It's always a lovely day for a Guinness. Now the morning after might not be so bad, either.

Ireland's most renowned brewing company is experimenting with a reduced-alcohol variation of its classic draft beer. And the reasoning may surprise you.

The new brew is called Guinness Mid-Strength. It purportedly tastes the same as Dublin's standard breakfast-in-a-glass, but rates just a 2.8 percent on the alcohol by volume scale. That's about a third less alcohol than the usual 4.2 or 4.3 percent.

Why less bang for the buck? The Irish have a long, vibrant history of getting sloshed, but that reputation is gradually changing along with Ireland's economy. The fact is, Ireland is one of the fastest growing economies in the world — a seachange dubbed the "Celtic Tiger" — and that means more and more people need to get up in the morning and go to work.

"We're all working harder, people have more responsibility," Doyle said. "It's really indicative of the working climate. Midweek, if you want to have a few pints and be fine the next day, that's where this is aimed at."

The company tested the brew last year in bars in Limerick City, on the west coast of Ireland, and plans on another few months of research before making a decision on rolling it out to every pub in the country. But so far, the response has been mostly positive — especially to the taste.

"It tastes exactly the same as your regular draft Guinness," said Jean Doyle, a spokeswoman for Guinness's parent company Diageo. "From a technical point of view, it was a real breakthrough,"

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Otis Hart is an asap reporter.

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