Guinness 250 Anniversary Stout

Before today's entry, I would like to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day. Please party responsibly.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to have a special Guinness: their 250 Anniversary Stout, released last year to honor the 250th anniversary of Arthur Guinness signing a 9000-year lease on a disused brewery in Dublin at St. James' Gate in 1759. Apparently, he had an initial cost of £100 and an annual rent of £45, which makes me wonder if the deal is still on (I'd hope so). So, what better way to celebrate the start of the next 250 years than with the anniversary stout? This marks the third Guinness product I've reviewed, after the Extra Stout and the Jamaican version of the Foreign Extra Stout; I plan to review the Draught when I get a proper pint at the St. James' Gate brewery in May. (Diageo Beer Brands)

Here come the stats:

Guinness 250 Anniversary Stout
BREWERY: Guinness Ltd., Dublin, Ireland
U.S. IMPORTER: Diageo-Guinness USA, Inc., Norwalk, CT
STYLE: Stout
FIRST BREWED: 2009
CALORIES/SERVING: 136.3 per 11.2 oz. bottle
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 5%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS: "Two types"
HOPS: "Triple hops"
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH:
AWARDS:

I got the first brewed, calories, ABV, malts and hops from an MSNBC article on the beer. I'll probably fire off an e-mail to Guinness or Diageo for the rest, but I won't hold my breath.

The beer, like every other Guinness product I've had, pours black as night into the bottle. I messed up and poured this beer as I would've poured a Guinness Draught, but it turns out I wasn't supposed to; what little head that resulted was tan in color, a little whiter than the other Guinnesses. The aroma was similar to that of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout: a pleasing dark chocolate nose. The taste of the beer was certainly more carbonated and less creamy than the Draught, with a little more malty flavor. That maltiness lingered slightly in the aftertaste, but it wasn't overbearing.

Overall, a well-crafted beer from Guinness, but it doesn't evoke the same memories that the Draught does. This beer is only available for a limited time in the US, Australia, and Singapore (but not Ireland, curiously), and may already be sold out in some locations. (Booze Bros. in Reno, where I grabbed this one, still had 5 after I grabbed mine.)

Sláinte!

Guinness Extra Stout

When some of my friends were in town for my wedding (specifically, they were all here as a part of the wedding party), we hit up the local beer store to grab some special brews to enjoy over classic comedies like Old School and, of course, Wedding Crashers. One that we picked up at Booze Brothers was Guinness Extra Stout. Having had Guinness Draught in various forms (never at a pub though...I'm saving that for Ireland), and knowing that the upcoming honeymoon may allow me to pick up the foreign version of this beer in Jamaica, I picked up the domestic (but still imported) version to try and compare. It's been sitting in my fridge for almost two months now, and since I tried Guinness Foreign Extra Stout already, it's time to taste the version we get stateside.

Guinness Extra Stout (or something thereabouts) was first brewed in 1759 at St. James' Gate in Dublin as Guinness East and West India porter by Arthur Guinness. While it is not the exact beer now as it was then, it is the direct ancestor. It became reformulated as Guinness Extra Superior Porter in 1821. There are a couple of interesting notes about this beer, particularly the name change between Britain and the United States; across the pond, it's known as Guinness Original, a more direct link to the East and West India porter of the 18th century. It's also not as strong over there, weighing in at only 4.2% ABV; according to the website, it's 5% ABV over here, though. Wikipedia (always a "trustworthy" source...) lists 4.8% ABV for Namibia and South Africa and 6% for Australia and Japan (it also says the US gets 6% too). What contradicts that last parenthesized statement is that Canada brews all the Guinness Extra Stout sold in the states; it says "Product of Canada" on the bottle (Canada being the home of 5% Guinness). (US website (requires birthday and USA for location), England website (requires birthday and England for location), Wikipedia entry)


Here are the stats:

Guinness Extra Stout
BREWERY: Guinness Ltd., Dublin, Ireland
FIRST BREWED: 1759
CALORIES/SERVING: per 12 oz. bottle
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 5% (though I've seen other sources say up to 8%)
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS:
HOPS:
SERVING TEMPERATURE: 54°F (12°C)
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: Oysters (I'll take their word for it)
AWARDS:

As with other Guinness entries, the beer is an opaque black color that seems to absorb all light that attempts to pass near it. It also gives off a coffee-colored head when poured, once again taking up the whole glass with bubbles moving downward, retaining a puffiness once it had compressed. (I did not attempt to pour the perfect pint, or in this case 12 oz.) The aroma that spilled forth from the beer was that of blackened dark chocolate. Its taste was stronger than that of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, with more hoppiness, I feel, and it tasted like black coffee. While it tasted alright, the taste quickly transitioned to a funky aftertaste.

However, lots of beers have funky aftertastes, and if you want a great stout, than Guinness Extra Stout is a good one to order. Pick one up at your local beer store.

Sláinte!

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

Once again, I have new blog entries on tap (to Adam: pun intended) for you to enjoy, and it's actually one I wrote tonight. After I wrote those two entries on my notebook on vacation, I got so busy with work and wedding wrap-ups (thank you notes suck to write, by the way) that The Beerocrat fell by the wayside for a little bit. But I'm back, and I have lots of beer in my fridge just begging for a drink. I thought I'd start off with a beer that I bought in Jamaica specifically for this blog.

As my wife and I were traveling Jamaica admiring the striking tropical scenery, I was also keeping my eye out for some interesting beers that they don't have in the states. One that I remember from one of my favorite beer books, Beers of the World by David Kenning, was Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, specifically brewed for Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. So naturally, I was on the lookout for this elusive beer. Finally, on our last day there, we stopped to eat at a Red Stripe brewpub in the international terminal of Montego Bay's international airport, I saw a few bottles of it behind the bar. After telling the bartender that I wanted a cold unopened bottle (to which he gave me a quizzical expression), I had a 275 mL bottle in hand ready to import back into the states.

Now you may be wondering, why does the Caribbean (and Africa and Asia) need a foreign extra stout. The answer is borne out of the same dilemma that gave birth to the India Pale Ale. According to Guinness, it is brewed with extra hops so that it can enjoy an increased shelf life in warmer climates, which include the three areas I mentioned. As a consequence, it also gives the beer a unique kick for a stout while still retaining that distinctive Guinness look and taste. It was first brewed in Dublin and first exported in 1802. Since the 1960s, it has been locally brewed in those warmer climates, including Jamaica, and has gone on to be ridiculously popular; 40% of all Guinness worldwide is the Foreign Extra Stout. Unlike bottles of Guinness Draught, it does not have The Widget in the bottle. (Source; you need to enter your birthday and location to enter the site.)


Here are the stats:

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
BREWERY: Guinness Ltd., Dublin, Ireland (mine was brewed locally by Desnoes and Geddes, Kingston, Jamaica)
FIRST BREWED: 1802
CALORIES/SERVING:
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 6.5% (Beers of the World says 7.5%)
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS:
HOPS:
SERVING TEMPERATURE: 64°F (18°C)
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: Sausages and mashed potatoes
AWARDS:

These stats come from a combination of Beers of the World, the Guinness website (link above), and what it says on the bottle. More info may come from a phone call to a Guinness brewery in the states.

As it is a trademark of Guinness beers, the first thing I noticed was the fact that the head took up most of the glass when I first poured it. It was a nice, fluffy, chocolate-tan head where the bubbles were moving downwards...unlike other beers I've had. The foam also had a habit of staying for a really long time; looking at my glass now, I see that the head has finally reformed into those last few delectable drops. The aroma of the beer was a combination of character and a whiff of chocolate that is very pleasing to the nose. The beer itself had Guinness' trademark solid black color and a nice velvety flavor to it with a chocolatey coffee taste that was a little bit more bitter than the usual stout (due to the extra hops added for the climate). The finish was like a liquefied dark chocolate combined with hops and just a touch of sweetness.

In short, I'm glad that this bottle survived the journey from Jamaica back to Reno. I only wish I could pick this up at my local store. Oh well, I have my bottle of regular Guinness Extra Stout waiting for me soon, so I guess I can manage. For now.

Sláinte!