OnTap Magazine

FEATURE WHERE IS MY GUINNESS? OH GOODNESS RUEBEN WALTER Cape Town local Rueben Walter visited Ireland earlier this year and while there, enjoyed a pint of Guinness (or two). Since returning, he has wondered about the presence of Guinness in South Africa and whether or not there is a difference between a pour of the famous stout in its birthplace and a pour right here at home. W ith bated breath I sat on a high stool, elbows resting on the clean, handsome wood bar counter, watching as the thousands of tiny nitrogen bubbles surge up through the black liquid. Their starting point rises as gentle waves of golden brown cascade down the inside of the glass. This is my first Guinness poured from a tap in nearly five months, the last was in Ireland and expectations are high, understandably, as unrealistic memories, flavoursandprofileshavebeenconstructedin my headever since. The soft humof theother bar patrons lends to the warm atmosphere andincreasestheanticipation.Asthebubbles near the bottomof the thin layer of foam, just above the trademark ‘Guinness’ stamped on the glass, the barman lifts it away to finish the pour. I watch as he tilts the glass and tops it up from the tap, then puts it back down in front of me. The last of the tiny bubbles rush up to the surface leaving the perfect head at the rim of the glass. The first sip isn’t a small one, my lackluster style of bravado means I can’t resist trying to ‘split theG’, as the TikTok generation has dubbed it. No harm though, as the undeniable smoothness makes the famous and incomparable stout flow down my grateful esophagus with ease. ontapmag.co.za | Summer 2024 | 41