Guinness in Ulysses

Most of us will have had a pint of Guinness. The pump uses a kind of
nitrogen gas canister to get it out of the barrel with loads of head.

But how was it done in the days of Cyclops? Just a hand pump?

--
Work like the ponies in coalmines.
Dance like the teardrop explodes.
Love like you're Frank in Blue Velvet.
Sing as though your little throat would burst.

Alan OBrien wrote:
> Most of us will have had a pint of Guinness. The pump uses a kind of
> nitrogen gas canister to get it out of the barrel with loads of head.
>
> But how was it done in the days of Cyclops? Just a hand pump?
>
My personal guess is that it was served and made differently as it is
now so mass-produced that it actually needs the nitrogen in order to
have the same consistency of the olden days... I would check out a
Guinness newsgroup though because there are some real hardcore guys out
there that know everything...

I would be interested in the real answer myself, but I think my guess is
pretty accurate. In the days of the single tank brew of Guinness 50-100
years ago, it was likely different in consistency and makeup and that
today's nitrogen is just a way to make it more genuine to the original
product...

OR they may have only used nitrogen in kegging it and today's CO2 is
more cheap, easier, and less hazardous than their original idea of
kegging it with Nitrogen...

Hmmm....