Brewed By: Guinnes Brewing Company in New Brunswick, Canada
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a six-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in IL; 2012
Style/ABV: Dry Stout, 6.0%
This is like a non-review, because hey, who hasn't had Guinness. This is Guinness Extra Stout, which has a little more umphhh. I suppose you might see a Guinness Draught and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout review on here at some point. This beer is "traditionally brewed at St. James Gate Dublin," and has been "Brewed since 1759 with natural ingredients, today GUINNESS is enjoyed in over 150 countries." The whole 150 country thing throws a wrench in brewing all of the world's supply of Guinness out of St. James Gate, so Guinness is brewed in over 50 countries.
Guinness began in 1759 when Arthur Guinness began brewing ales at St. James Gate Brewery in Dublin. On May 19, 1769, Guinness exported its first beer. You can read all about the history at Wikipedia, or try to navigate the fairly commercialized brewery page (just Google Guinnness). So I'll just drop some interesting facts. Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease for the St. James Gate Brewery. Guinness as we know it today is a Dry Stout. The term Stout came from "Stout Porter." Porters were dark beers originating in London, and strong variations were originally called "Stout Porter." Guinness Extra Stout was originally "Extra Superior Porter," and became Extra Stout in 1840. Arthur Guinness began selling dark beer in 1778; Guinness brewed their last "Porter" in 1973. Lastly, Guinness was at one time brewed with a blend of fresh beer and aged beer, to give the beer a lactic flavor. Guinness still has that "tang," but the company apparently refuses to confirm that this blending still occurs.
Anyway...on with the review:
Guinness has built a mythology around the pour. I mean cripes, this St. Paddy's day they are having some Guinness pouring contest thing. Guinness Draught is where you see the magic happen in terms of the pour. This beer...pours like a typical Stout or Porter. Fuck the proper pour and all the bullshit hype around it. "Tilt the glass at a 45 degree angle, and pour slowly 3/4s of the way blah blah blah." I gave this an aggressive pour, and wound up with 5-fingers worth of head. I've now poured the entire beer, and have 3-fingers of tan/khaki head. The head is super foamy, thick, and dense. This is a head that is made out of dreams. This head has the consistency of a nice root beer float. If you've poured a dark soda over ice cream, you know what the head of a Guinness beer looks like. This beer looks deceptively dark in low light: black almost. But in bright light this is a dark brown or ruby red beer. I can see decent carbonation on the side. Head sustainability is great, and there is some lacing from the pulling head.
The aroma is all about that slightly sour, slightly acidic, slightly tangy smokey note. This beer is all about those roasted malts, and that's all she wrote. They smell very smooth though, a hint of sweetness/caramel, and inviting. This almost smells like very dark coffee, with that extremely bitter-sweet note. The roasted malts really do impart a unique aroma and flavor to the Dry Stout style.
At this point it's hard to do a play-by-play review on the taste. I mean to me this tastes like "Guinness." You get that smooth, tangy, slightly sour roasty flavor up front. The middle is tangy and creamy. The back end finishes dry and very roasty, with hints of smoke. The smoke is never really meaty. Lots of roasted malts; some grainy notes; I taste acid, tang, and some bitterness with that tangy roasted finish.
This stuff goes down like water and is stupid drinkable. But you already knew that. And this shit isn't a "meal in a can" like MillerCoors frat boy #14 told you. Nope. Guinness Draught is around 155 calories per 12oz, and this clocks in around 175 calories per 12oz. In fact, the darkness of a beer has very little to do with the calorie count, the main thing is alcohol content; the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calorie content. Having said all that, the Dry Stout style is a great style to session. The style feature those roasted flavors, it has depth and flavor, but it still goes down easy. And Guinness is a great beer to drink 6 of in an evening.
This is medium-light, smooth, slightly sharp and acidic, and has moderate palate depth and moderate complexity. Guinness Extra Stout is really a step up from Guinness Draught in terms of flavor, so you do get some added complexity. Sharp, smooth, and slightly acidic up front, you get tang and sweet roasted malt; the middle is sweet, grainy, and even some berry notes; this rolls into a deep roasted finish with hints of smoke, some bitterness, and a drying, roasty, bitter finish.
This is like a non-review, because hey, who hasn't had Guinness. This is Guinness Extra Stout, which has a little more umphhh. I suppose you might see a Guinness Draught and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout review on here at some point. This beer is "traditionally brewed at St. James Gate Dublin," and has been "Brewed since 1759 with natural ingredients, today GUINNESS is enjoyed in over 150 countries." The whole 150 country thing throws a wrench in brewing all of the world's supply of Guinness out of St. James Gate, so Guinness is brewed in over 50 countries.
Guinness began in 1759 when Arthur Guinness began brewing ales at St. James Gate Brewery in Dublin. On May 19, 1769, Guinness exported its first beer. You can read all about the history at Wikipedia, or try to navigate the fairly commercialized brewery page (just Google Guinnness). So I'll just drop some interesting facts. Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease for the St. James Gate Brewery. Guinness as we know it today is a Dry Stout. The term Stout came from "Stout Porter." Porters were dark beers originating in London, and strong variations were originally called "Stout Porter." Guinness Extra Stout was originally "Extra Superior Porter," and became Extra Stout in 1840. Arthur Guinness began selling dark beer in 1778; Guinness brewed their last "Porter" in 1973. Lastly, Guinness was at one time brewed with a blend of fresh beer and aged beer, to give the beer a lactic flavor. Guinness still has that "tang," but the company apparently refuses to confirm that this blending still occurs.
Anyway...on with the review:
 |
| Guinness Extra Stout |
The aroma is all about that slightly sour, slightly acidic, slightly tangy smokey note. This beer is all about those roasted malts, and that's all she wrote. They smell very smooth though, a hint of sweetness/caramel, and inviting. This almost smells like very dark coffee, with that extremely bitter-sweet note. The roasted malts really do impart a unique aroma and flavor to the Dry Stout style.
At this point it's hard to do a play-by-play review on the taste. I mean to me this tastes like "Guinness." You get that smooth, tangy, slightly sour roasty flavor up front. The middle is tangy and creamy. The back end finishes dry and very roasty, with hints of smoke. The smoke is never really meaty. Lots of roasted malts; some grainy notes; I taste acid, tang, and some bitterness with that tangy roasted finish.
This stuff goes down like water and is stupid drinkable. But you already knew that. And this shit isn't a "meal in a can" like MillerCoors frat boy #14 told you. Nope. Guinness Draught is around 155 calories per 12oz, and this clocks in around 175 calories per 12oz. In fact, the darkness of a beer has very little to do with the calorie count, the main thing is alcohol content; the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calorie content. Having said all that, the Dry Stout style is a great style to session. The style feature those roasted flavors, it has depth and flavor, but it still goes down easy. And Guinness is a great beer to drink 6 of in an evening.
This is medium-light, smooth, slightly sharp and acidic, and has moderate palate depth and moderate complexity. Guinness Extra Stout is really a step up from Guinness Draught in terms of flavor, so you do get some added complexity. Sharp, smooth, and slightly acidic up front, you get tang and sweet roasted malt; the middle is sweet, grainy, and even some berry notes; this rolls into a deep roasted finish with hints of smoke, some bitterness, and a drying, roasty, bitter finish.
Rating: Above-Average
Score: 84%
Guinness is the official sponsor of St. Patrick's Day. Did you know that? Did you? Because I sure hear it 400 times a day on the radio and TV. That's why I am here, the power of persuasion. And advertising. I mean if you like beer you've tried Guinness. And you either love this stuff, or hate it. BudMillerCoors guy hates this stuff because it is too heavy. Beer snobs hate this stuff because it isn't an Imperial Stout. Beer geeks love this stuff because its a good take on the Dry Stout style and it is available everywhere. I enjoy the drinkability of Guinness, the availability, and the reliability. I know what I am getting with Guinness, and sometimes I want that. For me, Guinness is a standard. A go-to beer. There isn't much else to add....I mean, this is just a penny in a bucket of Guinness reviews. Remember though: Guinness is hardly considered a "true Irish beer" these days.
Your are so too the point I started drinking Guinness in 2000 and have not drank anything else since
ReplyDeleteoy vey, guinnes is my downfall.,,,
ReplyDeleteI don't know what it is about Guinness Extra Stout that gives me a very warm, fuzzy and almost philosophical 'buzz'. I know it's fairly low in alcohol content. Is it the sugar? No other beer does this to me.
DeleteDecent and complete review. Well done.
ReplyDeleteJohn 3:16