Saturday 22 March 2014

Guinness the English stout

To coincide with St Patrick's Day an article in the Economist has debunked the usual Guinness guff, and even claims that in the 80s it came close to being re-branded as an English stout. 

There's some interesting stuff in the article. I knew the Guinness family are prods, and were opposed Irish independence, but I was surprised to see that one went as far as providing considerable funding to the original Ulster Volunteer Force in 1913. I haven't studied the history of Guinness, and sadly no references were given, but I'm temped to start now. Though perhaps I'd better get through all the beer books and magazines I have piled up around me first.

5 comments:

  1. Irish history is not a simple north and south thing, its much more complex .Ulster Volunteer Force was founded in Dublin I believe. Many of our famious emancipators where church of ireland.

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  2. The fact that Guinness's made beer in a London style doesn't count for much: the brewery owned by Daniel O'Connell Jr across the street did the exact same thing.

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    1. I guess not, but that apparently Guinness considered re-branding as an English beer I find interesting.

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    2. In fairness it was an English beer brewed in west London, so that would have made a lot of sense.

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