> Well, I have, because you can't get proper Guinness there
An ex-GF of mine complained about that very pub, 25 years ago, for the very same reason.
> only Smith's inferior substitute.
She was wrong, and you are too. Guinness is an indifferent to bland stout and the Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout is a vastly better example of the style. Widen your palate, learn to appreciate variety and diversity, and recognise that brands are your enemy, in beer just as much as in social networks or political parties. Slavish loyalty to any brand is rank foolishness. Even if you do like it, your life will be better if you learn more about the wider options.
> Guinness is an indifferent to bland stout and the Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout is a vastly better example of the style.
For what it's worth I agree with you but this is a non-starter for most people even in the US. I briefly tended bar someplace that specialized in higher-end, small-batch products; we didn't stock any of the usual suspects and if somebody asked for a Guinness we'd have them try the craft stout that we had on tap. The majority of the time people wouldn't be into it because "it's not Guinness"... not because "[they] don't like it", but because it isn't the exact thing that they have been drinking for the past 30 years of their life.
Grey Goose and Crown Royal drinkers were the worst offenders in this regard. Triple-filtered Polish potato vodka at 1/3 the price? No way - too cheap. Organic single-grain wheat whiskey? Not today - it's a Crown and Diet, not a whatever-the-heck-this-is and Diet! Also can they have the purple velvet bag since the bottle is already open?
All of these exchanges went towards my realization that for this crowd of people it's more about the ritual than the taste. If something is decent and consistent enough to provide familiar respite in a chaotic world then it serves a noble purpose. Just because I'm a hipster doesn't mean everybody else has to be too.
I agree, I would be rather be in a pub with all my mates and cracking on with the evening than worrying about the beer, but plenty of people are hung up on their own comforts and tastes.
That said, currently in Germany where several of my favourite bars have only three taps of similar beer all of which I can’t stand, and rather than drink spirits at the same flow rate (if it’s in my hand it’s likely going down at the same ml/minute) and bringing my evening and next day to a halt, I’ll have to cut the bar time short.
It pays to diversify the palate but it takes years to get used to some booze in the first place, I figured that’s why all the simple, uncomplicated stuff sells.
In the US, there is a large variety of high quality, local craft beers at every bar in the country alongside the standard beers like Guinness, etc., so its not a choice "do we serve the big brand beer or the craft beer."
i have no "slavish loyalty" to anything - i just like the taste, as presumably your gf did as well. i do not like the smith's stout. and i think i have drunk enough beers in my 70-odd years to know what i like!
An ex-GF of mine complained about that very pub, 25 years ago, for the very same reason.
> only Smith's inferior substitute.
She was wrong, and you are too. Guinness is an indifferent to bland stout and the Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout is a vastly better example of the style. Widen your palate, learn to appreciate variety and diversity, and recognise that brands are your enemy, in beer just as much as in social networks or political parties. Slavish loyalty to any brand is rank foolishness. Even if you do like it, your life will be better if you learn more about the wider options.