Irish cold shoulder for Guinness
One of the great treats of the trade used to be visiting the Guinness brewery at London's Park Royal - a trip round the site, including the magnificent brewhouse, followed by lunch.
And what a lunch!
Each course matched by a Guinness - bottle-conditioned Original, Draught Guinness, Foreign Extra Stout and an amazing super-strong version brewed for Afro-Caribbean markets.
Although Guinness, was a massive public company, in the '80s, family members imparted pride and passion.
When Park Royal closed two years ago, much was made of the fact that Guinness sold in Britain comes from Dublin. As British sales of Guinness had fallen, it was reckoned that the vast plant could supply Ireland and Britain.
But now the real picture has emerged. Diageo, the drinks group that owns Guinness, reported last week that sales of stout had fallen by 9% in Ireland.
It's the equivalent of ravens leaving the Tower of London - the end of civilisation is nigh if the Irish aren't drinking the black stuff.
Guinness is so intimately linked to Irish history that it shares its official harp symbol with the government.
Arthur Guinness started brewing in Dublin in 1795, switching to stout and porter to counter vast amounts of similar beers imported from London and Bristol. He was so successful that his family's 19th-century company became the world's largest brewery - remarkable, given Ireland's small size and low population.
Despite development of pale ale and German-style lager, Guinness went on growing, developing African and Caribbean breweries and exporting almost everywhere.
The Irish were proud of the drink, which became inseparable from their history and culture.
Don't ask for the beer by name in a bar - the call for "a glass of stout" will bring you a draught Guinness, unless you happen to be in Cork, where "stout" means either a Beamish or a Murphy's.
Sales of the dark stuff are declining in its home country and Diageo blames life-style changes. Guinness is seen as "an old man's drink" and younger drinkers are switching to lager or wine. A case of déjà vu?
Most Irish Guinness is sold on draught in bars but, like the Brits, the Irish are drinking more at home, preferring packaged beers or wine. Some blame the smoking ban for driving people out of the pub.
Lifestyle may figure in the drink's decline but I fancy Diageo is at fault, too.
During my last visit to its Dublin brewery I viewed a wonderful display about the beer's history round the corner at the Guinness Storehouse - a trip traditionally followed by a free glass of stout in the adjacent bar.
But I found the beer too cold. Chilling Guinness masks those rich aromas and flavours of roasted barley and bitter hops. Later, things went downhill when Diageo introduced Guinness Extra Cold. I don't know how it's doing in Britain, but it hasn't torn up any trees in Ireland.
Irish drinkers have voted with their feet.
As one Dublin barman said: "Most bars have had those taps taken out - it was tasteless."
Rumours that Diageo may sell Guinness are unlikely to prove true - global sales are growing. But how sad if a black hole awaits it in Ireland.
