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Guinness Tests Out Mid-Strength Beer

YumSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:13 -0700

After more than 200 years, it appears Guinness is trying to make a splash with its new products. First, it unveiled its 250th Anniversary Stout, a limited-edition carbonated beer, and now it's begun testing out a version of the world's best-selling stout that contains less alcohol. In comparison to at least 4.1 percent in standard Guinness, Guinness Mid-Strength, as it's called, contains only 2.8 percent alcohol.

While the weaker brew, which was created partly as a result of the Scottish government's initiative to tackle irresponsible drinking, is currently only in select Scotland pubs, it could be offered widely if the trial proves to be successful in the next three months. Unlike the failed Guinness Light of the 1970s, the beer's producers claim Mid-Strength possesses the same taste and texture as Guinness with only a fraction of the alcohol.

Although many of you said you'd try out reduced-alcohol wine, I'm not sure how I feel about the Guinness. Guinness already has a built-in pacing mechanism - its richness and density. Moreover, people who dislike regular Guinness aren't likely to reach for the less potent version, and hard-core Guinness drinkers definitely won't. Guinness lovers: Would you?

Source: Flickr User [puamelia]

Guinness Unveils New 250th Anniversary Stout Beer

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:00:11 -0700

Stout lovers get excited: for the first time since it began exporting to the US, Guinness is introducing a new stout beer to select markets.

On April 24, to celebrate its quarter-of-a-century draught legacy, Guinness is launching a limited-edition beer, 250th Anniversary Stout, which will be available in bars and stores in the US, Australia, and Singapore. The anniversary brew honors Arthur Guinness's signing of a 9,000-year lease in 1759 at St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, where the company's flagship brewery is located.

Less creamy than its original counterpart, the special-release brew will have a heavy malt flavor and more effervescence, along with a slightly higher alcohol content. Instead of nitrogen and carbon dioxide (used in original Guinness draught), the new stout will use carbonation, as well as two types of malt, and triple hops. The resulting beer is intended to have a more refreshing taste and a simpler pouring process.

Unlike Guinness's famous two-part pouring process (which involves filling the glass 75 percent of the way at an angle, letting the surge of foam settle, and then topping it off with the rest), the anniversary stout can be poured at once.

Since I love a bold, zippy beer, this stout sounds like something I can get behind - possibly even more so than traditional Guinness. When April 24 arrives, stock up while you can, since the commemorative brew is only slated to be around for six months. Do you have plans to seek out the special-release stout?

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Guinness Is Good For You!

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:00:22 -0700

It looks like this famous old slogan has some truth to it after all. A new study from the University of Wisconsin has reported that a pint of Guinness could have the same heart health benefits as a low dose of aspirin. When tested on dogs, antioxidants in Guinness helped reduce blood clots and slow down deposits of cholesterol on the artery walls. Dogs were chosen not because they love to lap up beer, but because they have narrow blood vessels similar to those of humans who suffer from heart disease. Blood clots and clogged arteries are bad news because they increase a person's risk for a heart attack.

Let me point out that the benefits were found from drinking Guinness, not any other beers. This news doesn't mean you should go on a Guinness drinking binge for your heart's sake, because beer still contains alcohol, so limit yourself to one or fewer drinks a day.

Source:Flickr User spleeney

Pour Me a Guinness

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:59:37 -0700

The rambunctious holiday tradition of wearing green and guzzling beer is just a few days away. For most of us that means hitting the bars and drinking green beers, but wait! Do you think true Irish drink beer? No way, they drink Guinness (although, a friend was just telling me about an article stating that more Irish are drinking wine instead of beer, but that's a whole other story...)! And apparently they're not alone because 13 million pints of Guinness are poured across the planet, that's more than 150 pints every second!

So to ensure that your pint is poured just right, Guinness Brewmaster Fergal Murray has some great tips:

Use a clean, dry glass -- preferably an Imperial 20-ounce pint with branded logo

Hold the glass at a 45-degree angle and never allow the spout to touch the beer or glass

The Pour: Pull faucet down and allow beer to fill glass. You will see the surge commence

The Settle: Allow the nitrogen bubbles create the theater and wonderful surge event, creating the beautiful creamy head

The Top Up: The beer has settled (there is a distinct gap between dark liquid and head) and the glass is topped up slowly to create a domed effect with the head proud of the glass

The Presentation: Give the creation of the perfect pint to the adoring customer

Oh and speaking of Guinness, their online webstore has a bunch of things you never knew you needed, including Guinness T-shirts, salt & pepper shakers, awesome posters, socks and underwear. Yes, they even have underwear.

Source: KSAT

Guinness Reaches a Tipping Point

YumSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 01:18:39 -0800

If you've ever gone to a pub and ordered yourself a Guinness, you know that there's a bit of waiting involved. The bartender starts to pour your beer, walks away, mixes up several other drinks, comes back pours some more, and eventually after a few cycles of this, you're presented with a lovely, perfect Guinness. It's definitely a good things come to those who wait sort of a thing.

Keeping that in mind, director Nicolai Fuglsig has created a new Guinness commercial called "Tipping Point" that is a large scale domino-style ripple effect ultimately leading to a finished gigantic pint of Guinness. The commercial cost a reported 10 million pounds - roughly 20 million dollars - and includes 6,000 dominoes, 10,000 books, 400 tires, 75 mirrors, 50 fridges, 45 wardrobes and six cars. With all those items, the domino chain takes quite a while to finish, but it is really fantastic when it does. I guess good things do come to those who wait.

To check out the commercial, read more

Do You Like Guinness?

partysugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:00:41 -0700

Say Cheese! Cheddar and Guinness Welsh Rarebit

partysugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:15:41 -0700

Cheddar is a widely known, popular variety of cheese that originated in the Somerset region of England. However, the firm cow's milk cheese is now made in many places around the world. It can range in flavor from mild to sharp and in color from white to orange. Orange cheddar gets its color from a natural dye called annatto. An incredibly versatile cheese, cheddar is delicious alone, on a sandwich, or mixed in a sauce - as is the case in this recipe.

Since some of you were disappointed by a recent chicken rarebit recipe that called for jarred cheddar cheese sauce, I decided to find a homemade version and share the technique with you. Although a Welsh rarebit is a British dish, my variation uses Irish cheddar and Guinness, making it appropriate for St. Patrick's Day. This cheesy, toasty snack is comforting and simply delicious. To look at the easy recipe, read more.

Beer Cheese on Toast
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

1 pound extra-sharp cheddar, cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup dark beer
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Salt
Toasted baguette slices from 2 baguettes
Sliced tomatoes

Directions

In a food processor, combine the cheddar with the beer, garlic, mustard and cayenne and blend until smooth. Season the beer cheese with salt.
Preheat the broiler. Spread the toasts with the beer cheese and arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet.
Broil the toasts 6 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, rotating the pan, until the cheese is bubbling and browned around the edges. Top with tomato slices and serve.

Serves 6.

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6 Scrumptious Uses For Stout Beer

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:50:59 -0700

Planning a boisterous bash for St. Patrick's Day? Chances are, you'll have plenty of Guinness - the famous Irish brew - on hand. Deliciously creamy, slightly sweet, and a tad bitter all at the same time, Guinness makes for a great drink on its own. But did you know the stout also packs a punch of flavor to many different types of dishes? Read on to find out what you can cook with yours.

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Guinness Takes the Cake

YumSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:15:54 -0800

Every once in a while it's nice to have a little indulgence in life. This weekend, I made a decadent chocolate-stout cake to celebrate the start of the new year. The addition of Guinness creates an incredibly moist cake with a delicious, bittersweet aftertaste. For chocoholics, the cake is absolutely heavenly!

To balance the dense richness, I served each slice with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream would also be lovely on the side. The original recipe calls for three, 8-inch cake pans, but I own 9-inch pans, so I halved the recipe and made a two-layer cake. To satisfy your chocolate craving, read more.

Chocolate Stout Cake
Bon Appétit

Ingredients

Cake
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sour cream
Icing
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper.
Bring the stout and butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
Add cocoa powder to the stout and butter mixture. Whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend.
Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine.
Slowly Add flour mixture to the chocolate and egg mixture. Beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.
For icing: Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake. Cut and enjoy.

Serves 12.

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How Does a Sweetened Condensed Guinness Sound?

YumSugar — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:28:31 -0800

Earlier this week, I tipped you off to the winners of the Chocolate Adventure Recipe Contest, and while the top three spots do sound delicious, I was more intrigued by the runner-up. The name is Chocolate Ginger Delight, and it's a Guinness stout with sweetened condensed milk, ground ginger, and chocolate. Creator Karen Ariele Imm has really taken this pub favorite to a new level. If it sounds intriguing to you, get the recipe when you read more.

Chocolate Ginger Delight
By Karen Ariele Imm, for the 2007 Chocolate Adventure Contest

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 oz Scharffen Berger 62% semisweet chocolate
1/8 tsp ground ginger
12 oz cold Guinness brand stout
Shaved chocolate (for garnish)

In a small, heavy-bottom sauce pan, over low heat, melt sweetened condensed milk and chocolate.
Remove from heat and whisk in ginger.
Place chocolate mixture into a medium-sized bowl. Set aside to let cool (between 5 and 10 minutes).
Pour Guinness over the chocolate mixture and stir until well combined.
Divide equally into two glasses.
Garnish with shaved chocolate and serve.

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