Tuesday May 20, 2008

The perfect pint from Guinness

By ALLAN KOAY

The myths and legends swirling around a dark Irish brew only add to its enduring appeal.

THE story goes that once, when rock band U2 was in Jamaica, a lift attendant overheard them talking about beer. Unaware of who the band was, the attendant proceeded to tell Bono and gang that the best Guinness stout was not in Dublin but right there in Jamaica. The band, of course, laughed it off, but he made a bet with them, and that night, took them to a local pub he frequented. Legend has it that Bono took one sip of Jamaican Guinness, and the attendant won his bet.

Icing on the cake: The perfect pour is about a finger’s thickness of foam, or ‘head’, and forms a slight dome on top.

How true is this story? Well, beats me. You can ask the same about what actor Peter O’Toole said when asked what his favourite Irish food was: “My number one choice is Guinness. My number two choice would be Guinness. My number three choice would have to be Guinness.”

Many myths and legends surround the dark Irish brew that was first concocted by Arthur Guinness almost 250 years ago. The more outrageous stories about Guinness include the ones about how dead rats were found at the bottom of the vats in the St James’ Gate brewery in Ireland, thus explaining the unique taste of stout; and how Guinness is actually filtered through lamb’s blood to get its taste. None of them is true, of course. But stories like these are signs of popularity.

Believe it or not, Guinness first arrived in then-Malaya in the 1880s. Many stories can be found in local stout folklore too, like how some people swear by its aphrodisiac qualities, and that some bathe their newborn babies in it. Or how you can get rid of grey strands by washing your hair in stout!

I decided to ask Guinness Anchor Berhad’s Bhd’s supply chain director, Peter Vogtländer, if Guinness really is “good for you”. Is it true that nursing mothers drink it for strength, and sick children should be given a glass each?

Natural goodness

“I’m not a doctor, so I can’t say,” Vogtländer laughed. “I do hear those stories a lot. I do think it’s a natural product, and therefore its natural ingredients have certain nutritional values. We brew beer because we love to make beer and enjoy drinking it. We don’t make it for medicinal purposes. That would be for a pharmaceutical company!”

I felt inclined to tell him the famous joke about Guinness. It goes something like this: an American, an Australian and an Irish go to a bar. The American orders a Budweiser, the Australian asks for a Foster’s, and, watching the two, the Irish decides to have a Coke. Asked why, the Irish replied: “Since no one’s drinking beer, I decided not to as well.”

Peter Vogtländer: ‘The first thing most people pick up is the bitterness. But if you really taste it, there’s a ‘roasty’ taste in there, also a floral taste … it’s a whole combination of tastes.’

We know that stout is somewhat of an acquired taste, and it would seem Guinness drinkers are a proud and elitist bunch who wouldn’t touch any other beer. But Vogtländer doesn’t think so.

“I think it’s more about how people really like their brands and really enjoy it,” he said. “In that sense, I do believe that Guinness drinkers are really proud of their brand. It’s just the same as some people who drink Heineken or Tiger and say ‘This is my brand and I don’t like anything else.’”

Women like it, too

But is Guinness stout a “manly drink”, as how some perceive it?

“I see a lot of women drinking stout,” he said. “So, I don’t perceive it as a man’s drink. I perceive it as a drink that is typical for people who enjoy a good beer. There’s definitely a distinct taste ? There is a lot in there for you to pick up. The first thing most people pick up is the bitterness. But if you really taste it, there’s a ‘roasty’ taste in there, also a floral taste ? it’s a whole combination of tastes.”

Quality in a glass

After having spent half a day at the Guinness brewery in Sungei Way, Selangor, I came away with the conclusion that three equally important aspects decide the real quality of the brew – the art of brewing, the art of serving, and the art of drinking.

Vogtländer revealed that the Guinness League of Excellence measures and compares the products from all the breweries outside of Dublin, for packaging, taste and how they conform to the Guinness standards.

The Malaysian brewery has won the League of Excellence award two consecutive times, in 2006 and last year. This means that Malaysia brews the best stout outside of Dublin.

Right way: The glass is held at a 45-degree angle, filled to half and allowed to ‘settle’ for up to 45 seconds, before the rest is poured. This allows a thick foam to form above the beer.

The local brewery makes two products – the draught and the Foreign Extra Stout, which has a higher alcohol content and bitterness. The brewery here is fully automated and, on any day, you see very few personnel on the factory floor, only those who manually check the production line and man the control rooms. If something goes wrong, the line is stopped temporarily until the problem is fixed.

The important ingredients, said Vogtländer, are water, malt, hops and yeast. Water is treated until it reaches production standards but, naturally, one cannot control the weather to determine the quality of the malt and hops. What happens then is that adjustments are made to the processes until the right quality is achieved.

While there are no dead rats or lamb’s blood involved, Vogtländer did reveal that there is a secret compound used for the Foreign Extra Stout.

“Even we in the company who make it don’t know what the compound is!” he laughed.

Obviously, the end of the process still requires the human touch, meaning our taste buds, which machines cannot replicate. Therefore, tasters are used to determine if the end product meets the taste requirements. It may sound like a dream job to sit around all day tasting beer, but tasting is far more complex and challenging than it sounds.

I spoke with Chey Kay Mun, an assistant quality assurance manager who doubles as a taster, and he was full of scientific explanations, not quite the kind of pub chatter we usually get over a pint.

Surge and settle

The art of serving involves what is famously known as surge and settle, or the two-part pour. What isn’t widely known about the Malaysian brewery is that there is a very nice tavern among the factory and office buildings, and access is only by invitation. It is used for functions and events, or just for employees to hang out after hours. There, you can ask bartender Misnan Jaafar to demonstrate the perfect pour. The glass is filled till half, and allowed to settle before the rest is poured. The foam, or head, will be about a finger’s thickness.

Vogtländer pointed out that each culture has its own preference – the Germans like about two fingers’ thickness of foam and the English prefer no thicker than one finger. And what’s the importance of the foam? Vogtländer said it’s just like the icing on a cake – it’s not really necessary but it sure is nice to have.

Lastly, the art of drinking involves not sipping the foam, but taking some foam along with some liquid. Guinness is intended to be served a little warm, said Vogtländer, but even that is up to the individual.

With all these factors involved that influence the taste of the stout, it would seem like quality control is a nightmare. While some people would claim that the stout here tastes different than, say, the one in Ireland, Vogtländer insisted that the consistent brewing process means the taste is the same everywhere. But the company does train bartenders on the right way to pour, and keep tabs on dealers’ stocks so the beer doesn’t get old.

“I think the biggest nightmare in the end is in trying to get every consumer to understand, if you want your perfect beer, you need to do it perfectly right, all the way to the outlet,” said Vogtländer. “It’s not the Guinness that is not good, but it’s how people mistreat the stout.”