The perfect pint. It’s an obsession that’s crept into social media in the last year or so, leading to silly challenges and a renewed interest in the creamy stout among younger consumers. But for the classicists, the die-hard bit-of-the-black-stuff purists, it’s a love affair that’s been around since Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease in St. James’s Gate, Dublin, back in 1759. In anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day and the celebration of all things Irish, I decided to take a stab at figuring out what makes a proper pint of Irish stout so alluring.
The unique, robust flavor of Irish stout — and its undeniable visual appeal — stem from the richness of the malted barley and the use of nitrogen gas in dispensing it. The resulting creamy head is the center of the viral “Split the G” challenge: Participants try to drink just enough in a few gulps to bring the border between the foam and the beer in a straight line right through the middle of the G on a Guinness pint glass.
Although it’s fun, there’s really no need for all this fuss when it comes to a good pint. I talked to Zak Pashak, owner of Cannons Bar on Detroit’s east side near the Grosse Pointe border.
“Guinness is a product that people are almost superstitious about,” he says. “There’s something about the idea of a perfect pint and how to get there. It’s almost alchemy.”
According to Pashak, there are four key elements to pouring the perfect pint of Guinness: clean glassware, clean lines, the right temperature, and proper pouring technique. He’s working on a plan to “retire” each Guinness glass after it starts showing signs of wear and makes sure that each vessel is spotless and bears no trace of cleaning residue. The same goes for the lines that connect the Guinness beer tap to kegs in a specially built cabinet directly under the taps.
Pashak has settled on his ideal temperature: between 8 and 10 C (46 to 50 F) for storage, running through the glycol cooling line, served between 5 and 7 C (41 to 45 F).
The pouring method is designed to bring out the complementary bitter, caramel, coffee, and cream flavors in a Guinness. First, Pashak holds the glass at a 45-degree angle until it’s about three-quarters full — roughly at the top of the harp emblem. Then, Pashak sets the glass down and flips over a sand-filled hourglass set to two minutes.
“Each pour, every pour, every time,” says Pashak.
This step is crucial, he says, because “it allows all that cascading to come up and form that top layer. You want to arrest it. Allow it to settle and form that head.” After two minutes, holding the glass vertically, he presses back on the tap handle and finishes filling the glass slowly, building a flawless dome of pillowy, creamy head on top.
As for enjoying the glass, there’s no secret to that. Tip back, sip — splitting the G is entirely optional — and enjoy a proper pint of the plain.
This story originally appeared in the March 2026 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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