Guinness may be the headline act, but Murphy’s is the stout that quietly wins people over. It’s one of Ireland’s great pints – Cork-born, properly smooth, and criminally underrated in UK pubs considering how many stout drinkers claim they want something “a bit different”.
Murphy’s sits in that perfect stout lane: dark, creamy, and easy to drink without becoming sickly. Compared to Guinness it often feels slightly softer and rounder, with less of that roasted bite and more of a mellow chocolate-coffee smoothness. A good Murphy’s goes down dangerously quickly, the kind of pint that turns into three without you clocking it.
What makes Murphy’s particularly satisfying is that it still feels like a proper pub stout. No gimmicks, no pastry nonsense, no barrel-aged fireworks. Just a classic nitro stout poured cold, settled right, and served in the sort of pub that knows what it’s doing.
And in London, that’s where the chase comes in. Murphy’s isn’t everywhere. You won’t find it stapled to every bar like Guinness, which makes spotting it on draft feel like a little victory – especially for anyone who’s deep into stout culture and wants something beyond the obvious order.
If you’re on a stout mission, you can also read our guide to Guinness, the pint everyone orders and the pour everyone judges, plus Beamish Stout in London, a rarer Cork stout worth the hunt.
Where can I find Murphy’s on tap?
Want to know which pubs are pouring Murphy’s right now? Use Where’s My Booze to search nearby venues, see live tap lists, and avoid the guesswork. Find the pint you want, where it’s actually pouring.