ABC Extra Stout Ginseng

Brewed by Singapore Brewery (Asia Pacific Breweries-Heineken)
Style: Foreign Stout
, Singapore

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Canned, thanmks lgklotet! Near black, rich head. Strong, rather unpleaant dusty aroma. Now I understand why I was warned against this beer. Medicinal licorice and flavour with some coffee and fudge. Boldly malty with notes of syrup. Mineraly salty finish. I definitely prefer the non-Ginseng version of this.

Been saving this one since the last time I went to Singapore, and a few hours before I leave again for Singapore - I figured I’d try this. Horrible aroma when the can opens - yep, its definitely ginseng. Deep black coloured body, about 90% opaque, with a nice frothy light brown head that leaves a nice lace on the side. Aroma of strong as hell Korean ginseng, oatmeal, alcohol, nuts and more ginseng - really overpowering stuff. Full-bodied; Very creamy, almost milk stout taste with only minor hints of the ginseng, some caramel and nuts to top off the beer and a dose of dry oak at the end. Aftertaste definitely has the ginseng, but not killing out everything else. Some alcohol and bitterness persists, but the maltiness prevails, along with that pesky ginseng. Overall, a pretty awful beer at first, but somehow it mellows out or I’m getting used to it or something? A decent beer - definitely an interesting one, and easily seen that this is a well crafted beer, even if you don’t like ginseng. Needless to say, I’ll probably cozy up to one of these at a hawker stall and bring some back to show other people. I sampled this 33 cL can purchased at a 7-11 (they are everywhere) near the Somerset SMRT station in Singapore in August 2007 sampled at home in Washington on 30-October-2009.

This is a terrible beer and should be avoided at all costs! The ginseng is so overpowering and gross that it totally kills this beer. Some things just should not be infused into beer!

Can. A pitch black beer with a brown head. The aroma is earhty combined with roasted malt. The flavor is sweet and acidic with strong notes of roasted malt as well as medium notes of ginseng and earth.

(Can 33 cl) Courtesy of fiulijn. Pours an opaque black with a handsome, frothy and rather retentive light brown head. Weird aroma of burned malt, dust and dirt - guess that’s ginseng for you. Medium body with a low carbonation and a soft mouthfeel. Very burned malt accents coffee and ashes and a malt bitter finish. Admittedly an alternatively smelling beer, but them Aussie below are wussies for being THAT put off... :-) 030608

33 cL can. Pours dark brown with a creamy and dense tan head. Aroma of mouldy bark gone wet on a summersday. Dry roasted malt and spiced ginseng. Flavour is dry roasted malt with an earthy spice note. Ends with a smoth chocolate note with a diminished earthy spice note. Light acidic touch.

This beer nearly killed a group tasting. There were eight of us in Sully’s house when he opened two cans of this, and eight of us outside shortly after. The stench of rotting asparagus filled a room and lingered for hours. Just a sip or two of this ginseng-infused stout induced foul burps that tainted all the beers that followed. Weaker men would have quit. Correction, smarter men would have quit. Ginseng may well have life-enhancing medicinal qualities but it has no place in beer. If you ignored the smell long enough to concentrate, this stout looked promising - jet black with a thick lather of suds. But the smell... Green and vegetal. Jalapeno peppers, asparagus and charcoal with a heavy medicinal/mineral taint. It tastes better than it smells, but then so would my feet. Bitter chocolate malts, coffee grounds and an astringent finish. Herbal but not in a good way. All in all, about as much pleasure as a trip to the dentist. (Can courtesy of Sully at his Sydney RB Xmas 07 gathering)

Sully opened up two cans of this science experiment gone wrong in his kitchen. I was looking outside to see what the neighbors were cooking as it smelled foul. Little did I know this pugnent smell was actually beer. Massive ginseng nose with a gritty roasted malt, thin body, but hardly anything is noticable outside of the ginseng. Blah. One of the worst beers I have ever had. Total drain pour.

Can
Black color, with a big rocky head, beige. The concotion of roasted malt and ginseng creates a dusty aroma, and coffee. Not much body as would be expected for a Foreign Stout, with too much roasted malt flavor and an unpleasant touch (the ginseng). The final as well has too much roasted malt.

UPDATED: MAR 4, 2008 The ABC foreign stout is one of those Asian beers that is a real surprise in the sea of mediocrity. As a strong stout it really satisfies with its formidable presnece and enjoyable java kick. Ginseng is one of the Asian herbs that is meant to have magical qualities that encourage vigour, ward off illness and have anticarcinogenic and antioxidant properties. OK, if you want to be fit and healthy just buy some capsules of this ugly tasting herb. It needs to be encapsulated so you can swallow this foul tasting substance, but for God’s sake don’t infuse it into a beer. The overwhelming smoky herbal nature of this beer is eveidence of a brewer’s brain explosion.