Guinness-loving researchers claim that counties like Galway and Donegal score higher than Dublin when it comes to quality pints of the black stuff.
But that cannot be true, according to Darragh Curran, who was dubbed the Guinness Guru after quitting his decorating job in 2019 to go around Ireland tasting the world-famous stout.
Darragh, 30, from Meath questioned figures from Casino Source and says Dublin is marked down on average due to the large scale of pubs in the city.
Dublin scored 7.95 out of 10, which is the same as Waterford, but less than Galway’s 8.53, Limerick’s 8.42, Kerry’s 8.31, Sligo’s 8.28, and Donegal’s 8.22.
And Darragh told how Guinness is definitely not just an old man's drink - as younger tipplers "realise the beauty of the black stuff".
He said: "Back in 2013, when I was a young budding 20-year-old, to order a pint of Guinness was considered odd. It was perceived as an ‘old man's drink.
“Nowadays, young bucks are learning the ways of Guinness from idiots like myself online. They are realising the beauty of the black stuff early in life and acquire a taste for it because they want to drink what the ‘rest of the lads’ are drinking.
“If you sit and drink with a group of young lads now they will talk just as much about the Guinness as they will football and other general male topics. It’s got so many more talking points than any other alcohol such as the glass, the 'shtick', the 'domeage'.
"Things that non-Guinness drinkers will never understand. If you know, you know."
The west of Ireland in general performed well in the Guinness ratings with counties Galway and Sligo both featuring in the top 5. With no pub featuring a score less than 8, you will be hard-pressed to find a bad pint of Guinness when visiting the City of the Tribes.
Among the cream of the crop here is Taaffes Bar, located on 19 Shop St, which managed to earn an elusive score in the nines coming in at 9.1/10.
Near neighbours to the north Sligo finished in fourth place with a respectable 8.28/10, but without a 9/10 establishment on the card, you’re more likely to find a good pint of Guinness here than a great one.
“It’s funny, I don’t often think about where the actual towns and cities rank against each other," the Guinness Guru explained.
"My rankings tend to only concern the pubs themselves. But when put into perspective, the standard of Guinness in Galway was absolutely top tier.
"For me, the city of Galway manages to mesh together the exciting feeling of being in the big smoke with the rural heartbeat of the West. If Dublin and Dingle had a lovechild, the child’s name would be Galway."
Ireland’s capital scored poorly compared to competitors, but this should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Dublin had by far the biggest sample size out of any county, so while an average score of 7.95/10 doesn’t stack up well against the competition, it’s most likely the truest reflection of your chances of getting a good pint of Guinness.
“This is purely down to the number of pubs. I’m no statistician but I reckon I’ve been to 20-30 pubs around Dublin City as opposed to 4-5 boozers in other cities.
“I would argue that if you took my best 5 reviews from Dublin it would most certainly rival Galway and the other top cities. Dublin is my bread & butter so I’d have to call for a VAR review on this controversial ‘bottom half of the table’ statement.
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