Five Surprising Facts About Guinness Every Beer Fan Should Know
There are few beverages as iconic as a well-poured pint of Guinness. The drama builds as the stout is first poured and like a magic trick changes color before your eye. But only after being topped with a bit more beer and letting the creamy head take shape, is it ready for that first and long- anticipated sip. And befitting such a beguiling drink, there are a number of facts about Guinness that often surprise even the most ardent fans of the brand. Cheers!
Budweiser & Corona Have More Calories than Guinness
While Guinness Draught is incredibly creamy it’s not particularly caloric. In fact, 12 ounces of classic Guinness Draught has just 125 calories, while 12 ounces of Budweiser has 145 calories and 12 ounces of Corona Extra has 148 calories.
Contrary to popular belief Guinness isn’t made with any milk, cream or dairy products. The creaminess of the Draught beer actually comes from it being carbonated with a mix of nitrogen and CO2 gasses instead of just C02, like most other beers.
Guinness 0.0 Is A Best Seller
In 2020, Guinness shocked the beer world by introducing a version of its signature stout that is non-alcoholic. The alcohol is removed via a proprietary cold filtration process that doesn’t affect the beer’s color, aroma or flavor. This alcohol-free version of Guinness has become incredibly popular and may one day outsell the original version that includes alcohol.
Guinness was Originally Ale
Say the word Guinness and everyone pictures a pint glass filled with gloriously deep ruby red stout and an off-white creamy head. But that’s not what the brand always made. In fact, if you ordered a Guinness in 1759 when the brewery was started by Arthur Guinness you would have been served…I hope you’re sitting down..a pint of ale. Years later, he started brewing stout, which would ultimately make his company famous and immortalize his name. A pivotal moment happened in 1821, when Guinness created its recipe for its Extra Stout, which is still available today.
Courtesy Guinness
Your Guinness Draught was Made in Ireland
If you’re lucky enough to be in Ireland the Guinness Draught you'll enjoy is from the brand’s historic St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin. But if you’re having a pint of that same Guinness in the United States, your beer was also made at the same brewery. To produce some of the brand’s other beers for the U.S. market, it also has a brewery in Chicago and one in Baltimore. Guinness actually brews beer in more than 40 countries around the globe.
Who Split the G First?
Over the last few years, Guinness imbibers around the world have been engaging in a drinking game called split the g. How do you play? In your first sip of a freshly poured pint, you try to drink exactly enough that the remaining amount of beer splits the “G” in the Guinness name on the pint glass. While the game has become very well known, especially on social media, no one is exactly sure who came up with it in the first place.