Good story posted by Bob on this.
I think Guinness/Diageo should in Ireland and ultimately certain other markets reintroduce the Guinness, or Guinnesses, that made the company famous and was what those 1930's ads referred to.
This was, first, naturally conditioned stout (in effect real ale sold from barrels by thumb-taps or maybe handpumps in some places). Second, it was circa 5% abv bottle-conditioned stout. This originally was bottled by the publicans in the pub basement and achieved a secondary fermentation in the bottle.
Guinness's Extra Stout was bottle-conditioned in England until a few years ago and now is pasteurised (not sure about Ireland, I think it is pasteurised there too as the "draft" in cans and bottles certainly is). Extra Stout isn't bad as a filtered beer but is hard to find since the so-called draft bottled and canned Guinness has taken over.
The draft itself, now pasteurised in the U.K. and I believe Ireland, and filtered since the 1960's and served by nitrogen dispense, is lighter than it used to be and while not bad is just not what Guinness was originally about.
Guinness FES is a 19th century-style bottled Guinness (7.5% abv and richly malted) that is really good and sells well in certain overseas markets which retained a taste for the 19th century Guinness. I don't know why Guinness doesn't promote that in the U.K. (it has been available there only in recent years and is hard to find). The 8% Guinness Special Export available in continental Europe is good too but I prefer FES for its quenching lactic edge.
What has happened in Ireland in draft sales was predicatble - it happened earlier in Britain with real ale. Tastes change and the younger drinkers want something different and are turning to relatively tasteless lager. But to meet the challenge, the answer is not to make Guinness Draught Stout ever colder or lighter or sweeter: it is to return it to its roots. This would be a big decision for Diageo but in my view they should trade on the true history and heritage of the brand and:
- bring back bottled-conditioned Extra Stout,
- promote Guinness Foreign Extra Stout as a strong specialty version,
- consider re-introducing naturally conditioned stout at least in showcase pubs in Ireland.
Trying to make the black stuff more like lager won't work in my view.
Gary