Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (Malaysia/Hong Kong/China)

Brewed by Guinness Anchor Berhad (Diageo/Asia Pacific Breweries-Heineken)
Style: Foreign Stout
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Serve in English pint, Snifter, Tulip

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Pours black with creamy tanned head. Aroma is chocolate, dark fruits, candy sweetness, coffee. A little watery.

After suffering through a Blue Girl in Hong Kong, I switched to a less expensive beer - Guinness Foreign Extra. Warning - this does not taste like the Guinness you know and love. A definite roasted malt flavor, but not very smooth - a little too bitter in fact. Still better than many of your alternatives in this part of th world.

Clear, deep blackish brown colour; Half-a-finger head and lasting mocha like foam; Small but good lacing; Strong and fragrant creamy aroma of roasted malt, coffee, raisin, vanilla and plums, which is then followed by light alcohol, and astringent hop when it warms. Sweet and pleasant taste of roast malt, burnt toffee, liquorices, grass and hops; Medium body, creamy palate; Taste profile is dominated by creamy, milky taste throughout, the roast malt taste is very BSA-like, very tasty and tempting; Despite the boozy smell, its knock-on effect is really minimal, almost none. Hoppiness and tartness are pronounce yet very pleasant, with nice and lingering bitterness give the finishing a nice touch. After taste is very similar to milk stout, surprisingly easy to mouth.

Comments: many raters have said the Irish original is the best FES of all the versions available. I haven’t had the opportunity to try it, but this Malaysian version I’m having is really good in many areas - fragrant roast aroma, good body, nice and creamy BSA-like malt taste, memorable hop character yet it’s so easily likeable - it has shattered my stigma of stout and porter being just plain bitter and nothing more. This foreign-made FES has shown depths and characters to be likeable, so I really look forward to taste the Irish original one day. Recommended? You bet, at least in this part of the globe!

From the backlog, tried in Hong Kong. Dark colour with a thick white head. Strong aroma of malt. Sweet flavour of coffee, malt.

Bottle at the Green Man, Kuala Lumpur. Pours a deep black with a thin broken tan head. The aroma is dominated by the alcohol. The flavour is medium to strong bitter with liqourice and some alcohol burn on the palate. It’s a nice beer to drink in Asia, where the bitterness from the alcohol is quite refreshing, but this probably wouldn’t suit the European climate when the real stuff is so readily available.

330ml can, Siem Reap, Cambodia Appearance: Opaque and jet black, creamy tan head, laces nicely. Aroma: Prunes, vanilla, roasted coffee, licorice. Flavour: Coffee and dark fruits, significant bitterness through to the end. Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy on the palate, well balanced malt and hops, bitter almost acidic finish and aftertaste. Overall: Good stuff, although lacks alot of the grace and finesse of the original Guinness.

pours a black color with a small creamy head that fades to some lacing. Aroma of roasted malt, caramel, coffee and bit of chocolate. Taste of roasted malt, almost burnt with bit of caramel, some coffee and a bit of chocolate. Decent bitterness and a dry finish. Full body, creamy texture with a decent balance. Nothing fancy but still a nice offering of the style.

So this comes from a brewery in Malaysia. Pours black with beige head which dissipates quickly. Doesn’t resemble the beautiful Irish original. The nose has notes of roasted malts, caramel, coffee. The flavor follows the nose. It tastes like coffee with a bit of syrup and light carbonation. The finish is solid and leaves bitterness and acidity behind. Don’t get too excited when you find a Guinness Foreign Extra Stout far away from Ireland.

Bottle from hotel bar @ Changzhou, China. Black coloured beer with no carb and a small off white head. No creamyness in the froth like with the regular Guinness. Rather hoppy roasted malty hinted aroma, slightly surprised at this moment. Full palate, but not the expected creamyness. Finish is again a combination of hops and roasted malts. Longer bitter hopyness. Not what you would expect from a Guinness. Misses some of the original character.

Can. Pours a black color with a small off-white head. Has a sweetish roasted malty caramel aroma with hints of chocolate. Roasted malty chocolate and weak licorice flavor. Has a roasted malty chocolate and caramel finish.