What to try in pubs....

Given Guinness is an Irish brew I’d enjoy another pint or two. Slainte

Does it taste better in Ireland? Truly did not like it- I was shown little shards of something floating in it- that's how they convinced me it was authentic Guiness- something about the casks they are stored in? That was in Newcastle.

Guinness doesn't travel well and Ireland is the place to try it.

IMHO Guinness in Ireland is the only way to go. Also Bulmers cider and Jameson whiskey. I don't drink any of those things at home and I happily downed more than one pint/shot of those in Ireland. Made even better if you have a fine Irishman/woman to chat with while you're drinking. Slainte!

I’m not a beer drinker. In 1992 friends and I went horseback riding in Donegal. Our guide ordered a Smithwicks Shandy for me, beer diluted with what the Irish pubs call “lemonade”. (Closest to lemonade we could find when we got home was Vernon’s soda.) It’s good and much lighter than Guinness and no bitter beer face. We also drank Hot Whiskeys in the pubs, whiskey, hot water and lemon. Great on a cold summer night after riding and touring all day.
Enjoy your trip!

I like hard cider, pressing my own apples and letting it turn naturally. I had never had it on draft before last year when we spent three weeks in England and Wales. In New England there are only a few that are made without hops, which I do not like, and all of it is only available in bottles or cans. So much better on draft and available as sweet , medium, and sparkling. We enjoyed the medium and had one anytime we were in a pub that served it, including Bulmers.

I've toured both Scotland and Ireland, and Ireland has outstanding Irish Whiskey. I recommend a tour of Jameson Distillery (we went to the one in Dublin, but recommend Jameson Old Midleton (southwest of Dublin, past Waterford and close to Kinsale.........very authentic experience!). Jameson Red Breast 12 year and Jameson Castmates Stout are 2 wonderful Irish whiskeys.

If you make it to Dingle you will love it. In addition to the great Slea Head Drive experience, in my mind, Dingle has the very best pubs and live music. Favorites include J. Curran Pub (best Guinness in Ireland) and Dick Mack's and Foxy John's for live music.

Just follow the procedure and wait until the bartender hands the pint of Guness to you. The foam has to settle.

Such great suggestions!! I am sure my husband will try Guiness- I'll just take a sip. The ciders and local drinks sound worthwhile! I know I would probably like Irish Coffee- but I can get that here so wanted to try stuff hard to find in the states. Thanks so much!! On a side- is their tap water tasty? We try to refill on the go- just wasn't sure if we need to bring our filtered bottles.

Not only is Guinness supposed to taste better in Ireland, but I have an article about the top 5 Guiness in Galway where I will be in 3 weeks. Apparently, Guiness is different even pub to pub.

Smithwicks is a fine choice for a beer that's not Guinness. On my recent trip, I found that Ireland's smaller brewers are also making those awful "west coast IPAs" that seem to have taken over here. Ask the bartender what beer (or cider or whiskey or whatever) is locally made and try a half pint/small glass. There are also more and more alcohol-free beers, ciders and cocktails available. Slainte!

I am with Dan about the ciders. I couldn’t have given you all the information he did, but cider on draft was my choice in Ireland. In Dingle I also sampled a Dingle gin and tonic - because the gin is made there. I don’t do whiskey or whisky. LOL.

For whiskey i prefer Tullamore D.E.W. but I'm more of a beer drinker. I agree that the Guinness is much better in Ireland than the stuff they sell in the U.S. Has to do with freshness and the nitrogen pressured dispensing. Much better. However, I came to prefer Murphy's Stout over Guinness, by just a bit. It was fun studying both beers to make the conclusion. Dingle has a Murphy's Pub, which we really enjoyed.

You'll never go wrong if you ask for suggestions from the bar tender, who'll know what's local ( and what's good) better than anyone, and if asked they'll probably let you sample a few selections before you settle on the one you like.

If you didn't like the Guinness in England you probably won't like it in Ireland - stout isn't to everyone's taste.

Ireland's smaller brewers are also making those awful "west coast IPAs"

Blasphemy! Those beers are not awful, they are the nectar of the gods.

Back to what to try in Irish pubs: ask the bartender what he recommends. If it's something you haven't tried, go for it. I personally wouldn't waste my time with inexpensive whiskey, though. Small-batch pot still whiskeys, ideally single malt or single grain, work best for my palate. I don't drink a lot of distilled spirits, so when I do it needs to be special.

Although we have a kegerator of Guinness at home, I'm convinced it's better in Ireland. Could be purely psychosomatic.
It doesn't have lumps, so your Newcastle pub was passing out old beer. You do have to clean all the hoses, taps, valves etc. occasionally, or things can go bad, but they tend to wait until the keg is empty. Although demand for Guinness is also high in much of Scotland, I don't think the English like supporting the Republic so the beer gets old and stale.

There are a few whiskey (never forget the "e" !) drinking Youtubes. My personal preference is Redbreast. It's aged in sherry casks, so it has a touch of that. There are local distilleries everywhere. As you head west, they get smokier. We always have a bottle of Connemara and Silkie (near Donegal).

On Orkney (I know it's in Scotland !), my wife got extravagant and started progressing up the range for Highland Park whisky (no "e"). They had a range starting at £4 to £2200 for a 25ml shot. I stopped her at £12. Thw bartender insisted even the top-of-the-line was a regular pour!

Our travels to Ireland began when my wife gave me a birthday gift of a self-skippered boat trip on the Shannon with a map marked with all the distilleries. That was four trips ago.

Love the sharing of amazing experiences- very excited to give our best go at Irish pubs, trails, and scenery! Both my parents test above 98% Scotch/Irish/UK - we've been to England/Scotland- excited to round out the travel to see where much of our folk hailed from- will write down all we try and report back!

I hope your parents aren’t 98% scotch.

I like Guiness especially in Ireland but I also tried some other very local beers. Galway has several breweries. I don't remember the name but I did try a Galway beer when I was there. Boxty House restaurant in Temple Bar in Dublin has its own beer which I tried and liked. Just ask if there is a local beer that the bartended or server recommends.

We just got back from the RS Best of Ireland. We “pre-gamed” in Kilkenny for four days prior. I love Guinness, and it did not disappoint. However, a barkeep in Dublin suggested Murphy stout. I must confess that I like it even better than Guinness. Try it.

Just returned a week ago! Hubby was pleased with the suggestions!! Regrets- never tried a single cider!! But he had Guiness, Smithwick's, Murphy's, Sullivan's, Irish Stout by Wicklow, and Beamish- he said his favorite was Sullivan's! I smelled the Guiness on our anniversary dinner- a couple adjacent saw my grimace and tried to convince me to try it- I just couldn't. So, they surprised us by ordering a round of "Baby Guiness" for all four of us- we had a good laugh and I did drink half of my Baby Guiness- that's all the alcohol I had the entire trip- I had really planned on trying ciders- but our early morning starts and busy days had us turning in by 9pm- missing the late pub crawls. But, had a fantastic time and hubs loved them all!

I really like Green Spot whiskey, which should be available in better pubs.