Last week at the Guinness 250th Anniversary celebrations in Dublin, Guinness master brewer Fergal Murray showed us how to pour the perfect pint and how to drink a Guinness properly. In between the pouring and drinking, Murray spoke with BroBible to discuss his career, why the brewery is a custodian to the Guinness recipe, and 119.5 seconds is the ideal "surge time" for any great pour.

BroBible: I think a lot of our readers would say you probably have the coolest job in the world. How did you get here?

Fergal Murray: To become a master brewer, you have to immerse yourself in the world of brewing here at St. James Gate -- you can only become a Guinness master brewer by becoming apart of the Guinness team. You can't be a master brewer somewhere else and then come here and all of the sudden fit in -- you have to earn your stripes here. So you spend a lot of time learning the process. I started here in 1983, so 26 years ago. You fall into an apprenticeship pattern; you observe, watch and learn your trade. Along with that, you do a set of exams that come as part of an institution that keeps a global standard. Then you need the qualifications of a brewer, so you do a brewer's exam after three or four years into the program, which gets you on track. After about 10 years into the program, I did my master brewer's track after I spent some time in the States and Nigeria, helping them develop their Guinness draught products. So it's about learning the trade from a scientific point of view, but what really makes a master brewer is the craft, the art, and the passion. Because it is a craft and you have to be a craftsman. The problem, well not problem at all, we have is that we're not allowed to dabble. As a Guinness Master Brewer, I am here to fulfill the destiny of the brand, which is great and very challenging, but I can't manage to develop new creative products, which I'd love to do.

BB: And why Guinness?  Keep Reading »

Okay fine -- so clearly it's not Amy Winehouse, but she's just as rough, she's Irish, and she wants to show you what the Irish kids are drinking these days: a vial concoction called the "Wet Frog." I didn't catch all the ingredients, but it definitely includes some sparkly shit that no Bro would be caught dead drinking. When it's all mixed together, it turns green and you chug through a straw. A video of the actual mixing of the drink is after the jump.  Keep Reading »

Tom Jones, the Welsh singer who has sold over 100 million records with such hits as "It's Not Unusual," "What's New Pussycat?", "Thunderball", and "Green Green Grass of Home" (1966), was one of the headliners of last week's Guinness 250 festival. Just before his Toast to Arthur and live performance, Jones sat down with BroBible for a chat over a pint of Guinness.

BroBible: As a Welshman, what kind of role has Guinness played in your life?
Tom Jones: Well, they sell Guinness in Wales so, um, I've been drinking Guinness ever since I was a child. We used to have it on Sunday lunch when my father used to come from the club that he used to go to and work in and then he would bring warm bottles of Guinness and we'd have them with lemonade -- it was like a shanty, you know...

BB: Guinness and lemonade?
TJ: Yeah! Well, lemonade like a seven-up, lemonade -- not lemonade -- so that's how far back I go with it.

BB: Do you remember your first pint?
TJ: Well as I said I used to have it as a child, but the first pint? Now that's a good question. I've drank a lot of different kinds of beers and Guinness is a stout -- that's what we call it in Wales. But I think it's a different taste in Ireland. When you have a Guinness in that States or in Wales, it's good, but it doesn't taste as good as it does in Ireland.

BB: Do you consider yourself a good beer taster?  Keep Reading »

On Friday morning, I had a few hours to kill before my flight back to New York and despite having my body beaten down by four days of Irish drinking and a collective five hours of sleep in three nights, I headed off to a pub that I had been hearing a lot about from locals, The Dawson Lounge.

The Dawson Lounge (25 Dawson Street) is the smallest pub in Dublin, measuring in at a bite-size 25 square meters (about 250 sq ft). It also apparently has some of the best Guinness in town because the path from the keg to the tap is so much shorter than most pubs. When I got there, I walked down the narrow staircase and made my way to the bar, which took all but a few steps. Behind the bar was Ron, a quintessential super-friendly Irishman who's been serving drinks in Dublin for more than a few years.

He greeted me with a smile and informed me that he was clean out of Guinness and the delivery was backed up because most of the delivery drivers hadn't shown up to work in the wake of the Arthur's Day celebrations -- something I could've guessed after seeing the streets of Dublin the night before, flooded with people drinking, singing and toasting to Arthur.

Ron recommended I try a hot whiskey, also known as a hot toddy, which he explained is the perfect drink for colds, sore throats, and most importantly, hangovers. He even offered to show us how to make it.

 Keep Reading »

This post was originally supposed to be called "Hot Irish Chicks Drinking Guinness." I'd say I did a decent job and captured some real gems, but failed to consider the effects of alcohol and the ever-threatening beer goggles. That said, a couple of heffers may or may not have sneaked their way in front of my lens -- you be the judge. Oh, and it went a bit international as well so we have a selection of Irish, French, Canadian, and English. Enjoy.  Keep Reading »

It's the morning after Arthur's Day and I'm sitting in the hotel feeling like my liver's had an abortion -- although I'm not demoralized and have about 5 hours left in Ireland, which I plan to put to good use.

I tried to Tweet this clip last night of the global toast to Arthur Guinness, but the video was a bit too long. The toast was at 17:59 (1759 is the year that Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on the Guinness brewery -- smart guy) and led off by Sir Tom Jones. It was followed by performances by Jones, Estelle, Dizzee Rascall, and Kasabian, which were all pretty rad. I have to say, Guinness can throw a hell of a party!

The secret: the head should be the same thickness at the top of the glass for your first sip as it is at the bottom of the glass after your last.

Previous Guinness 250 Coverage:

• BroBible Heads to Dublin to Celebrate Guinness's 250th Anniversary
  
• Straight Off the Airplane, May the Guinness Drinking Begin
  
• Dublin Bartender Creates BroBible Logo in Head of Guinness!
  
• Manning Up for Day 2 of Nonstop Guinness
  
• Brewmaster Shows Us How to Pour the Perfect Pint of Guinness

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to get a VIP tour of the Guinness Brewery led by master brewer, Fergal Murray. He showed us the ins and outs of the massive facility and even took us to the quality testing area, which I'm told very few people get access to. He took some time to hit us up with the 6 keys to pouring the perfect pint of Guinness -- knowledge that any and all bros should have in their back pocket.

1. Use a clean dry glass -- preferably a traditional Guinness pint glass.

2. Hold the glass at a 45-degree angle and never allow the spout to touch beer or glass.

3. The Pour: Pull the faucet down and allow beer to fill glass -- you will see "the surge" commence.  Keep Reading »

Day 2 in Dublin starting on a rough note after tearing up the pubs -- breaking out my homemade hangover kit.

After the jump:

Pouring one out for my homie Arthur Guinness  Keep Reading »

Thanks to Roger for his killer Guinness pouring skills. The video is after the jump because it takes a little bit to load.  Keep Reading »

Touchdown in Dublin - people are drinking and it's 9am - glorious.

To follow my trip to the Guinness 250th Anniversary Celebrations all week, stay tuned to BroBible.com and follow BroBible on Twitter.

This week, beer drinkers from all across the world are coming together to celebrate Arthur's Day and the 250th anniversary of the liquid heaven known as Guinness. Starting tomorrow, BroBible will be covering the festivities from the epicenter of worldwide debauchery, Dublin.

That's right, our friends at Guinness are flying me out to Ireland (full disclosure: yes, we go on press trips) to get the skinny on everyone's favorite Irish stout, learn about the ins and outs of the brewery, go one-on-one with the Guinness Master Brewer, and absolutely fucking rage. You can be sure that I'll be going pub to pub digging up Dublin's most kick-ass stories, talking to the drunkest of the Irish lassies, and covering the best of dozens of concerts, from intimate gigs in 28 Dublin pubs to shows in four major music venues, plus a concert at the St. James's Gate brewery itself. Performers include Tom Jones, Estelle, Sugababes, Kasabian, Natalie Imbruglia, and Kelly Roland. The celebration will last all week, leading up to Arthur's Day on September 24, when people around Ireland and the globe raise a glass to Arthur Guinness at 5:59 p.m. (see the video above).

So tune in starting Tuesday to witness the madness while it happens. I'll be Twittering and posting throughout the week all while drowning myself in the sweet nectar of roasted barley and hops. And if anyone's in Dublin and wants to meet up for a pint of goodness, email contact@brobible.com.

TO ARTHUR!!!

It is well known that Bono & Co. have more money than God. Certainly more money than the entire GDP of Ireland. So you know things are bad in the global financial markets when the band's plans for a 120-metre 'U2...  Keep Reading »