Mick/Dan,

I’ve mentioned a few times that I can’t stomach the Black Stuff.  I figure that’s like saying, “Fuck your mums,” to the beer drinking Irish public.  Well, it’s been like 10 years since my last bottle of Guinness Stout.  Hated it, …I’m using the word hate. Today, at a pal’s house grouting stone tiles, afterwards he offers me a Guinness Stout.  He already opened it so I figured I’d better at least try to retch it down to be polite.  So I gulped-down a healthy swallow just to try and appreciate something maybe I didn’t get about it a decade ago…&, after the initial taste of pipe resin & unsweetened coca-cola, which remained in memory from ten years ago, I began to realize that…I like it.  So I emptied that bottle and we left back to my house to get his truck.  On the way home we picked up a six of Guinness.  They were out of Stout, but had Guinness Drought.  Took it home.  Between the two of us an hour later, we were heading back to the beverage store to get another six.  No doubt the best beer drinking experience in a long time.  Xpensive, but excellent.  Still have two left in the fridge, for some other night.  When I’m not dead-set on the smooth & easy thirst quenching satisfaction of a good lager like Killian’s or Rolling Rock, when it’s “all about the beer & the company,” from now on it’ll be the Black Stuff (Drought, with the widget).

Guid Forder… Sláinte…. …Cheers…