Guinness is smashing, well in my opinion anyway. It seems to be one of those love it or hate it products (like marmite or oysters) having said that they do manage to peddle 1.8 billion pints a year in about 100 countries.

It was first brewed in Dublin by Arthur Guinness in 1759, Guinness is sometimes credited with being the first stout ever brewed although this is now discredited and was probably brewed over 50 years before Arthur Guinness was born.

As to the drink itself it is a thick black drink with a creamy white head, it has a molassess like flavour with a bitter aftertaste and depending where and how it is bought has an alcohol content of between 4 and 5 percent. Purists will tell you it should only be drunk on draught i.e in a pub and ideally with sight of the river Liffey in Dublin from which the water for the brewing process was originally taken. If you have ever seen the River Liffey in Dublin I'm sure you wouldn't dream of drinking anything that has ever been anywhere near it. Personally I think the taste is more or less identical wherever it is poured and even quite reasonable from a draughtflow can.

In the past Guinness was attributed with various health promoting benefits although these are no longer claimed by the company (although Arthur Guinness had 21 children so it can't be all bad). My Grandmother told me that when she was in hospital after having had my Mum they gave her a bottle of Guinness after she had given birth! Got to be better than the usual hospital grub.

Guinness is also brewed in various countries around the world now and accounts for about 40 percent of beer drunk in Africa indeed Nigeria is the third largest consumer after the UK and Ireland.

Price wise in the UK it currently sells for about £2.50 - £4.00 in pubs. I have managed to pay just over £9.00 for a pint in Paris which is a record I am not proud to hold.