A world-renowned Guinness reviewer was in the United States recently searching for the best pour, and he found it in Boston.
The honor goes to J.J. Foley’s Café in the South End.
“It’s a great analysis, always take a good analysis,” said Jeremiah Foley. “All good publicity is great publicity, right?”
Jason Hackett, known as Prime Mutton to his more than 170,000 Instagram followers, embarked on a 35-day U.S. tour and visited pubs in Boston, New York, Providence, Chicago and San Francisco, among other cities. The pint at J.J. Foley’s earned the highest praise.
“When I took a sip of the pint, I thought, ‘Wow, I’d be really happy with this in Ireland,'” said Hackett. “It was well-balanced, just a little hint of bitterness, not too much. You get a little bit of chocolate, a little bit of coffee, and the perfect dry stout.”
Boston businesses with licenses for beer and wine can soon expand their offerings.
Hackett, based in Manchester, England, is a professional bridge player and also travels the world reviewing beer and food. In terms of the Irish stout, he’s famous for his giant swigs and no-nonsense reviews. Rather than using a numerical rating system, he has a four-tiered system. On the lowest end is “good,” then “very good,” followed by “creamer,” and finally “absolute creamer,” as awarded to J.J. Foley’s.
“Everything was spot-on,” Hackett added. “I’m pretty sure they’ve got the technology right. The gas, the pressure, the cooling system, their glass washing. It’s a huge technical game.”
After his analysis, the pub could hardly restock quick enough.
“You have all these big groups and everything,” Foley said. “They come in, ten pints of Guinness, 12 pints of Guinness. We’re sitting there flying through it.”
The recognition is a huge honor for the Boston establishment, which has been family-owned and operated since opening in 1909.
“When your name’s on the sign, you always work harder for yourself. You’re working with your dad, you’re working with your brothers, and then pretty much your grandfather and your great grandfather are looking down on you, and they’re just smiling. They probably can’t imagine what this business has turned into,” Foley said.
Hackett encourages any pub owners to look at their technology and see if it can be improved upon.
Although he has returned to England, Hackett has high hopes for his next visit to Boston.
“I hope next time I go to some of the same pubs, and they serve me up absolute creamers all over the place so it rains absolute creamers,” Hackett said.
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