A raft of rivals are now fielding Guinness alternatives including Camden Town’s Camden Stout and BrewDog’s Black Heart. But while they are all made with the same ingredients – water, barley, hops and yeast – none can claim the same clout.
Guinness’s imagery, which has remained largely unchanged for decades, is just part of the story. Not unlike a cocktail being mixed before your eyes, there is an element of theatre to this beverage when you witness the two-part pour and then again wait for the creamy pint to settle.
And it doesn’t stop there, because drinkers then often engage in “the Guinness Challenge” which is also known as “splitting the G”. This is where drinkers draft just the right amount off of their fresh pint in one go in order to get the liquid to a certain level. That level is either between the harp and the Guinness lettering on the glass, or achieved by bisecting the letter G on the logo side of the glass. I’m told on good authority the former is the traditional Irish way and the latter is the boozy Brit benchmark. It’s roughly two and a half sips either way, but adjust the size of those gulps depending on your target line.
“The collaboration was inspired by the passion for creativity and quality that runs through both brands,” said Anna MacDonald, Guinness’s marketing director, of the collaboration with Anderson. “It presented an opportunity to celebrate the ‘twinkle in the eye’ playful humour that is part of our legacy, with the creative features in the collection dating back to some of our earliest advertising in the 1930s.”
Whether the fashion crowd will remain as loyal as Guinness’s original fans, or move on to the next improbable trend next year, remains to be seen.