Pouring Guinness correctly takes about 2 minutes. However, the bar needs to have clean dry glasses (20 ounce imperial pint size - none of this metric pussying around), correct pressure in their pumps, etc.

The technique is pretty simple, but since it's a two-part pour a lot of people don't bother doing it. Pull the tap towards you until it is completely horizontal, and have the glass tilted at 45 degrees, until it is about three-quarters full. Like most brews, you'll want the liquid to hit the side of the glass nice and smoothly.

Now let it sit for a little less than 2 minutes, until the "surge" settles completely. Then, hold the glass directly centered under the faucet, and push the tap *forward* to complete the pour. That's it. A decent pint should have a head of about 1 cm and it should be creamy and consistent.

A good test is the "nipple" test. Jab your pinky slightly into the head and pull it out again. After having pleasured your Guinness like this, it will be quite excited and a little creamy nipple will remain on top. If it droops down again, your Guinness is potentially stomach-churning.

Don't be afraid to give your local barstaff a little lesson in this. You wouldn't accept an unmixed recording as your master tape, would you?

I bought a case of a czech beer called Boom a few weeks ago...

It's now known as "violence sauce" among my group of friends.

What better context to submit my first post here?

I think Leffe wins me over every time - perhaps the "triple" variety.

I'm afraid Red Stripe has lost its appeal as many venues over here sell the fucker for £3-£4 per warm can. But Leffe, ooh, it makes me love my own mother. Yummy.

Any beer made by Bells out of kalamazoo Mi.

Mamba malt liqour (from the ivory coast)

New Glarus lambics (wisc. micro)

Lakeside pumpkin (wisc. micro)

sheafs stout (australia)

Pretty much anything out of belgium (they are the masters)

Generally any stouts or porters from the U.K.

celebrator dopplebock (from germany) w/ the plastic goat

anything made by aass out of Norway

labatts porter

rougue makes some very grand brews (out of oregon)

rebel (from chech republic)

nothing made by annheiser bush - budweiser, michelob, king cobra etc....

yeah King Cobra is the cheapest 40 oz. here in Houston. When I stayed in California for a while,... we drank worse shit. Ever tried Steel Reserve or Cammo?! Ha... those were the days!

Here in the wonderfull world of milwaukee wisconsin you will find that whenever you see a bum, homeless person, streetbench beer consumer, alley ale shopper, public drunk, intoxicated avenue walker, midday sunshine passed out fine cerveza consumer- they all have one thing in common, one brand of malt liquor 90% of the time, -------STEEL RESERVE!
9 POINT SOMETHING % MALT LIQUOR. I enjoy a cheap malt liqour now and then, but to have a 24 ounce can of beer make you feel drunk when a six pack of miller or whatever wont is a true triumph of the brewing process!!!!

yeah... that was always the point. Buy two of those 24 oz. cans... and you're good to go. Can we say cheap cheap, less filling? The taste is reminiscent of warm metallic piss... but that's what 8 cents an ounce will get ya!

Here are some favs from my travels...

HOLLAND- Oranjeboom, premium Dutch lager. One of the finer beers, IMHO.

POLAND- EB. Can't compare to Zywiec, which is puke water. A fairly smooth beer.

GERMANY- Warsteiner, previously mentioned on this board.

ITALY- Peroni. Smooth, light. Mmm...got one in the fridge right now.

AUSTRALIA- If you like bitter beer, Victoria's.

Peroni is absolutely fantastic indeed!

My favorite beers today are:

1. Duvel
2. A tie between Franziskaner in the big bottle and Ayinger's Ur-Weisse
3. Moretti la Rossa
4. Lindeman's Framboise Lambic

Though economics usually dictate that I drink much cheaper, worse-tasting beers.