The punctiliousness doesn’t stop at the factory gates. Guinness’s protocols recommend that bars that carry the beer wash their pint glasses separately from other dishware, lest grease transfer and ruin what is called the “schtick,” the distinctive lines of foam left behind on the glass as the creamy head drops with each sip.
Gráinne Wafer is embarking on the surprisingly intricate task of pulling a perfect pint of Guinness. First step: inspecting the cleanliness of the glass. It’s Guinness-branded, as it should be at every bar where the Irish stout is served on draft.
Wafer, a senior executive at Guinness’s parent company, Diageo Plc, holds the barware up to the bright sunlight coming through a window inside a private taproom at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, where 1.8 million visitors flocked last year to learn about the storied history of the brand, including the 284 checks the brew goes through before it leaves the factory.
