Sir, – I refer to Frank McNally's lament for the pint served at room temperature and the short-lived Campaign Against Cold Guinness (An Irishman's Diary, June 29th).
There was an all-too-brief period when enlightened publicans offered customers a choice not only between a three-degree Celsius and room-temperature pint but a further alternative, which my late father used to order in the Rock Forest Bar in Castletownroche, Co Cork.
This he called the “half ’n’ half”, which consisted of a carefully pulled pint from both the cold tap and room-temperature tap, resulting in a circa nine Celsius pint, depending on the time of year.
The “half ’n’ half” was an ideal compromise but, like the Campaign Against Cold Guinness, it failed to gain popular support. – Yours, etc,
DONAL MAGNER,
Wicklow.