UPDATED: MAR 17, 2024 Rated on St Patrick's Day 2024, can't imagine why it's taken me so long! Just a touch below the Special Export Stout and quite a bit above the Nigerian brewed FES which I find too smooth, too much vanilla and not enough hops. This one hits the mark with perfect hop balance to the roast malts, lingering sharp finish and velvet mouthfeel. Quite delicious and I hope they keep to the same recipe for years to come.

UPDATED: JAN 30, 2024 (330ml bottle, Flic en Flac, Mauritius. 30 Jan 2024) AROMA: coffee, mocha, wood, campfire, tobacco, brown sugar, leather, spices APPEARANCE: opaque, very dark brown, nice tan head TASTE: espresso, some herbalness, tad medicinal, wet tobacco, lightly sweet and sour, which is good for balancing things out. PALATE: light astringency up front, pretty bold, medium to full body, rich, creamy and smooth, fair amount of bitterness that lingers, OVERALL: I was expecting that people have been over-rating this (I've had the light 5% version before). But I was pleasantly surprised. This is pretty darn good! Decent nose, a flavor menagerie, nice mouth feel, and it looks rich. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but good for sipping and thinking about what is being presented to your mouth.

UPDATED: OCT 14, 2023 Aromas a toffe, tostados y café Aspecto negro opaco espuma fina persistente En boca maltosa, cacao negro y final licoroso

UPDATED: SEP 18, 2023 Bottle. Malty aroma and taste, roastyness, chocolate, light smokyness, medium bitter, light sweet notes. Medium to full body, malty roasty choco bitter sweet finish. Good.

UPDATED: AUG 30, 2023 on tap at Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Beautiful beer - if you want a little more kick to your Guinness, this is the one. Lovely

UPDATED: JUN 16, 2023 Bottle. A- Char, bitter, overripe dark fruit, cocoa. A- Dark brown color, dark liquid, beige rocky head. T- Bitter, espresso, cocoa, roasty, dark fruits. P- Medium body, average texture, average carbonation, bitter finish. O- Much more bitter than I expected. Okay. I've learned Guinness beer really is better fresh on tap.

UPDATED: MAR 17, 2023 11.2 oz. bottle from Total Wine, Chesapeake, VA. Dark brown/black pour with a rocky tan head. Aroma of roasted chocolate malt, mild coffee, and faint floral hops. Taste features espresso and dark chocolate with subtle grassy hops. Finish is pleasantly bitter and noticeably more substantial than Guinness Draught. A great classic stout!

UPDATED: MAR 3, 2023 Roasted malt, dark chocolate, and molasses aroma. Dry, aroma of roasted malt, some alcohol, coffee. Creamy.

UPDATED: JAN 13, 2023 11.2 oz. (350 ml) bottle, 7.5% ABV. I could not find a 'Best by' or 'Brewed on' date anywhere on the bottle or the carton. AROMA: Strong scents of dark, unsweetened chocolate and dark-roasted coffee beans. There is also a faint hint of cream. APPEARANCE: Pours an opaque black with a tall, dirty tan, head that dissipates slowly with excellent lacing. It looks extremely enticing in a clear Pilsner glass! TASTE: The front-end is lightly sweet and earthy, with big flavors of chocolate, dark roasted coffee beans, and a hint of milk. The back-end is medium dry with a medium level of bitterness, and more of that dark coffee bean flavor. The finish is long and mildly bitter. MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied but leaning towards full-bodied. Slightly rough texture with average carbonation. OVERALL: While I find this to be a pleasing beer, I must say that I much prefer the Guinness Extra Stout (St. James's Gate Brewery (Diageo Ireland)) version to this 'Foreign' version. That version has a creamier texture, a little more milk/cream flavor, and a much more balanced flavor profile. This 'Foreign' version is more bitter, has a rougher texture, and a somewhat overpowering coffee bean flavor.

UPDATED: OCT 7, 2022 Bottles at various points in my life. Ebony. Good, beige head. Moderate retention. Good malt and roast, with honey and brown sugar; molasses at best. Clean, light roast, light vanilla. Decent strength, no alcohol. Soft, rich, malty, fairly roasty with moderate depth and good chocolate, molasses and milk lingering. At times when I didn't have access to craft beer this was a welcome sight.