Guinness Draught

Brewed by St. James’s Gate (Diageo)
Style: Dry Stout
Dublin, Ireland

Serve in English pint

Can from some supermarket. Another mammoth of the beer world up for rating. Guinness was probably the first stout I tasted a sip of, on holiday in Ireland with my parents when I was about 15. Back then, it was the meanest, fullest, richest and harshest beer I’ve ever had - but then again, the range of beer I’d tried back then was pretty measly. (Hey, I was 15, aight?) For years later, Guinness still resembled the archetypical "ultra-strong" beer in my consciousness. Over the past 2-3 years’ journey into craft beer, I think its pretty amusing to look back on that feeling. The last time I had a Guinness was in a stout tasting evening, as a "reference beer". Not fair. Matching a Guinness against an army of imp stouts is like using a skinny, pimply adolescent boy to measure a team of MMA fighters. Anyway, enough chatter - on with the rating: dense, thick, everlasting nitro-head covers the near-black body, muting the aroma to a level where the only thing getting through is a slight whiff of roasted malts and some extremely mild hints of alcohol. It looks damn good though. Taste is mild, matching the smooth palate with touches of smoke, tar, licorice and coffee. While this may sound like an overstatement, I have to point out that these are merely *hints*, as opposed to any real flavor tones. The smokiness is probably the only feature which stands out; it is as if the beer makes an honorable nod to the rauchbeers of Germany, or the whiskey distilleries of its homeland. The palate is smooth, but the relatively thin body - compared to the roasty notes in the taste - pulls down the rating somewhat. Overall, Guinness is a a smooth, but ultimately watery brew which holds the promise of a good stout but is designed to...well, to NOT deliver. Give me their Foreign Extra Stout any day - THAT beer is actually quite good.

UPDATED: NOV 17, 2010 Dark brown with the signature, nitrogen-infused, tan head. Smells of coffee and toast; tastes of coffee and toast with that little something bitter and tart. Incredibly light body and low caloric content; devoid of the unburnt malty sweetness typical of normal stouts. Very drinkable and delicious but so often over-priced. Update: I’m very impressed with the head retention (even though it’s nitrogen, it’s still amazing when you have a head 30 minutes after pouring), and I’ve just noticed for the first time a bit of light fruitiness, almost like berries, that is perhaps a subtle note from the yeast that comes out at warmer temps. Cool!

The flavor is some roasted malt and carmel and a good dose of oatmeal. It has good creamy feel too it. Oatmeal is a huge part of the aroma and a little dark chocolate. Pours a black color with some ruby hue’s on the bottom. It has a nice creamy mocha head and a good amount of lacing It finishes a little sweet and a little faint on the hops and some dryness as well. I think to get true Guinness you really need to go to Dublin. But I do enjoy the occasional one of these.

This is a beer that almost everyone seems to love, for as long as I can remember, but I never really appreciated it more than just an ok beer. It looks really great with the black color and almost unbeatable head. But I’m sorry to say I find the taste does not match the look. The little taste of stout that exists is quite decent, but it leaves me wanting more (more taste, not more Guinness). Also it is a bit too low carbonated and has a too watery feel for me as opposed to what I expect from the look. I’ve been told many times that the closer to Dublin you are, the better it is, so maybe I have to visit Dublin sometime. Don’t hate me :)

Very pleasant to drink, the world famous thick off-white foam and the black tar-like colour is also pleasant to look at. Taste is sweet and rich.

Drank at the oktoberfest in Rennesear, IN. Enjoyed with a steak at the pub. Poured from draft into signature Guinness bell shaped glass. Excellent appearance. Large tan head that did not disappear. The brew is jet black in color. Aroma is of a chocolate and toffee. Taste is slightly sweet, dry, malty, no hops, chocolate, cofee, and toffee. Palate is dry. Overall, impressive, but could only drink one of these at a time. Heavy brew..

A very dark, smooth beer. Caramel taste with some coffee notes. Beautiful frothy head with a light sweetness and full body. Thick texture and slightly oily, overall a delicious beer.

From a can, a beautiful thing to watch a Guinness settle, dark brown in color with a frothy khaki head. Aroma is roasted malts, slight coffee, chocolate, and nuts. Taste is similar to aroma with some smoked wood flavors texture is creamy yet slick. Always enjoyable.