Charles pulls ‘perfect’ pint of Guinness

The King was praised for pulling off the “excellent” pint of Guinness when he signaled the opening of a new brewery and attracting visitors by pouring the popular drink.

During a tour of London’s Guinness Open Gate Brewery in the heart of Covent Garden, Charles stood behind the bar and was expertly guided through the ritual of creating a pint by Guinness experience ambassador Leo Ravina.

With the glass in his hand, the King was told to hold it “at a 45-degree angle – very important – not 46 or 44, but exactly 45” and pulled the pump towards him, then stopped when the glass was about three-quarters full.

Drinkers famously have to wait for the Guinness to settle to the bottom of their pint before pouring it (the total pouring process takes 119 and a half seconds), and the King chats with his guide before adding the last drops.

At the end of the process Ravina said “this is the perfect pint of Guinness” and Charles joked “if you say so”.

The finished pint was taken to a machine and the King marveled at the use of edible dyes to print the words “Merry Christmas” and a sprig of holly onto the pint before taking a sip.

Charles also taste-tested some beers produced at the microbrewery in the building’s basement, which included a sip of porter, winter warmer and apricot sour; Charles said they didn’t taste like beer.

Ravina later said: “He did a great job, it was an ideal pint of Guinness. He got the job, he got the job.”