‘Naff’ or not? Splitting the G has seen a Guinness reawakening

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Parmesan topped Espresso Martinis. A Negroni Sbagliato, with prosecco. Pickle juice in everything. The Hugo’s triumphant comeback. Drinks trends are no longer dictated to us by bartenders delving into dusty cocktail books, publications dedicated to drinks culture, or even brands themselves. They are crowdsourced, with the bar world often being caught unaware by a celebrity’s off-hand comment or Tik Toker’s viral video spiking sales seemingly out of nowhere.

Videos of people ‘splitting the G’ on pints of Guinness started popping up on my feeds about a year ago, both from people I know and complete strangers. For anyone who has been living under a rock, splitting the G refers to drinking just the right amount in your first few gulps of a pint of Guinness to land the washline right on the middle stroke of the ‘G’ in the word ‘Guinness’ on the glass. 

It is a marketer’s dream: an ostensibly organic movement with people happy to post both triumphs and failures, all of which feature the brand name front and centre. It might even beat the last great Guinness marketing campaign in the 1920s, where women were encouraged to drink it during pregnancy to keep their iron levels up, and new mothers were prescribed a bottle a day to help with lactation (claims which have not stood up to modern medical scrutiny).

Kayla Reid, Black Pearl bartender and drinks consultant, is a G-splitting pro. “I don't really do it for the trend if I'm being honest, and a lot of my friends say I'm a loser, lol. I just like games, I think it's fun and I've been recording myself drinking beer regularly on my social media for about seven years now so it's just part of my schtick.” 

“I started doing it more when I started working at Black Pearl as Guinness became a break beer option for me. I hadn't had this luxury before.” 

For Kayla though, the big draw is that she actually likes Guinness. “It's creamy, tasty, the good-good — obviously. I like most beer, but Guinness is unique. If you can't get it, there isn't really a substitute that's gonna scratch that itch quite the same.”

Whether related directly to the social media phenomenon or not, Guinness has undeniably been a winner in the waves of nostalgia sweeping the young folk these days; in the trendy suburbs of Melbourne, a Guinness tap is almost as ubiquitous as Carhartt jackets and Von Dutch caps. 

While there have always been loyalists, there is a newly found cool factor to the black stuff – it is no longer the preserve of old man pubs with many on-trend bars pulling perfect pints of it. At Caretaker’s Cottage, darling of the cocktail world, their tagline is “Always Guinness, punch and wine.” 

Oisín Conneely, General Manager of the Black Pearl, thinks the Irish diaspora might have something to do with it. “I’m from the rural west of Ireland and for me growing up it was always a popular drop of choice amongst all ages,” he says. 

“I think, as an expat, there is a certain nostalgia or patriotic thing about it. Maybe a younger generation abroad has had something to do with the popularity of it.” 

He can now count himself as a Guinn-fluencer, as the downstairs area of the Pearl recently reopened with Guinness on tap. “I have been slowly planting the seed of serving it at Pearl for the last seven years,” Oisin says.

Of course, Guinness is Diageo-owned and distributed by Lion in Australia. The hope, though, is that it might be a gateway for local and independent breweries to find a bigger audience for their dark beers. According to Max Hart, manager of 3 Ravens brewpub, last year they “recorded a major lift in sales with our core range ‘Black’ Oatmeal Stout and ‘Bronze’ ESB and not just in winter.” 

“We have actually created a nitro version of both beers available in keg, where they’ve been conditioned using nitrogen at a high pressure and super chilled to allow it to dissolve into the beer giving it that much loved creamy texture,” he says.

“Splitting that Guinness G, that’s some marketing campaign, it would be great to see some spillover for independent breweries and the dark beer category.”

While not all internet drinks trends are born equal, a resurgence of dark beer is one that I’m willing to get behind. Now, if only Tennent’s could take off in Australia.

Around The Bars

• The Guinness drinkers polled for this article were unanimous in that Buck Mulligans in Northcote is one of the top spots for the black stuff. Owner Eamonn Hennessy has been pouring it for over seven years, and has a few tips for the perfect pint. “Keep your lines clean and don’t have a long run of lines, only a couple of pints in the line, and make sure you’re using the correct gas at the correct pressure.” They have a happy hour every Friday with $10 pints of Guinness (alongside some other $10 specials). They go through at least a couple of kegs a week which keeps it fresh. As for splitting the G though? “We don’t encourage it,” says Eamonn. “We think it's a bit naff.”
• For those that haven’t heard, Bar Bellamy suffered a devastating break in while closed for a well deserved rest after the December madness, losing their December takings, tips and lots of stock. Check out their ‘Rosheen & Friends’ Sunday summer lunch series for a delicious way to show some support.
• The new year may be fresh but it looks like there are some exciting openings coming our way already – Tiny Bar in Brunswick East being one that I have my eye on. Follow @tinybar_melbourne for updates and I’ll be reporting back as soon as I know more.