last few years, and which beer? None other than the humble Guinness.
While arguably the most iconic beer in the world, its jet black colour along with some of its own historical advertising makes it one of the most misunderstood by those who don’t drink it. So how are we getting Guinness wrong? The common misconceptions are that it’s a strongly flavoured, full bodied and alcoholic beer, also that it’s brewed in Ireland. In reality, those descriptors are actually the reverse when compared to most other stouts in New Zealand. The style category that Guinness belongs to is called ‘Dry Irish Stout’ and it’s the dry in that descriptor that really stands these beers apart. It’s also brewed right here under licence by Lion, with our ‘Kiwi Guinness’ in fact holding a reputation for some of the best produced outside of the original St James Gate brewery in Dublin.
Crisp and light bodied, with a moderate bitterness, and at 4.2%abv, barely stronger than Speights, and rather than an indicator of concentration, the starkly black pour is derived from a small presence of black malt. Black, or burned, malts impart a very strong pigment (just ten grains would turn a cup of water completely black) along with a strong bitterness and drying astringency. Though if you’re interested, shine a light through a glass of Guinness and you’ll see that the true colour is actually ruby red.
The majority of malt that makes up Guinness is the same pale used for any other ale, yet it tastes very different, and for this there are two principle reasons. Firstly is the hops, or more accurately the lack there of. With its bitterness already derived from the heavily roasted malt, Guinness it doesn’t require many hops at all. This, coincidentally, makes it very cheap to produce, which is a big reason pints are still affordable.
The second factor in its unique taste is also something of an absence rather than a presence. Whether poured over a bar, or from its special ‘nitro’ can, Guinness isn’t aggressively uncarbonated like other beers. It is instead gassed with a nitrogen dominant mix that creates both the iconic stable white head, and more importantly the smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel. This is crucial to getting such expressive flavours out of such a diminutive malt base; a ‘fizzy’ Guinness would taste desperately thin and washed out.
And that is, in a nutshell, what’s going on in a glass of Guinness. For those who have yet to partake, I hope this shines some light through this classic beer’s dark mysteries. For those who have and were curious about truly local interpretations, many notable craft brewers have a Dry Irish in their range, though few have the infrastructure to present it in a nitro can. Garage Project however does, and their ‘Snug’ is a great place to begin exploring.
Brewing – Tim Newman