In 1965 The Belfast Telegraph carried the following advertisement for draught Guinness Extra Stout...
'Guinness Extra Stout on Draught. Served the new way. Ulster's draught drinkers can't get enough of it. Because when they ask for it in their favourite bars they know they'll always get a pint that's well-drawn. Perfectly conditioned. And in half the time it used to take. Draught Extra Stout is finding its way into more and more good bars every day. Look for it in your favourite, and try the smooth creamy goodness of it. And see if you don't ask for more.'
Ignoring the emphasising on 'conditioned' in the advert - which was possibly a way of making the kegged product sound more 'legitimate' - we will focus instead on the words 'in half the time it used to take,' and although it is unclear if they mean 'new' draught Guinness is now quicker to serve than when it was first launched in 1959 or just quicker compared to the older cask porter, we can see how at this time the speed of the pour and serve is seen as an important selling point by the marketeers in the company.
A far cry from a few decades later when Guinness's marketing emphasis changed to slow being better than fast. A quick poured Guinness was by then - and still is - seen as an abomination.
I guess we can put it down to them finding out that 119.5 seconds is the optimum pour time, can't we...?!
Liam K
(I was reminded of this advert during an exchange with The Beer Nut on Twitter.) Edit: See his comments below too.
Edit: Gary at Beer Et Seq has more thoughts on this here.
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3 comments:
My grand cultural theory on this is that there was an abrupt change in values in the late 20th century. In the post-war era, what was valued was what is modern, fast, technologically-forward. "Space age". At some point, and I reckon it was the early 1990s, this flipped and what is now valued is what is slow, authentic, traditional, organic. We're still in this era, even if our food is actually more processed and modified than ever. I date the start of the turning point to the Levi's TV ads: Nick Kamen stonewashing his jeans in the laundromat, and all that followed.
Fast-serve space-age beer seems like an awful idea to us, but to my dad's generation (my dad turned 18 in 1960) it was highly prized ahead of their fathers' bottle of warm stout.
Very interesting in a number of pubs you could still get Guinness served by the old two cask system until the early 1970’s.
Very valid, cheers. When you say space age I'm reminded of the Guinness Light launch in 1979 ...
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