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15th March 2024
11:30am GMT
By Simon Kelly
The debate continues to rage on amongst Guinness drinkers, who naturally take the act of drinking Guinness incredibly seriously. It’s an argument had in many a pub across the country and beyond and it’s just as contentious as ever.
Like Carrie Bradshaw typing away on her laptop, we couldn't help but wonder... what does it truly mean to 'split the G'?
While the definition in theory sounds pretty cut and dry: Your first sip of Guinness should finish when it hits the “bar” of the letter ‘G’… Right?
However, it’s not as simple as that, as everyone seems to have differing opinions on where the correct spot to finish your sip actually is.
We’re going to start with the definition from the most trustworthy of sources – Urban Dictionary, where their idea of splitting the G is: “On your first try of drinking a pint of Guinness you drink enough to where the black of the pint is directly in line with the line in the middle of the G.”
Even more trustworthy is the brilliant An Púcan bar in Galway, where the JOE team attended their competition giving a free pint to whoever can split the G.
“There’s a lot of debate over this,” said the An Púcan barman. “But what we’ve settled on is the bar on the ‘G’, so the black line, the line where they meet has to sit exactly on the bar.”
Yeah OK, it’s seeming like we’re all in agreement here. But wait… Enter the Guinness Community Facebook page, where the debate rages on, revealing another camp of Guinness drinkers saying it’s where the line perfectly intersects the top of the “G” and the bottom of the harp.
In a post on the topic of what ‘splitting the G’ means, one person said: “Some in here say splitting the G is hitting the middle line of the letter, but it just could be the case that splitting the G just means splitting the G from the harp, like in the image, and frankly that makes a bit more sense, separating the name from the logo.”
Another commented by saying, “It’s self explanatory. You need to split the letter G. You aim for the middle line of the G and the E. Otherwise the G is not split.”
A third added, “Bottom of the Harp, Top of the G?”
Finally, we got a very valid point to end on, with one clear-of-mind person saying, “What’s this G crap enjoy your pint.”
While we might not all be in agreement here, we can all agree that at least it gives us something to argue about over a quiet pint.
This article originally appeared on JOE
Header images via Instagram / Home of Guinness
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