Pat pours the perfect pint

Date Published: 15-Dec-2011

by Liam Corcoran

It’s an age-old debate that can be argued and counter-argued between friends for years to no conclusive avail. It perplexes many, vexes others and ultimately, cannot be settled finally from the barstool. When it comes to the issue of finding the best pint in Galway, there is no shortage of varying opinion.

Now the question has been resolved – for the moment at least – by the one man in Ireland who has the professional capacity to pass judgement on such things. And, Guinness Master Brewer Fergal Murray has declared Pat Murray, barman at E Brún’s on Dominick Street, to serve the finest pint of the black stuff in the city.

The award came when Fergal visited Galway as part of an attempt to find the best Guinness-serving barman in the city. Following a text-driven nomination campaign in which Brún’s regulars were extremely supportive, Pat was selected as one of the top eight barmen in the city to be judged by the brewer.

At a sampling session in O’Connell’s, which was carefully overseen by the Dublin expert, Pat was successful in fending off stiff competition from the seven other barmen.

As Master Brewer with Guinness, Fergal Murray is responsible for all aspects of the brewing process at St James’ Gate. When judging the perfect pint, he looks to make sure that a number of key steps are carried out by the barperson. Firstly, the glass should be clean and dry. It should be held beneath the tap at a 45 degree angle, and at no time should the tap touch the glass.

The proper amount of time should be allowed to let the pint settle, before it is presented to the customer in a proper manner. While all this might sound like a laid back process, the reality of ensuring that every pint is up to scratch at a busy bar can be a lot different.

Serving pints since the pub’s opening, Pat modestly maintains that a “lot of luck” is involved in pouring a good one under pressure. Given that he was born into a pub in Mayo, he has no shortage of experience in the trade.

“You need to keep a cool head. When orders are getting shouted at you, that’s when the experience comes in. There isn’t all that much to it after that,” he said.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.