St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Chicago means two things are flowing in the city: A green river, and lots of pints of Guinness.
The beer has more than 260 years of history, but now it’s having a moment among young people.
The “splitting the G” trend has found its way onto social media, where drinkers film themselves attempting to take a big enough gulp of the dark beer on their first sip to line up the foam with the middle of the “G” in “Guinness.”
A search for the trend on TikTok produces thousands of results, and videos with millions of views — including stars like Ed Sheeran and Niall Horan getting in on the game.
“‘Splitting the G’ has become a viral sensation, what we love most about it is introducing Guinness draft stout to an entirely new demographic,” Guinness National Ambassador Ryan Wagner said.
Chris Wise, 27, has made it his mission to “split the G” at every bar in Chicago — and has chronicled his attempts on TikTok.
He said he first became aware of the trend about a year and half ago, and started sending videos of him “splitting the G” with his friends to his girlfriend, who suggested he post them to TikTok. There, he’s been able to “pass on the love” of the drinking came while also shedding light on local Chicago pubs, and raising money for a good cause.
His most recent iteration of the trend includes him running to the bars while he trains for the Chicago Marathon and raises money for the American Brain Tumor Association after his dad’s passing from Glioblastoma last year.
“There’s nothing like drinking Guinness at an Irish pub,” Wise said. “There’s no other bar experience like it. When me and my buddies want to get together, we don’t even think of other bars. It’s an Irish pub or bust.
His tip for doing it successfully?
“What works for me, when it works, is three big gulps,” Wise said. “You gotta go in the mindset of, ‘I’m gonna get it.”
But, before the “G” can be split, the beer has a unique journey and art to its pour.
“A journey of 5,000 miles, getting a beer like Guinness Draft Stout from Dublin, Ireland to Chicago, Illinois, a journey that long can really get messed up in the last 30 or so feet from the keg to the glass,” Wagner said.
Chicago’s Guinness Open Gate Brewery — the company’s second taproom in the country — opened in the West Loop in 2023 and offers unique beers brewed on site as well as lots of Guinness imported from Dublin.
“Our bartenders here at the Open Gate Brewery take a lot of pride in pouring what I think is the best pint in Chicago, I think a lot of folks out there would have their own dogs in that fight, but it is something that is very special to us,” Wagner said.
River North’s Kerryman co-owner Mick O’Donoghue is from Castleisland, Ireland and said he started to learn the art of pouring a pint when he was 12 in Ireland, where his family owned bars and restaurants.
“As soon as I could reach the handle, I was pulling pints of Guinness,” O’Donoghue said.
The locals were “very particular,” about their Guinness, making O’Donoghue a quick learner.
“It has to be the correct glass, it has to be the perfect pour every time, or you’d get it thrown over the counter back at you,” O’Donoghue said.
Kerryman had 70 kegs of Guinness delivered a week before St. Patrick’s Day, and expects to add even more to its stockpile.
O’Donoghue estimated Kerryman’s Guinness sales are up between 40 and 50 percent in the past two years, as young people have discovered the beer and trends like “split the G” took off.
“Traditionally, it was always the older regulars who would have a few pints and a drop of whiskey, now it’s young guys and girls enjoying it,” O’Donoghue said. “Its definitely got a new lease on life.”
In Avondale, at a pub which boasts a “Best Pint in America” award, Chief O’Neill’s bar manager Anluan McKinney said they expect to go through 50 or more kegs of Guinness on parade day alone.
“There’s such a joy, you can almost feel it in the air, when it’s St. Patrick’s time and the Guinness is flowing right and the craic is good as they say,” McKinney said.