 Ireland's Black Liquid Gold
Quote where “stout” first appears
We will drink to your health, both in stout and best wine
From the Egerton Manuscripts, 1677
A stout is, traditionally the cousin of a “porter”. Of course, the porter we are referring to is a kind of beer that was popular in Central London in the 1700s. It was made from a combination of ales at various stages of maturation: stale ale, brown ale and mild ale. It was dark brown in colour; flavoured of roasted malt; and had a pleasant acidic taste. Of course, its main flavour was derived from hops.
Ireland, on other hand, used to produce ale for many years without hops. However, by the 1800s, hops and porter were being imported from England into Ireland to support a growing industry of porter breweries. So, not to be left behind in the profitable porter brewing business, Arthur Guinness left his ale brewery in Leixlip to his younger brother. He then took up a 9,000 year lease on a brewery at St. James’s Gate and started brewing in Dublin in 1759.
 By 1775, Arthur Guinness focussed on the mass-production of porter. There were two strengths of Guinness Porter at that time: It was either an “X” or “XX”. As time endured, the popularity of Guinness’s Porter also grew. Eventually, Guinness Porter XX was renamed Guinness Extra Stout Porter. At the time, “extra stout” simply meant extra strong. In time, the name evolved to the one we are more familiar with today -- Guinness Stout.
Since then, Guinness is touted as the Irish national drink. Some Irish people even claim that it is emblematic of the Irish as it is smooth and strong. On account of Arthur Guinness’s move to St. James’s Gate in 1759, Arthur’s Day usually begins every year in the evening with a pint of Guinness toasting Arthur Guinness at 17:59. Since 2009, Arthur’s Day has been celebrated in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Belfast, Malaysia, Jakarta and Lagos.
Arthur’s Day could be a marketing gimmick or something our Irish friends are truly proud of, either way, head to your local pub and try a pint of Guinness. It is definitely a drink worth savouring. Be certain to ask for the perfect pour which comes in two stages and takes 119.5 seconds. (For our non-alcoholic friends, you can have a Malta Guinness).
Here’s to you and yours….
Reference articles
http://beeradvocate.com/articles/305
http://www.guinness.com/en-row/
http://www.squidoo.com/I_Love_Guinness
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinness
http://beer.about.com/od/glossary/g/OG.htm
http://beer.about.com/od/sto2/p/StoutProfile.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stout
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Ireland
http://www.gayot.com/beer/top10irishbeers/guinness-foreign-extra-stout.html
http://www.littleshamrocks.com/Irish-Guinness.html
http://www.guinness.com/en-row/thestory.html
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_was_Guinness_invented
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur%27s_Day
http://www.beersmith.com/blog/2008/03/01/beer-styles-making-a-porter-recipe/
http://www.emeraldtiger.com/general/guinness.htm
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