Guinness guide: pint prices, top spots, and more

A synonym for stout in the pub-going world, Guinness is Ireland's national treasure and one of the most recognisable drinks around the world. If you are lucky to find yourself on the Emerald Isle, don't miss a chance to enjoy a Guinness pint in a local pub and read on to learn about the famous Guinness factory, the foods the stout goes well with, what a Baby Guinness is, and much more. Just remember that the best Guinness is the one shared with friends, and even if yours are far away, you can always buy them a pint with Profee, an online money transfer service.

What is Guinness

Guinness is a stout (a type of dark beer) brewed in Dublin, Ireland, since the 18th century. Its unique flavour comes from malted barley combined with roasted unmalted barley, and its famous creamy head is thanks to nitrogen and carbon dioxide mixed with the beer. Today, it is produced in over 50 countries, and its many varieties are sold draught, bottled, and canned.

The Guinness Brewery

As a newcomer, a Guinness tour around Dublin must start with a visit to St. James's Gate Brewery, the famous Guinness factory founded in 1759 by Arthur Guinness. By the end of the 19th century, it became the largest brewery in the world. Today, it is still the largest producer of stout globally.

The nearby Guinness Storehouse museum is shaped like a gigantic Guinness glass, and its seven floors are filled with original equipment, ingredient exhibits, technique demonstrations, and so on. The top floor is a bar where visitors can relax and enjoy the true Guinness taste of what is arguably the best Guinness in Dublin. While sipping your pint, use an opportunity to share this experience with your friends: send them a transfer via Profee to buy them a pint and then give them a call to raise your glasses together.

The best Guinness in Dublin

It is not easy to name a place with the best Guinness in Dublin simply because there are so many of them, and each takes pride in its pints. There probably won't be much difference in how your Guinness tastes (it is always delicious), but the price of 'the black stuff' will depend on the specific location and even on the time of day.

Unsurprisingly, the most expensive Guinness pints are served in the famous Temple Bar area, at places such as the Temple Bar itself, the Auld Dubliner, or the Merchant's Arch. During the day, be ready to cough up around €7.50 for a pint, and if your Guinness tour here is a late-night one, add another €1 for each pint. But if you are up for some real Irish craic, you can be sure that it will be the best Guinness in Dublin!

However, there is an abundance of places in the Irish capital where you need less than €5 to get a glass of Guinness, each with its own atmosphere. Visit The Hideout for a game of pool, The Snug Bar for traditional music, or Downey's for karaoke bingo. All these charge between €4.30 and €4.90 for a pint, which is great if you are on a budget and need to support your loved ones back home (use Profee to save even more money on sending money international transfers!)

Foods to pair your Guinness with

A Guinness pint is a treat by itself, but some foods make it even better. ·    

•   Beef stew. The Irish classics, this hearty meal is a must-try with Guinness, especially during the cold season.
•   Shepherd's pie. Another traditional dish of meat and potato that today comes in many variations but invariably with a Guinness pint.
•   Oysters. A delicacy today, oysters are stout's long-time companions. The two share a history from when oysters were served in pubs and taverns as a commonplace food.
•   Short ribs. This beef dish is a meatier and more tender equivalent of pork spareribs and complements the Guinness taste perfectly.

Does any of these sound like something your mum back home would love to try cooking? Let her know you are thinking about her: look up the recipe and send her a money transfer via Profee to buy the ingredients.

What is a Baby Guinness?

Despite what its name suggests, there is no Guinness in a Baby Guinness. But this shooter cocktail does look like a miniature Guinness pint. It is made of coffee liqueur like Kahlua or De Kuyper Creme de Cafe, topped with a layer of Irish cream such as Baileys, usually at a ratio of 3 to 1. The resulting Baby Guinness drink is sweet with bitter notes and is intended to be drunk in one go.

How many calories does a pint of Guinness have?

Although it may feel as satiating as a proper meal, Guinness is, in fact, not that high in calories. Still, the calorie count in a Guinness pint varies between types depending on a particular drink's recipe and alcohol content (ABV – alcohol by volume).

Calories in a Guinness pint (568ml)

• varies depending on the country of sale (By the way, a Baby Guinness, however small it may be compared to a proper Guinness pint, adds around 140 calories to your daily intake.)

Calories aside, Guinness, like most beers, is an excellent source of antioxidants, iron, and B vitamins such as folate, as well as fibre and probiotics. Before the effects of alcohol were fully understood, it was even prescribed to pregnant women, and maternity hospitals gave nursing mothers a Guinness glass daily. Of course, this practice has long since been abandoned, and Diageo, Guinness's parent company, is putting much effort into the promotion of responsible drinking through its DrinkIQ portal. Give it a read, and don't forget to educate your friends next time you are buying them a Guinness pint from across the world with Profee.

Using Profee can be as enjoyable an experience as having a pint of Ireland's famous stout. One of the fastest-growing online remittance services in Europe, Profee enables its customers to send money instantly and efficiently, offering the best currency exchange rate on the market. Visit our website or get the app from Google Play or the Apple Store to create an account and take advantage of all the benefits Profee offers.