February 25, 2002 -- According to two AP reports, Diageo, the British company that owns Guinness, is experimenting with a system that will dramatically cut the time necessary to pour a pint. To say the least, the plan has been met with less than enthusiastic support in Ireland.

An unidentified spokeswoman for the company is quoted as saying that the development of the faster pour is a natural progression. "We have got to move with the times, and the brand must evolve," she says, "We must take all the opportunities that we can."

Typically, a pint of Guinness now takes two minutes or longer to pour, a fact the company has often emphasized in their advertising. The new technique, which reportedly uses ultrasound to build the beer's characteristic dense head, will slash that time to 15-25 seconds.

Guinness drinkers in Ireland were not amused.

A popular sentiment was expressed by Richard Donovan, manager of Doheny & Nesbitt's bar in central Dublin. "You pull a pint (of Guinness) for an Irishman and he expects to wait. If you pull one in less than a minute he'll say 'where the hell did you drag that from','' he is quoted as saying.

The Diageo spokeswoman emphasized that the new pour would be used in only high-volume accounts that need quick service, especially late at night.

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