Science!
#40: Beamish Irish Stout
Food pairing: a pizza.
Beamish is one of the “big three” dry Irish stouts, the others being Guinness and Murphy’s, and like the other two it uses the technology first thunk up by the thinkers at St. James Gate. My previous beer post neglected to mention an instance when a can is better for the drinker than a bottle: the ntiro can. Before sealing the can, they toss in a plastic ball full of liquid nitrogen. When the can is opened, the drop in pressure causes the nitrogen to come out into the beer through a small hole, filling the beer with tiny bubbles that give it a smooth, creamy texture without the bite of a beer that’s only carbonated. The widget is too big for a bottle opening, and a bottle would probably pop under the pressure anyhow, so we instead have a can that’s meant to be poured into a glass.
And pour it into a glass I did. It starts out with that creamy-brown cascade of downward-flowing bubbles so familiar from Guinness, and after half a minute or so settles into a jet black with a big white head. It’s hard to avoid comparisons with Guinness, since that’s what I’m so familiar with, and this is a lot like it. It smells and tastes of bitter, roasted malts and has a creamy texture, but everything seems a little a bit more. It doesn’t feel quite as watery as a Guinness, and there’s more of a sour malty taste, and more of a sweet taste. It’s simple but drinkable, and of the three I like this one the best.