2 weeks Ago By Katelyn Umholtz
By Katelyn Umholtz Ask the owners of some of Boston’s best Irish pubs who pours the best Guinness in town, and they’ll claim it’s their own bar. And why shouldn’t they give themselves the credit? At the area’s Irish pubs, pouring a perfect Guinness is serious business. Noelle Somers, COO of Somers Pubs — which owns Mr.
Dooley’s, Hennessy’s, Durty Nelly’s, and Green Dragon — called the Guinness pour an art form. Generations of the Foley family, longtime owners of J.J.
Foley’s Cafe , are taught how to pour a Guinness when they’re “18,” which Jeremiah Foley puts in air quotes. Scobie’s Cafe & Bar has its own cooler room just for Guinness kegs. It’s something you either get right, or you can expect to hear from your regulars.
“People who drink Guinness definitely know if the pour is off, and if they know how good ours usually is, they will mention that something is out of the usual,” said Patrick O’Hara, who owns both O’Hara’s Food & Spirits and Paddy’s Public House in Newton. This Irish stout isn’t just the beverage of choice come St. Patrick’s Day.
More people are drinking Guinness thanks to social media and the “ split the G ” TikTok trend. Bloomberg reports that Guinness saw double-digit growth at the end of December, and Paul Wilson, the director of operations at Glynn Hospitality Group , said Guinness is the top-selling beer at Black Rose and their other bars. Irish Village general manager Aidan Lee said customers even use apps and maps to rate and find the best Guinness near them.
“There’s a whole industry now of people seeking out bars that have the best Guinness,” Lee said. What goes into the creation of a great pint of Guinness? Many factors, according to several bar owners and bartenders. It starts as soon as it gets off the truck that delivers the keg to the bar.
Lee said he’s careful not to agitate the beer too much in the process of bringing the keg to its own cooler system, separate from the colder beers like Bud Light and Coors Light. He won’t even tap it for at least 24 hours. Then it gets hooked to the line, which also should be handled with care.
John Lydon, who owns Scobie’s Cafe & Bar and Shamrock Pub with his wife, Anne Lydon, keeps the lines at the same temperature as the cooler where the Guinness kegs rest, at 38 degrees. The lines also need to be clean, said Cathal O’Dea, bartender at The Druid who also runs a beer line cleaning business. Even length of the line matters and how often beer is running through your line, according to Caleb Senn-Cadotte, general manager at An Sibin .
Luckily at the Inman Square bar, they pour a lot of Guinness. “We pour between 175 to 225 pints a day, so beer is constantly flowing through our lines,” Senn-Cadotte said. John Lydon said one of the most critical factors is the gas that runs through your air lines.
Different from other beers that rely heavily on carbon dioxide, Guinness uses a nitrogen-heavy gas mixture, which gives it that creamy texture. Once the beer has traveled to the tap, the way the beer is poured matters, too. Guinness reps from company Diageo help train bartenders the proper pour .
The glass — and it must be a clean Guinness glass — is held at a 45-degree angle, poured until the beer reaches the top of the harp on the glass. Then you let it settle for at least 60 seconds. Finishing up the pour then requires the glass to sit straight, and the server to fill the glass until a foam dome is formed.
“It’s a slow process, and you have to be patient,” Somers said. Other bar owners and bartenders agreed. When asked where the best Guinness is found, the pub owners and staff said their bar served Boston’s best pint.
So we asked Boston.com readers where they go for the best pour of Guinness in Greater Boston and heard back from more than 400 fans of the dark pint. “O’Hara’s has the best Guinness,” said Stacy B.
of Waltham. “The waitstaff is so friendly and [treats] you like family. You can get a pint anywhere, but to feel like you’re part of the family as they serve it up is special.
” “Of pubs that I’ve been to more than once, Mr. Dooley’s is the best pint I’ve had in terms of consistency,” said Chuck from Weymouth. “It’s been a perfect pour every pint, every visit.
No TVs, which means it’s all about the pint and the company.” “An Sibin pours some absolute creamers,” said Matt C. of Cambridge.
“I’m talking like drinking it straight from the source at the holy [Guinness] St. James Gate Brewery in the greatest place on earth, Dublin, Ireland. There’s no better place to sit around with the lads, skulling a few creamy pints and enjoying some good ol’ craic.
” “Donohue’s in Watertown pours the perfect pint every time, even when the bar is filled wall to wall on St. Paddy’s Day,” said Grace of West Roxbury. “Tried many a pint of Guinness, and [The Druid] is unequivocally the best in the U.
S.,” said Chris K. of Marblehead.
“Eire Pub,” said Belle K. of Dorchester. “If anyone says anything else, they’re lying.
” “Emmet’s has one of the best, if not the best, Guinness in Boston,” said Michael of Stoneham. “Tried most others, and I always return to Emmet’s.” “The [South End] neighborhood has changed over the decades, but the family that owns J.
J. Foley’s has not,” said Mike S. from Needham.
“Their Guinness is expertly drawn, settled, and served at the perfect temp for a good night out.” “In my opinion McGonagle’s Pub is the best pour of Guinness in the Greater Boston area,” said Jake G. of Dorchester.
“You can tell they pay extra attention to their lines and keg temperature. The establishment itself has great vibes, which adds to the experience.” “P.
J. Ryan’s is the ultimate spot for a Guinness,” said Bill F. of Somerville.
“The bartenders are top-notch, and you can always catch the most important Rugby matches live on their TVs.” “Plough and Stars [for] a true Irish pint,” said Millie O. of Jamaica Plain.
“Scobie’s [is] just a perfect pour,” Martin S. of South Boston. “Temperature is just right, and the bar is a blast.
” Maya Shavit contributed to this data report. Katelyn Umholtz Katelyn Umholtz covers food and restaurants for Boston.com.
Katelyn is also the author of The Dish, a weekly food newsletter . Sign up for The Dish Stay up to date on the latest food and drink news from Boston.com.
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