10-minute lessons: How to pour the perfect Guinness at home

In ten minutes (or less!) you can learn something new right at home. For this Tiny Escape, we’ll show you how to pour a Guinness the right way, so you can start dreaming of visiting Ireland.

Of course, it's hard to beat drinking a Guinness in some of Dublin’s best pubs and restaurants—or even better, right from the Guinness brewery on tour. “It tastes nothing like what you get at home... unless your home is Ireland,” says our staffer Adam. Why is that? Some studies claim the Guinness in is Ireland is just better, but it’s more likely to come down to how the beer is stored, and the fact that travel makes everything more fun.

Even so, we got scoop from a bartender on how to pour a Guinness—and it turns out at home, the idea is pretty much the same as it is at the pub. No matter where you are, the patented two-part pour is the way to get the best glass of Guinness. Here’s what you need to do:

Tilt the glass and the bottle toward each other

Angle your bottle toward the inside edge of the
glass and get a gentle pour going.

Stop once the glass is ¾ full

The bubbles in your beer should be forming that
classic foamy head. Let it settle for a little bit
—patience is a virtue!

Hold it level

Keep your glass level as you get ready to top it off.

Aim for the middle

Pour the rest of the beer from the bottle slowly
into the middle of the foamy head.

Wait one more sec

Let your beer settle again, just until
most of the bubbles have risen.

Say “sláinte” and sip

That’s “cheers” in Irish! You’re ready to enjoy.

Have you visited Ireland on tour? Tell us about it on Facebook, and tag #tinyescapes to share your Guinness pours with us!