Brewed By: Guinnes Brewing Company/St. James’s Gate (Diageo) in Dublin, Ireland
Purchased: 14.9oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2015
Style/ABV: Dry Stout, 4.0%
Brewed By: Heineken International/Murphy's Brewery in Cork, Ireland
Purchased: 14.9oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2015
Style/ABV: Dry Stout, 4.0%
It has occurred to me that I have never officially reviewed Guinness Draught on this blog. That doesn't matter though, because if you haven't tasted Guinness you can Google for hundreds of reviews or videos showing you the perfect pour. But let's get down to business. Which beer is better for car bombs or that once-a-year dry stout craving, because there is no other reason to buy a dry stout. Ever.
Appearance THE FUCKING SAME. Seriously, look at these two beers. Creamy, dark, mad Irish sex appeal (that's not a thing). The Murphy's might be a tad darker but I'm not pulling out my SRM ruler like some kind of beer reviewer.
Aroma The Guinness has that watery roasted aroma, with some barley, smoke, and faint roast. The Murphy's is slightly fatter, with more roast, more barely, more hints of smoke, and some faint chocolate. These are pretty evenly matched beer in the aroma department.
Taste The Murphy's Irish Stout has a nice flavor profile with dark grains, smokey barley, and some faint chocolate/roast. It's a dry stout through and through and lets you know it. The Guinness is more watery, and compared to the Murphy's Irish Stout, is actually more fruity. Yeah, what the fuck? The Guinness seems to have more yeast character, along with the smokey grains and usual roasted barley notes. The Guinness veers into hints of plums and dates...candy sugar...???
Finish These are both light-bodied beers. At 4.0%, you'd expect and want that. Anyone that calls Guinness a "meal in a can" has no idea what they are talking about and should be promptly ignored. They might be from Europe too, so promptly open an American BA Adjunct Stout and chug it. And then call it a session beer. Neither of these beers are particularly complex, but they are smooth and creamy and work. The main difference aside from the light roasted barley notes is that the Guinness seems to have more fruity notes and yeast character, and the Murphy's is a bit more malt-thick and has some chocolate/coffee that the Guinness lacks.
Appearance THE FUCKING SAME. Seriously, look at these two beers. Creamy, dark, mad Irish sex appeal (that's not a thing). The Murphy's might be a tad darker but I'm not pulling out my SRM ruler like some kind of beer reviewer.
Aroma The Guinness has that watery roasted aroma, with some barley, smoke, and faint roast. The Murphy's is slightly fatter, with more roast, more barely, more hints of smoke, and some faint chocolate. These are pretty evenly matched beer in the aroma department.
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| Guinness Draught vs. Murphy's Irish Stout |
Taste The Murphy's Irish Stout has a nice flavor profile with dark grains, smokey barley, and some faint chocolate/roast. It's a dry stout through and through and lets you know it. The Guinness is more watery, and compared to the Murphy's Irish Stout, is actually more fruity. Yeah, what the fuck? The Guinness seems to have more yeast character, along with the smokey grains and usual roasted barley notes. The Guinness veers into hints of plums and dates...candy sugar...???
Finish These are both light-bodied beers. At 4.0%, you'd expect and want that. Anyone that calls Guinness a "meal in a can" has no idea what they are talking about and should be promptly ignored. They might be from Europe too, so promptly open an American BA Adjunct Stout and chug it. And then call it a session beer. Neither of these beers are particularly complex, but they are smooth and creamy and work. The main difference aside from the light roasted barley notes is that the Guinness seems to have more fruity notes and yeast character, and the Murphy's is a bit more malt-thick and has some chocolate/coffee that the Guinness lacks.
Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)
I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on both of these beers. I really can't not recommend these two beers, but they aren't special or unique. They go great in a car bomb and taste good paired with certain foods in March. I don't really seek either of these beers out during the rest of the year. The Murphy's is definitely a bit thicker and leans towards chocolate and coffee; the Guinness is fruitier. I'd recommend getting the Murphy's over the Guinness based on the price alone. BUT, Guinness also has their Foreign Extra which is considerably more adventurous than the Draught.
Random Thought: Time to shelve these away until next March.
Random Thought: Time to shelve these away until next March.
Good review ! I like them both....but have a preference for Guinness. I will need to do a side-by-side next time.
ReplyDeleteI love the awesomeness of the swearing which crystallizes thw zeitgeist of the 'en hiver" ness of the oeuvre and its bon vivent ne'erdowellness.
ReplyDeleteI have been able to get women (and some men) who do not like Stout beer to enjoy a murphys unlike Guiness. And for me personally after years of drinking Murphys, switching to guiness is not possible. I miss Dragon Stout :( but I digress.
ReplyDeletewhat happened to Dragon Stout? Do they not sell it there anymore, changed the recipe, or the export is different than if you buy IN Jamaica? I still drink that liquid 7% leather in Canada....
DeleteAye indeed. Guinness is very overrated, where Murphy's has a sense of modesty to it. That'll be the names I talking about. However, it's been known for a long time that stout out of a can tastes like pish that was used to clean ashtrays. Come and taste both straight out of a keg in Ireland. The Guinness in Dublin, for example, from John Kavanaghs pub 'The Gravediggers tastes like...ahm...ahh...very nice dark alcoholic drink. It almost tastes like someone dropped a small neat Jameson into it. I haven't done much tasting comparisons around Ireland but I believe the diggers Guinness is better than my local which is in Buncrana County Donegal. That said, some pubs look after their pipes and pumps better than others and this may affect the taste and texture. My local is one of those pubs that smells of beer, smoke and piss and it would not surprise me to find an Alien ecosystem growing in the toilet cistern, if that's how it's spelled.
ReplyDeleteHe mentions a car bomb...haha...can't take this one seriously with that in there.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't know shit from shillelagh!
DeleteStop it you idiots
ReplyDeleteThey’re both great and I find myself going through periods of switching back and forth between the two, because they’re different enough to appreciate both.
ReplyDeleteWould love to see the comparison throwing Beamish into the mix. Near impossible to find in the US these days. Probably because Murphy's and Beamish brands are both owned by Heineken and they don't want Beamish to take market share from Murphy's.
ReplyDeleteYes! I love Beamish; so disappointed that it is no longer imported.
DeleteGreat tasting notes and good information here. The takeaway is that Guiness, for all its notoriety, is overrated. I have never been to Ireland and had it on draught, so I accept that it would taste better from a clean draft system than canned and shipped across the pond. But taste is subjective; some people eat cilantro and taste soap! So you should drink what makes you happy:)
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Good review, if it wasn't for the foul bucket mouth. Some people just shouldn't drink me thinks
ReplyDelete