Tasting

What does a Cork stout taste like? The nose picks up roasted malt first, then coffee and a touch of bitter chocolate. On the palate the beer is soft and dry, and the finish stays briefly bitter, leaving a light roasted note behind.

Good beers to try are Murphy's Irish Stout and Beamish Irish Stout, the city's two brands, both now brewed by Heineken Ireland in Cork. For comparison with the smaller houses, set a stout or porter from Franciscan Well or Rising Sons alongside them. The Elbow Lane brewery calls itself one of the few in Ireland brewing strictly according to the German Purity Law.

Stout is drunk in the pint, the 568-milliliter glass shaped like a gently curved tulip. The wide top gives the head of foam room to sit. Anyone wanting a smaller amount orders a glass, as the half-pint is called in Ireland.

The temperature sits in the middle ground: cool, but not ice-cold. Too cold, and the roasted aromas vanish; too warm, and the beer turns flat. A stout on tap in the pub usually arrives in the range where both hold true.

Pouring takes time, and there are reasons for that. A nitrogenated stout first runs into the glass to about three-quarters full and is left to settle, then topped up. During that time the fine bubbles rise and form the dense, pale head. Anyone impatient ends up with a beer lacking enough foam. That's why the glass sits on the bar for a moment after the first pour.