Finding the Perfect Pint of Guinness in Shorewood

Having learned how to pour the perfect pint at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, I fancy myself an expert, ahem.

Plus my husband, Muggsy, literally grew up in family-owned Irish pubs. So when we were asked to find the best Guinness in Shorewood, we decided much research would be required.

Four Shorewood bars have Guinness on tap: the Bull Pen, the Crowd Around Me, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Bedrocks. These are very different places.

So before we started, we established highly scientific criteria for judging based on what we learned at St. James's Gate Brewery, where Guinness is made, the holy land of stout.

We decided to review the steps to pouring a great Guinness the correct way, according to the brewmasters themselves. First of all, start with the right glass.

It must be a pint, but a true Guinness glass has a bit of a bell shape to it toward the top. The harp logo is about two-thirds of the way from the bottom. Turn on the tapper and tip the glass so the liquid gold gently hits the glass without the tapper touching the beer. Then slowly angle the glass back upright as it fills to the logo, about two-thirds full.

Then let it sit.

If you are in a hurry to have your Guinness, you are drinking the wrong beer.

Letting it sit is critical not just once, but twice.

After a good minute or even more depending on how busy the bartender is, finish topping off the beer. Then, let it sit again. This second time, not as long.

When you serve it to the drinker, the foam head should be fully formed and dense, but the beer should still be cascading within the glass. The head should be a half-inch thick. Anything thicker is called a Bishop's Collar and should be sent back.

The pour is critical. As we learned, the taste truly did vary according to how well each bartender poured the brew. 

However, we believe that a good Guinness experience was more than just what happened inside the glass. We believe that bartender's attitude and establishment's environment could make or break a great Guinness.

In order to properly judge these four Shorewood bars, we assigned this scoring system.

Glass: (Max 10 points) A basic pint shape earned 5 points. A bell-shaped glass maxed the category's 10 points. 

Pour: (Max 60 points) A tilted glass (12 points); if tap touches beer (subtract five); filling to two-thirds then letting it sit (up to 12 points); finish tapping then let it sit again (up to 12 points); cascade (12 points); a perfect head (12 points) and a Bishop's Collar (subtract five). The max points for the Pour category was 60.

Blarney & Attitude: (Max 30 points) The bartender could earn 15 points for quality service, knowlege of anything Irish or Guinness related, and providing a feeling of welcome. Sassy attitudes preferred. The establishment could earn another 15 points for atmosphere, having a neighborhood-type bar, and price.

Here's how the Shorewood establishments fared:

The Bull Pen: Julie served up a right fine pint for $4. She had the right angle without touching the brew. She filled a little too full the first time, though, and then let it sit correctly. Muggsy and I argued if it was the perfect head (my vote) or if it was a little thin (Muggsy's vote). Plus, the beer was the coldest of all the bars. Julie earned 53 points for the pour, five for the standard pint glass and another 12 for Blarney and attitude. The bar earned top marks for the having a clean, friendly, neighborhood joint filled with regulars who were welcoming. Total score = 83.

The Crowd Around Me: We gave this bar a second chance because the first girl who tapped the pint lacked proper education. Then when Woogie, the manager, came on duty, he stepped up and did a fine job. He did not tilt the glass, though, and that hurt his score. Without tilting the glass, the head and the cascade just don't work. (Only pouring experts like us, cough, gag, wheeze, would recognize so fine a detail.)

He knew where to stop the first pour at  two-thirds and let it set correctly. But the tilt hurt the head. It was too thin. His pour earned 37 points.

We liked Woogie a lot. He knew about Guinness and made us feel like he had known us for years. So he topped out at 14 for Blarney and attitude. The glass was a perfect Guinness glass with a soccer ball, so that got them another 10. And although we didn't have any problems with the atmosphere, it isn't an Irish pub. So with that in mind, we had no choice but to award only 11 points there. The price was $4.50.  Total Score = 72

Buffalo Wild Wings: We were very surprised to hear that this sports bar franchise had our beloved Guinness on tap. We went in with a bias against them and were surprisingly pleased. First and foremost, Stu the bartender, was great. We loved Stu. The glass was the standard pint, five points. Like the Crowd, the pour did not start with an angled glass, which hurt the overall score. The fill was two-thirds and had an appropriate wait. The cascade was surprisingly perfect. The top off also had the correct amount of wait time. Stu did not serve any Guinness before it was time.

Unfortunately, he did a Bishop's Collar and lost five, apparently because of the lack of angle. His pour earned a total of 48 points. Stu's knowlege of Guinness was great and he was a friendly, inviting bartender. Home run with 15 points for Stu.

As for the establishment, we just could not get that Cheers feeling in a sports bar chain. Don't get me wrong, we love their hot wings. But when it comes to the Guinness experience, their schtick was not our craic. Plus, the price was nearly 50 percent more than the others in town at $5.90. For those reasons, the bar earned only one point. Total Score = 64.

Bedrocks: Shannon tapped up the best pour in town, earning 55 points out of 60. She tipped the glass, filled two-thirds, and let it rest. Since our mission was to be critical, it should have sat just a little longer the second time before serving. Otherwise, the head was perfectly dense. She passed the Guinness trivia quiz and had a cheekiness we were looking for. Shannon maxed the 15 points for Blarney and attitude.

The glass was a perfect Guinness bell, earning 10. As far as the establishment, it was more of a club-like experience than a neighborhood bar. But with the $4 price, Bedrocks earned 5 points there. Total Score = 85.

As we were driving home, we realized that we didn't have a bad Guinness. We were surprised that each of the four bars truly had a lot to offer. We liked all of our bartenders. At the end of the day, we concluded that Shorewood offers great places to get a good pint. Where you go just depends on what kind of environment you are looking for. Muggsy and I are pleased to report that experienced Guinness drinkers can definitely find a good jar right here in Shorewood.

But then again, maybe we need to do more research.