The pint that built the brand.
Guinness Draught is the most recognisable of the range. It is also, arguably, the most engineered. The beer has 4.2% alcohol by volume and is dispensed with a 70/30 nitrogen-and-CO₂ mix — a system perfected by Michael Ash in the 1950s and rolled out worldwide from 1959 onwards.
The taste is dry, faintly bitter, faintly espresso-like, with an unmistakable cream-and-roast finish. It is sociable, sessionable, and at its best when it has been poured slowly, allowed to rest, and topped without disturbance.
What pairs with it
- Oysters — the salt-iron-cream triangle is older than the brewery.
- Aged Irish cheddar.
- Roast lamb with rosemary.
- An evening that has nothing else scheduled.
Specifications
The technical sheet.
Style
Irish Dry Stout
ABV
4.2% (Ireland & UK), 4.2–4.3% elsewhere
Original Gravity
~1.038
IBU
~45
Colour (SRM)
~40 (near-black)
Dispense
Nitrogen / CO₂ mix — 70/30
Serving Temp
6°C
Glass
20oz / 568ml tulip pint
