Guinness in Ireland

A-hoy matees! I come to thee from a far away land, known for it's lush greenness and it's dark, dark beer. All right enough of this pirate bullshit, were there ever pirates in Ireland? Vikings maybe, but would...damnit enough of this digression. I've been working at a soon to be hostel in Wicklow, Ireland filling tires with dirt that will eventually be covered by cement. So far so good except for one small detail: the nearest beer is 6 kilometers away. Damn it. Never the less, when a beermigo is in need of a brew, he will get one if it's the last thing he does before reaching Davey Jones' Locker (son of a bitch).

I walked the 6 km to the nearest semi-town with beer. My only option was to stop by a nice little pub and grab a couple of bottles to go. Playing to the friendly, openness stereotype of the Irish culture, I walked into the pub because it's door was wide open, yet there was no one inside. I called hello a couple of times, but no one came calling back. If I didn't have a conscious I could have easily hopped the bar, grabbed a handful of brews, and been on my jolly, deviant way. Instead I found the man who owned the bar working on a cement wall at the side of the house (is everyone in Ireland working on some sort of cement wall?). He walked me in, and got the attention of his 70ish year old mother who was glad to serve me.

Having worked 8 hours that day, a 12 km walk was a little rough, and about half way on my walk back I needed a pick me up. I some how managed to crack open one of my Guinness' with my coat zipper, and took healthy swigs as I strolled back to the hostel. I'm not sure if there is more of an authentic Irish experience of walking on an old country road (which are scary as shit, by the way), sipping a Guinness, and having nothing to listen to other than wind, and cows.

Beermigos Rating: Onesy Brew: We've all had Guinness before, but naturally this one was a little more special. It is true what they say, the Guinness here is better than in the states but I think it's just because it's a little fresher. You would think carbonation would eliminate that factor, but there's something about them here. That, and you don't want to drink more than one beer while walking on these roads, trust me.