Hamilton bar wins regional Guinness PintMaster title

Two Hamilton bartenders were crowned Guinness PintMasters for the upper North Island in the first of the regional finals of the Guinness PintMaster competition.
 
John Doran and Tom Rower from the Fox & Hound’s Bar are the first Waikato bartenders to ever win the regional title in the annual Guinness pour-off.    
 
They beat four other teams in last night’s competition held at the Claddagh Irish Bar in Auckland and have booked a spot in the Guinness PintMaster National Final on December 8 where they’ll face three other teams from across the country.
 
The teams from as far north as Kaikohe had to impress judges with their Guinness pint pouring skills and a Guinness cocktail of their creation.      
   
Doran and Rower started preparing for the competition three months ago and were blown away by their win.
 
“I arrived in New Zealand from the UK six months ago to broaden my horizons and get experience in the hospitality industry, and this is way more than I expected,” Rower says.
 
Four generations of my family have worked in pubs, and none of them ever won anything like this.”
 
Doran and Rower’s cocktail was inspired by the Irish coffee with a mix of Guinness brewed coffee, topped with a Bailey’s infused whipped cream and Guinness biscotti.  
 
“We wanted to create a cocktail that everyone would love and who can resist the combination of coffee, cream and Bailey’s but we added our own flourish with the Guinness.”  

Guinness NZ Marketing Manager Adrian Hirst says the competition was tight but Doran and Rower had the edge.
 
“It’s a skill to be able to pour the perfect pint of Guinness and there was a very high level of pint pouring quality across all five finalist bars. The winners were also able to display a real sense of presence and personality behind the bar which is so intrinsic to Guinness.”
 
Winners of this year’s National Final will each receive a cash prize of $1759, which is the year The Guinness Brewery at St. James’s Gate was founded.
 
Regional finals are also being held in Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. The National Title is currently held by Wellington’s D4 Irish Bar and Restaurant