A year ago I was living in Dublin and loving every minute of it. I made it my goal to acquire a taste for Guinness. Not only did I acquire a taste, but I grew to LOVE the dark stuff. As I drank many pints in my Irish months, I learned a lot about old Irish views of women and beer. Little did I know that I was somewhat of a rebellious, feminist Guinness drinker.
Apparently, women used to drink dainty, little half pints. It was not proper for a lady to nurse her own full pint. I am proud to say that I never adhered to this old standard. An Irish woman instructed me right away that to order a half pint would be a disservice to women and women’s rights. I was more than happy to stand up for the ladies.
Another fun fact is that women who don’t like the taste of Guinness will order a Guinness and Black. Essentially this is a Guinness with a little black currant (tastes like grape) juice concentrate added in. It creates a taste that, at its best, cuts the bitterness of Guinness with a fruity kick, or, at its worst, resembles horrible cough medicine. The bonus is that it still looks like Guinness, so you won’t have to explain yourself.
When one of my best friends, Natalie, came to visit, she tested both of these beer lady stereotypes. I think she liked the Guinness and Black, at least enough to order it a few times. Only when she ordered a half pint of it did she decide that maybe she had made the wrong choice. Natalie received a lot of vocal badgering when she was walking around the famous Stag’s Head (thanks for the comment that reminded me of that wonderful place, mbillard) with a mini-Guinness. She experienced a good Irish slagging, i.e. lots of people yelling out belligerent insults in a joking manor. Ever a good sport, Nat laughed off the strange looks and shouts. Then she ordered a pint to show everyone she could which she would then pass to me to finish.
One last thing. If you are someone trying to like Guinness, or if you already do and want to be adventurous, I would suggest ordering a Black Velvet. When ordering it, first make sure that you didn’t order Canadian Whiskey. Once that is straightened out, make sure the bartender knows that you want a mix of Guinness and cider. Sounds like it ruins two of my favorite things, I know, but trust me. They complement each other amazingly. Let me know if you take the challenge and what you think. Slainte! (aka “Cheers” in Gaelic)
2 Comments
March 29, 2008 at 7:53 pm
I’m actually named in a blog! This must be my fifteen minutes. You’re welcome.
I did not have a black velvet while I was there. I guess I’ll just have to go back.
November 23, 2008 at 6:52 pm
[...] who has read earlier posts of mine knows that I am a huge Guinness Fan and will say that it is best sipped pretty much in any [...]