EDIT: I was made aware that this seems to be a satire piece so my comment below is just a rant for the sake of it... I will leave the comment anyway as it may be useful and interesting to somebody.... maybe... or maybe not but hey hey...
There is recently an obsession with a perfect poured Guinness, and now apparently John Smith's, being a science and an art. In reality it is super simple... it only takes clean lines (AKA Pipes), basic trained staff, clean glassware, using the right type of gas for the right type of beer, and general cleanliness. The issue is, most independent UK pubs don't look after these details. In a way it is good thing that people are realizing what it takes for beers to taste as they are intended, but rather than crowding few pubs that offer "the best Guinness in London", as consumers we should be demanding for better conditions at the pub. The same way you are not scared of returning a meal at a restaurant you should be actively telling a pub that their beers are not maintained. Especially when now a bloody Peroni costs 7.5 in some places...
Furthermore, the entire right glass and 45 degree angle is claimed by every beer now. Budvar, Erdinger, Guinness, Duvel, etc etc. And thank God because every beer should be poured at 45 degrees and have some foamy head. The glass, unless you are a highly carbonated Belgian or German beer, doesn't not matter all that much. As long as is a clean glass you should be fine. So the claim that is only John Smith that is better like that is outrageous, as simply every beer is better like that.
My main point is, while it is a good thing that beers like John Smith's and Guinness are leading people to understand that well looked-after pubs serve better beer, this does not make these beers better. Both owned by HUGE multinationals (Heineken for JMs and Diageo for Guinness) that care little to nothing about craftsmanship but more about volume and distribution. So for the love of beer, go out there and discover properly tasty local or/and independent beers that look after quality, innovation, and people. ♥️
[it has been brought to my attention that the article may be what is referred to as "satire", but before I realised I had already written this response and, therefore, feel duty-bound to post it]
Not to turn into a letter-writer to the NME in the early 90s, but this seems as confected a "scene" as Camden Lurch was... Are clued-up people *really* drinking John Smiths? I don't entirely understand the whole current Guinness hype, but at least it's a product with a consistent heritage. This reminds me of nothing more than Brooklyn hipsters getting into Pabst Blue Ribbon in the early '00s, another dead, cheap (and dead cheap) brand that suddenly rose to prominence...
I mean I had my fill of JSSF in the 90s when there literally wasn't anything better and it hasn't crossed my lips in anything but the direst of emergencies for the last twenty years. I'd go as far as to say that if I was looking for the Tadcaster Taste, I'd rather have a Sam Smiths and you'd have to physically drag me across the threshold into one of their establishments... This isn't to say I'm against Boring Brown Bitter these days but, by gum, there are many many better examples of it out there than JSSF.
What next Vittles, where to get the best Fray Bentos pies?
Well said: this Aussie expat and former London resident agrees with your comments in their entirety. Fortunately when I lived in west London the beer of choice was Fuller’s London Pride!
EDIT: I was made aware that this seems to be a satire piece so my comment below is just a rant for the sake of it... I will leave the comment anyway as it may be useful and interesting to somebody.... maybe... or maybe not but hey hey...
There is recently an obsession with a perfect poured Guinness, and now apparently John Smith's, being a science and an art. In reality it is super simple... it only takes clean lines (AKA Pipes), basic trained staff, clean glassware, using the right type of gas for the right type of beer, and general cleanliness. The issue is, most independent UK pubs don't look after these details. In a way it is good thing that people are realizing what it takes for beers to taste as they are intended, but rather than crowding few pubs that offer "the best Guinness in London", as consumers we should be demanding for better conditions at the pub. The same way you are not scared of returning a meal at a restaurant you should be actively telling a pub that their beers are not maintained. Especially when now a bloody Peroni costs 7.5 in some places...
Furthermore, the entire right glass and 45 degree angle is claimed by every beer now. Budvar, Erdinger, Guinness, Duvel, etc etc. And thank God because every beer should be poured at 45 degrees and have some foamy head. The glass, unless you are a highly carbonated Belgian or German beer, doesn't not matter all that much. As long as is a clean glass you should be fine. So the claim that is only John Smith that is better like that is outrageous, as simply every beer is better like that.
My main point is, while it is a good thing that beers like John Smith's and Guinness are leading people to understand that well looked-after pubs serve better beer, this does not make these beers better. Both owned by HUGE multinationals (Heineken for JMs and Diageo for Guinness) that care little to nothing about craftsmanship but more about volume and distribution. So for the love of beer, go out there and discover properly tasty local or/and independent beers that look after quality, innovation, and people. ♥️
I think you've slightly missed the joke here
Yup... I Realised after posting... But hey hey, you live you learn
https://www.ft.com/content/efd506a7-c0ca-4490-88cb-b4dc8416a311 This article is a good further read on how a "perfectly poured" Guinness is not just what people think it is
God I hope this is satire. Please be satire.
Do you mean 'a joke'?
[it has been brought to my attention that the article may be what is referred to as "satire", but before I realised I had already written this response and, therefore, feel duty-bound to post it]
Not to turn into a letter-writer to the NME in the early 90s, but this seems as confected a "scene" as Camden Lurch was... Are clued-up people *really* drinking John Smiths? I don't entirely understand the whole current Guinness hype, but at least it's a product with a consistent heritage. This reminds me of nothing more than Brooklyn hipsters getting into Pabst Blue Ribbon in the early '00s, another dead, cheap (and dead cheap) brand that suddenly rose to prominence...
I mean I had my fill of JSSF in the 90s when there literally wasn't anything better and it hasn't crossed my lips in anything but the direst of emergencies for the last twenty years. I'd go as far as to say that if I was looking for the Tadcaster Taste, I'd rather have a Sam Smiths and you'd have to physically drag me across the threshold into one of their establishments... This isn't to say I'm against Boring Brown Bitter these days but, by gum, there are many many better examples of it out there than JSSF.
What next Vittles, where to get the best Fray Bentos pies?
Fray Bentos actually pairs very well with a John Smiths tbf
Well said: this Aussie expat and former London resident agrees with your comments in their entirety. Fortunately when I lived in west London the beer of choice was Fuller’s London Pride!
See also: Nolan's
Make mine a Five Points Best but thanks for the lols.
Maybe swerve their attempt at a smooth flow/nitro version of it though. Didn't really work for me...
Lovely reference to Real Lies there..... Forza Extra Smooth!
John Smith's representation in Scotland : https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186525-d2432330-r625040242-The_Cramond_Inn-Edinburgh_Scotland.html