Gonster; the Billie Irish

With a history that dates back more than 200 years (when Arthur Guinness signed a 9000-year lease on St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin), Guinness is not only one of the oldest beer makers in Ireland, but one of the oldest beers in the world. It’s also one of the most well-known beers, thanks to its popular Guinness Draught, which you can find on-tap at neighborhood pubs and fancy bars alike (you can also get it canned). For Guinness, tradition seeps through every pint, bottle and can, with a time-honored recipe honed from the original Guinness Extra Stout, first brewed in 1821. And for many, that rich and creamy stout is what they associate with Guinness, often referring to it as a “dark” and “heavy” beer. But as the Irish will tell you, a good pint of Guinness doesn’t have to taste — or be — so serious. In fact, there’s a case for Guinness being a great summer beer as well. https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/guinness-beer-draught-stout-for-summer-1234716619/

The Guinness Monster has captivated audiences worldwide, inspiring awe and curiosity among those who encounter its colossal presence. This iconic figure, often synonymous with extraordinary achievements and record-breaking feats, embodies the spirit of adventure and the thrill of pushing boundaries. The Guinness Monster stands as a testament to human ingenuity and resilience, drawing people from all walks of life to witness the seemingly impossible. https://treadingolhshopuk.blob.core.windows.net/citybord/guiness-monster.html

The term "Guinness Monster" is often associated with the Guinness World Records, an organization that recognizes and verifies extraordinary achievements across various domains. The concept of recording the largest, fastest, and most unique feats emerged in the mid-20th century, primarily driven by the desire to settle pub debates and showcase the remarkable capabilities of individuals worldwide. The Guinness Monster symbolizes this spirit of record-breaking, representing the epitome of human achievement. How Did the Guinness World Records Start? Founded in 1955, the Guinness World Records was born out of a simple idea: to create a reference book that would settle arguments about record-holding feats. The brainchild of Sir Hugh Beaver, the managing director of the Guinness Brewery, the organization quickly gained popularity and became a global phenomenon. As people sought to push the limits of human capability, the Guinness Monster emerged as a symbol of these extraordinary pursuits. https://treadingolhshopuk.blob.core.windows.net/citybord/guiness-monster.html

Deze tekst heeft er weinig mee te maken? 

Guinness and Monster Ultra Paradise! monsterenergy guinness beer  https://treadingolhshopuk.blob.core.windows.net/citybord/guiness-monster.html, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dojWGjTjK1Y/maxresdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEoCIAKENAF8quKqQMcGADwAQH4Ac4FgAKACooCDAgAEAEYciBVKD4wDw==&rs=AOn4CLAT7JE0dVGvdUbQLVySUmJMRddXgw 

Beware the ‘Gonster,’ Social Media’s Viral Guinness-Monster Mashup https://vinepair.com/articles/guinness-monster-viral-drink-combination/

Op diverse media kwam ik dit tegen, zoals op https://preview.redd.it/thoughts-on-the-gonster-v0-d2pbk4cvisyc1.jpeg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=5180fc72180c73461c643615a2f975a1f451ea82, https://vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/the-gonster-header.jpg, https://vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/the-gonster-internal.jpg

We may never know who was the first to make Gonster, a.k.a. the Billie Irish, nor who was the first to coin the names stelt Aaron Goldfarb in zijn artikel op https://vinepair.com/articles/guinness-monster-viral-drink-combination/, zoals gepublioceerd op 16 mei 2024.

Sometimes called the “Billie Irish,” the improbable mix of energy drink and stout started appearing more and more frequently on social media this spring, though its true origins remain as murky as a failed attempt to execute its signature Guinness float. As far as I can tell, this year’s earliest significant social media post on the subject matter came on St. Patrick’s Day in an Instagram reel from a U.K. convenience store. In the brief video, proprietor Amit Patel makes three different Monster and Guinness concoctions. Despite receiving over 45,000 likes to date, most of the comments have been negative. “No one who likes monster likes Guiness, no one who likes guiness likes monster (sic),” wrote one commenter. ... I grab a single can of Guinness Draught Stout and a single can of Monster Energy Nitro. Once home, a pint glass in hand, I pour approximately 8 ounces of the Slimer-green taurine bomb before carefully floating 8 ounces of dark-ruby-red-colored beer on top of it. They stay separated — improbably — an orange-ish Kármán line dividing light and dark. I admire the oddly beautiful liquid dichotomy before taking a hearty chug. The creamy head hits my upper lip, heralding the familiar flavors of roasty malt, chocolate, and espresso. But look out — a rush of fizzy, citric acid, and sugar burst through. https://vinepair.com/articles/guinness-monster-viral-drink-combination/

Regardless of the hate, extremely online people seemed to like the concept. The video soon spread to Facebook groups, like an unofficial Guinness Community which counts over 363,000 members. The Gonster, as many started calling it, didn’t truly begin to go viral until April 25. On that Thursday, journalist Yasmine Summan posted about it on X/Twitter, garnering 9.6 million views. Popular beer meme account Dont Drink Beer posted the exact same image on the platform, racking up 1.3 million views while noting, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” “Somebody posted this on Reddit and Twitter and now it’s going viral. But this is nothing new. ... The virality extended even further the next day, when podcaster Frankie Francis likewise posted the same image with the caption “Are you ok babe? You’ve hardly touched your Gonster…” Francis’s post would get shared on Reddit and other meme sites and it remains the meme most frequently re-posted at the time of writing. (As to where the original image everyone was meme-ing came from, I haven’t been able to figure that out, even with the aid of Google’s Reverse Image Search.) By May 7, yet another Twitter user racked up nearly 8 million views when he made his own Gonster. At this point, the two-part pint had transcended mere novelty, morphing into a full-blown internet sensation. It had been immortalized in furry anime form, caused people to cast aspersions toward goths and emos, and been taste tested in countless videos (many people liked it!). And yet, I was surprised to discover that the Gonster/Billie Irish dates back much further than this recent trend. https://vinepair.com/articles/guinness-monster-viral-drink-combination/

Patel claims he has been making various Guinness and Monster combinations since 2021, though he never named them. “I did it purely because of my love of both drinks …. just did it out of curiosity,” he says. Patel now makes the Gonster on every St. Patrick’s Day. “I never thought it would spiral like it has!” As early as 2020, however, well-followed Irish TikToker Daragh Curran began posting his own Guinness and Monster mash-ups. One of the earliest was to celebrate his 100,000th follower, and it garnered over 1 million views. (Today he has over 400,000 followers.) Curran started his TikTok account earlier in 2020, then going by the screen name @theguinnessguru, and mainly posting his thoughts on his favorite beer. Eventually he started trying out crazier and crazier Black and Tan combinations, his first being a Guinness and WKD Blue, a U.K.-based alcopop. He would try Guinness and Smirnoff Ice (“Not bad!”), Guinness and Irn Bru (“Tell you what…”), and, of course, Guinness and Red Bull (“Safely say that’s by far the worst one we’ve had, lads.”). He next tried his first Guinness and Monster, in September 2020, and thought it was only marginally better. After a few other attempts — Guinness and Capri Sun, Guinness and Fanta — Curran returned to Monster, mixing Guinness and the energy drink’s Pipeline Punch. He actually liked that one and would continue to make more and more Gonster variants over the next several months as his online following grew. By late 2020, quite a few other Irish and U.K.-based TikTokers began copying him, though none seemed to use the Gonster or Billie Irish nomenclature just yet. https://vinepair.com/articles/guinness-monster-viral-drink-combination/

De biermix is vernoemd naar de zangeres Billy Eillish, vanwege haar haardracht zoals te zien op o.a. https://usbusinessinside.blogspot.com/2020/02/billie-eilish-said-her-favorite-movie.html en https://kdsdesigning.blogspot.com/2024/04/billie-eilishs-secret-week-with-red-hair-may-be-her-boldest-look-yet.html.

Her full name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell. She's of Irish and Scottish descent. Her parents are actors Patrick O'Connell and Maggie Baird. Her older brother is musician and producer Finneas O'Connell from the band The Slightlys. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/billie-eilish.html

Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell[1] (Los Angeles, 18 december 2001) is een Amerikaanse singer-songwriter. In 2019 bracht ze haar debuutalbum When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? uit, waarvoor ze de Grammy Award voor Album of the Year won. Daarnaast scoorde ze internationale hits met "Bad Guy", "Everything I Wanted" en "No Time to Die". Eilish is de jongste van de twee artiesten die alle Grammy Awards in de belangrijkste categorieën in één jaar (2019) wonnen. Ze heeft in totaal negen Grammy Awards, twee American Music Awards, twee Guinness World Records, drie MTV Video Music Awards, twee Oscars voor beste originele nummer ("No Time to Die" en "What Was I Made For?") en drie Brit Awards op haar naam staan.... Billie Eilish is sinds haar twaalfde veganist.[29] Ook volgt de zangeres een glutenvrij dieet. Ze heeft het syndroom van Gilles de la Tourette.[30][31] https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Eilish

Als ik het zelf inschenk blijkt Monster geel en niet groen!? 

My goodness my Guinness Blonde IPA!

Guinness Blonde IPA | 5,0% | India Pale Ale 

ZICHT/KLEUR Blond.

GEUR Aroma's van citrus met bloemige tonen.

SMAAK Een verfrissende, bittere smaak met toetsen van citrus en bloemen.

AFDRONK Een bittere afdronk.

CULINAIR Lekker met pasta met tomatensaus, hamburgers en gerechten van de barbecue. 

(https://www.mitra.nl/product/guinness-blonde-ipa-44cl)

Ik dacht bij Guinness dat ze enkel stouts brouwden, maar blijkbaar hebben ze ook IPA in hun portfolio. De vliegende toekan met de 2 glazen op z'n snavel nodigde mij uit om het blik te kopen. De smaak is moutiger en minder bitter dan verwacht. Het is geen hopbom. Het doet me meer denken aan een tripel of zwaar blond. De afdronk is overigens wel lekker bitter. 

Guinness Blonde IPA is een verfrissend bier met een bittere smaak en toetsen van citrus en bloemen. De IPA heeft een bittere afdronk. (https://www.bierista.nl/guinness-blonde-ipa)

"Fris, licht fruitig en mild bitter. Afdronk en nasmaak hebben een licht bittertje. Gezien de toevoeging IPA op het blik, had ik een stevigere bitterheid verwacht. Het bier heeft wel een mooi kleurtje. " Peter Reijntjes... "blonde ipa, fijn aroma maar mist de echte hop bitterheid" Collin Bouman.... "Lekker doordrinkbaar bier. Minder hoppig en bitter als een 'gewone' IPA" Pascal Wevers (https://www.bierista.nl/guinness-blonde-ipa)

 Gelukkig ben ik niet de enige die de hop mistte. Ik mis de hopbommen van Phillips.

Longboat CHOCOLATE PORTER Longboat pours a beautiful dark brown and oozes bold chocolate flavour. Its rich velvet texture smoothes the senses. (https://phillipsbeer.com/the-beers/)

Okee, dat is een verkeerd voorbeeld. 

Amnesiac DOUBLE IPA Not for the faint of heart – or the forgetful – the Amnesiac is a big beer with massive amounts of hops and a tonne of flavour and aroma. .... Hop Circle IPA Taste probes activate! Packed full of bright citrus hops, this otherworldly IPA will abduct your senses! It’s a close encounter of the thirst kind. .... Citricity GRAPEFRUIT ZEST IPA Freshly peeled grapefruit sparkles off the nose, with crisp citrus flavours set against a backdrop of fruit-forward hops. ... Little Wonder HAZY IPA A NUTRITION TABLE ON A BEER? ALTHOUGH BEERS AREN’T MEANT TO BE SCRUTINIZED LIKE STATISTICS ON HOCKEY CARDS, WE WANED TO PROVE TO ALL OF THE CALORIE COUNTERS OUT THERE THAT THEY CAN STILL ENJOY A DELICIOUS CRAFT BEER. ENTER LITTLE WONDER HAZY IPA, WHO’S FLAVOUR IS MIGHTY BY THE OUNCE BUT TREADS LIGHTLY WHERE IT COUNTS. TAKE THE INFO AT FACE-VALUE, BUT TRUST YOUR TASTEVALUE. AFTER ALL, THAT’S THE REASON WE DRINK CRAFT BEER IN THE FIRST PLACE. iOTA Hazy IPA HAZY IPA iOTA Hazy IPA is low on bitterness & full of citrus and juicy fruit notes. Our house malted barley lends a hand in creating a smooth sip and helps carry that tropical hazy hop profile.(https://phillipsbeer.com/the-beers/)

Green Reaper FRESH HOP IPA Brewed with whole-cone hops delivered fresh to the brewhouse, this fresh hop IPA only comes once a year at harvest, so grab it if you see it!...Hoperation TRIPEL CROSS IPA Pop the cap on this bomber, and hear the sirens wail. This IPA slams hop-first into a classic Belgian yeast to create a super-fortress of flavour. (https://phillipsbeer.com/the-beers/)

Phillips is een Canadese bierbrouwer met behoorlijk wat IPA's in hun gamma. Ik dacht dat ze uit Nieuw Zeeland kwamen. Daar heb ik voor het eerst kennisgemaakt met 'too hoppy'. 

Breweries big and small regularly win international awards, and Kiwi beer lovers are spoilt for choice. This wasn’t the case in 1981. Back then, the word craft was only used was to describe the crocheted socks your nana churned out for the church fair.

Then, in 1981, a man called Terry changed all that. He was a publican, and didn’t think much of the beer he could get for his pub, so he thought: ‘What if I brewed some myself?’. No-one had applied for a brewing licence for 50 years, and no-one could even remember what forms you had to fill out. But he persevered, and he got his forms, and he got his licence, and he brewed his beer, and what he brewed was Mac’s. It didn’t get any easier. Finding a brewery to brew in, and some bottles to put the beer into, and bottle caps to seal it with was equally hard.

Being a pioneer is hard work, but beer drinkers liked what they tasted, so the hard work began to pay off as Mac’s started to make a name for itself. A few of those beer drinkers also thought ‘What if we brewed some ourselves?’, and soon, a few more of those brewing licences got filled out. Thirty-odd years down the track, Mac’s is proud to have played a key role in kicking off our thriving beer scene, and even prouder to still be brewing award-winning naturally brewed beer that Kiwis love today.

Terry himself has moved on, but the spirit of ‘What if’ still runs through everything we do in our beer range, our ciders, our non-alcoholic sodas, or the Mac’s Brewbars around the country. The ribbed bottle and the rip cap are symbols of Mac’s pioneering history, and we look forward to carrying on in the same imaginative and passionate way for many years to come. (https://macs.co.nz/pages/our-story)

Whether the big game is in a stadium or your backyard, Ballpark is sure to be a hit. With a glove-full of Citra hops thrown in from the outfields of the US, this light and refreshing pale ale will smash your thirst out of the park. Flavour/Taste A subset of the pale ale style, this XPA is extra pale in colour with a light bready malt character that has just enough sweetness to support ht delicate bitterness of the American Citra hops, resulting in a beer that is light and refreshing on the palate with a fruity aromatics and a balanced clean finish.  (https://macs.co.nz/collections/our-beers/products/ballpark)

Apparition Do your eyes deceive you or is that a ghostly galleon laden with a bounty of juicy hops hidden in the mist? Set sail into the hazy unknown for a supernaturally fruity burst of tropical and citrus flavors followed by an eerily smooth finish.  Flavour/Taste: Gaining more and more popularity among craft beer aficionados and novices alike, hazy IPAs are characterised by juicy flavours, a big viscous mouthfeel and very smooth bitterness along with turbidity or cloudiness, giving the resulting beverage the appearance and flavor of a refreshing glass of alcoholic fruit juice (https://macs.co.nz/collections/our-beers/products/apparition)

Magic Hour Photographers love the hour around sunset, and it’s a pretty good time for a Hazy Pale Ale too.  Do your selfie a favor, crack a can of Magic Hour and say cheese or cheers! Flavour/Taste Magic Hour is a Hazy Pale Ale – light, cloudy golden appearance.  Pale malts give the beer a light biscuity background to which aromatic hops are added to give a fresh hoppy taste and aroma without any harsh bitterness.  Magic Hour is a session-able beer. (https://macs.co.nz/products/magic-hour?pr_prod_strat=collection_fallback&pr_rec_pid=6790427738174&pr_ref_pid=4748212502590&pr_seq=uniform)

Green Beret First impression/ Getting into character Brewed to produce flavours of citrus, pine & tropical fruit. This India Pale Ale is then dry hopped for an explosion of hop aroma & flavour.  Powerful and precise, Green Beret packs an arsenal of citrus and pine flavours with a skilfully controlled explosion of hoppy goodness. Mac’s Green Beret IPA is named after the assertive punch of the US hops, but like any good soldier it also knows the virtues of discipline and restraint. The result is a well-balanced IPA that has a complex and rewarding flavour profile. A bit of history This recruit is still a little on the green side, but with promise like this it’s sure to keep future award ceremonies under heavy fire. (https://macs.co.nz/collections/our-beers/products/green-beret)

Er zijn nog  heel wat IPA's te proberen...

Пивоварня Гиннесс

 Waarom zou Guinness zo duidelijk op hun bierblik Russisch vermelden?

Guinness

 Ik drink een Guinnes, uit blik met daarop zo'n Toekanvogel met een bier op z'n snavel. Het is echter geen stout, maar een IPA. Het staat ook echt op het blik een blonde IPA. Tja een blonde india pale ale.... De geur uit het blik is heerlijk en het bier smaakt goed, maar waarom heeft Guinness een IPA??? Ach ze deden het al jaren:

Why Is Guinness Making an IPA?

Craft brewing continues its long-running reign. By Aaron GoldfarbSep 15, 2015 Like the older man at the office trying to fit in, Guinness will soon join the craft brewing movement by releasing its own IPA, Nitro IPA, later this month.  I've chronicled my own issues with the iconic yet solid draught, saying the 119.53 second "pouring ceremony" is myth-making nonsense. But I've never dogged the brewery and always admired the 256-year-old Irish institution. Until recently, the world's largest stout-maker hardly released any new products, aside from natural extensions of their flagship. First came a slightly more alcoholic Guinness Extra Stout, then an even more alcoholic Foreign Extra Stout, easily the best beer they've ever produced. Extra Cold Stout appeared in 2007, then a Black Lager was released in 2010, and considered a minor failure. A Blonde Lager appeared last year, and was a bigger failure, in my opinion. (https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/a37963/why-is-guinness-making-an-ipa/)

Tja ook iconische brouwers maken blijkbaar fouten. Heineken bleef lang enkel het pilsje, maar heeft nu ook allerlei varianten. Het gebeurt dus meer.

But perhaps those failures weren't surprising. The Economist reports the brand's sales are tanking in the United States and Britain. To be fair, though, all "macro" beer sales are tanking as craft brewing takes over drinking. (Yes, even Guinness is "macro," as it's owned by Diageo, the largest alcohol beverage company in the world.) You can begin to see why Guinness wants to capitalize on the IPA trend, IPAs being seen as the most "craft" type of bestselling beer. Billy Power, Guinness's global head of quality, confirmed as much in his thick Kilkenny brogue, saying, "Since we brew beer in 50 countries, we have to pay attention to what's going on in the beer industry around the world. And we're very cognizant of the role of the IPA amongst American consumers." Guinness' new IPA came about via The Brewer's Project, an incubator for international Guinness brewers. To play up how crafty the beer is, the 11.2 ounce can reads, "Created with passion by Luis Ortega," the company's pilot brewery manager. This is all well and fine, except that Guinness is releasing an almost unheard of "nitro" IPA, which means, it, too, will have the frothy, cascading head that made Guinness stout famous. Which is absurd! Or is it... I was shocked to discover I really liked Guinness Nitro IPA. Yes, it's dark amber, not pale gold. And, yes, the nitrogenation mutes the floral and fruity aromas that should come from its wealth of hops (Admiral, Celeia, Topaz, Challenger, and Cascade, in this case). It also clocks a paltry 40 International Bitterness Units when most American IPAs soar into the 100s range and beyond.  Still, it's a tasty, citrus-flavored beer that tastes nothing like an IPA. And perhaps that's all right. "Looking at it through Guinness' lens, this is how Guinness can do an IPA," Emma Giles, the brewery's brand director, told me. "It's meant to be a 'Guinness IPA.'" And, hey, if slapping IPA on a can is what it takes to push product, we have no one but ourselves to blame. Maybe next year we'll see cans of Guinness Sour Ale—nitro, of course. Aaron Goldfarb is the author of How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide, The Guide for a Single Man, and The Guide for a Single Woman. (https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/a37963/why-is-guinness-making-an-ipa/)

While acknowledging the merit of the question, he quickly dismissed it as “much ado about nothing,” noting that innovation has always been a trademark of the Guinness brand. After all, if it weren’t for Guinness, it’s possible that nitrogen might never have been used as a carbonation for beer. There’s been a lot of discord in the craft beer community about various buyouts of existing brands and mergers among others, but a growing discontent is also starting to register among those of us who like the purity laws, be they Germany’s strict Reinheitsgebot or simply a traditional saison recipe handed down from one generation to the next at Brasserie Dupont. We may love our 100 IBU American-style IPAs (India Pale Ales), but we respect the diversity that craft offers us and we don’t want to see European style go all Levis jeans and Nike shoes (to offer up a metaphor). Well, here’s the good news. Despite the presence of five (FIVE!) different hops in the Guinness Nitro IPA, the beer weighs in at a relatively paltry 44 IBUs. The only hops used throughout the brewing process is Admiral, with Celia and Topaz being added at mid-boil. While the company is boasting about its dry-hopping with Challenger and Cascade, the truth is they are infusing the dry hops rather than actually doing traditional dry hopping. This is reflected in the nose, which gives off very little of the distinctive aromas beer drinkers expect from a dry hopped beer. (For more on the brewing of this beer, check out the four-minute video courtesy of Guinness, below). So, is there bad news to go with the good? Not really. The beer is a reasonable English IPA, with the novelty of being – per the company slogan –  “Supremely smooth. Unmistakably Guinness.” The beer employs the same yeast that is used in the stout, so there’s no mistaking it for another brand. And the nitrogen adds an element of surprise: It was comical as we experienced IPA drinkers were gingerly pouring the Nitro IPA into our glasses, expecting the foam-up that occurs from a CO2-infused IPA. Domhnall bemusedly had to cajole us into pouring our beers more quickly, assuring us that the beer would not foam over the glass. It didn’t. However, there is still a wait for drinking a Guinness IPA, only it’s on the back end, not the pouring end. The distinctive caramel head that forms in a Guinness Stout is also present in the IPA; the cloudy beer clears to a deep amber after about 90 seconds. This is not a beer that will win over any hop heads. However, it is a beer that many Guinness drinkers will enjoy. At 5.8% ABV, the IPA is a “big” beer by Guinness standards (the stout is traditionally around 4% when served in Europe) but still fairly sessionable by American IPA standards. So, is nitrogen going to take over IPAs the way that it has stouts? Unlikely. At least not stateside. The NO2 reduces the bitterness and bite that most IPA drinkers have come to expect. Palate fatigue aside, I think this is more of a “gateway” (and you know how much I hate that term) IPA for people who don’t really like IPAs. Although there are a couple other brewers experimenting with nitrogen-infused IPAs, I don’t think the mouthfeel is as compelling as with a stout. Plus, there’s the reality that bars aren’t going to take over their few nitro lines with an IPA. Guinness has its trademarked widget ball in cans, meaning bars can easily stock the cans in lieu of (or in addition to) draught. (https://brooklynbeerbitch.com/2015/09/21/a-guinness-ipa-you-betcha/)

Okee, maar de IPA die ik heb is geen NITRO...

Het blikje van 440 ml bevat 17 gram alcohol, en heeft grote Russische letters op de zijkant.

Het koperkleurige bier heeft weinig schuim, maar de smaak is bitter. Er is zelfs een bittere afdronk. Het slaat op m'n tandvlees, maar niet gehemelte!? Dat is intrigerend. Het heeft geen waterig mondgevoel, maar ook geen branderige alcohol. Logisch met 'slechts ' 5% ABV. Er is opmerkelijk weinig koolzuurprik. Het mondgevoel is zacht te noemen. Dat zal stikstof zijn?? 

Op het label staat een toekan.

stroll past a beer fridge and you might see a label that’s simple, nostalgic, and a throwback to the 1930s: the Guinness toucan.

The toucan goes back to 1935 and the advertising firm S.H. Benson. Artist John Gilroy had been recently hired, and Dorothy Sayers, a famous crime writer and playwright, wrote advertising copy for the company. When Guinness came to the agency, they had a very particular request. “The Guinness family did not want an advertising campaign that equated with beer,” the UK History House writes. “They thought it would be vulgar. They also wanted to stress the brew’s strength and goodness. Somehow it led to animals.” There was the pelican that stole everyone’s beers with the copy, “My goodness — my Guinness!” Also the sea lion that had a habit of stealing Guinness. And the turtle that steals Guinness on its back. A lot of thirsty animals, basically. None earned as much fame as the toucan, however. The toucan’s brightly colored beak contrasts nicely with two dark glasses of Guinness (almost always two glasses, playing off of the similar sounds of “too can” and “toucan”). But it was Sayers’s copy that elevated the toucan to legendary status. “Guinness is good for you,” one poster reads. “How grand to be a Toucan, Just think what Toucan do.”... The toucan and its gang of animal friends graced Guinness ads for decades. Then, in 1982, Guinness stopped working with S.H. Benson and dropped the animals. In recent days the toucan has made some appearances, including a limited-edition can released in 2016. But it primarily lives on in the memories of Guinness lovers and collectors. Published: May 18, 2017 (https://vinepair.com/articles/history-guinness-toucan-ads/)

Wat ik me zo afvraag, zou de hotelketen met de toekan ook Guinness serveren?

In 1929 openden Martinus en Riet van der Valk in Voorschoten café ‘de Gouden Leeuw’. De eerste jaren werden hier uitsluitend limonade en koffie verkocht, niet veel later ook pannenkoeken en andere versnaperingen. De zaak liep zo goed dat deze in razend tempo uitgebreid werd. Tegelijkertijd werd een slagerij geopend om ‘de Gouden Leeuw’ van versproducten te voorzien. Familie van der Valk had als streven zelf in producten voor het restaurant te kunnen voorzien en deze ook voor de verkoop aan te bieden. Zo ook voor de hotels en restaurants die volgden. Vandaag de dag maken o.a. inrichtingsfirma’s, meubelmakers, keukeninrichters en touroperators deel uit van het concern. In 1939 werd de weg waaraan ‘de Gouden Leeuw’ lag verbreed. Het restaurant moest worden afgebroken. Op een nieuwe locatie herrees onder dezelfde naam een restaurant inclusief 10 hotelkamers. In 1947 kreeg het Van der Valk concern vorm door de uitbreiding met enkele nieuwe restaurants. Martinus van der Valk stierf in 1969. Op dat moment telde de Van der Valk keten al 16 hotels en restaurants. Elke zoon en dochter kreeg het zeggenschap over een zaak. Vandaag de dag bestaat het familieconcern uit 79 hotels en restaurants, waar kleinkinderen en achterkleinkinderen van Martinus van der Valk aan het roer staan. Hierdoor kenmerkt Van der Valk zich, ondanks de enorme groei, door de familiaire sfeer.  (https://www.vandervalk.de/nl/historie-van-der-valk)

Met bijna honderd hotels en vrijwel overal een familielid aan het roer, is Van der Valk wereldwijd een uniek familiebedrijf. Een grote familie die zo lang intensief samenwerkt, dat zorgt uiteraard voor mooie verhalen. Lees hieronder meer over de oorsprong en het thuis-van-huis gevoel voor zowel de medewerker als de gast. “Er staat een huiskamer op het luik”! In veel restaurants van Van der Valk is deze uitspraak nog wel eens te horen. Er staat een personeelsmaaltijd klaar, betekent dit voor een leek. Het luik verwijst naar de doorgeefschuif, waarmee vroeger in de eerste Van der Valk restaurants de keuken met de zaal verbonden was. En waarom de personeelsmaaltijd een huiskamer genoemd wordt? Omdat deze vroeger in de huiskamer van de familie Van der Valk zelf genuttigd werd. .... Martinus Van der Valk was het nakomertje uit een gezin van 24 kinderen. Misschien dat hij daarom wel overal kansen zag en ze greep. ‘Je moet de slaplantjes oprapen die een ander weggooit’ had zijn vader hem ingeprent en dat heeft hij zijn hele leven ter harte genomen. Na het overlijden van zijn moeder in 1929 verkreeg hij hun Boederij De Gouden Leeuw in Voorschoten, met bijbehorend café. Op een handige manier maakte hij gebruik van de kansen die zich voordeden. Zo ruilde hij eens een paard voor een auto, maar de volgende dag wilde het barrel niet meer starten. Om toch een beetje plezier van zijn aanwinst te hebben monteerde Martinus de autowielen onder zijn paardenwagen, nu was deze geruisloos! Andere karrenbezitters kwamen bij Martinus voor banden en hij werd succesvol in de autohandel. Hiervoor was hij veel onderweg en het viel hem op dat je buiten de deur nergens zo lekker kon eten als thuis. Dit was een idee voor het café! Al snel konden de gasten daar ook lekker eten. Terwijl Martinus in de autohandel bleef bestierde zijn vrouw Riet het café. Ook werden er maar liefst twaalf kinderen geboren. Het was hard werken in het gezin Van der Valk, stilzitten deden ze geen moment. Martinus was de man van de ideeën, hij had namelijk bedacht dat hij voor elk kind een zaak wilde verkrijgen. Riet zorgde dat het werk gedaan werd en intussen ging Martinus op zoek naar geschikte horecabedrijven om over te nemen. Cadeau kregen de kinderen de zaken echter niet, ze moesten er hard voor werken. En dat deden ze dan ook in de filosofie van hun vader. De zaken die Martinus kocht, waren doorgaans ondernemingen die er financieel slecht voor stonden, maar waar hij wel brood in zag. Je moest immers de slaplantjes van een ander oprapen! In de jaren tachtig en negentig ging de groei van het concern heel snel. Niet alleen slecht lopende horecazaken werden overgenomen, ook werd er veel nieuw gebouwd. Twee zonen van Martinus die steeds meer op de voorgrond traden waren Arie en Gerrit van der Valk. Arie verzorgde vooral de financiële kant van het concern, Gerrit was de ondernemende van de twee en het gezicht naar buiten. En de hele familie werkte mee: “Als de kindjes kunnen staan, kunnen ze ook glazen spoelen”, had opa Martinus ooit gezegd. (https://www.valk.com/historie)

Het is een van de meest gestelde vragen aan de familie Van der Valk: waarom hebben jullie een toekan op je dak en geen valk? Het antwoord is te vinden in de aankoop van vogelpark Avifauna. De familie was op zoek naar een symbool voor de hele familie. Zo net na de oorlog hadden veel mensen nog nare herinneringen aan de roofvogelsymboliek die door de nazi’s werd gebruikt. Zoals Gerrit van der Valk zei: “Als een valk slaapt is ’t niks en gaat hij op roof uit, dan is het net een adelaar. Een toekan is een mooie, grote, tropische vogel, een vrolijk beest, een gezellig beest, dat past veel beter bij ons”. (https://www.valk.com/historie)

In augustus 1949 verzocht de burgemeester van Alphen aan den Rijn de heer Van den Brink, eigenaar van landgoed Ten Rhijn, éénmalig zijn 'achtertuin' te openen voor nieuwsgierige dorpsgenoten. De mensen waren zo enthousiast over de privécollectie vogels, dat de eigenaar van diverse hoedenspeciaalzaken besloot een vogelpark op te richten. Het eerste vogelpark ter wereld werd geopend op 17 mei 1950. Op de posters ter ere van de opening prijkte reeds de Toekan. Toen de heer Van der Valk in 1956 het vogelpark overnam besloot hij het toekanlogo te behouden, ook voor andere restaurants en hotels. Zo werd het bekende Van der Valk logo een feit. Het huidige à la carte restaurant is het voormalig woonhuis van de familie Van den Brink. Er zijn nog steeds enkele zeer karakteristieke delen van het park intact, zoals bijvoorbeeld de vijver met het parkrestaurant. Er zijn zelfs enkele pelikanen die al vanaf de allereerste dag in de vijvers van het park zwemmen. Van der Valk Avifauna werd in de loop der jaren uitgebreid met een hotel, rondvaartboten en een casino.Vogelpark Avifauna was tot 2012 eigendom van Van der Valk. Onder leiding van de familie is het vogelpark uitgegroeid tot een officiële dierentuin met meer dan 260 verschillende soorten vogels. In 2012 is Vogelpark Avifauna officieel een stichting geworden, hiermee komen alle inkomsten direct ten goede aan het vogelpark. Van der Valk Avifauna blijft de horeca verzorgen en is zelfs hoofdsponsor van het vogelpark. (https://www.vandervalkavifauna.nl/over-avifauna/) (https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogelpark_Avifauna)