by Lauren Jefferson

Union Square’s Tir Na Nog is home to the best pint of Guinness in Somerville, as voted by the readers of The Somerville News.

By taking a glance around the bar you can see that Guinness is a house favorite among Tir Na Nog patrons. “It’s the number one seller,” said Joseph Alcindor, who tends bar and cooks at the pub.

Ronan Geary, another bartender at the Nog, said Guinness is the most popular beer ordered at a ratio of seven to one.

Geary said the process for pouring the perfect Guinness is very technical. Hold the glass at a 45 degree angle and fill it three-quarters of the way. After that let it settle for 95 seconds. Then top it off.”

By following those directions exactly everything should settle properly making the Guinness the best it can be, he said

The glass that Guinness is served out of is also a very important part of the process, he said.

The glass is called a tulip because it is smaller at the bottom and flares out in a rounded way at the top making it mildly resemble a tulip, he said.

Geary said the glasses are the same style used in pubs in Ireland. The tulip offers the drinker 20 ounces of Guinness, as opposed to the 16 ounces glasses other beers are served in.

“Some bars serve it in 16 ounce glass and that should never be done,” he said.

When served in a 20 ounce tulip glass the patron gets more Guinness to enjoy, and the bartender can pour better because it is easier to distinguish where to stop during the two-part pour, he said.

Geary said there is a question whether the Guinness here in the States is comparable to the Guinness in Ireland.

Some of the Irish patrons to the Nog have been a little hesitant to try it once they have a glass they are just as happy with it, he said.

Geary said there is one more factor in creating the best pint of Guinness, without which the technical process is meaningless: “First off, you start with friendly Irish service.”